Audio Trimmer

How to trim audio

Three steps. Nothing is saved until you press the button.

1. 1

   Open the recording

   Drop an MP3, M4A, WAV or other audio file up to 100 MB and 30 minutes, or click to browse. The page decodes it and draws the waveform; quiet stretches show as a flat line, which makes pauses easy to find.

2. 2

   Set the start and the end

   Drag the two handles, or type exact times such as 1:05.3. With a handle focused, the arrow keys move it a tenth of a second and Shift with an arrow moves it a full second. Press Play selection to check the cut.

3. 3

   Choose keep or remove, then save

   Keep selection trims the start and end; Remove selection cuts out the middle part and joins the rest. Add a short fade if you like, pick MP3 or WAV, and save. The result plays on the page before you download it.

Keep or remove: two ways to cut

Most trims are one of these two. The selection is always the part between the handles.

• Keep selection: cut the start and the end

  For the quote from a long interview, the useful minute of a voice memo, or a clip for a podcast promo. Everything before the start handle and after the end handle goes.

• Remove selection: cut out a middle part

  For the phone call in the middle of a meeting recording, an aside that should not be shared, or a false start. The part between the handles goes, and the two sides are joined with a 5 ms ramp so the join does not click.

What people trim, and why

Short files are easier to send, to listen to and to quote from.

• An interview quote

  Reporters cut the exact answer they plan to quote, so the editor or the source can hear it in context without the full hour.

• A voice memo before you share it

  Trim the fumbling start and the minute after you forgot to stop recording, so the person you send it to hears only the message.

• A podcast or webinar clip

  Pull a 30 to 60 second highlight for social posts or a show trailer, with a half-second fade at each end.

• A phone greeting or on-hold message

  Cut the silence before and after a recorded greeting. If the phone system asks for a WAV, save as WAV, or convert with the MP3 to WAV Converter.

Tips for a clean cut

• Cut at a pause

  Set the handles on the flat parts of the waveform between words. A cut in the middle of a word sounds abrupt even with a fade.

• Use a short fade

  Half a second in and out is enough for speech. Longer fades suit music and clips that start mid-sentence.

• Mind the quality when you cut an MP3

  An MP3 cutter that saves a new MP3 encodes the audio a second time, and each lossy encode loses a little detail. For speech at 128 kbps you will not hear it; if you will edit the clip again, save at 192 kbps or as WAV.

• Keep the original

  The trimmed file is a new download; your original stays as it was. Keep it until you are sure the cut is right.

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