When you find the perfect musical accompanyment to your video or content, you often know straight away. The emotion, the rhythm, the entire atmosphere of the visual content is suddenly amplified and if feels complete. But getting to this stage can often be a process in itself. With large production music libraries, such as the one here at RouteNote Licensing, the strategic use of search filters can drastically streamline this selection journey.

In this post, we’re going to investigate one of the most powerful and intuitive filters at your disposal: Mood.

The power of search filters

Searching through a vast library of thousands of high-quality tracks can be overwhelming. That’s where a comprehensive filtering system comes in. Filters are your navigational tools, designed to hone in and present you with only the music that is highly relevant to your specific content needs.

At RouteNote Licensing, we offer a range of helpful filters to assist you in finding your perfect tracks:

• Mood: The emotional feeling or atmosphere of the music (e.g., Uplifting, Tense, Relaxed).
• Genre: The style of music (e.g., Electronic, Hip-Hop, Classical).
• Instrument: Key instruments featured in the track (e.g., Piano, Synthesizer, Guitar).
• Vocals: Type of vocals (male, female, rapped, chants).
• Sub-Genre: More specific categorisations within a Genre (e.g., Trap within hip-hop, Jazz Fusion within Jazz).
• BPM (Beats Per Minute): The pace of the track, useful for syncing music to fast or slow-paced action.
• Track Length: Useful for finding a track that naturally fits the length of a specific segment.

Why filtering is crucial

Filtering is important because it transforms an impossibly large haystack of options into a manageable pile of potentially perfect needles. It is a more efficient use of time, ensures relevance, and significantly improves the quality of your music selections.

The key to efficient and effective search filtering is starting with the broadest, most important parameters and then narrowing down. Starting with the Vibe can be a good place (Mood or genre can both work here). Ask yourself, “What does this video feel like?” This should be your first filter. For example, if you’re making a travel vlog, you could start with Mood: Adventurous and Genre: Acoustic.

Further narrow down your search using the other filters. The details of the music, i.e instrument or vocal type can be helpful if you have a specific idea in your ead of what the video needs. Most projects are different so take the time to try and visualise different filters.

And finally, a word of caution: Avoid over-filtering! Combining too many filters can result in zero tracks found. Start with 1-3 key filters (like Mood, Genre, and Instrument) and then add more if the results are still too numerous. Finding the perfect track is often about balancing specificity with flexibility.

Many moods

The Mood filter is arguably your most powerful tool because it is the most intuitive. Music is primarily about feeling, and filtering by mood allows you to select tracks based on the emotional core of your video. A track labled as Dramatic could be anything from Trap to classical, rock to ambient. You may be surprised by how a certain genre might work alongside your content if the mood fits.

Energetic/Action: Action, Aggressive, Energetic, Excited, Funky, Punchy, Rowdy

Positive/Light: Bright, Cheerful, Dreamy, Elegant, Empowering, Friendly, Happy, Hopeful, Inspirational, Joyful, Light, Playful, Quirky, Relaxed, Romantic, Smooth, Soaring, Sunny, Thoughtful, Uplifting, Whimsical, Warm

Negative/Intense: Angry, Dark, Distorted, Dramatic, Intense, Mysterious, Tense, Threatening, Unpredictable

Atmospheric/Neutral: Ambient, Calm, Chill, Cool, Eerie, Hypnotic, Mellow, Reflective, Sad, Serious, Slow, Smooth, Somber, Soulful, Sparse, Tender, Trippy, Weird, Wistful

Contextual: Business, Comical, Driving, Epic, Fashion, Flowing, Futuristic, Glitchy, Groovy, Historical, Jazzy, Lighthearted, Military, Motivational, Neutral, Pensive, Rhythmic, Sci-Fi, Sexual, Sophisticated, Sports, Stomping, Swing, Trailer, Vintage

Establishing a mood

Once you know the available moods, you can use them to match directly to your content. A great video editor understands that the music doesn’t just fill a void behind the visuals. Instead, it helps dictate how the audience feels about the visuals.

Here are a few examples of how to match your video type to the perfect mood filter combination:

Type of content	Primary Moods	Secondary Filters	Why it Works
Parkour/Action Sports	Energetic, Punchy, Unpredictable	High BPM, Rock Genre,Hip-Hop Genre	The audience must be kept on the edge of their seats. Music must match the rapid, unpredictable movement and high energy of the sport.
Luxury Product Review	Elegant, Smooth, Sophisticated	Low BPM, Jazz or Chillhop Genre	Mood creates a feeling of premium quality, refinement, and relaxed confidence, reflecting the product’s value.
Vlog/Day-in-the-Life	Lighthearted, Friendly, Warm	Acoustic/Pop Genre, Guitar/Piano/whistle Instrument	Establishes an approachable, relatable, and comforting atmosphere, making the viewer feel welcomed.
Video gaming	Cinematic, Explosive, Tense	Timpani, Orchestral, Trumpet Instrument	Match the mood of the game to the mood of the music. Increase the gaming excitement through underscore

Auditioning process

With most filter combinations you will end up with a selection of tracks to review. This is the auditioning process, and while there is no right or wrong method to select your final choice, here are some suggestions.

1. The Shortlist: Start by listening to the first 10-15 seconds of the filtered tracks. Create a collection for your project. This is like a playlist. Use the “Add to Collection” feature on our site when you play a track that feels right. This then builds a shortlist
2. Auditioning Method 1: The Imagination Test: For a quick review, use your imagination and visualise the imagery and content as the tracks play. If the music sounds right in your mind, it’s a strong contender.
3. Auditioning Method 2: The Parallel Test: The most effective, but slightly more time-consuming, method is to play the track simultaneously while viewing your footage. You could have a pop out box of the video footage looping over while you audition the tracks from the music library. This will give you a clue as to how the two mediums are matching. Alternatively, an even more thorough method is to drop the track into your editing software. Once on the timeline you can see how it hits the key cuts, transitions, and emotional peaks of your video.

Ultimately, the best method is the one that works best for you. Some creators need to hear it against the picture; others have a strong enough intuition as to what music will work. Either way, trust your gut. If the track gives you that instant “aha!” moment, or imparts a suitable emotion, you’ve found a winner.

Summary

Filtering your music selection by Mood is the single most effective way to cut down your search time and find a soundtrack that fits the emotional tone of your content. By combining the power of the mood filter with other elements like Genre, instrument and BPM, you gain a high level of control over your musical options.

Stay tuned, as over the next few weeks we are planning to drill down on some specific moods and tyhe sort of content that they can enhance. To try out our filtering search and wide selection of music and effects offerings for yourself head over to RouteNote Licensing and sign up today. You can set up a free account to browse the site before comitting to a great value subscripion.

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