Where are the Music clips embedded in the iMovie app for a Mac mini?

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Where are the Music clips embedded in the iMovie app for a Mac mini?

Last year I made 2 or 3 iMovies using my Mac mini and the music clips embedded in the iMovie app. I'm trying to access these music clips for an iMovie I'm making. However, all I can find are sound effects. What is the problem? I notice that some of Youtube instructional videos are using versions of iMovie in which the audio and the video are shown as separate options. In the version I've got on my Mac mini these are shown together.

I don't want to use the music I've got on iTunes because this will produce copyright problems but I did notice that out of the 39 hours of music I've got on iTunes, it only shows the complete works of Webern and some songs by Lightning' Hopkins. I checked the app and it was last modified 1st August 2023. Is this a case where Apple have changed iMovie so that it doesn't include music clips but have forgotten to tell anyone? My Mac mini has the M1 chip and is running Ventura 13.5.1.

Mac mini, macOS 13.5

Posted on Sep 12, 2023 7:52 AM

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Answer 1

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Rich839

Level 8

47,706 points

Sep 13, 2023 8:21 AM in response to CONFUSEDOAP

Not sure where exactly you obtained the clips. However, if you open the Sound Effects tab and scroll all the way to the bottom you will find some theme music clips that you might find usable.

Also, the Trailer feature has several themes that you can use in your iMovie projects. Go to the projects browser screen (where your projects are displayed as icons) and click on the gray box with the + sign in it to and then click on the Trailer icon. A screen will open up showing all the Trailer themes. Each theme has its own music that you can use in other projects. Click on File/Convert Trailer to Movie and you will get a project screen with the song in the timeline. You can then copy the song and paste it into any other project that you want.

Also, if you have an iPad or iPhone with iMovie for iOS on it, the iOS iMovie app has numerous soundtracks availabe. You can load them into an iMovie for iOS project and Air Drop them to your Mac.

-- Rich

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Answer 2

Rich839

Level 8

47,706 points

Sep 12, 2023 11:02 AM in response to CONFUSEDOAP

I'm not sure that I am correctly envisioning what you are saying. What do you mean by "the music clips embedded in the iMovie app."? The embedded audio content consists of sound effects, jingles, and a few themes songs. These are accessible though the sound effects item in the iMovie sidebar.

If you want to access songs previously used in other iMovie projects, open the project, click on the project's name under Project Media in the sidebar, find the song in the project media browser, select it, do a File/Reveal in Finder, and copy-drag it to your desk top (drag while holding down the Option key) from the Original Media folder that pops up. I think you could also drag it to an Event and access that event from other iMovie projects.

As for iTunes songs not being displayed that is likely because the non-displayed songs are not downloaded and are still in the cloud. Open your iTunes library in the iTunes app and if you see a cloud icon next to any songs that means that they are not downloaded. Click on the cloud icon to download them. Then they will appear in the iMovie project sidebar under Music. You may need to close and reopen iMovie. Also, confirm that your computer is authorized by clicking on the Account item in the iTunes app store.

Songs from Apple Music, the subscription service, cannot be used in iMovie and will not be displayed in the sidebar.

-- Rich

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Answer 3

CONFUSEDOAP Author

Level 1

20 points

Sep 12, 2023 11:41 PM in response to Rich839

Thanks Rich

What I refer to as "Music Clips" are not songs, jingles and sound effects but fragments of music which can be joined to gather to form a background track. These are between about 30 seconds and 1.5 minutes long and are free because they come with iMovie. I can't remember the the names of any of them but I think there were at least 100 called, and here I'm guessing, things like Trucking, Relaxing, cruising etc. With my current iMovie project, I don't have these music clips. All I have are a few sound effects and a couple of Albums of Anton Webern and Lightnin Hopkins. I must emphasise that this is absolutely ALL I can find when accessing the Music tab or the Audio & Video tab, as shown in my screen shot. Please click on the attached link to show you what I mean. The music track is composed entirely of iMovie clips.https://youtu.be/8rhNlvTKW78?t=99

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Answer 4

CONFUSEDOAP Author

Level 1

20 points

Sep 13, 2023 11:59 PM in response to Rich839

Thanks Rich

I found enough music fragments in Theme Music under Sound Effects to complete my current project. There aren't as many as I found for my previous projects but adequate for my purposes at this time. Thanks for the heads up on the music available via my iPad and iPhone which I'll investigate when I'm doing my next project.

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Answer 5

Rich839

Level 8

47,706 points

Sep 14, 2023 6:56 AM in response to CONFUSEDOAP

Great! Glad you found the music clips that you needed.

-- Rich

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Where are the Music clips embedded in the iMovie app for a Mac mini?

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