How to separate audio from video

Want to separate audio from video? Follow this simple guide to easily extract audio and enhance your video editing workflow. Perfect for content creators and editors!

Introduction

In many situations, you may want to extract (or separate) the audio track from a video file. Maybe you recorded a lecture or an interview, and now you only want the voice part; or perhaps you want to use the background music separately; or you need to transcribe the audio, create a podcast, or do further audio editing. Fortunately, modern tools make this quite accessible — whether on desktop, mobile, or online.

In this post, we’ll explore:

What “separating audio from video” means (demux, extract, detach, etc.)
Why and when you might do it
Common tools and methods (desktop, mobile, online)
Step-by-step instructions for a number of tools
Advanced cases: splitting voice vs music, background noise removal
Tips, caveats, and quality considerations
Use cases & next steps
Summary

Along the way, I’ll link to some of my other relevant posts so your readers can dive deeper — for example, check out my post on Top 10 Freelancing Websites here:
https://www.easyguideshub.com/2025/09/top-10-freelancing-websites-to-start.html
and 10 Proven Ways to Make Money Online at
https://www.easyguideshub.com/2025/09/10-proven-ways-to-make-money-online.html

What does “separating audio from video” mean?

When a video file is created (say MP4, MOV, MKV, etc.), it typically contains multiple streams or tracks: a video stream, one or more audio streams, subtitles, metadata, etc. Separating audio means extracting the audio stream(s) from the video container so that you end up with a standalone audio file (e.g. MP3, WAV, AAC) or at least have audio and video as separate tracks you can manipulate.

Terminology you might see:

Detach audio / Unlink audio: make the audio track separate in a timeline or editor
Demux / demultiplex: extract one or more streams (e.g. audio) from a container
Export audio or save audio only
Extract audio
Rip audio (similar idea)

In many video editors or converters, there is a menu or command like “Extract Audio”, “Detach Audio”, or “Export as Audio Only”.

Why and when to separate audio

Here are some use cases and motivations:

You want just the audio (voice, music, etc.) for a podcast, transcription, or audio archive
You want to replace or edit the audio while keeping the original video
You are remixing or reusing music, sound effects, or voice from videos
You need to clean up noise, normalize volume, or enhance the audio using audio tools
You might want to mute or remove audio in part of a video
You may wish to convert a video-only lecture into audio for offline listening

Because many people consume content via audio (podcasts, voice assistants, etc.), being able to extract clean audio can be very valuable.

However, there are challenges: when voice and music are mixed into a single stereo track, isolating one from the other (e.g. removing background music while keeping voice) is not trivial, and the results may not always be perfect. You often need to first extract the full audio, then apply more specialized tools to separate voice/instrumentation.

Tools & Methods Overview

Here is a high-level view of tools and methods to separate audio from video:

Method / Tool Type	Platform	Pros	Cons / Notes
Desktop video editors (Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Shotcut, etc.)	Windows, macOS, Linux	Very powerful, full control, non-destructive editing	Larger install size, steeper learning curve
Audio editors (Audacity, etc.)	Cross-platform	Great for post-audio cleanup	Need to extract audio first, then import
Media players / converters (VLC, FFmpeg, etc.)	Cross-platform	Lightweight, often free	Limited editing capabilities
Dedicated extractor tools or apps	Web, mobile, PC	Easy, often one click	Might have file size limits, require upload (privacy concerns)
AI / stem separation tools	Web / local	Separate voice/instruments	Results vary; often need fine tuning

Below, we’ll walk through many of these.

Step-by-Step: Desktop Tools & Editors

Using Adobe Premiere Pro

Adobe Premiere Pro is a professional video editor that lets you separate audio easily. riverside.fm

Steps:

Create a new project
Import your video (File → Import)
Drag the video clip into the timeline
Right-click the clip → Audio Options → Extract Audio (or use Unlink / Detach Audio)
The audio becomes a separate clip in the audio track
You can export just the audio (File → Export → Media → Format: MP3, WAV, etc.)

If you only want a portion, you can cut or trim the clip before exporting.

Using Shotcut (free, open-source)

Shotcut provides a simple Detach Audio feature. Shotcut Forum

Steps:

Open Shotcut and load your video
Drag the video into the timeline
Right-click the clip → Detach Audio (or sometimes under a More submenu)
You’ll see a separate audio track appear
You can export audio only, or mute/delete audio track, or render the audio alone

This is a straightforward method for basic needs.

Using DaVinci Resolve

In DaVinci Resolve, separating audio is also easy. As some users note, there are multiple ways to do this including Alt + drag or unlinking methods. Reddit

Typical steps:

Import your video
Place it in the timeline
Right-click → Link Clips to unlink so video and audio are independent
Now the audio can be moved, edited, or exported separately
Export (Render) selecting audio-only options if desired

Note: Resolve is powerful and has more complexity, but gives you a lot of flexibility.

Using Conversion Tools / Media Players

Sometimes you just want to convert a video into an audio file without deep editing. Here are some popular tools.

VLC Media Player

VLC is a free, popular media player that also supports media conversion. researchguides.case.edu

Steps:

Open VLC → Media → Convert / Save
Add your video file
Click Convert / Save
Under Profile, select an audio format (e.g. MP3, or “Audio — CD”)
Choose a destination file name and location
Click Start → VLC will convert and produce an audio file

This method is effective and widely available on Windows, macOS, Linux.

FFmpeg (command-line)

FFmpeg is a powerful command-line tool for media processing. You can extract audio using a single command. For example:


ffmpeg -i input_video.mp4 -vn -acodec copy output_audio.aac

-i input_video.mp4 → input file
-vn → disables video part
-acodec copy → copy audio without re-encoding

If you want to convert to MP3 or WAV:


ffmpeg -i input_video.mp4 -vn -ar 44100 -ac 2 -q:a 2 output_audio.mp3

This approach preserves quality (if using copy) or allows you to control bitrate and format.

Audacity (via import after extraction)

Audacity is an audio editing tool (not directly video). But you can import audio or extract audio first and then load into Audacity to do noise removal, EQ, etc. Many guides suggest extracting audio (e.g. via FFmpeg or converter) and then opening in Audacity. riverside.fm+1

Movavi Video Converter / tools

Movavi offers a conversion tool that supports extracting audio from many video formats. Movavi

Steps in Movavi:

Open Movavi Video Converter
Add your video file
Choose Audio tab (or output format as MP3, WAV, etc.)
Click Convert
It saves an audio file

Movavi is user friendly for users less comfortable with command line.

Online Tools & Apps

If you don’t want to install anything, there are web tools and apps for extracting audio.

Online Audio Extractors (e.g. Biteable, Beecut, etc.)

For example, Biteable offers a free audio extraction tool: upload video → choose format → extract → download. Biteable

Similarly, Beecut (online) and other web tools allow extracting audio from video directly in your browser. Movavi

Pros: easy, no install, fast for small files
Cons: file size limits, upload time, privacy/security risks

Using Canva

Canva now allows extracting audio from a video inside its editor:

Open your design / video in Canva
Select the video, click More
Click Extract Audio
Then the audio appears as a track you can trim / move. Canva

LALAL.AI (Voice / stem separation)

If you want to extract voice specifically (not just full audio), LALAL.AI is a web tool for voice separation from a mixed track. LALAL.AI

Steps:

Go to LALAL.AI
Click “Select Files” and upload your video
Choose the stem separation type (voice/instrument, etc.)
Process, preview, and download the separated audio files

This is especially useful if you want to isolate vocals or instrumentals.

Advanced: Separating Voice and Music / Stem Separation

Once you’ve extracted the full audio, in many cases your goal is more than just “audio vs video” — you might want to separate voice (speech) from background music or instrumentation. That is a more complex task, because the audio is often mixed together in stereo channels, and there is no guaranteed perfect separation.

What the challenge is

When voices and instruments are mixed, they overlap in frequency domains, spatial (left/right) information, and dynamics. There is not a magical boundary between voice and music. Tools use algorithms, AI, or filters to guess which parts are vocals vs non-vocals, but it’s never perfect. Some artifacts or cross-bleed may remain.

A commonly suggested workflow is:

Extract full audio from the video
Use a voice separation tool (AI, spectral editing, source separation)
Clean / refine using audio software
(Optionally) Remux or reinsert into video

On SuperUser, one answer states: first extract, then edit via audio tools, then remux. Super User

Tools / Methods for stem separation

Spleeter: A machine-learning library (by Deezer) that splits audio into stems (vocals, accompaniment, etc.).
Many online AI separation services (LALAL.AI, etc.)
Audacity: has an effect Vocal Reduction or Isolation
Spectral editing tools (like iZotope RX)

Keep in mind: the better the original audio (clean recording, less mixing, less compression), the better the separation outcome.

Practical Examples & Step-By-Step

Here, I’ll walk through a couple of full examples illustrating how you would separate audio from video using different tools.

Example 1: Using VLC to extract audio from video

Install/open VLC Media Player
Go to Media → Convert / Save
Click Add and select your video file
Click the drop-down arrow next to Convert / Save → choose Convert
Under Profile, pick an audio format (e.g. Audio – MP3)
Click Browse to set destination file (e.g. “my_audio.mp3”)
Click Start
Wait until conversion finishes — the resulting MP3 file is your extracted audio

This gives you audio alone, which you can then open in Audacity or another tool to clean, split, etc.

Example 2: Detaching audio in Shotcut and exporting

Open Shotcut
Import video (Open File)
Drag it onto the timeline
Right-click the clip → Detach Audio
Now you’ll see the audio clip below the video track
If you want, delete or mute the video’s audio track, leaving audio separate
To export, go to Export → Audio Only (choose format like WAV or MP3)
Export and save

This method gives you more control to see and trim audio before exporting.

Example 3: Voice isolation with LALAL.AI

Let’s say you want to pull out only the voice:

First, extract full audio using VLC or FFmpeg (as above)
Upload the audio (or video file) to LALAL.AI
Choose voice / stem separation
Let it process
Download the separated voice and accompaniment tracks
You now have a voice-only file (and optionally a music-only file)

You might further open voice-only in Audacity to denoise or boost clarity.

Quality Considerations, Tips & Caveats

When separating audio from video or isolating voice, here are some guidelines to get the best results:

Start with the highest quality source possible. If your video was recorded in high bitrate, with low compression, and minimal noise, separation will be much easier.
Avoid lossy re-encoding when possible. For instance, when using FFmpeg, use -acodec copy (no re-encode) if your format is already acceptable.
Be careful of audio/video sync issues. Sometimes trimming or cutting audio can introduce delays or drift. Always check alignment.
Be aware of artifacts. In voice/music separation, you might get “holes” or distortion in some frequency bands. Always listen carefully.
Normalize volume and reduce noise. After extraction, use tools like Audacity or iZotope RX to improve clarity.
Use multitrack editing when available. Working with separate tracks is healthier than trying to re-edit a mixed track.
Privacy / confidentiality concerns. If your video contains sensitive content, prefer local tools rather than uploading to an online service.
File format compatibility. Choose audio formats your target platform supports (MP3, WAV, AAC).
Backup originals. Always keep an untouched original video/audio as reference.

Use Cases & What to Do Next

Here are some concrete scenarios where separating audio is useful:

Podcast / interview repurposing: Turn video interviews or lectures into audio podcasts
Transcription / captions: Feed the clean audio into transcription services
Music / sound effect reuse: Extract background music or effects for use elsewhere
Voiceover replacement: Detach audio, remove it, and insert new voice track
Audio analysis: Study speech, tone, or perform audio analytics
Content recycling: Create an audio version of courses, sermons, or video content for an audience that prefers audio

Once you have the audio, you might want to:

Clean up with noise removal, equalization, normalization
Add intro/outro, fade-in/out
Split into segments / chapters
Export in various formats (MP3, WAV, FLAC)
Distribute via podcast apps or embed in your site

Also, your readers might like to explore broader topics like freelancing or making money online, so you could say something like:

If you’re creating content (e.g. video lessons) and want to monetize, also check out my guide on Top 10 Freelancing Websites: https://www.easyguideshub.com/2025/09/top-10-freelancing-websites-to-start.html

Or if you’re exploring ways to make money online using audio content or podcasts, see 10 Proven Ways to Make Money Online: https://www.easyguideshub.com/2025/09/10-proven-ways-to-make-money-online.html

(You can insert those links wherever they make sense in your blog flow.)

Troubleshooting & FAQs

Q. Why does the extracted audio sound slightly different?
A. Sometimes there is re-encoding, changes in bitrate, or small artifacts. Using lossless or copy options helps. Also normalization or applying effects later can mitigate differences.

Q. Can I separate voice from music perfectly?
A. Rarely perfect, because mixing is complex. AI / stem separation helps, but results depend a lot on original audio quality. As one answer states, perfect isolation is hard: you extract, edit, and accept tradeoffs. Super User

Q. Which tool is best?
A. There’s no “one best” tool. For casual use, VLC, Shotcut, or online tools are fine. For professional audio editing, use Premiere, Resolve, Audacity, or AI separation tools.

Q. Can I extract audio on mobile?
A. Yes — apps like InShot, CapCut, Audio Extractor (Android), or iMovie (for iOS) support audio extraction. Many of these are covered in general extractor tool lists. riverside.fm

Q. Does this work for YouTube videos or online streaming?
A. Only if you have the video file locally (downloaded legally). Most online extractors won’t let you just drop a YouTube URL (due to copyright). Always respect copyright and terms of service.

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