Do I need software to get audio from a video?

No. A browser based extractor handles the whole job locally, with no install and no upload.

What if the video has several audio tracks?

Select the stream you need explicitly rather than accepting the first one the container lists.

Which format should I choose?

WAV for anything that will be edited or mixed, MP3 only when the file just has to travel.

5 min read

How to get audio from a video, step by step

Five steps from a video file to a usable audio file, with the checks that stop problems appearing at the mix.

Whatever the camera, phone or screen recorder, the process is the same: identify what is inside the container, extract it without changing it, then convert only if a delivery spec demands it.

Step 1: load the video

Drop the file into the extractor. Nothing uploads; the browser reads the file from disk and parses the container header.

Step 2: read what the tool found

Sample rate, bit depth, channel count and codec appear before you export. If the numbers surprise you, that is information worth having now rather than after the conform.

Step 3: choose the output

WAV at native parameters for editing, mixing and archiving.
AIFF when the destination is a Mac based music or sound design session.
MP3 at 192 kbps for review copies and email.

Step 4: name it properly

Carry the source clip name into the audio filename. Add the sample rate and channel count when they differ from the project standard.

Step 5: verify

Play the result and check the duration against the video. A length mismatch means something resampled. Inspect the header if you want the numbers rather than an impression.