Workflow guide | 4 min read
How to Cut a Sample from an Audio File
Need just one part of a longer recording? This guide shows you how to select a precise section of an audio file and export it as a new file directly in your browser, with the Sample Selection tool.
Open the tool: Sample SelectionWatch the video tutorial
Select and cut your audio1. Import
Load the longer recording you want to take a sample from: a field recording holding a sound effect, a room tone pass, a Foley session, a dialogue take, an ambience or any source for a sound library.
- Drop a WAV, AIFF, MP3, M4A, FLAC or OGG file on the drop zone, or click to browse.
- The tool decodes the file in your browser and draws the waveform immediately.
- Check the spec strip: sample rate, bit depth, channels and duration.
- Poly WAV and multichannel files keep every channel for the trimmed export.
Tip If you only need one channel from a poly file, split it first, then trim the mono stem here.
2. Draw the selection
Sample Selection works on a time region, not on channels: one longer file in, one shorter file out. Set the exact in and out points here.
- Click and drag on the waveform to draw the region you want to keep, then drag either handle to adjust it.
- Fine tune the start and end with the mm:ss.ms In and Out fields; the sample length is shown in seconds.
- Press Play in the selection preview to listen to the region before you export it.
- On a multichannel file, use the preview mixer to set level and pan per track; those settings are baked into the export.
Tip Audio Tool Kit applies a short 5 ms fade at the edges of the exported selection by default to help reduce clicks at cut boundaries. You can set it anywhere from 0 to 500 ms.
3. Export settings
Choose the delivery format before you export.
- Keep the source sample rate and bit depth unless the destination asks for something else.
- Pick WAV 24 bit for editing, AIFF for older Pro Tools sessions, MP3 only for review copies.
- Rename the output so the sample sorts cleanly in your project folder.
- Adjust the fade length from 0 to 500 ms if the default does not suit the material.
Tip For sound design sources, export 24 bit WAV at the source rate to preserve headroom.
4. Quality control
Verify the trimmed file before you move on.
- Play the exported file in any player and confirm the duration matches your selection.
- Check the first and last 100 ms for clicks if you set the fade to zero.
- Open the exported file in the Audio Inspector and confirm sample rate and bit depth.
- Import the sample into Resolve or Premiere and check it lines up with the picture.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I cut a precise number of frames?
- Yes. The in and out fields accept millisecond values, so you can convert frames to ms and enter the exact duration.
- Does trimming change the pitch or speed?
- No. The sample rate is preserved unless you choose a different one in the export settings.
- Is the exported selection identical to the source?
- Almost. The samples inside the region are copied as they are when you keep the source rate, depth and format, but the default 5 ms edge fade shapes the very first and last milliseconds. Set the fade to 0 ms if you need an untouched cut.
- What are the limits?
- Free accounts export WAV and are capped at 500 MB per file; Pro adds AIFF and MP3 and removes the 500 MB cap, within what your browser can hold in memory. Long files simply take longer to decode.
- Is this the same as extracting audio from a video?
- No. Sample Selection cuts a time region out of an audio file. To pull the soundtrack out of an MP4 or MOV, use Extract Audio from Video instead.
Keep going
No plugin, no DAW, no upload