Clipping an audio file is a particularly useful feature if you want to create a ringtone or you need to shorten a song to fit on a CD. You can shorten audio files in Windows Movie Maker, which is a subset of Windows Media Player. While frequently used to capture and edit video, Movie Maker provides audio clipping capability as well as some other effects that will enable you to create a cleaner audio track, such as volume fading in and out at the beginning and end of each track.
Step 1
Click on the "Start Menu," "All Programs" and then scroll up and click on "Windows Movie Maker."
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Step 2
Click on the "Import Media" button, located along the toolbar in "Windows Movie Maker."
Step 3
Browse and select the audio file that you wish to clip.
Step 4
Select the "Play" button, located along the right side of the screen in the mini "Windows Media Player" embedded within "Windows Movie Maker."
Step 5
Click on the "Split" icon located beneath "Windows Media Player" at the point in which you want to begin clipping the sound. For example, if the audio track has a particularly long musical introduction that you want to cut out, hit the "Split" button a second before the artist begins to sing. This will create a new clipped file, titled "Name of Song (1)" which starts at that point and continues to the end of the song.
Step 6
Play the new clipped track (1), if you intend to clip it further. Select "Split" when you reach the desired stopping point within the track. This will create a new track, titled "Name of Song (2)." Keep in mind that the clipped song you want will be track 1, as it is the song that was clipped on both sides (beginning and end).
Step 7
Drag track 1 to the "Timeline" window below, if you want to create fading. Right-click on the audio file and select "Fade In" and "Fade Out." Save your new shorter file by selecting "Save Project" under "File," or by hitting "Ctrl" + "S."
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