Are you desperate for a solution to cut the audio recordings of the last concert you attended? Do you need to edit voice clips created with your smartphone, but you don’t have the faintest idea how to do it? If this is the case, I have excellent news for you: you have landed on the right guide, at the right time!
In today’s tutorial, in fact, I will explain how to cut audio from a computer, through the use of special software for Windows and macOS, but also from the Web, using ad hoc online services. In addition, I will tell you how to act as a smartphone and tablet, thanks to the help of some apps suitable for the purpose. In all cases, you don’t have to worry, you won’t have to do anything particularly complex or out of your reach, you have my word.
How do you say? Would you like to know if it is also possible to intervene on the audio component of the movies? Of course yes, do not worry: I had already thought of this too. In the following lines, in fact, you will also find programs dedicated to the practice in question. Now, however, just chat and let’s take action. I wish you, as usual, happy reading and I wish you the best of luck for everything.
Index
- How to cut audio on PC
- How to cut audio with Audacity
- How to cut audio with VLC
- How to cut audio from a video
- How to cut audio with Avidemux
- How to cut audio with iMovie
- App to cut audio
- MP3 Cutter (Android)
- GarageBand (iOS)
- How to cut audio online
- How to cut WhatsApp audio
How to cut audio on PC
Interested in understanding how to cut audio on PC ? Then turn to the programs for Windows, macOS and Linux that I will talk to you about in the following steps. They are simple to use, very effective and, what’s more, totally free.
How to cut audio with Audacity
Audacity is one of the best known and most appreciated free programs for what concerns the editing of audio files from PC. It has little to envy to paid solutions, works on Windows, macOS and Linux, is open source in nature and is able to handle files in WAV, AIFF, Ogg Vorbis and MP3 formats without problems. It allows you not only to cut audio files, but also to apply filters, special effects and various other modifications to them.
To download it to your computer, go to the download page on the FossHub website and click on the Audacity Windows Installer link (if you are using Windows) or on the Audacity macOS DMG link (if you are using macOS).
Once the download procedure is complete, if you are using Windows , open the .exe file obtained and, in the window that is shown on the desktop, click on the buttons Run , Yes , OK , Next (four times in a row) and Install . Then finish the setup by pressing the Next button again and then the Finish button .
If you are using macOS , open the .dmg package obtained, drag the program icon to the Mac Applications folder , right click on it and select the Open item from the menu that appears. Then click on the Open button in the window that is shown on the screen, in order to start the software by going around the limitations imposed by Apple on applications from non-certified developers (operation that must be carried out only at the first start).
In the window that you now see appear on the screen, regardless of the operating system you are using, click on the OK button to access the main Audacity screen. Subsequently, click on the File menu located at the top left, select the Open item from the latter and choose the audio file on which you intend to intervene.
After viewing the track of the song, if you want to delete the unnecessary parts of the same and save what remains, first select the portion of the audio file to remove, by clicking with the mouse and continuing to hold down until you complete the selection.
Then, click on the Edit menu at the top and choose the Delete item . Then press the Play button located at the top, to listen to a preview of the remaining audio portions. If you are satisfied, go ahead with saving the final result, clicking on the File menu and selecting the Export option first and then the Export audio option . Finally, indicate the name and output location of the file and click on the Save button .
If, on the other hand, you want to export a certain portion of your audio file, highlight the corresponding part of the track with the mouse and click on the Play button , so that you can hear a preview of the final result. If you are satisfied, click on the File menu , select the items Export and Export selected audio from the latter, indicate the format, name and location of the output file and click the Save button .
For more details on how the program works, you can refer to my tutorial focused specifically on Audacity .
How to cut audio with VLC
VLC is a famous multimedia player for Windows, macOS and Linux through which it is possible to play practically any audio and video format without having to resort to the use of external codecs. In addition to fulfilling the purpose in question, it offers functions for converting and editing files, thus proving to be also useful for carrying out the operation covered by this tutorial. In reality, it doesn’t really allow you to cut audio files, but to create new recordings relating to the portions of your interest.
That said, to download the program on your computer, go to its website and click on the Download VLC button . When the download is complete, if you are using Windows , open the .exe file obtained and, in the window that is shown on the desktop, click first on the Yes button and then on the OK button . Then press the Next button (three consecutive times) and complete the setup by clicking on the Install and Finish buttons .
If you are using macOS , open the .dmg package obtained and drag the VLC icon to the Applications folder of macOS. Then, right-click on it, select the Open item from the context menu that appears and click on the Open button in the window displayed on the screen, in order to start the program, however, going around the limitations imposed by Apple on non-certified developers ( operation that must be carried out only at the first start).
At this point, drag the audio file you are interested in to act in the VLC window, then use the scroll bar at the bottom to move to the position of the audio file you are interested in extrapolating.
Now, if you are using Windows , click on the View menu located at the top of the window and select the Advanced Controls item from the latter. Subsequently, click on the Record button (the one with a red circle ) appeared at the bottom and press the Play button . If, on the other hand, you are using macOS , click on the Playback menu at the top left, select the Record item and press the Play button .
After completing the above steps, VLC will start recording from the previously selected point, creating a new audio file for the selected portion only. To stop recording, click the Stop button . Afterwards, the resulting file will be automatically saved in the Music folder on your computer, in MP4 format .
For more details on how VLC works, I suggest you consult my guide exclusively dedicated to this famous program .
How to cut audio from a video
Would you like to cut the audio present in a video but you don’t know how to do it? If this is the case, you can rely on programs for Windows , macOS and Linux useful for the purpose of which I will talk to you in the following steps. They are not difficult to use, even by those who, like you, do not yet consider themselves a great computer expert.
How to cut audio with Avidemux
The first of the useful tools for cutting audio from a video that I suggest you consider is Avidemux . It is a free and open source video editor that allows you to easily edit videos in AVI, MP4, MOV, 3GP, OGM and MKV format. It can be used on Windows, macOS and Linux and allows you to keep the original video stream of the movies.
To download it, go to the program’s website and select win64 xx Final Install (64 bits), FossHub (if you are using a 64-bit version of Windows), win32 xx Final Install (32 bits), FossHub (if you use a 32-bit version of Windows) or xx Mojave QT5 (dmg), FossHub (if you use macOS). Then click on the link with the name of the program on the next page and that’s it.
Once the download is complete, if you are using Windows , open the .exe file you just obtained and, in the window that is shown on your desktop, click on the Next button (three times). Then select the item I accept the license , press again on the Next button (twice), on the Yes button and, to conclude, click on the Finish button , to conclude the setup. Afterwards, launch the program by selecting the relevant shortcut that has been added to the Start menu .
If, on the other hand, you are using macOS , open the .dmg package obtained and drag the program icon to the Mac Applications folder , then right-click on it and select the Open item from the menu that appears, in order to go around the restrictions imposed by Apple on non-certified developers (operation that must be carried out only at the first start).
Now that, regardless of the operating system used, you see the software window on the screen, import into it the movie you are interested in going to act, by first clicking on the folder icon at the top left. Then click on the Audio menu located at the top, choose the item Select track from the latter and, in the further window that opens, remove the check mark next to the audio tracks you want to cut from the video. By clicking on the Filters button next to the name of each audio track, you can apply delays, vary the framerate or you can resample it by setting custom values.
Next, click on the OK button , choose the Copy option in the Video Output and Audio Output drop-down menus located in the left part of the window and indicate the output format you want to use for your video (you must select the same format as the video source) using the Output Container menu .
Finally, click on the floppy disk icon located at the top left, indicate the name you want to assign to the output file and the folder in which you want to save it and click on the Save button , in order to start exporting the file.
For more details about the operation of Avidemux, I recommend reading my article dedicated exclusively to the program in question .
How to cut audio with iMovie
If you are using macOS , you can also rely on iMovie to cut the audio from your videos. It is a program developed by Apple itself for its users, thanks to which it is possible to create and edit movies, even at a semi-professional level. It’s free and comes pre-installed on all newer Macs. If not, it can be downloaded from the relevant section of the Mac App Store .
To use iMovie for your purpose, first start the program by clicking on its icon in the Launchpad . Once the software screen appears on the desktop, make sure the Projects tab is selected (top) and click on the Create New and Movie items to create a new project.
In the new screen displayed, click on the down arrow icon located at the top left, select the video you are interested in and click on the Import selected button .
At this point, first click on the video preview, visible at the top of the iMovie window, and then on the (+) button . Then right-click on the video just added to the timeline (below) and select the item Separate audio from the context menu that appears, in order to divide the video from the audio track.
Next, select the audio track you just extracted, which is always on the timeline, right-click on it and choose the Delete item from the menu that opens, so as to get rid of it. At this point, you can proceed with saving the movie without audio on your computer: to do this, click on the arrow icon inside a square located at the top right, select the File item from the menu that appears and press the Next buttons and Save .
If you feel you need more details about how iMovie works, you can read my article dedicated specifically to this software .
App to cut audio
Do you have audio files on your smartphone or tablet and would you like to understand if it is possible to cut them by going to act directly from the device in use, without having to go through the computer? Well, to do this, all you have to do is use the special apps for Android and iOS , like the ones I’ll talk about in the following steps.
MP3 Cutter (Android)
If what you’re using is a smartphone or a tablet Android , to cut audio on the move I suggest you to use MP3 Cutter . It is an editor that, as easily understood from the name, allows you to work on files in MP3 format. It’s free and it’s pretty easy to use too.
To download and install the app on your device, visit the relevant section of the Play Store and tap the Install button . Then start the app by pressing the Open button that appeared on the display or by selecting the relative icon just added to the drawer .
Now that you see the main screen of the app, press the Accept button located at the bottom right, tap the Eject button located at the top left and select the audio file you are interested in cutting present on your device.
Once the path of the song is displayed, locate the part of the same you are interested in cutting, press the button with the microphone located at the top and use the cursors that appear on the screen to determine the starting point and the end point of the cut. If you want to hear a preview of the selected portion, press the Play button , located at the top.
If you are satisfied with the result, proceed with the cut by tapping the Start cut button . Then indicate the location on your device where you want to save the output file, give it a name and, if you want, specify artist and reference album. Finally, click on the Save button .
GarageBand (iOS)
If what you are using is an iOS device , be it iPhone or iPad, to cut audio files you can rely on the free GarageBand app , developed directly by Apple for its users and also quite simple to use. It allows you to create and edit various music and audio files and integrates many useful functions for the purpose.
To download it on your device, visit the relevant section of the App Store , tap the Get button , then the Install button and authorize the download via Face ID , Touch ID or Apple ID password . Then start the application by touching the Open button that appeared on the display or by selecting the relative icon that has been added to the home screen .
After viewing the GarageBand main screen, press the (+) symbol located at the top right, select the Audio Recorder option (if you can’t see it, swipe the screen) and tap the button to enable storyboard mode ( the one with the windows ) which is located at the top left. Then, press on the button related to the loop function (the one located next to the wrench ) located at the top right.
Now take the audio file of your interest by tapping on its name and continuing to hold down until the relative icon starts to move. Next, drag the song to the beginning of the editor.
Press, therefore, on the song and establish the portion of it to be cut, by moving the left and right sliders. To listen to a preview of the final result, tap the Play button at the top of the screen.
Subsequently, touch the button with the down arrow located at the top left, tap on the item My songs , press and continue to hold down for a few moments on the preview of the project just created and select the item Share from the menu that you is shown.
Finally, choose the Track option (to save the cut audio as a stereo audio file), also indicating the quality of the output file and the app to export everything to, or the Ringtone option (to save the cut audio file as custom ringtone for iPhone), then typing the title you want to assign to the final file.
How to cut audio online
If you don’t want to download new programs on your PC, you can turn to the online application Cut Audio to cut your audio files . It is free, very easy to use, works with any browser and operating system and allows you to intervene on all the most popular audio formats. Furthermore, once processing is complete, the files uploaded to the service are instantly removed from the company’s servers, to protect the user’s privacy.
To use the service, go to its home page , click on the Open file button located in the center and select the audio file on which you intend to go to act. Alternatively, drag the file of your interest directly into the browser window. If you want, you can also download the audio files from your Dropbox or Google Drive account , by clicking in advance on the button with the arrow on the side and then on the appropriate items in the menu that opens.
Wait for the upload to be started and completed, then move the two blue cursors located on the sides of the path to define, respectively, the start and end points of the portion to be cut. Alternatively, you can set the start and end point of the cut by filling in the Start and End fields at the bottom.
If this interests you, I would like to point out that you can also add the fade effect at the beginning and at the end of the part of the audio to be cut, by clicking on the Fade in and / or Fade out buttons located at the bottom left. To adjust the duration of the fade, instead, set the numerical value you prefer using the menu located between the two buttons.
When the changes are complete, listen to a preview of the final result by pressing the Play button , located at the bottom left. If you are satisfied, proceed by choosing the output format you prefer from the Save as drop-down menu (bottom right) and then pressing the Cut button . Then download the final file to your PC by clicking the Download button .
How to cut WhatsApp audio
Are you wondering if it is also possible to cut clips and various audio files received and sent via WhatsApp ? To answer your question… yes, it is feasible and, I’ll tell you more, it’s not even complicated. To do this, you must first worry about extracting the audio files of your interest from the application, following the instructions on what to do that I have provided in my guide specifically dedicated to how to save WhatsApp audio .
Once the audio file has been obtained, you can proceed with cutting it using the tools I mentioned in the previous lines for smartphones and tablets or for computers or, again via the Web , depending on where you are using WhatsApp and where you have chosen to import the audio file.
