Are you looking for a program that allows you to easily cut audio recordings of your college lectures or – why not? – your favorite songs and turn them into ringtones? Then I really think I have something for you. Whatever type of audio file you need to edit, the software and online solutions below will certainly help you.
In the following lines, in fact, I have proceeded to show you a whole series of tools that you can use to, in fact, cut audio files from your computer and from your smartphone (or tablet) in a simple and precise way. These are totally free resources and practically within the reach of anyone, even those who, a bit like you, do not consider themselves exactly a great expert in terms of new technologies.
Then? How about finally putting the chatter aside and starting to get busy? Yup? Great. I therefore suggest not to delay any longer and to proceed immediately. Get comfortable and start concentrating on reading. I’m sure that in the end you will be able to tell yourself very happy and satisfied with what you have learned. Good job”!
Index
- Cut audio files from computer
- Audacity (Windows / macOS / Linux)
- Free Audio Editor (Windows)
- MP3 Trimmer (macOS)
- Cut audio files online
- Audio Cut
- Audio Trimmer
- App to cut audio files
- MP3 Cutter (Android)
- Garageband (iOS)
Cut audio files from computer
Are you looking for software solutions to be able to cut audio files from your computer? Then try now the tools specifically designed for the purpose that I have reported below, I’m sure they will satisfy you.
Audacity (Windows / macOS / Linux)
The first of the programs for cutting audio files that I want to invite you to consider is called Audacity . Have you ever heard of it? Well then know that you really missed out on some great software! Audacity is a completely free and open source audio editor that allows you to edit audio files of any type: MP3, AAC, WAV, M4A etc. Using some special plugins it is also possible to expand its functionality. It is compatible with Windows, macOS and Linux and its interface is completely in Italian.
To download Audacity to your computer, connect to the download page on the Sourceforge website and click on the Download button .
At this point, if you are using Windows , open the .exe file obtained and, in the window that appears on the desktop, click on the Run , Yes and OK buttons . Then press the Next (five times in a row), Install and Finish buttons .
If, on the other hand, you are using macOS , to install Audacity open the downloaded .dmg package , move the program icon to the Mac Applications folder , right-click on it and select the Open item from the menu that appears, in order to start the software, however, going around the limitations imposed by Apple on non-certified developers (an operation that must be performed only at the first start).
Next, start Audacity and click the OK button twice consecutively to access the main software window. Then go to the File menu located at the top left, click on the Open item and select the audio file you want to cut.
You now have two options at your disposal: cut the unnecessary parts of the song you imported into Audacity and save what is left, or select a portion of the audio track and save only that (leaving out the rest).
In the first case, you have to select with the mouse the part of the graph corresponding to the portion of the song to be removed: just left click and hold down until the selection is complete. Then you have to call the Delete command from the Edit menu and save the final result by going to the File menu > Export audio . In the window that opens, you can choose the file format in which to save the song from the Save as type drop-down menu .
If you want to extrapolate a single portion of the track imported into Audacity, leaving out all the rest, highlight the part of the graph corresponding to it with the mouse and call up the Export audio command selected from the File menu . Easy, right?
Note: Audacity can natively handle files in WAV, AIFF, Ogg Vorbis and MP3 formats correctly. To enable the export of songs in the above formats, you need to download and install the MP3 LAME plugin . The same goes for the files of the M4A / AAC, WMA, AMR and AC3 type files on macOS, for the management of which you must also download and install the FFmpeg plugin . For more details in this regard, I invite you to refer to my tutorial dedicated specifically to how to download Audacity .
Free Audio Editor (Windows)
Free Audio Editor is an audio editor, as the name implies, free and only for Windows operating systems that supports all major audio file formats, including: MP3, WAV, AAC, AC3, M4A, MP2, OGG and WMA . In addition to fulfilling the purpose of this tutorial, it is able to convert songs and recordings, adjust the volume, etc.
To use it, connect to the program’s website and press the Download button located on the right, in order to start the software download. When the download is complete, open the .exe file obtained and, in the window that appears on the desktop, click on the Yes , OK , Next (twice) and Finish buttons .
Once the main window of the software is displayed, drag over the audio file you want to edit or click on the Add file link in the center of it and select it using the additional window that appears.
Next, click on the point of the path from which you want to make the cut and click on the button with the scissors at the bottom. Then click on the point of the path where you want the selection made to end and press the button again with the scissors .
By doing so, the portion of the audio file to be extrapolated will be highlighted. If necessary, you can also invert the selection by clicking on the button with the two colored arrows . If you want to listen to a preview, click on the button with the gray Play symbol (always located at the bottom of the window).
To conclude, select, using the drop-down menu at the bottom left, the format in which you prefer to save the output file, press the Save audio button (right), define the quality of the final file through the new window that is shown to you and presses the Continue button . By default, the output file will be saved in the Windows Videos folder .
MP3 Trimmer (macOS)
Are you using a Mac and looking for an alternative solution to Audacity to be able to cut audio files from your Apple-branded computer? Then try MP3 Trimmer now . This is an application usable only on macOS which, as the name implies, has been specifically designed for editing MP3 files. It’s free, but displays banners inviting you to purchase the full version of the software when importing and saving songs.
To download the program on your Mac, go to its website , click on the Download tab at the top and press the Click to download button .
When the download is complete, open the .dmg package obtained and drag the program icon to the Applications folder of macOS. Then, start MP3 Trimmer by right-clicking on its icon and selecting the Open item from the menu that appears, in order to start the software, however, going around the limitations imposed by Apple on non-certified developers (an operation that must be performed only at first start).
When you see the window appear asking you to register your license copy, click on the Launch application and try it out for free button . Then wait until the main window of the software is visible, then drag the audio file you want to cut over it, bring the timeline indicator to the beginning of the portion of the song to be extrapolated and click on the Set button under the In-point item .
Then move the timeline marker to the end of the portion of the song you want to keep and click the Set button under the Out-point heading . If you want to make sure you’ve selected the correct portion of the song, you can listen to a preview by clicking the Play button .
Finally, open the File menu (top left) and select the Save trim selection item , then wait for the promotional banner to disappear and specify the location on your Mac where you want to save the cut portion of the song.
Cut audio files online
Don’t want to download new programs on your computer and would you like to understand what are the online solutions you have from yours to cut audio files by acting online ? I’ll settle you immediately. In fact, below you will find those that in my opinion constitute the best resources in the category. Seeing is believing!
Audio Cut
The first of the online services useful for carrying out the operation covered by this tutorial that I want to invite you to test is Audio Cutter . It is a free and very easy to use Web resource that allows you to edit audio files in various formats in a practical and immediate way. The only thing to consider is that it requires Flash Player to work (for more information, read my guides on how to download Flash Player and how to install Flash Player ).
To use it, go to its home page , click on the Open file button located in the center and select the audio file for which you want to intervene. Alternatively, you can drag the file into the browser window or you can take it from Dropbox or Google Drive by clicking on the relevant icons.
Once the upload procedure is complete, move the two blue cursors located on the sides of the wave graph to indicate, respectively, the start and end points of the portion of the audio file to be kept. Then press the space bar on the keyboard to play a preview of the selection.
If desired, you can also add the fade effect to the beginning and / or end of the selected part of the audio file. To do this, turn ON the switches next to the Fade in and Fade out options (top).
Finally, proceed with the cut by first selecting the output format from the Other drop-down menu at the bottom (if you want to obtain an MP3 file , you can also leave the relevant item selected), then click on the Cut and Download buttons to download the edited audio file.
Audio Trimmer
As an alternative to the solution above, you can turn to Audio Trimmer . It is free, does not require Flash Player to work, supports all popular audio formats and allows you to upload songs with a maximum size of 50 MB.
To use it, go to its home page , click on the Open file / Choose file button and select the audio file you want to edit from your computer. Alternatively, drag the file directly into the browser window.
Once the upload is complete, drag the left cursor on the audio file path to the starting point of the part you want to cut and the right cursor to the end point. You can also listen to a preview of the selection made by clicking on the Play button at the bottom.
You can also add the fade effect to the beginning or end of the part you are about to cut by selecting your preferred option from the Fade In / Out pop-up menu (located at the bottom).
Finally, choose the output format you prefer from the Output Format menu , press the Crop button at the bottom right and click the Download button to immediately download the edited audio file.
App to cut audio files
Would you like to cut audio files directly from your smartphone or tablet without having to go through your computer? It can be done! To do this, you can make use of one of the apps specifically used for the purpose that I have reported to you below.
MP3 Cutter (Android)
If you have an Android device, the solution I suggest you turn to to cut audio files on the go is MP3 Cutter . It integrates a special well-structured internal editor thanks to which it is possible to cut audio files in MP3 format, as easily understood by the name itself. It’s free and it’s very easy to use.
To use it, visit the relevant section on the Play Store and download and install the app on your device by pressing the Install and Accept buttons . Then press the Open button that appeared on the display to access the MP3 Cutter main screen.
At this point, press the Accept button located at the bottom right, press the Eject button at the top left and select the audio file on your device you want to cut.
Now that you see the app editor, locate the part of the song you want to cut on the track and press the button with the microphone at the top. Then use the newly appeared cursors to define the start and end point of the cut and tap the Start cut button . If you want to hear a preview of the cut part, press the Play button located at the top.
Finally, indicate the location on your smartphone or tablet where you want to save the cut audio file, assign a name to the file and possibly also specify the artist and album of origin. To finalize the procedure, then press the Save button .
Garageband (iOS)
If you have an iPhone or an iPad, you can cut your audio files on the go using the Garageband app , made available directly by Apple for its users. It is free, easy to use and allows you to make musical creations and edit existing audio files in a practical but professional way. Eventually, it is also available as a variant for macOS .
To use it, connect to the relevant section on the App Store and download and install the app by pressing the Accept and Install buttons . Then confirm the operation with Touch ID , Face ID or Apple ID password . Then, start Garageband by pressing the Open button that appeared on the screen.
Once the main screen of the app is displayed, press the center of it, select the Audio Recorder option , press the button to enable the storyboard mode (it is the last with many windows at the top left) and tap the button related to the loop function (the one next to the gear symbol ) at the top right.
Then choose the position from which you want to take the audio file to be cut, presses on the name of the reference song and continue to hold until you see the icon move. Next, drag it to the top of the editor.
At this point, press on the song and move the left and right sliders to determine the portion of the audio file to be cut. If you want to hear a preview of the selected portion, press the Play button located at the top.
Finally, tap on the button with the down arrow located at the top left and choose the My songs option , then press and continue to hold down for a few moments on the preview of the newly created project, select the button for sharing (the square with the arrow ) located at the top left and choose which app to import or share the portion of the audio file.
