Common fix · Audio
Split a long recording into parts
One long file turned into pieces you can send, publish or hand around.
By Suprabhat Updated How we write these
2 min read
Long recordings are awkward for reasons that have nothing to do with the sound: an upload limit, a transcription service that charges by file, an editor who only needs the middle twenty minutes, a live set that should be one file per song.
Cutting is the cheapest fix available, because it does not re-encode anything. The frames between two points are copied into a new file, so the parts are identical in quality to the original and the whole thing takes seconds.
What to do
-
Decide what the parts are for
A size limit means equal lengths — work out the minutes that land each part under it. A set of songs or takes means cutting at the gaps instead, where the recording already tells you where the breaks are.
Open the splitter -
Trim the dead air first, if there is a lot
Recordings often start with several minutes of room noise before anyone speaks. Cutting that out first makes every part more useful, and can mean one fewer of them.
Remove the silence -
Keep the original format
Leave the format on “same” and the audio is copied across rather than compressed again. Only pick another format if whatever you are sending the parts to insists on one.
-
Tidy the ends
A part that starts or stops mid-sound can click. A short fade at each end takes a second and makes the pieces sound deliberate rather than chopped.
Fade the ends
Settings that work
| For an upload limit | Every few minutes, set so each part lands under the cap |
|---|---|
| For songs or takes | At the gaps, 1.5–3 seconds, −45 dB |
| Format | Same as the original, so nothing is re-encoded |
Worth knowing
- Cuts land on the nearest frame, a few hundredths of a second. Inaudible for speech and music, but not sample-exact for editing work.
- If the parts are for a podcast host or a transcription service, check whether it prefers one long file. Many of them do, and splitting only makes more work.
Questions
Does splitting audio lose quality?
Not when you keep the original format. The audio is copied between two time points, not decoded and re-encoded, so each part is bit-for-bit the same as that stretch of the original.
How do I split a recording into one file per song?
Use the gaps mode. It listens for quiet lasting longer than the gap you set and cuts in the middle of it, so nothing is clipped off either end of a track. For live recordings with applause, raise the threshold to −35 dB.
Can I split an audio file on my phone?
Yes — the tool runs in the phone browser, and because nothing is uploaded, a two-hour recording is not a two-hour wait. Long files use more memory, so close other tabs first.