Efficient Sound Management: Cutting Down Video Audio in iMovie Across Mac and iPhone

Cutting Audio in iMovie: A Guide for Mac and iPhone Users

Marion Dubois

Apr 30, 2024• Proven solutions

Sometimes, we find the desired audio or soundtrack for our videos longer or shorter than we want, and that is where audio editing comes. Audio editing refers to manipulating audio to alter the length, speed, and volume or create additional effects such as loops. Are you new to audio trimming? Don’t worry, as our article today would show how to cut audio in iMovie on Mac and iPhone.

Part 1: How to Cut Music in iMovie on Mac?

Cutting music is audio editing carried out when the music or soundtrack seems longer than desired. To cut music or soundtrack in iMovie using Mac involves the following steps:

Step 1: Adjust the Playhead to Cut the Clip

You can cut an audio clip only when the specified audio is in the timeline. To perform the operation, right-click on the clip and pick out a split clip. This operation cuts the clip into two and divides the two pieces wherever the playhead is situated.

Step 2: Select Split Clip

Right-click and select the Split Clip. Once this step is over, you have successfully cut the audio clip.

Part 2: Cut Audio in iMovie Alternative – Wondershare Filmora

Generally, as humans, we feel more satisfied when we have options or choices because we get fed up with doing the same over and over again the same way without changes. Wondershare Filmora is an alternative for iMovie and can easily carry out the function of various forms of audio editing.

If you wish to trim off the beginning or the ending of a mp3 file quite swiftly, this section is for you. Things can get specifically weird if you want to import heavy mp3 files to your space-limited MP3 player to play.

You’re required to choose an intelligent MP3 trimmer to trim an MP3 file to any length. Here, we suggest this robust video editing software — Wondershare Filmora, which enables you to precisely extract an MP3 file or audio segment effortlessly without losing any original audio quality.

You can get both the Windows and Mac versions of this great video editor. It embodies the following features:

• Import videos, audio, or photos from various sources and edit them in one place.
• Three different video cutting methods to meet different editing needs.
• Various editing tools help you edit the video completely, including rotation, picture-in-picture, green screen, cropping, etc.
• Output the edited video to more than 20 different formats or locations as needed.
• Use more than 1,000 video effects in the effect store to customize videos.

Using Filmora is quite effortless. The following tutorial will display how to cut audio in it easily and quickly.

Step 1: Import MP3 Files for Editing

Firstly, drag the specific MP3 file or audio clip into the media library, or you can directly import audio files or video from portable devices such as your digital camera, smartphone, or camcorder, etc.

Step 2: Drag MP3 Files to the Timeline below for Cutting

Filmora provides two ways to cut audio/video files. You can either select to cut from the beginning or the end by trimming. You can also split it into various segments from the mid-sections.

Move the slider ahead to the cutting point within the midsection, and then tap the scissor icon to split it into little sections as desired.

When executed, please select the part that you don’t want to, hit the Delete button to remove.

Step 3: Export to Save

Hit the Export tab to save your edited project. If you want to save in the original MP3 format, select MP3 before you export.

Part 3: How to Trim Music in iMovie on iPhone

This section will offer you a guide on how to cut out parts of audio in an iMovie project on an iPad or iPhone. After adding music to your project, the audio is trimmed to the desired length using iMovie’s inbuilt tool.

Step #1: Open iMovie on your iPhone or iPad.

Step #2: Tap the movie project you want to edit.

It will display a list of your projects, among which you must select the one you want to edit.

If you want to edit a current section of video not even opened in iMovie, you have to make a new iMovie project to add your audio and video. Select the + icon, choose the Movie tab, select the video(s), and then choose the Create movie button.

Step #3: Hit the Edit button below the name of your project.

This opens your project in the editor. And, you’re already in the editor if you just created a new project in the previous step.

Step #4: Add audio to your project.

You can skip this step if your project already contains the audio. Hit the + icon in the upper-left timeline’s corner.

Choose Audio.

Go with a specific category:

Soundtracks are audio tracks provided by iMovie which are free to use in your project.

Select My Music to locate the file and use a song from iTunes or the music app.

Sound effects are shorter sounds—mostly below 10 seconds duration.

Choose an audio file for the preview.

Select the + icon to add the file to your project.

Step #5: Hit the audio bar on the timeline.

It is present below the multi-frame version of your video in the screen’s bottom area.

Now, detach the MP3 segment or audio from the video by tapping the video on the timeline and selecting the Detach button at the screen’s bottom area.

Step #6: Tap and drag the beginning of the audio track.

Drag or move the audio track to the exact point where you wish it to start from—the audio track’s left-end marks of the yellow bar starting your audio.

Step #7: Tap and drag the end of the audio track.

You can drag the yellow bar at the end and move it to the exact point where you want the audio to end.

If you can’t see the yellow bar on the far-right end of the audio track, swipe left below the audio track to scroll to the end.

To move the audio track to another location, select and hold it for about one second, and then move it to the desired video’s location.

Step #8: Select the Play tab for preview.

It’s the sideways triangle just below the video preview.

Step #9: Select the Done button when you’re finished.

It is present at the screen’s top-left corner. You have now confirmed the changes done to your project.

If you want to play it on any other device, tap the Share button at the bottom after choosing the Done tab and select Save Video to export it.

Part 4: Audio Editing Tips for iMovie Users

Here are some guidelines or tips for various audio editing processes, starting from cutting trim music on iMovie, using iMovie to trim audio and video together, and other audio and video editing tips.

• Use Waveforms to See What You Hear

Sound is just as relevant as the images in a video, and should focus just as much during editing. To efficiently and adequately edit audio, you need a good set of speakers and headphones to hear the sound, and you also need to be able to see the sound.

If the waveforms don’t appear, go to the “view” drop-down menu and select “show waveforms”, the waveform would show you the sound intensity level of a sound clip and definitely would give you an idea of what part will need to be turned up or down.

• Audio Adjustments

With the audio button situated at the top right, you have access to some essential audio editing tools for changing the sound level of your chosen clip or changing the relative volume of other films in the project.

The audio editing window also contains primary noise reduction and audio equalization tools and a range of effects – from robot to echo- which would affect how people sound in your video.

• Editing Audio with the Timeline

iMovie permits you to adjust the audio within the clips themselves, each volume as a bar. You can shift up and down to increase or decrease the audio level. The clips also have “fade in” and “fade out” buttons at the beginning and end, which are draggable to adjust the fade length.

Conclusion

Finally, with the answers to the question, how to cut audio in iMovie, you can follow the simple step guide and feel free to edit your audio or video to your taste using iMovie or Wondershare Filmora.

Marion Dubois

Marion Dubois is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Marion Dubois

Marion Dubois

Apr 30, 2024• Proven solutions

Sometimes, we find the desired audio or soundtrack for our videos longer or shorter than we want, and that is where audio editing comes. Audio editing refers to manipulating audio to alter the length, speed, and volume or create additional effects such as loops. Are you new to audio trimming? Don’t worry, as our article today would show how to cut audio in iMovie on Mac and iPhone.

Part 1: How to Cut Music in iMovie on Mac?

Cutting music is audio editing carried out when the music or soundtrack seems longer than desired. To cut music or soundtrack in iMovie using Mac involves the following steps:

Step 1: Adjust the Playhead to Cut the Clip

You can cut an audio clip only when the specified audio is in the timeline. To perform the operation, right-click on the clip and pick out a split clip. This operation cuts the clip into two and divides the two pieces wherever the playhead is situated.

Step 2: Select Split Clip

Right-click and select the Split Clip. Once this step is over, you have successfully cut the audio clip.

Part 2: Cut Audio in iMovie Alternative – Wondershare Filmora

Generally, as humans, we feel more satisfied when we have options or choices because we get fed up with doing the same over and over again the same way without changes. Wondershare Filmora is an alternative for iMovie and can easily carry out the function of various forms of audio editing.

If you wish to trim off the beginning or the ending of a mp3 file quite swiftly, this section is for you. Things can get specifically weird if you want to import heavy mp3 files to your space-limited MP3 player to play.

You’re required to choose an intelligent MP3 trimmer to trim an MP3 file to any length. Here, we suggest this robust video editing software — Wondershare Filmora, which enables you to precisely extract an MP3 file or audio segment effortlessly without losing any original audio quality.

You can get both the Windows and Mac versions of this great video editor. It embodies the following features:

• Import videos, audio, or photos from various sources and edit them in one place.
• Three different video cutting methods to meet different editing needs.
• Various editing tools help you edit the video completely, including rotation, picture-in-picture, green screen, cropping, etc.
• Output the edited video to more than 20 different formats or locations as needed.
• Use more than 1,000 video effects in the effect store to customize videos.

Using Filmora is quite effortless. The following tutorial will display how to cut audio in it easily and quickly.

Step 1: Import MP3 Files for Editing

Firstly, drag the specific MP3 file or audio clip into the media library, or you can directly import audio files or video from portable devices such as your digital camera, smartphone, or camcorder, etc.

Step 2: Drag MP3 Files to the Timeline below for Cutting

Filmora provides two ways to cut audio/video files. You can either select to cut from the beginning or the end by trimming. You can also split it into various segments from the mid-sections.

Move the slider ahead to the cutting point within the midsection, and then tap the scissor icon to split it into little sections as desired.

When executed, please select the part that you don’t want to, hit the Delete button to remove.

Step 3: Export to Save

Hit the Export tab to save your edited project. If you want to save in the original MP3 format, select MP3 before you export.

Part 3: How to Trim Music in iMovie on iPhone

This section will offer you a guide on how to cut out parts of audio in an iMovie project on an iPad or iPhone. After adding music to your project, the audio is trimmed to the desired length using iMovie’s inbuilt tool.

Step #1: Open iMovie on your iPhone or iPad.

Step #2: Tap the movie project you want to edit.

It will display a list of your projects, among which you must select the one you want to edit.

If you want to edit a current section of video not even opened in iMovie, you have to make a new iMovie project to add your audio and video. Select the + icon, choose the Movie tab, select the video(s), and then choose the Create movie button.

Step #3: Hit the Edit button below the name of your project.

This opens your project in the editor. And, you’re already in the editor if you just created a new project in the previous step.

Step #4: Add audio to your project.

You can skip this step if your project already contains the audio. Hit the + icon in the upper-left timeline’s corner.

Choose Audio.

Go with a specific category:

Soundtracks are audio tracks provided by iMovie which are free to use in your project.

Select My Music to locate the file and use a song from iTunes or the music app.

Sound effects are shorter sounds—mostly below 10 seconds duration.

Choose an audio file for the preview.

Select the + icon to add the file to your project.

Step #5: Hit the audio bar on the timeline.

It is present below the multi-frame version of your video in the screen’s bottom area.

Now, detach the MP3 segment or audio from the video by tapping the video on the timeline and selecting the Detach button at the screen’s bottom area.

Step #6: Tap and drag the beginning of the audio track.

Drag or move the audio track to the exact point where you wish it to start from—the audio track’s left-end marks of the yellow bar starting your audio.

Step #7: Tap and drag the end of the audio track.

You can drag the yellow bar at the end and move it to the exact point where you want the audio to end.

If you can’t see the yellow bar on the far-right end of the audio track, swipe left below the audio track to scroll to the end.

To move the audio track to another location, select and hold it for about one second, and then move it to the desired video’s location.

Step #8: Select the Play tab for preview.

It’s the sideways triangle just below the video preview.

Step #9: Select the Done button when you’re finished.

It is present at the screen’s top-left corner. You have now confirmed the changes done to your project.

If you want to play it on any other device, tap the Share button at the bottom after choosing the Done tab and select Save Video to export it.

Part 4: Audio Editing Tips for iMovie Users

Here are some guidelines or tips for various audio editing processes, starting from cutting trim music on iMovie, using iMovie to trim audio and video together, and other audio and video editing tips.

• Use Waveforms to See What You Hear

Sound is just as relevant as the images in a video, and should focus just as much during editing. To efficiently and adequately edit audio, you need a good set of speakers and headphones to hear the sound, and you also need to be able to see the sound.

If the waveforms don’t appear, go to the “view” drop-down menu and select “show waveforms”, the waveform would show you the sound intensity level of a sound clip and definitely would give you an idea of what part will need to be turned up or down.

• Audio Adjustments

With the audio button situated at the top right, you have access to some essential audio editing tools for changing the sound level of your chosen clip or changing the relative volume of other films in the project.

The audio editing window also contains primary noise reduction and audio equalization tools and a range of effects – from robot to echo- which would affect how people sound in your video.

• Editing Audio with the Timeline

iMovie permits you to adjust the audio within the clips themselves, each volume as a bar. You can shift up and down to increase or decrease the audio level. The clips also have “fade in” and “fade out” buttons at the beginning and end, which are draggable to adjust the fade length.

Conclusion

Finally, with the answers to the question, how to cut audio in iMovie, you can follow the simple step guide and feel free to edit your audio or video to your taste using iMovie or Wondershare Filmora.

Marion Dubois

Marion Dubois is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Marion Dubois

Marion Dubois

Apr 30, 2024• Proven solutions

Sometimes, we find the desired audio or soundtrack for our videos longer or shorter than we want, and that is where audio editing comes. Audio editing refers to manipulating audio to alter the length, speed, and volume or create additional effects such as loops. Are you new to audio trimming? Don’t worry, as our article today would show how to cut audio in iMovie on Mac and iPhone.

Part 1: How to Cut Music in iMovie on Mac?

Cutting music is audio editing carried out when the music or soundtrack seems longer than desired. To cut music or soundtrack in iMovie using Mac involves the following steps:

Step 1: Adjust the Playhead to Cut the Clip

You can cut an audio clip only when the specified audio is in the timeline. To perform the operation, right-click on the clip and pick out a split clip. This operation cuts the clip into two and divides the two pieces wherever the playhead is situated.

Step 2: Select Split Clip

Right-click and select the Split Clip. Once this step is over, you have successfully cut the audio clip.

Part 2: Cut Audio in iMovie Alternative – Wondershare Filmora

Generally, as humans, we feel more satisfied when we have options or choices because we get fed up with doing the same over and over again the same way without changes. Wondershare Filmora is an alternative for iMovie and can easily carry out the function of various forms of audio editing.

If you wish to trim off the beginning or the ending of a mp3 file quite swiftly, this section is for you. Things can get specifically weird if you want to import heavy mp3 files to your space-limited MP3 player to play.

You’re required to choose an intelligent MP3 trimmer to trim an MP3 file to any length. Here, we suggest this robust video editing software — Wondershare Filmora, which enables you to precisely extract an MP3 file or audio segment effortlessly without losing any original audio quality.

You can get both the Windows and Mac versions of this great video editor. It embodies the following features:

• Import videos, audio, or photos from various sources and edit them in one place.
• Three different video cutting methods to meet different editing needs.
• Various editing tools help you edit the video completely, including rotation, picture-in-picture, green screen, cropping, etc.
• Output the edited video to more than 20 different formats or locations as needed.
• Use more than 1,000 video effects in the effect store to customize videos.

Using Filmora is quite effortless. The following tutorial will display how to cut audio in it easily and quickly.

Step 1: Import MP3 Files for Editing

Firstly, drag the specific MP3 file or audio clip into the media library, or you can directly import audio files or video from portable devices such as your digital camera, smartphone, or camcorder, etc.

Step 2: Drag MP3 Files to the Timeline below for Cutting

Filmora provides two ways to cut audio/video files. You can either select to cut from the beginning or the end by trimming. You can also split it into various segments from the mid-sections.

Move the slider ahead to the cutting point within the midsection, and then tap the scissor icon to split it into little sections as desired.

When executed, please select the part that you don’t want to, hit the Delete button to remove.

Step 3: Export to Save

Hit the Export tab to save your edited project. If you want to save in the original MP3 format, select MP3 before you export.

Part 3: How to Trim Music in iMovie on iPhone

This section will offer you a guide on how to cut out parts of audio in an iMovie project on an iPad or iPhone. After adding music to your project, the audio is trimmed to the desired length using iMovie’s inbuilt tool.

Step #1: Open iMovie on your iPhone or iPad.

Step #2: Tap the movie project you want to edit.

It will display a list of your projects, among which you must select the one you want to edit.

If you want to edit a current section of video not even opened in iMovie, you have to make a new iMovie project to add your audio and video. Select the + icon, choose the Movie tab, select the video(s), and then choose the Create movie button.

Step #3: Hit the Edit button below the name of your project.

This opens your project in the editor. And, you’re already in the editor if you just created a new project in the previous step.

Step #4: Add audio to your project.

You can skip this step if your project already contains the audio. Hit the + icon in the upper-left timeline’s corner.

Choose Audio.

Go with a specific category:

Soundtracks are audio tracks provided by iMovie which are free to use in your project.

Select My Music to locate the file and use a song from iTunes or the music app.

Sound effects are shorter sounds—mostly below 10 seconds duration.

Choose an audio file for the preview.

Select the + icon to add the file to your project.

Step #5: Hit the audio bar on the timeline.

It is present below the multi-frame version of your video in the screen’s bottom area.

Now, detach the MP3 segment or audio from the video by tapping the video on the timeline and selecting the Detach button at the screen’s bottom area.

Step #6: Tap and drag the beginning of the audio track.

Drag or move the audio track to the exact point where you wish it to start from—the audio track’s left-end marks of the yellow bar starting your audio.

Step #7: Tap and drag the end of the audio track.

You can drag the yellow bar at the end and move it to the exact point where you want the audio to end.

If you can’t see the yellow bar on the far-right end of the audio track, swipe left below the audio track to scroll to the end.

To move the audio track to another location, select and hold it for about one second, and then move it to the desired video’s location.

Step #8: Select the Play tab for preview.

It’s the sideways triangle just below the video preview.

Step #9: Select the Done button when you’re finished.

It is present at the screen’s top-left corner. You have now confirmed the changes done to your project.

If you want to play it on any other device, tap the Share button at the bottom after choosing the Done tab and select Save Video to export it.

Part 4: Audio Editing Tips for iMovie Users

Here are some guidelines or tips for various audio editing processes, starting from cutting trim music on iMovie, using iMovie to trim audio and video together, and other audio and video editing tips.

• Use Waveforms to See What You Hear

Sound is just as relevant as the images in a video, and should focus just as much during editing. To efficiently and adequately edit audio, you need a good set of speakers and headphones to hear the sound, and you also need to be able to see the sound.

If the waveforms don’t appear, go to the “view” drop-down menu and select “show waveforms”, the waveform would show you the sound intensity level of a sound clip and definitely would give you an idea of what part will need to be turned up or down.

• Audio Adjustments

With the audio button situated at the top right, you have access to some essential audio editing tools for changing the sound level of your chosen clip or changing the relative volume of other films in the project.

The audio editing window also contains primary noise reduction and audio equalization tools and a range of effects – from robot to echo- which would affect how people sound in your video.

• Editing Audio with the Timeline

iMovie permits you to adjust the audio within the clips themselves, each volume as a bar. You can shift up and down to increase or decrease the audio level. The clips also have “fade in” and “fade out” buttons at the beginning and end, which are draggable to adjust the fade length.

Conclusion

Finally, with the answers to the question, how to cut audio in iMovie, you can follow the simple step guide and feel free to edit your audio or video to your taste using iMovie or Wondershare Filmora.

Marion Dubois

Marion Dubois is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Marion Dubois

Marion Dubois

Apr 30, 2024• Proven solutions

Sometimes, we find the desired audio or soundtrack for our videos longer or shorter than we want, and that is where audio editing comes. Audio editing refers to manipulating audio to alter the length, speed, and volume or create additional effects such as loops. Are you new to audio trimming? Don’t worry, as our article today would show how to cut audio in iMovie on Mac and iPhone.

Part 1: How to Cut Music in iMovie on Mac?

Cutting music is audio editing carried out when the music or soundtrack seems longer than desired. To cut music or soundtrack in iMovie using Mac involves the following steps:

Step 1: Adjust the Playhead to Cut the Clip

You can cut an audio clip only when the specified audio is in the timeline. To perform the operation, right-click on the clip and pick out a split clip. This operation cuts the clip into two and divides the two pieces wherever the playhead is situated.

Step 2: Select Split Clip

Right-click and select the Split Clip. Once this step is over, you have successfully cut the audio clip.

Part 2: Cut Audio in iMovie Alternative – Wondershare Filmora

Generally, as humans, we feel more satisfied when we have options or choices because we get fed up with doing the same over and over again the same way without changes. Wondershare Filmora is an alternative for iMovie and can easily carry out the function of various forms of audio editing.

If you wish to trim off the beginning or the ending of a mp3 file quite swiftly, this section is for you. Things can get specifically weird if you want to import heavy mp3 files to your space-limited MP3 player to play.

You’re required to choose an intelligent MP3 trimmer to trim an MP3 file to any length. Here, we suggest this robust video editing software — Wondershare Filmora, which enables you to precisely extract an MP3 file or audio segment effortlessly without losing any original audio quality.

You can get both the Windows and Mac versions of this great video editor. It embodies the following features:

• Import videos, audio, or photos from various sources and edit them in one place.
• Three different video cutting methods to meet different editing needs.
• Various editing tools help you edit the video completely, including rotation, picture-in-picture, green screen, cropping, etc.
• Output the edited video to more than 20 different formats or locations as needed.
• Use more than 1,000 video effects in the effect store to customize videos.

Using Filmora is quite effortless. The following tutorial will display how to cut audio in it easily and quickly.

Step 1: Import MP3 Files for Editing

Firstly, drag the specific MP3 file or audio clip into the media library, or you can directly import audio files or video from portable devices such as your digital camera, smartphone, or camcorder, etc.

Step 2: Drag MP3 Files to the Timeline below for Cutting

Filmora provides two ways to cut audio/video files. You can either select to cut from the beginning or the end by trimming. You can also split it into various segments from the mid-sections.

Move the slider ahead to the cutting point within the midsection, and then tap the scissor icon to split it into little sections as desired.

When executed, please select the part that you don’t want to, hit the Delete button to remove.

Step 3: Export to Save

Hit the Export tab to save your edited project. If you want to save in the original MP3 format, select MP3 before you export.

Part 3: How to Trim Music in iMovie on iPhone

This section will offer you a guide on how to cut out parts of audio in an iMovie project on an iPad or iPhone. After adding music to your project, the audio is trimmed to the desired length using iMovie’s inbuilt tool.

Step #1: Open iMovie on your iPhone or iPad.

Step #2: Tap the movie project you want to edit.

It will display a list of your projects, among which you must select the one you want to edit.

If you want to edit a current section of video not even opened in iMovie, you have to make a new iMovie project to add your audio and video. Select the + icon, choose the Movie tab, select the video(s), and then choose the Create movie button.

Step #3: Hit the Edit button below the name of your project.

This opens your project in the editor. And, you’re already in the editor if you just created a new project in the previous step.

Step #4: Add audio to your project.

You can skip this step if your project already contains the audio. Hit the + icon in the upper-left timeline’s corner.

Choose Audio.

Go with a specific category:

Soundtracks are audio tracks provided by iMovie which are free to use in your project.

Select My Music to locate the file and use a song from iTunes or the music app.

Sound effects are shorter sounds—mostly below 10 seconds duration.

Choose an audio file for the preview.

Select the + icon to add the file to your project.

Step #5: Hit the audio bar on the timeline.

It is present below the multi-frame version of your video in the screen’s bottom area.

Now, detach the MP3 segment or audio from the video by tapping the video on the timeline and selecting the Detach button at the screen’s bottom area.

Step #6: Tap and drag the beginning of the audio track.

Drag or move the audio track to the exact point where you wish it to start from—the audio track’s left-end marks of the yellow bar starting your audio.

Step #7: Tap and drag the end of the audio track.

You can drag the yellow bar at the end and move it to the exact point where you want the audio to end.

If you can’t see the yellow bar on the far-right end of the audio track, swipe left below the audio track to scroll to the end.

To move the audio track to another location, select and hold it for about one second, and then move it to the desired video’s location.

Step #8: Select the Play tab for preview.

It’s the sideways triangle just below the video preview.

Step #9: Select the Done button when you’re finished.

It is present at the screen’s top-left corner. You have now confirmed the changes done to your project.

If you want to play it on any other device, tap the Share button at the bottom after choosing the Done tab and select Save Video to export it.

Part 4: Audio Editing Tips for iMovie Users

Here are some guidelines or tips for various audio editing processes, starting from cutting trim music on iMovie, using iMovie to trim audio and video together, and other audio and video editing tips.

• Use Waveforms to See What You Hear

Sound is just as relevant as the images in a video, and should focus just as much during editing. To efficiently and adequately edit audio, you need a good set of speakers and headphones to hear the sound, and you also need to be able to see the sound.

If the waveforms don’t appear, go to the “view” drop-down menu and select “show waveforms”, the waveform would show you the sound intensity level of a sound clip and definitely would give you an idea of what part will need to be turned up or down.

• Audio Adjustments

With the audio button situated at the top right, you have access to some essential audio editing tools for changing the sound level of your chosen clip or changing the relative volume of other films in the project.

The audio editing window also contains primary noise reduction and audio equalization tools and a range of effects – from robot to echo- which would affect how people sound in your video.

• Editing Audio with the Timeline

iMovie permits you to adjust the audio within the clips themselves, each volume as a bar. You can shift up and down to increase or decrease the audio level. The clips also have “fade in” and “fade out” buttons at the beginning and end, which are draggable to adjust the fade length.

Conclusion

Finally, with the answers to the question, how to cut audio in iMovie, you can follow the simple step guide and feel free to edit your audio or video to your taste using iMovie or Wondershare Filmora.

Marion Dubois

Marion Dubois is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Marion Dubois

Navigating Through the Maze: Choosing Top-Tier Audio Formats Explained

How to Choose Best Audio Formats

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

The quality of sound that you hear depends on various factors, and an appropriate audio format is one of them. While each type of acoustic file has its own significance, choosing the best audio format as per the target player, expected audience, and/or supporting videos or images (if any) is something that needs much consideration to offer a flawless listening experience.

With that said, here you will learn about some of the most common sound file types, which among them could be the best audio format according to your requirements, and a couple of important points that you must keep in might while picking an extension for your media preparations.

• Part 1: 10 Most Common Audio Formats
• Part 2: How to Choose Best Audio Format?
• Part 3: Which Audio File Formats Does YouTube Support?
• Part 4: Audio Format in Filmora

Using Filmora to Record & Edit & Save Audio Easily

Wondershare Filmora is a simple yet robust video editing software that allows you to save a video to mp3 easily. Besides, if you want to remove background noise from audio, or change the audio volume or remove unwanted audio parts from the video, you should definitely try Filmora.

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Part 1: 10 Most Common Audio Formats

Before listing the most common audio file formats, it is important to understand the categories of the sound files. Every audio format that exists belongs to one (or more) category depending on the way it is being created and the characteristics it has.

In a nutshell, there are three major categories, including:

• Uncompressed Audio Format
• Lossless Compressed Audio Format
• Lossy Compressed Audio Format

Below is a brief introduction of each of the classes listed above along with the audio file types that belong to them:

1. Uncompressed Audio Format

Uncompressed audio is the original sound that has been recorded directly from the source in the analog form, and then converted to a digital signal without any modifications or compressions. Because an uncompressed sound is prepared with no retouching or manipulations, it gives an as-is listening experience. Since no compression is done on such a file either, it occupies a remarkably huge amount of space on your storage media.

Some sound files that fall under this category include:

1) Pulse-Code Modulation (PCM)

A PCM file is the digital version of an analog waveform that is created by recording the audio samples, technically known as pulses. The PCM format is mostly used when creating optical media discs, typically the CDs and DVDs.

2) Waveform Audio File Format (WAV)

Generally used on the Windows platform, this audio format is not a file itself but a container that may contain both compressed or uncompressed files. However, in most cases, it is the latter that a WAV file has, and PCM format is one of them.

You may also interest: YouTube to WAV >>

3) Audio Interchange File Format (AIFF)

AIFF is almost identical to WAV format in its characteristics with the only difference that, unlike the latter, it was developed by Apple somewhere in 1988, and works as a container for both compressed and uncompressed audio files. While the compressed version of the format is called AIFF-C, the term Apple Loop is used when the scenario is otherwise. As it is with WAV, even AIFF files mostly contain uncompressed audio, that usually is PCM.

You may also like: Best AIFF to MP3 Converters >>

4) Data Stream Digital (DSD)

Used by Sony and Phillips, DSD is also not a format itself but a container that can store PCM files to provide decent sound quality. However, due to distortions in the composed audio, DSD files are not much in trend.

2. Lossless Compressed Audio Format

Lossless Compressed audio format is a type of file that is compressed using some advanced methods without compromising with the quality of the sound. This means that when played, you experience the same acoustic excellence as that of the source, i.e. uncompressed audio. However, even though the lossless compressed files are comparatively small in size, they still occupy decent amount of space on the hard drive or any other storage media in use.

Some formats that fall under the lossless compressed category include:

1) Free Lossless Audio Code (FLAC)

At around half the size of the source sound file, FLAC offers the original audio quality without removing any acoustic information during compression. Being an opensource and royalty-free audio format, FLAC is even easier to get, and in most cases is used as an alternative to MP3.

Check some of the best FLAC editor programs >>

2) Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC)

Introduced by Apple Inc. and initially released as a proprietary product, ALAC was made royalty-free and opensource in 2011. Even though ALAC files are larger in size when compared to FLAC, the former format is used in iTunes and iOS as the latter isn’t supported by these platforms.

3. Lossy Compressed Audio Format

These are the highly compressed files that occupy significantly less amount of space on your storage media. However, during the compression process, some acoustic information is lost in order to reduce the file size. Nevertheless, if compressed correctly, the deterioration in the quality is almost negligible, and cannot be experienced unless the listener is quite experienced and the source recording is played next to the compressed audio simultaneously.

Some audio formats that fall under the lossy compressed category include:

1) MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 (MP3)

This is one of the most common file types and the best audio format for almost all media types that have sound. An MP3 file is free from the noises of the least significant in the composed audio. In addition, all the acoustic information with the frequency that normal human beings fail to catch (below 20Hz and above 20000Hz) is safely erased during compilation and compression. Furthermore, what makes MP3 the best audio file format is its ability to accommodate with almost all the devices of nearly any platform such as Android, Windows, iOS, Mac, etc.

Check this MP3 editor and convert video to MP3 easily.

2) OGG

This one, again, is not in fact an audio format but is a container for audio that generally stores Vorbis files. Although OGG files are way advanced in terms of sound quality and even offer higher compression ratio when compared with MP3, they are not much in use as many platforms and devices don’t support the format till date.

3) AU

AU is a format by Sun, DEC, and NeXT. It is yet another container that can hold both lossless and lossy files. AU files are mostly used in UNIX.

What’s the difference between common audio file formats like MP3, WAV, and FLAC? Watch the video below to learn more.

---

Part 2: How to Choose Best Audio Format?

If you are a media creator, and are into the business of preparing audio and video content for your clients or directly for the audience, it is imperative to understand what could be the best audio file format to compose the audiovisual files. Here are a few tips that you must keep in mind in this context before proceeding:

• Uncompressed Audio

If the media type you are about to create is expected to be used for further editing before exporting to a different format, using an uncompressed audio format would be best as it offers a smooth and flawless post-production experience without giving much overhead to the processor.

• Lossless Compressed Audio

If your audiences own highly sophisticated audio players with Hi-Fi speaker systems, and they are also good at recognizing and understanding the differences between poor and optimal audio quality, using lossless compressed audio format would be a good choice as it gives decent sound quality in smaller file size.

• Compressed Audio

If you are preparing a media for home users and casual listeners, you can safely use an audio format that has been prepared using a higher compression ratio. In such a scenario, MP3 is the best audio format that not only offers the decent sound quality, it also occupies less amount of space on your storage media, thus enabling you to save more files at a given time.

Part 3: Which Audio File Formats Does YouTube Support?

At the time of this writing, YouTube supports two types of formats namely MPEG-2 and MPEG-4. Although both of these are video containers, they also hold audio files. Details about both these types are as follows:

• MPEG-2
  • Audio Bitrate: 128kbps or above
  • Audio Codec: Dolby AC-3 or MPEG Layer II
• MPEG-4
  • **Video Codec:**264
  • Audio Bitrate: 128kbps or above

Since many people nowadays produce videos in MP4 due to its wide range of supported devices and players and the fact that the container is used by majority of users worldwide, MPEG-4 with audio format could be mostly seen on YouTube.

Part 4: Audio Format in Filmora

Being one of the most versatile post-production tools preferred by many professional editors worldwide, Filmora comes with a variety of audio formats from all the three categories discussed above. Furthermore, Filmora also displays relevant information about each of the file types it offers.

The following table shows a list of formats and the details that Filmora supports:

Video Format	Corresponding Audio Encoder	Audio Type
MP4	Lossy Compressed
WMV	WMA8, WMA9	Uncompressed
AVI	MP3, PCM	Lossy Compressed, Uncompressed
MOV	Lossy Compressed
F4V	Lossy Compressed
MKV	MP3	Lossy Compressed
TS	MPEG-2 Audio	Lossy Compressed
3GP	Lossy Compressed
MPEG-2	MPEG-2 Audio	Lossy Compressed
WEBM	Vorbis	Lossy Compressed

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

The quality of sound that you hear depends on various factors, and an appropriate audio format is one of them. While each type of acoustic file has its own significance, choosing the best audio format as per the target player, expected audience, and/or supporting videos or images (if any) is something that needs much consideration to offer a flawless listening experience.

With that said, here you will learn about some of the most common sound file types, which among them could be the best audio format according to your requirements, and a couple of important points that you must keep in might while picking an extension for your media preparations.

• Part 1: 10 Most Common Audio Formats
• Part 2: How to Choose Best Audio Format?
• Part 3: Which Audio File Formats Does YouTube Support?
• Part 4: Audio Format in Filmora

Using Filmora to Record & Edit & Save Audio Easily

Wondershare Filmora is a simple yet robust video editing software that allows you to save a video to mp3 easily. Besides, if you want to remove background noise from audio, or change the audio volume or remove unwanted audio parts from the video, you should definitely try Filmora.

---

Part 1: 10 Most Common Audio Formats

Before listing the most common audio file formats, it is important to understand the categories of the sound files. Every audio format that exists belongs to one (or more) category depending on the way it is being created and the characteristics it has.

In a nutshell, there are three major categories, including:

• Uncompressed Audio Format
• Lossless Compressed Audio Format
• Lossy Compressed Audio Format

Below is a brief introduction of each of the classes listed above along with the audio file types that belong to them:

1. Uncompressed Audio Format

Uncompressed audio is the original sound that has been recorded directly from the source in the analog form, and then converted to a digital signal without any modifications or compressions. Because an uncompressed sound is prepared with no retouching or manipulations, it gives an as-is listening experience. Since no compression is done on such a file either, it occupies a remarkably huge amount of space on your storage media.

Some sound files that fall under this category include:

1) Pulse-Code Modulation (PCM)

A PCM file is the digital version of an analog waveform that is created by recording the audio samples, technically known as pulses. The PCM format is mostly used when creating optical media discs, typically the CDs and DVDs.

2) Waveform Audio File Format (WAV)

Generally used on the Windows platform, this audio format is not a file itself but a container that may contain both compressed or uncompressed files. However, in most cases, it is the latter that a WAV file has, and PCM format is one of them.

You may also interest: YouTube to WAV >>

3) Audio Interchange File Format (AIFF)

AIFF is almost identical to WAV format in its characteristics with the only difference that, unlike the latter, it was developed by Apple somewhere in 1988, and works as a container for both compressed and uncompressed audio files. While the compressed version of the format is called AIFF-C, the term Apple Loop is used when the scenario is otherwise. As it is with WAV, even AIFF files mostly contain uncompressed audio, that usually is PCM.

You may also like: Best AIFF to MP3 Converters >>

4) Data Stream Digital (DSD)

Used by Sony and Phillips, DSD is also not a format itself but a container that can store PCM files to provide decent sound quality. However, due to distortions in the composed audio, DSD files are not much in trend.

2. Lossless Compressed Audio Format

Lossless Compressed audio format is a type of file that is compressed using some advanced methods without compromising with the quality of the sound. This means that when played, you experience the same acoustic excellence as that of the source, i.e. uncompressed audio. However, even though the lossless compressed files are comparatively small in size, they still occupy decent amount of space on the hard drive or any other storage media in use.

Some formats that fall under the lossless compressed category include:

1) Free Lossless Audio Code (FLAC)

At around half the size of the source sound file, FLAC offers the original audio quality without removing any acoustic information during compression. Being an opensource and royalty-free audio format, FLAC is even easier to get, and in most cases is used as an alternative to MP3.

Check some of the best FLAC editor programs >>

2) Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC)

Introduced by Apple Inc. and initially released as a proprietary product, ALAC was made royalty-free and opensource in 2011. Even though ALAC files are larger in size when compared to FLAC, the former format is used in iTunes and iOS as the latter isn’t supported by these platforms.

3. Lossy Compressed Audio Format

These are the highly compressed files that occupy significantly less amount of space on your storage media. However, during the compression process, some acoustic information is lost in order to reduce the file size. Nevertheless, if compressed correctly, the deterioration in the quality is almost negligible, and cannot be experienced unless the listener is quite experienced and the source recording is played next to the compressed audio simultaneously.

Some audio formats that fall under the lossy compressed category include:

1) MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 (MP3)

This is one of the most common file types and the best audio format for almost all media types that have sound. An MP3 file is free from the noises of the least significant in the composed audio. In addition, all the acoustic information with the frequency that normal human beings fail to catch (below 20Hz and above 20000Hz) is safely erased during compilation and compression. Furthermore, what makes MP3 the best audio file format is its ability to accommodate with almost all the devices of nearly any platform such as Android, Windows, iOS, Mac, etc.

Check this MP3 editor and convert video to MP3 easily.

2) OGG

This one, again, is not in fact an audio format but is a container for audio that generally stores Vorbis files. Although OGG files are way advanced in terms of sound quality and even offer higher compression ratio when compared with MP3, they are not much in use as many platforms and devices don’t support the format till date.

3) AU

AU is a format by Sun, DEC, and NeXT. It is yet another container that can hold both lossless and lossy files. AU files are mostly used in UNIX.

What’s the difference between common audio file formats like MP3, WAV, and FLAC? Watch the video below to learn more.

---

Part 2: How to Choose Best Audio Format?

If you are a media creator, and are into the business of preparing audio and video content for your clients or directly for the audience, it is imperative to understand what could be the best audio file format to compose the audiovisual files. Here are a few tips that you must keep in mind in this context before proceeding:

• Uncompressed Audio

If the media type you are about to create is expected to be used for further editing before exporting to a different format, using an uncompressed audio format would be best as it offers a smooth and flawless post-production experience without giving much overhead to the processor.

• Lossless Compressed Audio

If your audiences own highly sophisticated audio players with Hi-Fi speaker systems, and they are also good at recognizing and understanding the differences between poor and optimal audio quality, using lossless compressed audio format would be a good choice as it gives decent sound quality in smaller file size.

• Compressed Audio

If you are preparing a media for home users and casual listeners, you can safely use an audio format that has been prepared using a higher compression ratio. In such a scenario, MP3 is the best audio format that not only offers the decent sound quality, it also occupies less amount of space on your storage media, thus enabling you to save more files at a given time.

Part 3: Which Audio File Formats Does YouTube Support?

At the time of this writing, YouTube supports two types of formats namely MPEG-2 and MPEG-4. Although both of these are video containers, they also hold audio files. Details about both these types are as follows:

• MPEG-2
  • Audio Bitrate: 128kbps or above
  • Audio Codec: Dolby AC-3 or MPEG Layer II
• MPEG-4
  • **Video Codec:**264
  • Audio Bitrate: 128kbps or above

Since many people nowadays produce videos in MP4 due to its wide range of supported devices and players and the fact that the container is used by majority of users worldwide, MPEG-4 with audio format could be mostly seen on YouTube.

Part 4: Audio Format in Filmora

Being one of the most versatile post-production tools preferred by many professional editors worldwide, Filmora comes with a variety of audio formats from all the three categories discussed above. Furthermore, Filmora also displays relevant information about each of the file types it offers.

The following table shows a list of formats and the details that Filmora supports:

Video Format	Corresponding Audio Encoder	Audio Type
MP4	Lossy Compressed
WMV	WMA8, WMA9	Uncompressed
AVI	MP3, PCM	Lossy Compressed, Uncompressed
MOV	Lossy Compressed
F4V	Lossy Compressed
MKV	MP3	Lossy Compressed
TS	MPEG-2 Audio	Lossy Compressed
3GP	Lossy Compressed
MPEG-2	MPEG-2 Audio	Lossy Compressed
WEBM	Vorbis	Lossy Compressed

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

The quality of sound that you hear depends on various factors, and an appropriate audio format is one of them. While each type of acoustic file has its own significance, choosing the best audio format as per the target player, expected audience, and/or supporting videos or images (if any) is something that needs much consideration to offer a flawless listening experience.

With that said, here you will learn about some of the most common sound file types, which among them could be the best audio format according to your requirements, and a couple of important points that you must keep in might while picking an extension for your media preparations.

• Part 1: 10 Most Common Audio Formats
• Part 2: How to Choose Best Audio Format?
• Part 3: Which Audio File Formats Does YouTube Support?
• Part 4: Audio Format in Filmora

Using Filmora to Record & Edit & Save Audio Easily

Wondershare Filmora is a simple yet robust video editing software that allows you to save a video to mp3 easily. Besides, if you want to remove background noise from audio, or change the audio volume or remove unwanted audio parts from the video, you should definitely try Filmora.

---

Part 1: 10 Most Common Audio Formats

Before listing the most common audio file formats, it is important to understand the categories of the sound files. Every audio format that exists belongs to one (or more) category depending on the way it is being created and the characteristics it has.

In a nutshell, there are three major categories, including:

• Uncompressed Audio Format
• Lossless Compressed Audio Format
• Lossy Compressed Audio Format

Below is a brief introduction of each of the classes listed above along with the audio file types that belong to them:

1. Uncompressed Audio Format

Uncompressed audio is the original sound that has been recorded directly from the source in the analog form, and then converted to a digital signal without any modifications or compressions. Because an uncompressed sound is prepared with no retouching or manipulations, it gives an as-is listening experience. Since no compression is done on such a file either, it occupies a remarkably huge amount of space on your storage media.

Some sound files that fall under this category include:

1) Pulse-Code Modulation (PCM)

A PCM file is the digital version of an analog waveform that is created by recording the audio samples, technically known as pulses. The PCM format is mostly used when creating optical media discs, typically the CDs and DVDs.

2) Waveform Audio File Format (WAV)

Generally used on the Windows platform, this audio format is not a file itself but a container that may contain both compressed or uncompressed files. However, in most cases, it is the latter that a WAV file has, and PCM format is one of them.

You may also interest: YouTube to WAV >>

3) Audio Interchange File Format (AIFF)

AIFF is almost identical to WAV format in its characteristics with the only difference that, unlike the latter, it was developed by Apple somewhere in 1988, and works as a container for both compressed and uncompressed audio files. While the compressed version of the format is called AIFF-C, the term Apple Loop is used when the scenario is otherwise. As it is with WAV, even AIFF files mostly contain uncompressed audio, that usually is PCM.

You may also like: Best AIFF to MP3 Converters >>

4) Data Stream Digital (DSD)

Used by Sony and Phillips, DSD is also not a format itself but a container that can store PCM files to provide decent sound quality. However, due to distortions in the composed audio, DSD files are not much in trend.

2. Lossless Compressed Audio Format

Lossless Compressed audio format is a type of file that is compressed using some advanced methods without compromising with the quality of the sound. This means that when played, you experience the same acoustic excellence as that of the source, i.e. uncompressed audio. However, even though the lossless compressed files are comparatively small in size, they still occupy decent amount of space on the hard drive or any other storage media in use.

Some formats that fall under the lossless compressed category include:

1) Free Lossless Audio Code (FLAC)

At around half the size of the source sound file, FLAC offers the original audio quality without removing any acoustic information during compression. Being an opensource and royalty-free audio format, FLAC is even easier to get, and in most cases is used as an alternative to MP3.

Check some of the best FLAC editor programs >>

2) Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC)

Introduced by Apple Inc. and initially released as a proprietary product, ALAC was made royalty-free and opensource in 2011. Even though ALAC files are larger in size when compared to FLAC, the former format is used in iTunes and iOS as the latter isn’t supported by these platforms.

3. Lossy Compressed Audio Format

These are the highly compressed files that occupy significantly less amount of space on your storage media. However, during the compression process, some acoustic information is lost in order to reduce the file size. Nevertheless, if compressed correctly, the deterioration in the quality is almost negligible, and cannot be experienced unless the listener is quite experienced and the source recording is played next to the compressed audio simultaneously.

Some audio formats that fall under the lossy compressed category include:

1) MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 (MP3)

This is one of the most common file types and the best audio format for almost all media types that have sound. An MP3 file is free from the noises of the least significant in the composed audio. In addition, all the acoustic information with the frequency that normal human beings fail to catch (below 20Hz and above 20000Hz) is safely erased during compilation and compression. Furthermore, what makes MP3 the best audio file format is its ability to accommodate with almost all the devices of nearly any platform such as Android, Windows, iOS, Mac, etc.

Check this MP3 editor and convert video to MP3 easily.

2) OGG

This one, again, is not in fact an audio format but is a container for audio that generally stores Vorbis files. Although OGG files are way advanced in terms of sound quality and even offer higher compression ratio when compared with MP3, they are not much in use as many platforms and devices don’t support the format till date.

3) AU

AU is a format by Sun, DEC, and NeXT. It is yet another container that can hold both lossless and lossy files. AU files are mostly used in UNIX.

What’s the difference between common audio file formats like MP3, WAV, and FLAC? Watch the video below to learn more.

---

Part 2: How to Choose Best Audio Format?

If you are a media creator, and are into the business of preparing audio and video content for your clients or directly for the audience, it is imperative to understand what could be the best audio file format to compose the audiovisual files. Here are a few tips that you must keep in mind in this context before proceeding:

• Uncompressed Audio

If the media type you are about to create is expected to be used for further editing before exporting to a different format, using an uncompressed audio format would be best as it offers a smooth and flawless post-production experience without giving much overhead to the processor.

• Lossless Compressed Audio

If your audiences own highly sophisticated audio players with Hi-Fi speaker systems, and they are also good at recognizing and understanding the differences between poor and optimal audio quality, using lossless compressed audio format would be a good choice as it gives decent sound quality in smaller file size.

• Compressed Audio

If you are preparing a media for home users and casual listeners, you can safely use an audio format that has been prepared using a higher compression ratio. In such a scenario, MP3 is the best audio format that not only offers the decent sound quality, it also occupies less amount of space on your storage media, thus enabling you to save more files at a given time.

Part 3: Which Audio File Formats Does YouTube Support?

At the time of this writing, YouTube supports two types of formats namely MPEG-2 and MPEG-4. Although both of these are video containers, they also hold audio files. Details about both these types are as follows:

• MPEG-2
  • Audio Bitrate: 128kbps or above
  • Audio Codec: Dolby AC-3 or MPEG Layer II
• MPEG-4
  • **Video Codec:**264
  • Audio Bitrate: 128kbps or above

Since many people nowadays produce videos in MP4 due to its wide range of supported devices and players and the fact that the container is used by majority of users worldwide, MPEG-4 with audio format could be mostly seen on YouTube.

Part 4: Audio Format in Filmora

Being one of the most versatile post-production tools preferred by many professional editors worldwide, Filmora comes with a variety of audio formats from all the three categories discussed above. Furthermore, Filmora also displays relevant information about each of the file types it offers.

The following table shows a list of formats and the details that Filmora supports:

Video Format	Corresponding Audio Encoder	Audio Type
MP4	Lossy Compressed
WMV	WMA8, WMA9	Uncompressed
AVI	MP3, PCM	Lossy Compressed, Uncompressed
MOV	Lossy Compressed
F4V	Lossy Compressed
MKV	MP3	Lossy Compressed
TS	MPEG-2 Audio	Lossy Compressed
3GP	Lossy Compressed
MPEG-2	MPEG-2 Audio	Lossy Compressed
WEBM	Vorbis	Lossy Compressed

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

The quality of sound that you hear depends on various factors, and an appropriate audio format is one of them. While each type of acoustic file has its own significance, choosing the best audio format as per the target player, expected audience, and/or supporting videos or images (if any) is something that needs much consideration to offer a flawless listening experience.

With that said, here you will learn about some of the most common sound file types, which among them could be the best audio format according to your requirements, and a couple of important points that you must keep in might while picking an extension for your media preparations.

• Part 1: 10 Most Common Audio Formats
• Part 2: How to Choose Best Audio Format?
• Part 3: Which Audio File Formats Does YouTube Support?
• Part 4: Audio Format in Filmora

Using Filmora to Record & Edit & Save Audio Easily

Wondershare Filmora is a simple yet robust video editing software that allows you to save a video to mp3 easily. Besides, if you want to remove background noise from audio, or change the audio volume or remove unwanted audio parts from the video, you should definitely try Filmora.

---

Part 1: 10 Most Common Audio Formats

Before listing the most common audio file formats, it is important to understand the categories of the sound files. Every audio format that exists belongs to one (or more) category depending on the way it is being created and the characteristics it has.

In a nutshell, there are three major categories, including:

• Uncompressed Audio Format
• Lossless Compressed Audio Format
• Lossy Compressed Audio Format

Below is a brief introduction of each of the classes listed above along with the audio file types that belong to them:

1. Uncompressed Audio Format

Uncompressed audio is the original sound that has been recorded directly from the source in the analog form, and then converted to a digital signal without any modifications or compressions. Because an uncompressed sound is prepared with no retouching or manipulations, it gives an as-is listening experience. Since no compression is done on such a file either, it occupies a remarkably huge amount of space on your storage media.

Some sound files that fall under this category include:

1) Pulse-Code Modulation (PCM)

A PCM file is the digital version of an analog waveform that is created by recording the audio samples, technically known as pulses. The PCM format is mostly used when creating optical media discs, typically the CDs and DVDs.

2) Waveform Audio File Format (WAV)

Generally used on the Windows platform, this audio format is not a file itself but a container that may contain both compressed or uncompressed files. However, in most cases, it is the latter that a WAV file has, and PCM format is one of them.

You may also interest: YouTube to WAV >>

3) Audio Interchange File Format (AIFF)

AIFF is almost identical to WAV format in its characteristics with the only difference that, unlike the latter, it was developed by Apple somewhere in 1988, and works as a container for both compressed and uncompressed audio files. While the compressed version of the format is called AIFF-C, the term Apple Loop is used when the scenario is otherwise. As it is with WAV, even AIFF files mostly contain uncompressed audio, that usually is PCM.

You may also like: Best AIFF to MP3 Converters >>

4) Data Stream Digital (DSD)

Used by Sony and Phillips, DSD is also not a format itself but a container that can store PCM files to provide decent sound quality. However, due to distortions in the composed audio, DSD files are not much in trend.

2. Lossless Compressed Audio Format

Lossless Compressed audio format is a type of file that is compressed using some advanced methods without compromising with the quality of the sound. This means that when played, you experience the same acoustic excellence as that of the source, i.e. uncompressed audio. However, even though the lossless compressed files are comparatively small in size, they still occupy decent amount of space on the hard drive or any other storage media in use.

Some formats that fall under the lossless compressed category include:

1) Free Lossless Audio Code (FLAC)

At around half the size of the source sound file, FLAC offers the original audio quality without removing any acoustic information during compression. Being an opensource and royalty-free audio format, FLAC is even easier to get, and in most cases is used as an alternative to MP3.

Check some of the best FLAC editor programs >>

2) Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC)

Introduced by Apple Inc. and initially released as a proprietary product, ALAC was made royalty-free and opensource in 2011. Even though ALAC files are larger in size when compared to FLAC, the former format is used in iTunes and iOS as the latter isn’t supported by these platforms.

3. Lossy Compressed Audio Format

These are the highly compressed files that occupy significantly less amount of space on your storage media. However, during the compression process, some acoustic information is lost in order to reduce the file size. Nevertheless, if compressed correctly, the deterioration in the quality is almost negligible, and cannot be experienced unless the listener is quite experienced and the source recording is played next to the compressed audio simultaneously.

Some audio formats that fall under the lossy compressed category include:

1) MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 (MP3)

This is one of the most common file types and the best audio format for almost all media types that have sound. An MP3 file is free from the noises of the least significant in the composed audio. In addition, all the acoustic information with the frequency that normal human beings fail to catch (below 20Hz and above 20000Hz) is safely erased during compilation and compression. Furthermore, what makes MP3 the best audio file format is its ability to accommodate with almost all the devices of nearly any platform such as Android, Windows, iOS, Mac, etc.

Check this MP3 editor and convert video to MP3 easily.

2) OGG

This one, again, is not in fact an audio format but is a container for audio that generally stores Vorbis files. Although OGG files are way advanced in terms of sound quality and even offer higher compression ratio when compared with MP3, they are not much in use as many platforms and devices don’t support the format till date.

3) AU

AU is a format by Sun, DEC, and NeXT. It is yet another container that can hold both lossless and lossy files. AU files are mostly used in UNIX.

What’s the difference between common audio file formats like MP3, WAV, and FLAC? Watch the video below to learn more.

---

Part 2: How to Choose Best Audio Format?

If you are a media creator, and are into the business of preparing audio and video content for your clients or directly for the audience, it is imperative to understand what could be the best audio file format to compose the audiovisual files. Here are a few tips that you must keep in mind in this context before proceeding:

• Uncompressed Audio

If the media type you are about to create is expected to be used for further editing before exporting to a different format, using an uncompressed audio format would be best as it offers a smooth and flawless post-production experience without giving much overhead to the processor.

• Lossless Compressed Audio

If your audiences own highly sophisticated audio players with Hi-Fi speaker systems, and they are also good at recognizing and understanding the differences between poor and optimal audio quality, using lossless compressed audio format would be a good choice as it gives decent sound quality in smaller file size.

• Compressed Audio

If you are preparing a media for home users and casual listeners, you can safely use an audio format that has been prepared using a higher compression ratio. In such a scenario, MP3 is the best audio format that not only offers the decent sound quality, it also occupies less amount of space on your storage media, thus enabling you to save more files at a given time.

Part 3: Which Audio File Formats Does YouTube Support?

At the time of this writing, YouTube supports two types of formats namely MPEG-2 and MPEG-4. Although both of these are video containers, they also hold audio files. Details about both these types are as follows:

• MPEG-2
  • Audio Bitrate: 128kbps or above
  • Audio Codec: Dolby AC-3 or MPEG Layer II
• MPEG-4
  • **Video Codec:**264
  • Audio Bitrate: 128kbps or above

Since many people nowadays produce videos in MP4 due to its wide range of supported devices and players and the fact that the container is used by majority of users worldwide, MPEG-4 with audio format could be mostly seen on YouTube.

Part 4: Audio Format in Filmora

Being one of the most versatile post-production tools preferred by many professional editors worldwide, Filmora comes with a variety of audio formats from all the three categories discussed above. Furthermore, Filmora also displays relevant information about each of the file types it offers.

The following table shows a list of formats and the details that Filmora supports:

Video Format	Corresponding Audio Encoder	Audio Type
MP4	Lossy Compressed
WMV	WMA8, WMA9	Uncompressed
AVI	MP3, PCM	Lossy Compressed, Uncompressed
MOV	Lossy Compressed
F4V	Lossy Compressed
MKV	MP3	Lossy Compressed
TS	MPEG-2 Audio	Lossy Compressed
3GP	Lossy Compressed
MPEG-2	MPEG-2 Audio	Lossy Compressed
WEBM	Vorbis	Lossy Compressed

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

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“Free Audio Transmutation: Exploring Six Efficient Ways to Convert Video to Sound “

If you have the footage in which only the sound has all the meat, you might want to remove the visuals from the clip and keep only the audio track to save some space on your storage media. Because the videos nowadays are usually in MP4 format, and the most commonly used audio type is MP3, it becomes imperative to learn how to convert MP4 to MP3.

It is also important to know which tools are best for such kind of conversion and what benefits and downsides they come with if installed on your PC.

That said, here, you will learn how to convert video to audio using six extremely popular and widely used programs.

1 - Filmora	2 - VLC media player	3 - Audacity
4 - QuickTime	5 - Media Converter	6 - Video to MP3 Converter

Watch a Video First to Take a Quick View of These Programs

Video to Audio Convert

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Video to Audio Convert

For macOS 10.14 or later

Try It Free >>

1 Filmora - [Windows, Mac, iPhone & Android]

A product by Wondershare that is one of the most versatile development organizations, Filmora , is available for Windows and Mac platforms. The tool is a full-fledged post-production program that many professionals use because it is lightweight and due to its simple UI and not-so-steep learning curve.

The instructions given below explain how to convert video to audio with Filmora:

Step 1: Import Source Media

Launch Wondershare Filmora (a Windows computer here used here), click anywhere inside the Media window present at the upper-left section, and select and import a source video file to the program.

Turn Video Into Audio

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Turn Video Into Audio

For macOS 10.14 or later

Try It Free >>

Step 2: Add Media to Timeline

Drag the imported footage to the Timeline at the bottom of the window. Optionally, right-click the media in the Timeline itself, and click Detach Audio to separate the audio track from the video. Trim off the unwanted sections from the clip if need be.

Step 3: Convert Video to Audio

Click EXPORT from the top-center of the window, go to the Video tab on the Export box, select MP3 from the bottom of the Format list in the left pane, choose other preferences by clicking the SETTINGS button from the right, and click EXPORT from the bottom-right corner.

Benefits of Using Filmora

Some of the advantages of using Filmora to convert video clips to audio are:

• Easy audio separation from the video
• Ability to export videos directly to audio
• Ability to adjust the audio and remove the background noise
• Ability to record voice and integrate it into the audio clip

Disadvantages: Doesn’t have many audio formats for exporting.

Supported Audio Formats: At the time of this writing, Filmora supports only MP3 audio format while exporting directly.

Convert Video to Audio

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Convert Video to Audio

For macOS 10.14 or later

Try It Free >>

2 VLC Media Player [Windows, Mac & Linux]

A well-known application that supports almost all media formats and is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms, the VLC media player has its built-in Converter that can transcode your video clips to audio for free.

The steps given below explain how to convert video to audio with VLC media player:

Step 1: Import Source Video

Launch VLC media player, click Media from the menu bar at the top, and click Convert / Save from the menu. Make sure that the File tab is selected on the Open Media box, click Add from the right side of the File Selection field, and click Convert / Save from the bottom.

Step 2: Select Output Format and Preferences

On the Convert box, make sure that the Convert radio button is selected, choose an audio format from the Profile drop-down list, optionally click the Settings (Wrench) icon present next to the drop-down list itself, choose other output preferences for the audio and click Save to get back to the Convert box.

Step 3: Choose Output Folder and Convert

Click Browse from the Destination section to select an output folder, enter a name for the exported file in the Destination file field, and click Start to convert audio to video with VLC media player.

Benefits of Using VLC media player

Some advantages that VLC offers include:

• Doesn’t require any other application to be installed for conversion
• Makes the process quite simple and absolutely free

Disadvantages: Doesn’t have editing tools to manipulate the clips before converting.

Supported Audio Formats: VLC media player supports OGG (Vorbis), MP3, and FLAC format while exporting.

3 Audacity [Windows, Mac & Linux]

Audacity is yet another cross-platform tool that is specifically dedicated to audio formats and is also used by many professionals to produce industry-standard audio clips. Even though Audacity is an open-source and free program, some new users may find it challenging to understand the interface.

The steps are given below explain the process of converting video to audio with Audacity:

Step 1: Install Supported Tools

Assuming that Audacity is already installed on your PC, to import video files to the program, go to https://lame.buanzo.org/#lamewindl and download and install ffmpeg for Windows for Audacity if it is not already installed. You can do a quick online search for other platforms and see if your copy of Audacity needs the tools or plugins required to import the videos.

Step 2: Import Source Video

Go to file> Open from the menu bar and select and import the video that you want to convert to audio.

Step 3: Convert Video to Audio

Make the required manipulations to the audio, go to file> Export, and choose your preferred audio format from the list. Choose a destination folder and other output preferences on the Export Audio box, and click Save to convert video to audio with Audacity.

Benefits of Using Audacity

Some benefits that Audacity offers include:

• Granular editing and fine-tuning of audio tracks
• Wide range of output preferences
• Ability to produce industry-standard outputs
• Offers plethora of options and tools to add various effects to the sounds

Disadvantages: Some new users may find it challenging to understand the interface. Audacity also needs additional tools to be installed to support video files as inputs.

Supported Audio Formats: Audacity supports almost all major audio formats including MP3, OGG, WAV, etc.

4 QuickTime [Mac]

QuickTime is the default media player that comes along with macOS and is installed automatically. Being a proprietary of Apple Inc., QuickTime natively supports all the formats developed by the company, along with some other most popular file types such as MP4, MP3, etc.

To convert a video file to audio with QuickTime on Mac, you can follow the instructions given below:

Step 1: Import Source Video

Launch QuickTime on your Mac computer, go to file from the menu bar, click Open File, use the box that opens to locate and select the video that you want to convert, and click Open from the bottom-right corner.

Step 2: Convert to Audio

Click file again, go to Export this time, and then click audio Only from the sub menu that appears. On the next box, enter a name for the output file in the Export As field, choose a destination folder from the Where drop-down list, optionally click the drop-down button from the right side of the Where field to configure other preferences, and click Save to convert video to audio with QuickTime.

Benefits of Using QuickTime

Some advantages of using QuickTime to convert video to audio include:

• Mac users don’t need to install any third-party conversion tool or additional plugin
• Conversion process is easy and almost seamless

Disadvantages: Doesn’t give any option to choose an output format and doesn’t allow editing the clips either.

Supported Audio Formats: By default, QuickTime player converts videos files to M4A audio format.

5 Media Converter – video to mp3 [iPhone]

Among several iOS apps that have been developed for video to audio conversion, Media Converter – video to mp3 is one of those that has decent star ratings and user reviews. The app is around 66MB in size and can be obtained from the App Store.

The process on how to convert video to audio with Media Converter is explained below:

• Launch Media Converter
• Import the source video to the app
• Choose Extract Audio from the Conversion Type menu
• Select your preferred output audio format
• Begin the conversion process

Benefits of Using Media Converter

A couple of advantages of using Media Converter to convert video to audio are listed below:

• Eliminates the use of PC or laptop
• Can be obtained easily
• Can be used even while moving

Disadvantages: Doesn’t have the flexibility of granular editing as it is there when using a computer program.

Supported Audio Formats: The audio formats that Media Converter supports include MP3, M4A, OGG, WAV, FLAC, etc.

6 Video to MP3 Converter [Android]

With around 4.5-star rating on Play Store, Video to MP3 Converter is another app that can convert your video files to audio right on your Android smartphone. In addition, the app also allows basic video trimming that may come in handy while making the entire clip more informative by removing unwanted sections from it.

You can learn how to convert video to audio with Video to MP3 Converter by following the instructions given below:

• Launch Video to MP3 Converter
• Import the source video clip from your Android smart device’s storage
• Trim the footage to keep only the important part
• Set output preferences
• Extract the audio from the video

Benefits of Using Video to MP3 Converter

Some advantages of using Video to MP3 Converter include:

• It supports every popular video format such as MP4, 3GP, WMV, etc.
• Has simple UI
• Offers various audio bitrates to choose from while exporting
• Allows basic trimming

Disadvantages: Doesn’t have many editing options thus, no granular manipulations can be done to the media files while using the app.

Supported Audio Formats: Video to MP3 Converter supports MP3 formats at this writing.

Conclusion

Learning how to convert MP4 to MP3 is a simple process, and as long as you have a decent computer or an iOS or Android smartphone, you can extract the audio in the format of your choice from the video clips almost instantly. Furthermore, if you are a professional and want to prepare media clips for the clients or your channel, using advanced tools like Wondershare Filmora or Audacity would give you the best conversion experience.

Free Convert Video to Audio

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Free Convert Video to Audio

For macOS 10.14 or later

Try It Free >>

Watch a Video First to Take a Quick View of These Programs

Video to Audio Convert

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Video to Audio Convert

For macOS 10.14 or later

Try It Free >>

1 Filmora - [Windows, Mac, iPhone & Android]

A product by Wondershare that is one of the most versatile development organizations, Filmora , is available for Windows and Mac platforms. The tool is a full-fledged post-production program that many professionals use because it is lightweight and due to its simple UI and not-so-steep learning curve.

The instructions given below explain how to convert video to audio with Filmora:

Step 1: Import Source Media

Launch Wondershare Filmora (a Windows computer here used here), click anywhere inside the Media window present at the upper-left section, and select and import a source video file to the program.

Turn Video Into Audio

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Turn Video Into Audio

For macOS 10.14 or later

Try It Free >>

Step 2: Add Media to Timeline

Drag the imported footage to the Timeline at the bottom of the window. Optionally, right-click the media in the Timeline itself, and click Detach Audio to separate the audio track from the video. Trim off the unwanted sections from the clip if need be.

Step 3: Convert Video to Audio

Click EXPORT from the top-center of the window, go to the Video tab on the Export box, select MP3 from the bottom of the Format list in the left pane, choose other preferences by clicking the SETTINGS button from the right, and click EXPORT from the bottom-right corner.

Benefits of Using Filmora

Some of the advantages of using Filmora to convert video clips to audio are:

• Easy audio separation from the video
• Ability to export videos directly to audio
• Ability to adjust the audio and remove the background noise
• Ability to record voice and integrate it into the audio clip

Disadvantages: Doesn’t have many audio formats for exporting.

Supported Audio Formats: At the time of this writing, Filmora supports only MP3 audio format while exporting directly.

Convert Video to Audio

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Convert Video to Audio

For macOS 10.14 or later

Try It Free >>

2 VLC Media Player [Windows, Mac & Linux]

A well-known application that supports almost all media formats and is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms, the VLC media player has its built-in Converter that can transcode your video clips to audio for free.

The steps given below explain how to convert video to audio with VLC media player:

Step 1: Import Source Video

Launch VLC media player, click Media from the menu bar at the top, and click Convert / Save from the menu. Make sure that the File tab is selected on the Open Media box, click Add from the right side of the File Selection field, and click Convert / Save from the bottom.

Step 2: Select Output Format and Preferences

On the Convert box, make sure that the Convert radio button is selected, choose an audio format from the Profile drop-down list, optionally click the Settings (Wrench) icon present next to the drop-down list itself, choose other output preferences for the audio and click Save to get back to the Convert box.

Step 3: Choose Output Folder and Convert

Click Browse from the Destination section to select an output folder, enter a name for the exported file in the Destination file field, and click Start to convert audio to video with VLC media player.

Benefits of Using VLC media player

Some advantages that VLC offers include:

• Doesn’t require any other application to be installed for conversion
• Makes the process quite simple and absolutely free

Disadvantages: Doesn’t have editing tools to manipulate the clips before converting.

Supported Audio Formats: VLC media player supports OGG (Vorbis), MP3, and FLAC format while exporting.

3 Audacity [Windows, Mac & Linux]

Audacity is yet another cross-platform tool that is specifically dedicated to audio formats and is also used by many professionals to produce industry-standard audio clips. Even though Audacity is an open-source and free program, some new users may find it challenging to understand the interface.

The steps are given below explain the process of converting video to audio with Audacity:

Step 1: Install Supported Tools

Assuming that Audacity is already installed on your PC, to import video files to the program, go to https://lame.buanzo.org/#lamewindl and download and install ffmpeg for Windows for Audacity if it is not already installed. You can do a quick online search for other platforms and see if your copy of Audacity needs the tools or plugins required to import the videos.

Step 2: Import Source Video

Go to file> Open from the menu bar and select and import the video that you want to convert to audio.

Step 3: Convert Video to Audio

Make the required manipulations to the audio, go to file> Export, and choose your preferred audio format from the list. Choose a destination folder and other output preferences on the Export Audio box, and click Save to convert video to audio with Audacity.

Benefits of Using Audacity

Some benefits that Audacity offers include:

• Granular editing and fine-tuning of audio tracks
• Wide range of output preferences
• Ability to produce industry-standard outputs
• Offers plethora of options and tools to add various effects to the sounds

Disadvantages: Some new users may find it challenging to understand the interface. Audacity also needs additional tools to be installed to support video files as inputs.

Supported Audio Formats: Audacity supports almost all major audio formats including MP3, OGG, WAV, etc.

4 QuickTime [Mac]

QuickTime is the default media player that comes along with macOS and is installed automatically. Being a proprietary of Apple Inc., QuickTime natively supports all the formats developed by the company, along with some other most popular file types such as MP4, MP3, etc.

To convert a video file to audio with QuickTime on Mac, you can follow the instructions given below:

Step 1: Import Source Video

Launch QuickTime on your Mac computer, go to file from the menu bar, click Open File, use the box that opens to locate and select the video that you want to convert, and click Open from the bottom-right corner.

Step 2: Convert to Audio

Click file again, go to Export this time, and then click audio Only from the sub menu that appears. On the next box, enter a name for the output file in the Export As field, choose a destination folder from the Where drop-down list, optionally click the drop-down button from the right side of the Where field to configure other preferences, and click Save to convert video to audio with QuickTime.

Benefits of Using QuickTime

Some advantages of using QuickTime to convert video to audio include:

• Mac users don’t need to install any third-party conversion tool or additional plugin
• Conversion process is easy and almost seamless

Disadvantages: Doesn’t give any option to choose an output format and doesn’t allow editing the clips either.

Supported Audio Formats: By default, QuickTime player converts videos files to M4A audio format.

5 Media Converter – video to mp3 [iPhone]

Among several iOS apps that have been developed for video to audio conversion, Media Converter – video to mp3 is one of those that has decent star ratings and user reviews. The app is around 66MB in size and can be obtained from the App Store.

The process on how to convert video to audio with Media Converter is explained below:

• Launch Media Converter
• Import the source video to the app
• Choose Extract Audio from the Conversion Type menu
• Select your preferred output audio format
• Begin the conversion process

Benefits of Using Media Converter

A couple of advantages of using Media Converter to convert video to audio are listed below:

• Eliminates the use of PC or laptop
• Can be obtained easily
• Can be used even while moving

Disadvantages: Doesn’t have the flexibility of granular editing as it is there when using a computer program.

Supported Audio Formats: The audio formats that Media Converter supports include MP3, M4A, OGG, WAV, FLAC, etc.

6 Video to MP3 Converter [Android]

With around 4.5-star rating on Play Store, Video to MP3 Converter is another app that can convert your video files to audio right on your Android smartphone. In addition, the app also allows basic video trimming that may come in handy while making the entire clip more informative by removing unwanted sections from it.

You can learn how to convert video to audio with Video to MP3 Converter by following the instructions given below:

• Launch Video to MP3 Converter
• Import the source video clip from your Android smart device’s storage
• Trim the footage to keep only the important part
• Set output preferences
• Extract the audio from the video

Benefits of Using Video to MP3 Converter

Some advantages of using Video to MP3 Converter include:

• It supports every popular video format such as MP4, 3GP, WMV, etc.
• Has simple UI
• Offers various audio bitrates to choose from while exporting
• Allows basic trimming

Disadvantages: Doesn’t have many editing options thus, no granular manipulations can be done to the media files while using the app.

Supported Audio Formats: Video to MP3 Converter supports MP3 formats at this writing.

Conclusion

Learning how to convert MP4 to MP3 is a simple process, and as long as you have a decent computer or an iOS or Android smartphone, you can extract the audio in the format of your choice from the video clips almost instantly. Furthermore, if you are a professional and want to prepare media clips for the clients or your channel, using advanced tools like Wondershare Filmora or Audacity would give you the best conversion experience.

Free Convert Video to Audio

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Free Convert Video to Audio

For macOS 10.14 or later

Try It Free >>

Watch a Video First to Take a Quick View of These Programs

Video to Audio Convert

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Video to Audio Convert

For macOS 10.14 or later

Try It Free >>

1 Filmora - [Windows, Mac, iPhone & Android]

A product by Wondershare that is one of the most versatile development organizations, Filmora , is available for Windows and Mac platforms. The tool is a full-fledged post-production program that many professionals use because it is lightweight and due to its simple UI and not-so-steep learning curve.

The instructions given below explain how to convert video to audio with Filmora:

Step 1: Import Source Media

Launch Wondershare Filmora (a Windows computer here used here), click anywhere inside the Media window present at the upper-left section, and select and import a source video file to the program.

Turn Video Into Audio

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Turn Video Into Audio

For macOS 10.14 or later

Try It Free >>

Step 2: Add Media to Timeline

Drag the imported footage to the Timeline at the bottom of the window. Optionally, right-click the media in the Timeline itself, and click Detach Audio to separate the audio track from the video. Trim off the unwanted sections from the clip if need be.

Step 3: Convert Video to Audio

Click EXPORT from the top-center of the window, go to the Video tab on the Export box, select MP3 from the bottom of the Format list in the left pane, choose other preferences by clicking the SETTINGS button from the right, and click EXPORT from the bottom-right corner.

Benefits of Using Filmora

Some of the advantages of using Filmora to convert video clips to audio are:

• Easy audio separation from the video
• Ability to export videos directly to audio
• Ability to adjust the audio and remove the background noise
• Ability to record voice and integrate it into the audio clip

Disadvantages: Doesn’t have many audio formats for exporting.

Supported Audio Formats: At the time of this writing, Filmora supports only MP3 audio format while exporting directly.

Convert Video to Audio

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Convert Video to Audio

For macOS 10.14 or later

Try It Free >>

2 VLC Media Player [Windows, Mac & Linux]

A well-known application that supports almost all media formats and is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms, the VLC media player has its built-in Converter that can transcode your video clips to audio for free.

The steps given below explain how to convert video to audio with VLC media player:

Step 1: Import Source Video

Launch VLC media player, click Media from the menu bar at the top, and click Convert / Save from the menu. Make sure that the File tab is selected on the Open Media box, click Add from the right side of the File Selection field, and click Convert / Save from the bottom.

Step 2: Select Output Format and Preferences

On the Convert box, make sure that the Convert radio button is selected, choose an audio format from the Profile drop-down list, optionally click the Settings (Wrench) icon present next to the drop-down list itself, choose other output preferences for the audio and click Save to get back to the Convert box.

Step 3: Choose Output Folder and Convert

Click Browse from the Destination section to select an output folder, enter a name for the exported file in the Destination file field, and click Start to convert audio to video with VLC media player.

Benefits of Using VLC media player

Some advantages that VLC offers include:

• Doesn’t require any other application to be installed for conversion
• Makes the process quite simple and absolutely free

Disadvantages: Doesn’t have editing tools to manipulate the clips before converting.

Supported Audio Formats: VLC media player supports OGG (Vorbis), MP3, and FLAC format while exporting.

3 Audacity [Windows, Mac & Linux]

Audacity is yet another cross-platform tool that is specifically dedicated to audio formats and is also used by many professionals to produce industry-standard audio clips. Even though Audacity is an open-source and free program, some new users may find it challenging to understand the interface.

The steps are given below explain the process of converting video to audio with Audacity:

Step 1: Install Supported Tools

Assuming that Audacity is already installed on your PC, to import video files to the program, go to https://lame.buanzo.org/#lamewindl and download and install ffmpeg for Windows for Audacity if it is not already installed. You can do a quick online search for other platforms and see if your copy of Audacity needs the tools or plugins required to import the videos.

Step 2: Import Source Video

Go to file> Open from the menu bar and select and import the video that you want to convert to audio.

Step 3: Convert Video to Audio

Make the required manipulations to the audio, go to file> Export, and choose your preferred audio format from the list. Choose a destination folder and other output preferences on the Export Audio box, and click Save to convert video to audio with Audacity.

Benefits of Using Audacity

Some benefits that Audacity offers include:

• Granular editing and fine-tuning of audio tracks
• Wide range of output preferences
• Ability to produce industry-standard outputs
• Offers plethora of options and tools to add various effects to the sounds

Disadvantages: Some new users may find it challenging to understand the interface. Audacity also needs additional tools to be installed to support video files as inputs.

Supported Audio Formats: Audacity supports almost all major audio formats including MP3, OGG, WAV, etc.

4 QuickTime [Mac]

QuickTime is the default media player that comes along with macOS and is installed automatically. Being a proprietary of Apple Inc., QuickTime natively supports all the formats developed by the company, along with some other most popular file types such as MP4, MP3, etc.

To convert a video file to audio with QuickTime on Mac, you can follow the instructions given below:

Step 1: Import Source Video

Launch QuickTime on your Mac computer, go to file from the menu bar, click Open File, use the box that opens to locate and select the video that you want to convert, and click Open from the bottom-right corner.

Step 2: Convert to Audio

Click file again, go to Export this time, and then click audio Only from the sub menu that appears. On the next box, enter a name for the output file in the Export As field, choose a destination folder from the Where drop-down list, optionally click the drop-down button from the right side of the Where field to configure other preferences, and click Save to convert video to audio with QuickTime.

Benefits of Using QuickTime

Some advantages of using QuickTime to convert video to audio include:

• Mac users don’t need to install any third-party conversion tool or additional plugin
• Conversion process is easy and almost seamless

Disadvantages: Doesn’t give any option to choose an output format and doesn’t allow editing the clips either.

Supported Audio Formats: By default, QuickTime player converts videos files to M4A audio format.

5 Media Converter – video to mp3 [iPhone]

Among several iOS apps that have been developed for video to audio conversion, Media Converter – video to mp3 is one of those that has decent star ratings and user reviews. The app is around 66MB in size and can be obtained from the App Store.

The process on how to convert video to audio with Media Converter is explained below:

• Launch Media Converter
• Import the source video to the app
• Choose Extract Audio from the Conversion Type menu
• Select your preferred output audio format
• Begin the conversion process

Benefits of Using Media Converter

A couple of advantages of using Media Converter to convert video to audio are listed below:

• Eliminates the use of PC or laptop
• Can be obtained easily
• Can be used even while moving

Disadvantages: Doesn’t have the flexibility of granular editing as it is there when using a computer program.

Supported Audio Formats: The audio formats that Media Converter supports include MP3, M4A, OGG, WAV, FLAC, etc.

6 Video to MP3 Converter [Android]

With around 4.5-star rating on Play Store, Video to MP3 Converter is another app that can convert your video files to audio right on your Android smartphone. In addition, the app also allows basic video trimming that may come in handy while making the entire clip more informative by removing unwanted sections from it.

You can learn how to convert video to audio with Video to MP3 Converter by following the instructions given below:

• Launch Video to MP3 Converter
• Import the source video clip from your Android smart device’s storage
• Trim the footage to keep only the important part
• Set output preferences
• Extract the audio from the video

Benefits of Using Video to MP3 Converter

Some advantages of using Video to MP3 Converter include:

• It supports every popular video format such as MP4, 3GP, WMV, etc.
• Has simple UI
• Offers various audio bitrates to choose from while exporting
• Allows basic trimming

Disadvantages: Doesn’t have many editing options thus, no granular manipulations can be done to the media files while using the app.

Supported Audio Formats: Video to MP3 Converter supports MP3 formats at this writing.

Conclusion

Learning how to convert MP4 to MP3 is a simple process, and as long as you have a decent computer or an iOS or Android smartphone, you can extract the audio in the format of your choice from the video clips almost instantly. Furthermore, if you are a professional and want to prepare media clips for the clients or your channel, using advanced tools like Wondershare Filmora or Audacity would give you the best conversion experience.

Free Convert Video to Audio

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Free Convert Video to Audio

For macOS 10.14 or later

Try It Free >>

Watch a Video First to Take a Quick View of These Programs

Video to Audio Convert

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Video to Audio Convert

For macOS 10.14 or later

Try It Free >>

1 Filmora - [Windows, Mac, iPhone & Android]

A product by Wondershare that is one of the most versatile development organizations, Filmora , is available for Windows and Mac platforms. The tool is a full-fledged post-production program that many professionals use because it is lightweight and due to its simple UI and not-so-steep learning curve.

The instructions given below explain how to convert video to audio with Filmora:

Step 1: Import Source Media

Launch Wondershare Filmora (a Windows computer here used here), click anywhere inside the Media window present at the upper-left section, and select and import a source video file to the program.

Turn Video Into Audio

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Turn Video Into Audio

For macOS 10.14 or later

Try It Free >>

Step 2: Add Media to Timeline

Drag the imported footage to the Timeline at the bottom of the window. Optionally, right-click the media in the Timeline itself, and click Detach Audio to separate the audio track from the video. Trim off the unwanted sections from the clip if need be.

Step 3: Convert Video to Audio

Click EXPORT from the top-center of the window, go to the Video tab on the Export box, select MP3 from the bottom of the Format list in the left pane, choose other preferences by clicking the SETTINGS button from the right, and click EXPORT from the bottom-right corner.

Benefits of Using Filmora

Some of the advantages of using Filmora to convert video clips to audio are:

• Easy audio separation from the video
• Ability to export videos directly to audio
• Ability to adjust the audio and remove the background noise
• Ability to record voice and integrate it into the audio clip

Disadvantages: Doesn’t have many audio formats for exporting.

Supported Audio Formats: At the time of this writing, Filmora supports only MP3 audio format while exporting directly.

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2 VLC Media Player [Windows, Mac & Linux]

A well-known application that supports almost all media formats and is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms, the VLC media player has its built-in Converter that can transcode your video clips to audio for free.

The steps given below explain how to convert video to audio with VLC media player:

Step 1: Import Source Video

Launch VLC media player, click Media from the menu bar at the top, and click Convert / Save from the menu. Make sure that the File tab is selected on the Open Media box, click Add from the right side of the File Selection field, and click Convert / Save from the bottom.

Step 2: Select Output Format and Preferences

On the Convert box, make sure that the Convert radio button is selected, choose an audio format from the Profile drop-down list, optionally click the Settings (Wrench) icon present next to the drop-down list itself, choose other output preferences for the audio and click Save to get back to the Convert box.

Step 3: Choose Output Folder and Convert

Click Browse from the Destination section to select an output folder, enter a name for the exported file in the Destination file field, and click Start to convert audio to video with VLC media player.

Benefits of Using VLC media player

Some advantages that VLC offers include:

• Doesn’t require any other application to be installed for conversion
• Makes the process quite simple and absolutely free

Disadvantages: Doesn’t have editing tools to manipulate the clips before converting.

Supported Audio Formats: VLC media player supports OGG (Vorbis), MP3, and FLAC format while exporting.

3 Audacity [Windows, Mac & Linux]

Audacity is yet another cross-platform tool that is specifically dedicated to audio formats and is also used by many professionals to produce industry-standard audio clips. Even though Audacity is an open-source and free program, some new users may find it challenging to understand the interface.

The steps are given below explain the process of converting video to audio with Audacity:

Step 1: Install Supported Tools

Assuming that Audacity is already installed on your PC, to import video files to the program, go to https://lame.buanzo.org/#lamewindl and download and install ffmpeg for Windows for Audacity if it is not already installed. You can do a quick online search for other platforms and see if your copy of Audacity needs the tools or plugins required to import the videos.

Step 2: Import Source Video

Go to file> Open from the menu bar and select and import the video that you want to convert to audio.

Step 3: Convert Video to Audio

Make the required manipulations to the audio, go to file> Export, and choose your preferred audio format from the list. Choose a destination folder and other output preferences on the Export Audio box, and click Save to convert video to audio with Audacity.

Benefits of Using Audacity

Some benefits that Audacity offers include:

• Granular editing and fine-tuning of audio tracks
• Wide range of output preferences
• Ability to produce industry-standard outputs
• Offers plethora of options and tools to add various effects to the sounds

Disadvantages: Some new users may find it challenging to understand the interface. Audacity also needs additional tools to be installed to support video files as inputs.

Supported Audio Formats: Audacity supports almost all major audio formats including MP3, OGG, WAV, etc.

4 QuickTime [Mac]

QuickTime is the default media player that comes along with macOS and is installed automatically. Being a proprietary of Apple Inc., QuickTime natively supports all the formats developed by the company, along with some other most popular file types such as MP4, MP3, etc.

To convert a video file to audio with QuickTime on Mac, you can follow the instructions given below:

Step 1: Import Source Video

Launch QuickTime on your Mac computer, go to file from the menu bar, click Open File, use the box that opens to locate and select the video that you want to convert, and click Open from the bottom-right corner.

Step 2: Convert to Audio

Click file again, go to Export this time, and then click audio Only from the sub menu that appears. On the next box, enter a name for the output file in the Export As field, choose a destination folder from the Where drop-down list, optionally click the drop-down button from the right side of the Where field to configure other preferences, and click Save to convert video to audio with QuickTime.

Benefits of Using QuickTime

Some advantages of using QuickTime to convert video to audio include:

• Mac users don’t need to install any third-party conversion tool or additional plugin
• Conversion process is easy and almost seamless

Disadvantages: Doesn’t give any option to choose an output format and doesn’t allow editing the clips either.

Supported Audio Formats: By default, QuickTime player converts videos files to M4A audio format.

5 Media Converter – video to mp3 [iPhone]

Among several iOS apps that have been developed for video to audio conversion, Media Converter – video to mp3 is one of those that has decent star ratings and user reviews. The app is around 66MB in size and can be obtained from the App Store.

The process on how to convert video to audio with Media Converter is explained below:

• Launch Media Converter
• Import the source video to the app
• Choose Extract Audio from the Conversion Type menu
• Select your preferred output audio format
• Begin the conversion process

Benefits of Using Media Converter

A couple of advantages of using Media Converter to convert video to audio are listed below:

• Eliminates the use of PC or laptop
• Can be obtained easily
• Can be used even while moving

Disadvantages: Doesn’t have the flexibility of granular editing as it is there when using a computer program.

Supported Audio Formats: The audio formats that Media Converter supports include MP3, M4A, OGG, WAV, FLAC, etc.

6 Video to MP3 Converter [Android]

With around 4.5-star rating on Play Store, Video to MP3 Converter is another app that can convert your video files to audio right on your Android smartphone. In addition, the app also allows basic video trimming that may come in handy while making the entire clip more informative by removing unwanted sections from it.

You can learn how to convert video to audio with Video to MP3 Converter by following the instructions given below:

• Launch Video to MP3 Converter
• Import the source video clip from your Android smart device’s storage
• Trim the footage to keep only the important part
• Set output preferences
• Extract the audio from the video

Benefits of Using Video to MP3 Converter

Some advantages of using Video to MP3 Converter include:

• It supports every popular video format such as MP4, 3GP, WMV, etc.
• Has simple UI
• Offers various audio bitrates to choose from while exporting
• Allows basic trimming

Disadvantages: Doesn’t have many editing options thus, no granular manipulations can be done to the media files while using the app.

Supported Audio Formats: Video to MP3 Converter supports MP3 formats at this writing.

Conclusion

Learning how to convert MP4 to MP3 is a simple process, and as long as you have a decent computer or an iOS or Android smartphone, you can extract the audio in the format of your choice from the video clips almost instantly. Furthermore, if you are a professional and want to prepare media clips for the clients or your channel, using advanced tools like Wondershare Filmora or Audacity would give you the best conversion experience.

Free Convert Video to Audio

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Free Convert Video to Audio

For macOS 10.14 or later

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