How Do You Pick the Right Song for an AMV?

General discussion of Anime Music Videos
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pandrholaa
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How Do You Pick the Right Song for an AMV?

Post by pandrholaa » Mon Oct 06, 2025 11:06 pm

I always struggle to choose the right song for my AMVs.
Sometimes I love a song, but it doesn’t match the anime’s mood or pacing. Other times, I find the perfect scene but can't find music that fits.
How do you guys decide on the song before editing? Do you start with the anime or the music first?

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Kireblue
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Re: How Do You Pick the Right Song for an AMV?

Post by Kireblue » Tue Oct 07, 2025 8:55 am

I feel that the main driver for AMVs is actually the song. Even when I like an anime, and I go out to find a song for it, the idea and concept don't get solidified until the song is found. Sometimes I'll wait for years until I stumble across that perfect song. And then everything from the pacing to the scene selection will revolve around it.

And so whenever I find a song that I want to edit, I listen to it dozens of times to plan out the scenes in my head and confirm that its a good fit for the anime even before I start editing.

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Replay Studios
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Re: How Do You Pick the Right Song for an AMV?

Post by Replay Studios » Tue Oct 07, 2025 8:37 pm

For me, I usually have a song first before I find a source that matches. Sometimes, its the other way around. Once I pair an anime to a song, then I would listen to the song over and over and try to imagine scenes with the music. Next step is to quickly start the project and play with whats in my head. If it feels right, then keep going with it

griffinspire
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Re: How Do You Pick the Right Song for an AMV?

Post by griffinspire » Wed Oct 08, 2025 12:51 pm

My first thought is edit your audio till it does fit your storyline. Yes I understand that is less than helpful and requires more work. I would recommend listening to music from other countries and see if those work for you.
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