Introducing Instant Soundtracks

Instant Soundtracks, from ElevenLabs, goes beyond generating background music for a video. After you upload a clip, the model writes an original score for it. It also scans the footage for moments that call for a sound effect, generates those effects and places them on the timeline at matching timestamps. The announcement gives the example of a whoosh timed to a logo at the end of an ad.

The update targets short-form video. ElevenLabs says it tightens timing around cuts, transitions and on-screen actions, and that the music can change mood between scenes. A video's existing audio can now also be used as a reference. The model reads features such as genre, beats per minute, crescendos and instrumentation, and shapes the new score to match the original's character instead of starting from nothing. In the ElevenCreative Music Video Editor, the sound effects sit on their own layers apart from the music, so you can adjust, add or swap pieces without regenerating everything.

The feature is also open to developers. The ElevenCreative Studio API gains three parameters: add_sfx, separate_tracks and use_audio_as_reference. With separate_tracks turned on, the API returns a ZIP file with the music and the effects as separate files, ready for mixing elsewhere. A request can include up to 10 videos, with a combined limit of 200 MB and 10 minutes of footage. The post shows no quality comparisons or listening tests. It describes what the feature does, not how well it does it.