Trim Audio

Easily trim down long-form audio files to just the segments you need with Descript's audio trimmer. Remove filler and cut audio down to only the best sound bites. Start trimming audio faster with text-based editing and one-click AI edits to give your audio content a polished sound—your listeners will thank you.‍

Sound, um, smarter.

Descript’s automated Filler Word Removal gets rid of all your ums, uhs, likes, you knows, and repeated words with a single click, reducing the length of your media files by as much as 10%. It’s just one of the AI features that make Descript an audio cutter built to help creators work fast — and still make something great.

Download the app →

How to trim audio clips faster with text-based editing

Trimming audio is easy in Descript. You can edit your podcast by editing text. Or remove extra silence in your interview recording, shorten music, add audio effects in the timeline, or add fade-outs and cross fades between clips — it’s a fully powered audio trimmer.

Step 1

Import your audio

Bring your audio file into a Descript project by dragging and dropping it in, or record new audio directly in Descript. Once your audio is imported, Descript will generate a transcript including wordless media like sounds and pauses, and prepare it for trimming and editing.

Step 2

Trim your audio

You can cut and trim parts of your audio by simply highlighting the section in the transcript and pressing the backspace key. That’s it. Just trim down intros, remove unwanted sections, and tighten your audio content by making your edits in the transcript. To edit a specific clip while preserving the original audio, highlight and right-click to duplicate a selection to a new composition.

Step 3

Export your trimmed audio

When you're happy with your trimmed audio, simply export it by hitting the Publish button. You can download your new audio file, publish it to a supported platform like Podbean, or share or embed it anywhere as a Descript web link.

Sound, um, smarter.

Descript’s automated Filler Word Removal gets rid of all your ums, uhs, likes, you knows, and repeated words with a single click, reducing the length of your media files by as much as 10%. It’s just one of the AI features that make Descript an audio cutter built to help creators work fast — and still make something great.

Download the app →

Transcribe and edit like a doc

Descript is editing software built on AI that does magical stuff like fixing bad audio with Studio Sound, synthesizing your voice with Overdub, and exporting your media files at blazing-fast speed. Best of all, it lets you edit your audio just like you edit in a word processor.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add music, sound effects, or ambiance to my uploaded files?

After you’re done removing all the unwanted parts of your podcast or whatever, you probably want to add music or other ambient effects, like your ringtone (which is just a recorded version of you screaming “ring-ring!”). To add music, a sound effect, or any audio file, you can simply right-click, and drag the file into your script where you want it to play. For more information on fine-tuning your audio, watch the tutorials in our Help Center.

How do I work with simultaneous tracks of voice audio (multi-track)?

Use a Sequence to group tracks into a single Clip with a combined transcript. Sequences are created automatically when you create a multitrack recording, or if you import multiple tracks, such as music files, that were recorded outside of Descript.

What file format types are supported?

Whether you want to extract audio from a file from your iPhone, Mac, or a non-Apple product, Descript supports most audio formats (except WAV files that are more than 2 channels and OGG files).

Does Descript include all the features of a fully powered audio editor?

All the ones you really need. While Descript started out as a glorified transcription tool, it has evolved to become a fully powered audio editor. It doesn’t have all the features you’ll find in legacy DAWs — but the ones it’s missing aren’t really necessary for 99% of creators.

Can I trim audio on a video file?

Not only is Descript amazing for audio files, but with the video editor functionality you can also do your video editing right there in the transcript.

Download the app for free

Create a podcast, a video, and all your social assets using Descript. It’s as easy as editing a doc.
Sign up for this tool
Try Descript for free →
HomeTools
Trim Audio

Trim Audio

Easily trim down long-form audio files to just the segments you need with Descript's audio trimmer. Remove filler and cut audio down to only the best sound bites. Start trimming audio faster with text-based editing and one-click AI edits to give your audio content a polished sound—your listeners will thank you.‍

Get started →
How to trim audio clips faster with text-based editing
  • 3
    Create a new project
    Drag your file into the box above, or click Select file and import it from your computer or wherever it lives.
Step 1
Import your audio

Bring your audio file into a Descript project by dragging and dropping it in, or record new audio directly in Descript. Once your audio is imported, Descript will generate a transcript including wordless media like sounds and pauses, and prepare it for trimming and editing.

Step 2
Trim your audio

You can cut and trim parts of your audio by simply highlighting the section in the transcript and pressing the backspace key. That’s it. Just trim down intros, remove unwanted sections, and tighten your audio content by making your edits in the transcript. To edit a specific clip while preserving the original audio, highlight and right-click to duplicate a selection to a new composition.

Step 3
Export your trimmed audio

When you're happy with your trimmed audio, simply export it by hitting the Publish button. You can download your new audio file, publish it to a supported platform like Podbean, or share or embed it anywhere as a Descript web link.

A better way to cut & trim audio content
Trim MP3, WAV, M4A audio and more with ease

Descript supports trimming of all the most common audio formats, including WAV, MP3, AAC, AIFF, M4A, and FLAC. Descript can also edit video files, allowing you to extract audio from video to trim and edit.

Enhance audio and repair rough cuts with AI

Add professional polish to your trimmed audio files using Descript's audio enhancement tools. Reduce background noise, normalize volume, compress dynamic range, and more—in seconds. One-click Regenerate smooths out audio at the seams to make your cuts magically disappear.

Edit audio as fast as deleting text

Trimming audio in Descript is as easy as highlighting text and hitting backspace on your keyboard. Quickly remove unwanted pauses, filler words, and irrelevant tangents to tighten up your podcasts, interviews, and more.

Questions? We have answers
Can I add music, sound effects, or ambiance to my uploaded files?

Absolutely. One of the great features of Descript is the ability to layer audio elements through its multi-track timeline. You can easily drag and drop additional audio tracks like intros, outros, background music, sound effects, ambient noise, and anything else you want to overlay into your existing audio files. Descript makes mixing audio tracks intuitive.

How do I work with simultaneous tracks of voice audio (i.e. multi-track projects)?

Descript gives you a powerful multi-track editor to edit multiple overlapping audio tracks simultaneously. You can split, trim, adjust levels, pan, apply effects, arrange, and blend voiceover, music, and sound effect tracks seamlessly. Descript's visual editor makes it easy to craft a professional audio mix.

Can I trim audio on a video file?

Yes, when you import a video file into Descript, extract the audio to edit on its own. Using Descript's intuitive timeline interface, you can trim, rearrange, apply effects, and export the audio from a video. It's a great way to pull out sound bites or background music from video content.

What audio file types can I export with Descript?

Descript can export M4A, WAV, or MP3 audio file formats. You can also export audiograms for captioned videos generated from your audio.

Can I split and trim large audio file sizes with Descript?

Yes, Descript enables you to split and trim large audio file sizes with 5 GB of storage included in the free plan.

This is some text inside of a div block.
Descript is the only tool you need to write, record, transcribe, edit, collaborate, and share your videos and podcasts.
What is the point of this tool?
Descript is the only tool you need to write, record, transcribe, edit, collaborate, and share your videos and podcasts.
More than an audio trimmer
Descript is an AI-powered editing suite for audio and video that enables intuitive editing like a document.
  • Podcasting
    Produce your podcast episodes end-to-end, from scripting to recording to editing to publishing.
  • Transcription
    Automatic transcripts generated allow you to easily find and trim audio to get the best sound bites from interviews, speeches, and discussions.
  • Studio sound
    Give your podcasts and music professional studio quality polish with AI.
  • Multi-track editor
    A multi-track timeline makes it simple to trim and edit overlapping audio elements like voice, music, and sound effects.