How to divide an audio file into equal chunks
When you're working with long audio files, it's common to represent them as one large file. This lets you apply effects and normalize volume in one go, then split the file into separate parts. You might want to split a long podcast into separate chapters, split a music album into separate tracks, or break a speech into smaller segments for easier editing.
Most sound editors have similar functionality. In this tutorial, we'll look at different ways to split audio files into equal parts.
When it comes to the need to cut a large audio file, most often I come across recommendations to use all kinds of utilities and splitters. Does using such programs provide any unique advantages? Is it just a tiny saving of money compared to universal programs and nothing more. Does it make sense to use such utilities if you can afford a full-fledged audio editor for the same money? I don't think so.
WaveCut Audio Editor has an intuitive interface and cutting audio files into equal parts does not require specific knowledge. Below is a quick step-by-step guide.
1 Download and run the program
Download WaveCut Audio Editor, run the program, and follow the installation wizard's instructions. Just a heads-up: You can also do a silent installation with the /SILENT command line option.
2 Open a large audio file
To upload files, just drag them into the program window or use the "Add file" button on the toolbar. One thing to note is that this program supports files larger than 4GB, which other editors can't do.
Once the files have loaded, you'll see a waveform that you can navigate with the left mouse button. You can easily zoom the waveform view using the mouse wheel.
3 Select slicing options
WaveCut Audio Editor has lots of editing options. To start cutting an audio file into equal parts, just open the "Edit" menu and select "Cut."
You can choose from three options:
- Set the interval by the millisecond.
- Set the interval by the samples. This is a more accurate way to set the intervals.
- Set the number of parts.
Slicing occurs in RAM. It doesn't affect the file on disk. It happens instantly. You can now open each part of the audio file in a separate window and work on it however you like.
4 Make any necessary edits
If the result isn't quite what you were aiming for, there are various ways to improve the situation. The simplest way is to close the windows and set new settings. If the problem only shows up in the first and last sections, you can easily edit them separately using the cut/paste tools in the editor.
5 Save the separate parts
Once you've listened to the individual parts and are happy with the result, you can save them to disk. You can do this with each segment separately, setting different settings for each one. The simplest way is to close the editor, which will open a dialog asking you to save all files. You can then select the settings once.
6 Conclusion
Splitting audio into equal parts is a great way to handle large recordings or create structured content.
The tool you choose will mainly depend on the size of the audio file. If you just need to cut a few small files once, you can use the online service. If you're working with files that are hundreds of megabytes in size, desktop software is probably your best bet. It's also worth noting that an uncompressed file of a hundred megabytes, once unpacked, can take up gigabytes of disk space. This makes most small utilities ineffective.
It doesn't matter what audio editing software, command line tools, or online editors you use. The techniques in this guide will help you get the job done right.