How to Choose a TikTok Preview Start Time for Your Song
Choose a moment in the final master that works from the first second and gives a creator an obvious place to cut. Try two starts against the same short video, then enter the winning timestamp in your distributor's TikTok preview field if it offers one. Check the official sound before sending it to anyone.
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Key takeaways
- Measure from the beginning of the file you're sending. A trimmed promo edit can put the cue at a different time.
- Write down the start time and the cue inside the clip. The editor needs both to reproduce your cut.
- Check whether your distributor shares the setting with another service before saving it.
Where should your TikTok clip start?
Put the finished master in your editor at 0:00 and mark the first lyric, hit, or riff you want someone to cut to. Set two possible starts: right on the cue and just before it. Use an opening from elsewhere in the track if it makes a better edit.
Make a short rough video with one visible action. Duplicate it and swap in your second audio start. Listen on a phone from the first frame, then watch the cut and the ending. Keep the version that gives the action a clear cue and leaves the last word or beat intact. If neither works, move the cut or pick a different section. A chorus is a good place to look, but an intro with a clean cue can be easier to use.
How do you compare two starts on the same edit?
Master: Window Seat (single mix), 3:12 Vocal pickup: 0:42 First kick: 0:44 Rough edit: 10 seconds, with a door opening at 0:02
| What you hear | What happens at the cut | |
|---|---|---|
| Start at 0:44 | The kick hits on frame one and the pickup is gone. | The door opens two seconds after the hit. Use this start if the action moves to frame one. |
| Start at 0:42 | The vocal pickup starts the clip. The kick arrives at 0:02. | The door opens on the first kick, and the line finishes before the video ends. |
For this cut, send 0:42. Save both timestamps: “Master starts at 0:42. Door opens on the first kick, about 0:02 into the preview.” If you replace the master before delivery, open the new file and measure again. Even a little silence added at the front shifts the cue.
Where do you enter the timestamp before distribution?
Open the audio or metadata settings for the track in your release draft. In RouteNote, use the preview control on the track metadata page to select and hear a start. In Ditto, edit the track in the Release Builder and use its preview slider on desktop or start-time field on mobile. Play the saved setting if the dashboard lets you, and keep a screenshot with the track version and timestamp.
Check what else the setting changes. Ditto also uses its selection for SmartLinks, and MusicHub documents a shared TikTok and iTunes start. If the field is shared, audition how the opening sounds without your video too. Keep the track ISRC handy so support can identify the right version if you need an edit later.
How do you verify the sound before sharing it?
Release day
Check the sound a creator can use
- 01
Find
Search in TikTok's sound picker
Match the track title, artist credit and recording. Open the catalog sound rather than a copy attached to someone else's video.
- 02
Listen
Play it from the start
Check that the opening cue matches your saved audition and that the section you need is available.
- 03
Test
Rebuild your short edit as a draft
Add the delivered sound to the rough video. Check the sync point and the final frame before publishing or handing it off.
- 04
Share
Send the checked sound link
Include the track version, the cue and where it lands in the preview. Keep the link with your release notes.
If the sound is present with the wrong opening, send support the sound link, track ISRC, requested timestamp and what you hear. RouteNote documents an edit option for approved releases. Check what your own distributor allows, then listen again after the change before sending creators back to the sound.
For delivery, mapping and payouts, start with the TikTok guide for musicians. For paid or promotional use, check the Commercial Music Library guide before booking the post.
Put the sound check and creator handoff on your release calendar
Where do distributors document these settings?
Frequently asked questions
How long is the clip creators can choose from?+
Check your distributor. RouteNote describes a 60-second TikTok clip. Ditto says TikTok takes up to 60 seconds from the chosen start, even though its SmartLink preview is 30 seconds. The clip available in the library and the excerpt used in a post can be different lengths.
Can I choose a different start for each song on an EP?+
If your distributor exposes the setting per track, yes. Ditto's Release Builder lets you edit each track separately. Keep a separate offset for each master, especially if the EP has alternate versions with the same title.
What if the preview field is missing?+
Check the distributor's current TikTok delivery instructions or ask support whether it accepts a custom offset. If it doesn't, wait to hear the delivered clip before promising an edit that depends on a particular lyric or beat.
Is the sound ready to use in a sponsored post?+
Check the rights for that use separately. Finding a song in the regular library does not answer the commercial licensing question.
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