How to Sync Video to Music Beats in DaVinci Resolve (2026 Guide)

Editing video to the beat of music is one of the most satisfying things in post-production. A perfectly timed cut on a kick drum, a speed ramp hitting the bass drop, a zoom synced to a snare — it's what separates amateur edits from professional ones.

But doing it manually? It's tedious. You're scrubbing through a waveform, tapping markers, nudging clips frame by frame. For a 3-minute music video, that's 180+ cuts done by hand.

In this guide, I'll show you 3 ways to sync video to music in DaVinci Resolve, from fully manual to fully automatic.

Method 1: Manual Beat Cutting (Free, Slow)

This is what most editors start with. You listen to the music, tap a key to mark each beat, then cut your clips at each marker.

Steps:

1. Import your music into the timeline
2. Play the audio and press M on every beat to place a marker
3. Manually cut each video clip at the marker positions
4. Trim and adjust each clip to fill the gaps

Pros: Free, complete control over every cut.
Cons: Extremely time-consuming. A 3-minute song with 4/4 timing has ~180 beats. That's 180 manual cuts, plus trimming. For a single reel, you're looking at 30-60 minutes of repetitive work.

Method 2: DaVinci Resolve's Built-in "Show Music Beats" (Free, Limited)

DaVinci Resolve 18+ has a built-in beat detection feature. Right-click your audio clip on the timeline, then select Analyze Audio Beat > Mark Beats.

What it does:

• Shows visual beat indicators on the waveform
• Helps you see where beats land

What it doesn't do:

• Place real, snappable markers on the timeline
• Auto-cut or auto-place clips
• Apply any effects or speed ramps

It's better than nothing, but you still have to cut everything manually. The beat indicators are visual only — your clips don't snap to them, and there's no way to auto-edit based on them.

Method 3: Automatic Beat Detection + Auto-Edit (Plugin)

This is where dedicated plugins come in. Instead of placing markers by hand, the software analyzes your audio, detects every beat, and either places markers or auto-edits your clips to the beat.

Beat Markers — Automatic Marker Placement

Beat Markers detects beats in your audio track and places real, snappable Blue markers directly on the DaVinci Resolve timeline. You still cut manually, but the tedious part — finding the beats — is done for you in seconds.

• AI-powered beat detection with adjustable sensitivity
• Real markers on the timeline (not just visual indicators)
• Supports any time signature
• 3 free uses, then €17.50 (launch price, 50% off)

Pulse Edit — Full Auto-Edit to Beats

Pulse Edit goes beyond markers. It detects beats, then automatically takes clips from your Media Pool, cuts them to length, and places them on the timeline perfectly synced to every beat. On top of that, it applies speed ramps, zoom effects, and AI mood matching.

• 11 cut patterns (Energy Map, Every Beat, Buildup, Wedding, etc.)
• Speed ramps with Optical Flow for smooth slow motion
• Zoom effects with 14 easing curves
• AI mood analysis (Calm, Energetic, Epic...)
• Coming soon — €79.99 one-time purchase

Comparison: Manual vs Built-in vs Plugin

Feature	Manual	Resolve Built-in	Beat Markers	Pulse Edit
Beat detection	You tap	Visual only	✓	✓
Real timeline markers	✓	✗	✓	✓
Auto-cut clips	✗	✗	✗	✓
Speed ramps	✗	✗	✗	✓
Time for 3-min song	30-60 min	20-40 min	5-15 min	<1 min
Price	Free	Free	€17.50	€79.99

Which Method Should You Use?

If you edit to music once in a while — the manual method or Resolve's built-in detection is fine. It takes longer, but you have full control.

If you edit to music regularly (reels, music videos, wedding recaps, TikToks) — Beat Markers saves you the most tedious part of the workflow. At €17.50 with 3 free uses to try first, it pays for itself on the first project.

If you want a complete auto-edit solution — Pulse Edit handles the entire workflow: beat detection, clip placement, speed ramps, zoom effects, and mood matching. One click, done.