Although VLC Media Player -- a free multimedia player and converter available for download from Videolan.org -- is not often used as an audio or video editor, you can perform simple editing techniques like trimming off the front and back of an MP3 file, adjust equalizer settings to achieve a desired sound and convert your MP3 to a different format using VLC's "Streaming/Exporting Wizard" function. The company recommends that you download the latest version of VLC Media Player to access the most up-to-date features.
Step 1
Open your Web browser and visit Videolan.org. Click the "Download VLC" button to download the latest version of VLC Media Player to your computer. Double-click the EXE or ZIP package and unarchive the program's contents. Follow the on-screen instructions to install VLC to your hard drive. Accept the software's terms of use to complete the installation and launch VLC.
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Step 2
Edit your MP3's sound equalizer settings by clicking "Settings" and "Extended GUI." Press the "Equalizer" tab, click "Enable" and drag the various frequency bars up or down depending on your needs. For example, if you want less bass or lower frequencies in your audio, try pulling the "60Hz" or "170Hz" bars down. Note that lower frequencies correspond to the bars on the left side and higher frequencies to the right, so if you want fewer high frequencies in your output, you would lower the bars on the right. You may also click the "Audio" tab at the top of the screen, hold your mouse over the "Equalizer" arrow, and select a preset -- e.g. Pop, Party, Reggae -- to check for various output options.
Step 3
Click the "Media" tab in VLC's main menu when you're finished with your Equalizer settings and select "Streaming/Exporting Wizard." Press the "Transcode/Save to File" button so a check mark appears and click "Next."
Step 4
Click the "Select a Stream" button and press "Choose..." Search your hard drive via the pop-up window for your input MP3 file. Highlight your MP3 and click "Open" to return to the "Streaming/Transcoding Wizard" menu.
Step 5
Press the "Enable" button in the "Partial Extract" field at the bottom of the screen. Manually enter the seconds you want in your MP3 file in the "From" and "To" fields. This must be done in units of seconds. For example, if you wanted your audio to start one minute and fifteen seconds in, enter "75.00" in the "From" field. If you want your audio to end at three minutes and fifteen seconds, enter "195.00" in the "To" field. Click "Next" when finished.
Step 6
Click the "Transcode Audio" button if you want to convert your audio to a different format and select an audio output option from the "Codec" drop-down box. Click "Next." If you do not want to convert your file format, you can click "Next" without choosing any options.
Step 7
Choose an "Encapsulation Format" from VLC's options, depending on how you want your file encoded and the previous "Transcode Audio" option you chose; see Tips. Click "Next."
Step 8
Press the "Choose..." button to select a save location on your hard drive. Press "OK" or "Save" to return to the "Streaming/Transcoding Wizard." Click "Next" to view a summary screen for your output. Press "Back" to make any changes to your file or "Finish" to save and convert your audio.
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