Vocalizing Text: Pioneering Audio to Written Content Conversion

Top 7 Converting Audio to Text Tools in 2024

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

The process of making a video has always been painstakingly long, and even though digital cameras and video editing apps that emerged in the last couple of decades have made this process somewhat easier, creating captions for videos you share online is still a time-consuming endeavor. Accessibility and better retrievability by search engines are among the most common reasons why video content producers choose to add captions to the videos they share on social media and video hosting platforms. If you are looking for a way to save some time on creating subtitles for your videos you’ve come to the right place because in this article we are going to take you through some of the best speech to text platforms that enable you to generate captions in just a few minutes.

Converting Audio to Text

Before we proceed any further we would like to note that the platforms and apps we featured in this article can only help you generate a subtitle file and that you are going to have to use a video editing software or an online subtitling platform to add that file to a video. Here are some of the best options for converting audio to text in 2024.

1. IBM Watson Speech to Text

Price: Free trial, different subscription plans available

Watson was initially created to answer questions on a popular quiz show called Jeopardy, and over time IBM developed a cloud-based version of the software that turns audio into text. The speech to text functionality is just one out of many IBM’s Watson offers as you can also use it for machine learning or data analysis among numerous other things. You can create an account on IBM cloud for free, but if you decide to use this platform on a constant basis, then you will have to choose one of the available subscription plans.

Turning speech into text with Watson is easy, as you just have to pick a voice model, upload the audio file you saved in MP3, MPEG, wav, flac or opus file format and choose the keywords you’d like Watson to spot. Alternatively, you can use this platform to record audio files you’d like to convert to text, but you should keep in mind that Watson only supports French, German, Arabic, English, Korean, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Mandarin, French and Japanese languages.

2. Sonix

Price: Free trial, subscription plans start from $17.25 per month

This feature-rich platform is designed to help storytellers tell their stories. You can either upload audio or a video file and Sonix will generate a transcript of it in a remarkably short period of time, so you can transcribe a 30-minute audio file in less than five minutes. Transcriptions Sonix generates are not always a hundred percent accurate, but you can edit each word that this speech to text platform has generated in its Audio-Text editor.

Moreover, the platform is equipped with a video player so you can see your videos next to the transcript, which can be quite useful if you are trying to correct the misspellings and other mistakes. The best part is that Sonix has Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Audition integration, so you can add markers, metadata, captions or make rough cuts on both audio and video files you use in your projects.

3. Amber Script

Price: Free trial available, subscription plans start at $6 per hour of uploaded audio

Regardless of the pricing plan you choose, Amber Script lets you create text from audio files in 29 different languages. In addition, some pricing plans allow you to create text from both audio and video files, so you can easily make subtitles for your videos. Simply upload the file to Amber Script and the platform will generate the text for you. The text may not be entirely accurate, but you can easily make all corrections from the Amber Script’s text editor that offers speaker distinction and timestamp features. In case you don’t want to edit the text by yourself, you can choose a subscription plan that guarantees a 100% accuracy, as well as other advanced options. You can export the text in a variety of file formats, including commonly used text file formats such as SRT, json or docx, and use it for a wide array of purposes just minutes after you’ve transformed an audio file into text.

4. 360Converter

Price: Free

This free online converter lets you turn YouTube or any other type of video or audio file to text for free. You can upload a file directly from your computer, use a video’s URL if it is stored online or import it from personal cloud storage services like Dropbox or Google Drive. Currently, you can only transcribe video and audio files that are in English, French, Hindi and Chinese languages which can limit your options if the text you’d like to generate is in another language. Keep in mind that you are going to have to specify the start and end points of the transcription which allows you to create text from only a portion of the video or audio file. Once the conversion is completed, you will have to wait for your request to be processed before you can download the text the platform generated for you.

5. Sobolsoft MP3 Speech to Text Converter Software

Price: $19.99

Compatibility: Windows

If you are looking for a reliable speech to text software you can use on your PC, then Sobolsoft’s MP3 Speech to Text Converter software is probably one of the best options you can find on the market. The software is easy to use, as you just have to select the audio files you’d like to transcribe and hit the Start Converting button. All the text the software generates will be displayed in the Results window where you can edit it, copy it to clipboard or save it as a text file. However, this software doesn’t provide support for video files, which means that you can’t use it to transcribe files that are saved in MP4, AVI, MOV or any other of the popular video file formats. You can try the Sobolsoft’s MP3 Speech to Text Converter for free and decide if you want to purchase the license to use the software without any restrictions.

6. InqScribe

Price: $99 for an individual license

Compatibility: Windows, macOS

Even though you can’t generate text automatically with InqScribe, this app for PC and Mac computers is still one of the best ways to create subtitles for your videos or transcripts of audio files. The software offers support for a large number of languages so you can use several different languages in the same document. Simply add a video or an audio file to the software’s media window and start typing your transcript. You can also add timecodes wherever you want in the text, which makes InqScribe perfectly suited for the production of subtitle files you can easily add to the videos you share online. The software lets you export the workflow and use it Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere Pro to add subtitles to your projects before you export them as video files.

7. GoSubtitle

Price: Free trial available, subscription plans start at $0,05 per minute

You can create a subtitle file in just four easy steps with the GoSubtitle online platform. In case you opt to use the free version of GoSubtitle you won’t be able to upload files that are larger than 500 MB, but if you decide to purchase one of the available subscription plans you will be able to upload files that have up to 5GB. Once you upload the video to the platform, you can proceed to select the source and destination languages and subtitle formats. GoSubtitle offers support for more than 90 languages and it lets you choose from four different subtitle formats including srt or vtt. You can also use the subtitle editor, if you would like to adjust the subtitles the platform created automatically and sync them perfectly with your video. The accuracy of the text GoSubtitle platform generates depends on a number of factors, and you should check the subtitles before you add them to your video.

Converting Audio to Text With a Smartphone

Speech to text apps for Androids and iPhones can help you generate transcriptions of your audio and video files. Open an app like Speechnotes on your Android device and play the file you’d like to transcribe on your computer to start converting speech into text. Just keep in mind that the text files you create in this way can’t be easily linked to their sources, so if you are looking for a quick way to generate subtitles for your videos, then some of the software products and online platforms we featured in this article are a much better option.

Conclusion

The process of converting speech into text doesn’t necessarily have to be complicated. The online and computer-based speech to text apps can help you create transcriptions quickly, even though the results you will get may not be always entirely accurate. What is your favorite method of converting speech to text? Leave a comment, and let us know.

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

The process of making a video has always been painstakingly long, and even though digital cameras and video editing apps that emerged in the last couple of decades have made this process somewhat easier, creating captions for videos you share online is still a time-consuming endeavor. Accessibility and better retrievability by search engines are among the most common reasons why video content producers choose to add captions to the videos they share on social media and video hosting platforms. If you are looking for a way to save some time on creating subtitles for your videos you’ve come to the right place because in this article we are going to take you through some of the best speech to text platforms that enable you to generate captions in just a few minutes.

Converting Audio to Text

Before we proceed any further we would like to note that the platforms and apps we featured in this article can only help you generate a subtitle file and that you are going to have to use a video editing software or an online subtitling platform to add that file to a video. Here are some of the best options for converting audio to text in 2024.

1. IBM Watson Speech to Text

Price: Free trial, different subscription plans available

Watson was initially created to answer questions on a popular quiz show called Jeopardy, and over time IBM developed a cloud-based version of the software that turns audio into text. The speech to text functionality is just one out of many IBM’s Watson offers as you can also use it for machine learning or data analysis among numerous other things. You can create an account on IBM cloud for free, but if you decide to use this platform on a constant basis, then you will have to choose one of the available subscription plans.

Turning speech into text with Watson is easy, as you just have to pick a voice model, upload the audio file you saved in MP3, MPEG, wav, flac or opus file format and choose the keywords you’d like Watson to spot. Alternatively, you can use this platform to record audio files you’d like to convert to text, but you should keep in mind that Watson only supports French, German, Arabic, English, Korean, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Mandarin, French and Japanese languages.

2. Sonix

Price: Free trial, subscription plans start from $17.25 per month

This feature-rich platform is designed to help storytellers tell their stories. You can either upload audio or a video file and Sonix will generate a transcript of it in a remarkably short period of time, so you can transcribe a 30-minute audio file in less than five minutes. Transcriptions Sonix generates are not always a hundred percent accurate, but you can edit each word that this speech to text platform has generated in its Audio-Text editor.

Moreover, the platform is equipped with a video player so you can see your videos next to the transcript, which can be quite useful if you are trying to correct the misspellings and other mistakes. The best part is that Sonix has Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Audition integration, so you can add markers, metadata, captions or make rough cuts on both audio and video files you use in your projects.

3. Amber Script

Price: Free trial available, subscription plans start at $6 per hour of uploaded audio

Regardless of the pricing plan you choose, Amber Script lets you create text from audio files in 29 different languages. In addition, some pricing plans allow you to create text from both audio and video files, so you can easily make subtitles for your videos. Simply upload the file to Amber Script and the platform will generate the text for you. The text may not be entirely accurate, but you can easily make all corrections from the Amber Script’s text editor that offers speaker distinction and timestamp features. In case you don’t want to edit the text by yourself, you can choose a subscription plan that guarantees a 100% accuracy, as well as other advanced options. You can export the text in a variety of file formats, including commonly used text file formats such as SRT, json or docx, and use it for a wide array of purposes just minutes after you’ve transformed an audio file into text.

4. 360Converter

Price: Free

This free online converter lets you turn YouTube or any other type of video or audio file to text for free. You can upload a file directly from your computer, use a video’s URL if it is stored online or import it from personal cloud storage services like Dropbox or Google Drive. Currently, you can only transcribe video and audio files that are in English, French, Hindi and Chinese languages which can limit your options if the text you’d like to generate is in another language. Keep in mind that you are going to have to specify the start and end points of the transcription which allows you to create text from only a portion of the video or audio file. Once the conversion is completed, you will have to wait for your request to be processed before you can download the text the platform generated for you.

5. Sobolsoft MP3 Speech to Text Converter Software

Price: $19.99

Compatibility: Windows

If you are looking for a reliable speech to text software you can use on your PC, then Sobolsoft’s MP3 Speech to Text Converter software is probably one of the best options you can find on the market. The software is easy to use, as you just have to select the audio files you’d like to transcribe and hit the Start Converting button. All the text the software generates will be displayed in the Results window where you can edit it, copy it to clipboard or save it as a text file. However, this software doesn’t provide support for video files, which means that you can’t use it to transcribe files that are saved in MP4, AVI, MOV or any other of the popular video file formats. You can try the Sobolsoft’s MP3 Speech to Text Converter for free and decide if you want to purchase the license to use the software without any restrictions.

6. InqScribe

Price: $99 for an individual license

Compatibility: Windows, macOS

Even though you can’t generate text automatically with InqScribe, this app for PC and Mac computers is still one of the best ways to create subtitles for your videos or transcripts of audio files. The software offers support for a large number of languages so you can use several different languages in the same document. Simply add a video or an audio file to the software’s media window and start typing your transcript. You can also add timecodes wherever you want in the text, which makes InqScribe perfectly suited for the production of subtitle files you can easily add to the videos you share online. The software lets you export the workflow and use it Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere Pro to add subtitles to your projects before you export them as video files.

7. GoSubtitle

Price: Free trial available, subscription plans start at $0,05 per minute

You can create a subtitle file in just four easy steps with the GoSubtitle online platform. In case you opt to use the free version of GoSubtitle you won’t be able to upload files that are larger than 500 MB, but if you decide to purchase one of the available subscription plans you will be able to upload files that have up to 5GB. Once you upload the video to the platform, you can proceed to select the source and destination languages and subtitle formats. GoSubtitle offers support for more than 90 languages and it lets you choose from four different subtitle formats including srt or vtt. You can also use the subtitle editor, if you would like to adjust the subtitles the platform created automatically and sync them perfectly with your video. The accuracy of the text GoSubtitle platform generates depends on a number of factors, and you should check the subtitles before you add them to your video.

Converting Audio to Text With a Smartphone

Speech to text apps for Androids and iPhones can help you generate transcriptions of your audio and video files. Open an app like Speechnotes on your Android device and play the file you’d like to transcribe on your computer to start converting speech into text. Just keep in mind that the text files you create in this way can’t be easily linked to their sources, so if you are looking for a quick way to generate subtitles for your videos, then some of the software products and online platforms we featured in this article are a much better option.

Conclusion

The process of converting speech into text doesn’t necessarily have to be complicated. The online and computer-based speech to text apps can help you create transcriptions quickly, even though the results you will get may not be always entirely accurate. What is your favorite method of converting speech to text? Leave a comment, and let us know.

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

The process of making a video has always been painstakingly long, and even though digital cameras and video editing apps that emerged in the last couple of decades have made this process somewhat easier, creating captions for videos you share online is still a time-consuming endeavor. Accessibility and better retrievability by search engines are among the most common reasons why video content producers choose to add captions to the videos they share on social media and video hosting platforms. If you are looking for a way to save some time on creating subtitles for your videos you’ve come to the right place because in this article we are going to take you through some of the best speech to text platforms that enable you to generate captions in just a few minutes.

Converting Audio to Text

Before we proceed any further we would like to note that the platforms and apps we featured in this article can only help you generate a subtitle file and that you are going to have to use a video editing software or an online subtitling platform to add that file to a video. Here are some of the best options for converting audio to text in 2024.

1. IBM Watson Speech to Text

Price: Free trial, different subscription plans available

Watson was initially created to answer questions on a popular quiz show called Jeopardy, and over time IBM developed a cloud-based version of the software that turns audio into text. The speech to text functionality is just one out of many IBM’s Watson offers as you can also use it for machine learning or data analysis among numerous other things. You can create an account on IBM cloud for free, but if you decide to use this platform on a constant basis, then you will have to choose one of the available subscription plans.

Turning speech into text with Watson is easy, as you just have to pick a voice model, upload the audio file you saved in MP3, MPEG, wav, flac or opus file format and choose the keywords you’d like Watson to spot. Alternatively, you can use this platform to record audio files you’d like to convert to text, but you should keep in mind that Watson only supports French, German, Arabic, English, Korean, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Mandarin, French and Japanese languages.

2. Sonix

Price: Free trial, subscription plans start from $17.25 per month

This feature-rich platform is designed to help storytellers tell their stories. You can either upload audio or a video file and Sonix will generate a transcript of it in a remarkably short period of time, so you can transcribe a 30-minute audio file in less than five minutes. Transcriptions Sonix generates are not always a hundred percent accurate, but you can edit each word that this speech to text platform has generated in its Audio-Text editor.

Moreover, the platform is equipped with a video player so you can see your videos next to the transcript, which can be quite useful if you are trying to correct the misspellings and other mistakes. The best part is that Sonix has Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Audition integration, so you can add markers, metadata, captions or make rough cuts on both audio and video files you use in your projects.

3. Amber Script

Price: Free trial available, subscription plans start at $6 per hour of uploaded audio

Regardless of the pricing plan you choose, Amber Script lets you create text from audio files in 29 different languages. In addition, some pricing plans allow you to create text from both audio and video files, so you can easily make subtitles for your videos. Simply upload the file to Amber Script and the platform will generate the text for you. The text may not be entirely accurate, but you can easily make all corrections from the Amber Script’s text editor that offers speaker distinction and timestamp features. In case you don’t want to edit the text by yourself, you can choose a subscription plan that guarantees a 100% accuracy, as well as other advanced options. You can export the text in a variety of file formats, including commonly used text file formats such as SRT, json or docx, and use it for a wide array of purposes just minutes after you’ve transformed an audio file into text.

4. 360Converter

Price: Free

This free online converter lets you turn YouTube or any other type of video or audio file to text for free. You can upload a file directly from your computer, use a video’s URL if it is stored online or import it from personal cloud storage services like Dropbox or Google Drive. Currently, you can only transcribe video and audio files that are in English, French, Hindi and Chinese languages which can limit your options if the text you’d like to generate is in another language. Keep in mind that you are going to have to specify the start and end points of the transcription which allows you to create text from only a portion of the video or audio file. Once the conversion is completed, you will have to wait for your request to be processed before you can download the text the platform generated for you.

5. Sobolsoft MP3 Speech to Text Converter Software

Price: $19.99

Compatibility: Windows

If you are looking for a reliable speech to text software you can use on your PC, then Sobolsoft’s MP3 Speech to Text Converter software is probably one of the best options you can find on the market. The software is easy to use, as you just have to select the audio files you’d like to transcribe and hit the Start Converting button. All the text the software generates will be displayed in the Results window where you can edit it, copy it to clipboard or save it as a text file. However, this software doesn’t provide support for video files, which means that you can’t use it to transcribe files that are saved in MP4, AVI, MOV or any other of the popular video file formats. You can try the Sobolsoft’s MP3 Speech to Text Converter for free and decide if you want to purchase the license to use the software without any restrictions.

6. InqScribe

Price: $99 for an individual license

Compatibility: Windows, macOS

Even though you can’t generate text automatically with InqScribe, this app for PC and Mac computers is still one of the best ways to create subtitles for your videos or transcripts of audio files. The software offers support for a large number of languages so you can use several different languages in the same document. Simply add a video or an audio file to the software’s media window and start typing your transcript. You can also add timecodes wherever you want in the text, which makes InqScribe perfectly suited for the production of subtitle files you can easily add to the videos you share online. The software lets you export the workflow and use it Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere Pro to add subtitles to your projects before you export them as video files.

7. GoSubtitle

Price: Free trial available, subscription plans start at $0,05 per minute

You can create a subtitle file in just four easy steps with the GoSubtitle online platform. In case you opt to use the free version of GoSubtitle you won’t be able to upload files that are larger than 500 MB, but if you decide to purchase one of the available subscription plans you will be able to upload files that have up to 5GB. Once you upload the video to the platform, you can proceed to select the source and destination languages and subtitle formats. GoSubtitle offers support for more than 90 languages and it lets you choose from four different subtitle formats including srt or vtt. You can also use the subtitle editor, if you would like to adjust the subtitles the platform created automatically and sync them perfectly with your video. The accuracy of the text GoSubtitle platform generates depends on a number of factors, and you should check the subtitles before you add them to your video.

Converting Audio to Text With a Smartphone

Speech to text apps for Androids and iPhones can help you generate transcriptions of your audio and video files. Open an app like Speechnotes on your Android device and play the file you’d like to transcribe on your computer to start converting speech into text. Just keep in mind that the text files you create in this way can’t be easily linked to their sources, so if you are looking for a quick way to generate subtitles for your videos, then some of the software products and online platforms we featured in this article are a much better option.

Conclusion

The process of converting speech into text doesn’t necessarily have to be complicated. The online and computer-based speech to text apps can help you create transcriptions quickly, even though the results you will get may not be always entirely accurate. What is your favorite method of converting speech to text? Leave a comment, and let us know.

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

The process of making a video has always been painstakingly long, and even though digital cameras and video editing apps that emerged in the last couple of decades have made this process somewhat easier, creating captions for videos you share online is still a time-consuming endeavor. Accessibility and better retrievability by search engines are among the most common reasons why video content producers choose to add captions to the videos they share on social media and video hosting platforms. If you are looking for a way to save some time on creating subtitles for your videos you’ve come to the right place because in this article we are going to take you through some of the best speech to text platforms that enable you to generate captions in just a few minutes.

Converting Audio to Text

Before we proceed any further we would like to note that the platforms and apps we featured in this article can only help you generate a subtitle file and that you are going to have to use a video editing software or an online subtitling platform to add that file to a video. Here are some of the best options for converting audio to text in 2024.

1. IBM Watson Speech to Text

Price: Free trial, different subscription plans available

Watson was initially created to answer questions on a popular quiz show called Jeopardy, and over time IBM developed a cloud-based version of the software that turns audio into text. The speech to text functionality is just one out of many IBM’s Watson offers as you can also use it for machine learning or data analysis among numerous other things. You can create an account on IBM cloud for free, but if you decide to use this platform on a constant basis, then you will have to choose one of the available subscription plans.

Turning speech into text with Watson is easy, as you just have to pick a voice model, upload the audio file you saved in MP3, MPEG, wav, flac or opus file format and choose the keywords you’d like Watson to spot. Alternatively, you can use this platform to record audio files you’d like to convert to text, but you should keep in mind that Watson only supports French, German, Arabic, English, Korean, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Mandarin, French and Japanese languages.

2. Sonix

Price: Free trial, subscription plans start from $17.25 per month

This feature-rich platform is designed to help storytellers tell their stories. You can either upload audio or a video file and Sonix will generate a transcript of it in a remarkably short period of time, so you can transcribe a 30-minute audio file in less than five minutes. Transcriptions Sonix generates are not always a hundred percent accurate, but you can edit each word that this speech to text platform has generated in its Audio-Text editor.

Moreover, the platform is equipped with a video player so you can see your videos next to the transcript, which can be quite useful if you are trying to correct the misspellings and other mistakes. The best part is that Sonix has Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Audition integration, so you can add markers, metadata, captions or make rough cuts on both audio and video files you use in your projects.

3. Amber Script

Price: Free trial available, subscription plans start at $6 per hour of uploaded audio

Regardless of the pricing plan you choose, Amber Script lets you create text from audio files in 29 different languages. In addition, some pricing plans allow you to create text from both audio and video files, so you can easily make subtitles for your videos. Simply upload the file to Amber Script and the platform will generate the text for you. The text may not be entirely accurate, but you can easily make all corrections from the Amber Script’s text editor that offers speaker distinction and timestamp features. In case you don’t want to edit the text by yourself, you can choose a subscription plan that guarantees a 100% accuracy, as well as other advanced options. You can export the text in a variety of file formats, including commonly used text file formats such as SRT, json or docx, and use it for a wide array of purposes just minutes after you’ve transformed an audio file into text.

4. 360Converter

Price: Free

This free online converter lets you turn YouTube or any other type of video or audio file to text for free. You can upload a file directly from your computer, use a video’s URL if it is stored online or import it from personal cloud storage services like Dropbox or Google Drive. Currently, you can only transcribe video and audio files that are in English, French, Hindi and Chinese languages which can limit your options if the text you’d like to generate is in another language. Keep in mind that you are going to have to specify the start and end points of the transcription which allows you to create text from only a portion of the video or audio file. Once the conversion is completed, you will have to wait for your request to be processed before you can download the text the platform generated for you.

5. Sobolsoft MP3 Speech to Text Converter Software

Price: $19.99

Compatibility: Windows

If you are looking for a reliable speech to text software you can use on your PC, then Sobolsoft’s MP3 Speech to Text Converter software is probably one of the best options you can find on the market. The software is easy to use, as you just have to select the audio files you’d like to transcribe and hit the Start Converting button. All the text the software generates will be displayed in the Results window where you can edit it, copy it to clipboard or save it as a text file. However, this software doesn’t provide support for video files, which means that you can’t use it to transcribe files that are saved in MP4, AVI, MOV or any other of the popular video file formats. You can try the Sobolsoft’s MP3 Speech to Text Converter for free and decide if you want to purchase the license to use the software without any restrictions.

6. InqScribe

Price: $99 for an individual license

Compatibility: Windows, macOS

Even though you can’t generate text automatically with InqScribe, this app for PC and Mac computers is still one of the best ways to create subtitles for your videos or transcripts of audio files. The software offers support for a large number of languages so you can use several different languages in the same document. Simply add a video or an audio file to the software’s media window and start typing your transcript. You can also add timecodes wherever you want in the text, which makes InqScribe perfectly suited for the production of subtitle files you can easily add to the videos you share online. The software lets you export the workflow and use it Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere Pro to add subtitles to your projects before you export them as video files.

7. GoSubtitle

Price: Free trial available, subscription plans start at $0,05 per minute

You can create a subtitle file in just four easy steps with the GoSubtitle online platform. In case you opt to use the free version of GoSubtitle you won’t be able to upload files that are larger than 500 MB, but if you decide to purchase one of the available subscription plans you will be able to upload files that have up to 5GB. Once you upload the video to the platform, you can proceed to select the source and destination languages and subtitle formats. GoSubtitle offers support for more than 90 languages and it lets you choose from four different subtitle formats including srt or vtt. You can also use the subtitle editor, if you would like to adjust the subtitles the platform created automatically and sync them perfectly with your video. The accuracy of the text GoSubtitle platform generates depends on a number of factors, and you should check the subtitles before you add them to your video.

Converting Audio to Text With a Smartphone

Speech to text apps for Androids and iPhones can help you generate transcriptions of your audio and video files. Open an app like Speechnotes on your Android device and play the file you’d like to transcribe on your computer to start converting speech into text. Just keep in mind that the text files you create in this way can’t be easily linked to their sources, so if you are looking for a quick way to generate subtitles for your videos, then some of the software products and online platforms we featured in this article are a much better option.

Conclusion

The process of converting speech into text doesn’t necessarily have to be complicated. The online and computer-based speech to text apps can help you create transcriptions quickly, even though the results you will get may not be always entirely accurate. What is your favorite method of converting speech to text? Leave a comment, and let us know.

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Benjamin Arango

Discovering Your Ideal Audio Format: A Step-by-Step Strategy

How to Choose Best Audio Formats

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

The quality of sound that you hear depends on various factors, and an appropriate audio format is one of them. While each type of acoustic file has its own significance, choosing the best audio format as per the target player, expected audience, and/or supporting videos or images (if any) is something that needs much consideration to offer a flawless listening experience.

With that said, here you will learn about some of the most common sound file types, which among them could be the best audio format according to your requirements, and a couple of important points that you must keep in might while picking an extension for your media preparations.

• Part 1: 10 Most Common Audio Formats
• Part 2: How to Choose Best Audio Format?
• Part 3: Which Audio File Formats Does YouTube Support?
• Part 4: Audio Format in Filmora

Using Filmora to Record & Edit & Save Audio Easily

Wondershare Filmora is a simple yet robust video editing software that allows you to save a video to mp3 easily. Besides, if you want to remove background noise from audio, or change the audio volume or remove unwanted audio parts from the video, you should definitely try Filmora.

---

Part 1: 10 Most Common Audio Formats

Before listing the most common audio file formats, it is important to understand the categories of the sound files. Every audio format that exists belongs to one (or more) category depending on the way it is being created and the characteristics it has.

In a nutshell, there are three major categories, including:

• Uncompressed Audio Format
• Lossless Compressed Audio Format
• Lossy Compressed Audio Format

Below is a brief introduction of each of the classes listed above along with the audio file types that belong to them:

1. Uncompressed Audio Format

Uncompressed audio is the original sound that has been recorded directly from the source in the analog form, and then converted to a digital signal without any modifications or compressions. Because an uncompressed sound is prepared with no retouching or manipulations, it gives an as-is listening experience. Since no compression is done on such a file either, it occupies a remarkably huge amount of space on your storage media.

Some sound files that fall under this category include:

1) Pulse-Code Modulation (PCM)

A PCM file is the digital version of an analog waveform that is created by recording the audio samples, technically known as pulses. The PCM format is mostly used when creating optical media discs, typically the CDs and DVDs.

2) Waveform Audio File Format (WAV)

Generally used on the Windows platform, this audio format is not a file itself but a container that may contain both compressed or uncompressed files. However, in most cases, it is the latter that a WAV file has, and PCM format is one of them.

You may also interest: YouTube to WAV >>

3) Audio Interchange File Format (AIFF)

AIFF is almost identical to WAV format in its characteristics with the only difference that, unlike the latter, it was developed by Apple somewhere in 1988, and works as a container for both compressed and uncompressed audio files. While the compressed version of the format is called AIFF-C, the term Apple Loop is used when the scenario is otherwise. As it is with WAV, even AIFF files mostly contain uncompressed audio, that usually is PCM.

You may also like: Best AIFF to MP3 Converters >>

4) Data Stream Digital (DSD)

Used by Sony and Phillips, DSD is also not a format itself but a container that can store PCM files to provide decent sound quality. However, due to distortions in the composed audio, DSD files are not much in trend.

2. Lossless Compressed Audio Format

Lossless Compressed audio format is a type of file that is compressed using some advanced methods without compromising with the quality of the sound. This means that when played, you experience the same acoustic excellence as that of the source, i.e. uncompressed audio. However, even though the lossless compressed files are comparatively small in size, they still occupy decent amount of space on the hard drive or any other storage media in use.

Some formats that fall under the lossless compressed category include:

1) Free Lossless Audio Code (FLAC)

At around half the size of the source sound file, FLAC offers the original audio quality without removing any acoustic information during compression. Being an opensource and royalty-free audio format, FLAC is even easier to get, and in most cases is used as an alternative to MP3.

Check some of the best FLAC editor programs >>

2) Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC)

Introduced by Apple Inc. and initially released as a proprietary product, ALAC was made royalty-free and opensource in 2011. Even though ALAC files are larger in size when compared to FLAC, the former format is used in iTunes and iOS as the latter isn’t supported by these platforms.

3. Lossy Compressed Audio Format

These are the highly compressed files that occupy significantly less amount of space on your storage media. However, during the compression process, some acoustic information is lost in order to reduce the file size. Nevertheless, if compressed correctly, the deterioration in the quality is almost negligible, and cannot be experienced unless the listener is quite experienced and the source recording is played next to the compressed audio simultaneously.

Some audio formats that fall under the lossy compressed category include:

1) MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 (MP3)

This is one of the most common file types and the best audio format for almost all media types that have sound. An MP3 file is free from the noises of the least significant in the composed audio. In addition, all the acoustic information with the frequency that normal human beings fail to catch (below 20Hz and above 20000Hz) is safely erased during compilation and compression. Furthermore, what makes MP3 the best audio file format is its ability to accommodate with almost all the devices of nearly any platform such as Android, Windows, iOS, Mac, etc.

Check this MP3 editor and convert video to MP3 easily.

2) OGG

This one, again, is not in fact an audio format but is a container for audio that generally stores Vorbis files. Although OGG files are way advanced in terms of sound quality and even offer higher compression ratio when compared with MP3, they are not much in use as many platforms and devices don’t support the format till date.

3) AU

AU is a format by Sun, DEC, and NeXT. It is yet another container that can hold both lossless and lossy files. AU files are mostly used in UNIX.

What’s the difference between common audio file formats like MP3, WAV, and FLAC? Watch the video below to learn more.

---

Part 2: How to Choose Best Audio Format?

If you are a media creator, and are into the business of preparing audio and video content for your clients or directly for the audience, it is imperative to understand what could be the best audio file format to compose the audiovisual files. Here are a few tips that you must keep in mind in this context before proceeding:

• Uncompressed Audio

If the media type you are about to create is expected to be used for further editing before exporting to a different format, using an uncompressed audio format would be best as it offers a smooth and flawless post-production experience without giving much overhead to the processor.

• Lossless Compressed Audio

If your audiences own highly sophisticated audio players with Hi-Fi speaker systems, and they are also good at recognizing and understanding the differences between poor and optimal audio quality, using lossless compressed audio format would be a good choice as it gives decent sound quality in smaller file size.

• Compressed Audio

If you are preparing a media for home users and casual listeners, you can safely use an audio format that has been prepared using a higher compression ratio. In such a scenario, MP3 is the best audio format that not only offers the decent sound quality, it also occupies less amount of space on your storage media, thus enabling you to save more files at a given time.

Part 3: Which Audio File Formats Does YouTube Support?

At the time of this writing, YouTube supports two types of formats namely MPEG-2 and MPEG-4. Although both of these are video containers, they also hold audio files. Details about both these types are as follows:

• MPEG-2
  • Audio Bitrate: 128kbps or above
  • Audio Codec: Dolby AC-3 or MPEG Layer II
• MPEG-4
  • **Video Codec:**264
  • Audio Bitrate: 128kbps or above

Since many people nowadays produce videos in MP4 due to its wide range of supported devices and players and the fact that the container is used by majority of users worldwide, MPEG-4 with audio format could be mostly seen on YouTube.

Part 4: Audio Format in Filmora

Being one of the most versatile post-production tools preferred by many professional editors worldwide, Filmora comes with a variety of audio formats from all the three categories discussed above. Furthermore, Filmora also displays relevant information about each of the file types it offers.

The following table shows a list of formats and the details that Filmora supports:

Video Format	Corresponding Audio Encoder	Audio Type
MP4	Lossy Compressed
WMV	WMA8, WMA9	Uncompressed
AVI	MP3, PCM	Lossy Compressed, Uncompressed
MOV	Lossy Compressed
F4V	Lossy Compressed
MKV	MP3	Lossy Compressed
TS	MPEG-2 Audio	Lossy Compressed
3GP	Lossy Compressed
MPEG-2	MPEG-2 Audio	Lossy Compressed
WEBM	Vorbis	Lossy Compressed

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

The quality of sound that you hear depends on various factors, and an appropriate audio format is one of them. While each type of acoustic file has its own significance, choosing the best audio format as per the target player, expected audience, and/or supporting videos or images (if any) is something that needs much consideration to offer a flawless listening experience.

With that said, here you will learn about some of the most common sound file types, which among them could be the best audio format according to your requirements, and a couple of important points that you must keep in might while picking an extension for your media preparations.

• Part 1: 10 Most Common Audio Formats
• Part 2: How to Choose Best Audio Format?
• Part 3: Which Audio File Formats Does YouTube Support?
• Part 4: Audio Format in Filmora

Using Filmora to Record & Edit & Save Audio Easily

Wondershare Filmora is a simple yet robust video editing software that allows you to save a video to mp3 easily. Besides, if you want to remove background noise from audio, or change the audio volume or remove unwanted audio parts from the video, you should definitely try Filmora.

---

Part 1: 10 Most Common Audio Formats

Before listing the most common audio file formats, it is important to understand the categories of the sound files. Every audio format that exists belongs to one (or more) category depending on the way it is being created and the characteristics it has.

In a nutshell, there are three major categories, including:

• Uncompressed Audio Format
• Lossless Compressed Audio Format
• Lossy Compressed Audio Format

Below is a brief introduction of each of the classes listed above along with the audio file types that belong to them:

1. Uncompressed Audio Format

Uncompressed audio is the original sound that has been recorded directly from the source in the analog form, and then converted to a digital signal without any modifications or compressions. Because an uncompressed sound is prepared with no retouching or manipulations, it gives an as-is listening experience. Since no compression is done on such a file either, it occupies a remarkably huge amount of space on your storage media.

Some sound files that fall under this category include:

1) Pulse-Code Modulation (PCM)

A PCM file is the digital version of an analog waveform that is created by recording the audio samples, technically known as pulses. The PCM format is mostly used when creating optical media discs, typically the CDs and DVDs.

2) Waveform Audio File Format (WAV)

Generally used on the Windows platform, this audio format is not a file itself but a container that may contain both compressed or uncompressed files. However, in most cases, it is the latter that a WAV file has, and PCM format is one of them.

You may also interest: YouTube to WAV >>

3) Audio Interchange File Format (AIFF)

AIFF is almost identical to WAV format in its characteristics with the only difference that, unlike the latter, it was developed by Apple somewhere in 1988, and works as a container for both compressed and uncompressed audio files. While the compressed version of the format is called AIFF-C, the term Apple Loop is used when the scenario is otherwise. As it is with WAV, even AIFF files mostly contain uncompressed audio, that usually is PCM.

You may also like: Best AIFF to MP3 Converters >>

4) Data Stream Digital (DSD)

Used by Sony and Phillips, DSD is also not a format itself but a container that can store PCM files to provide decent sound quality. However, due to distortions in the composed audio, DSD files are not much in trend.

2. Lossless Compressed Audio Format

Lossless Compressed audio format is a type of file that is compressed using some advanced methods without compromising with the quality of the sound. This means that when played, you experience the same acoustic excellence as that of the source, i.e. uncompressed audio. However, even though the lossless compressed files are comparatively small in size, they still occupy decent amount of space on the hard drive or any other storage media in use.

Some formats that fall under the lossless compressed category include:

1) Free Lossless Audio Code (FLAC)

At around half the size of the source sound file, FLAC offers the original audio quality without removing any acoustic information during compression. Being an opensource and royalty-free audio format, FLAC is even easier to get, and in most cases is used as an alternative to MP3.

Check some of the best FLAC editor programs >>

2) Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC)

Introduced by Apple Inc. and initially released as a proprietary product, ALAC was made royalty-free and opensource in 2011. Even though ALAC files are larger in size when compared to FLAC, the former format is used in iTunes and iOS as the latter isn’t supported by these platforms.

3. Lossy Compressed Audio Format

These are the highly compressed files that occupy significantly less amount of space on your storage media. However, during the compression process, some acoustic information is lost in order to reduce the file size. Nevertheless, if compressed correctly, the deterioration in the quality is almost negligible, and cannot be experienced unless the listener is quite experienced and the source recording is played next to the compressed audio simultaneously.

Some audio formats that fall under the lossy compressed category include:

1) MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 (MP3)

This is one of the most common file types and the best audio format for almost all media types that have sound. An MP3 file is free from the noises of the least significant in the composed audio. In addition, all the acoustic information with the frequency that normal human beings fail to catch (below 20Hz and above 20000Hz) is safely erased during compilation and compression. Furthermore, what makes MP3 the best audio file format is its ability to accommodate with almost all the devices of nearly any platform such as Android, Windows, iOS, Mac, etc.

Check this MP3 editor and convert video to MP3 easily.

2) OGG

This one, again, is not in fact an audio format but is a container for audio that generally stores Vorbis files. Although OGG files are way advanced in terms of sound quality and even offer higher compression ratio when compared with MP3, they are not much in use as many platforms and devices don’t support the format till date.

3) AU

AU is a format by Sun, DEC, and NeXT. It is yet another container that can hold both lossless and lossy files. AU files are mostly used in UNIX.

What’s the difference between common audio file formats like MP3, WAV, and FLAC? Watch the video below to learn more.

---

Part 2: How to Choose Best Audio Format?

If you are a media creator, and are into the business of preparing audio and video content for your clients or directly for the audience, it is imperative to understand what could be the best audio file format to compose the audiovisual files. Here are a few tips that you must keep in mind in this context before proceeding:

• Uncompressed Audio

If the media type you are about to create is expected to be used for further editing before exporting to a different format, using an uncompressed audio format would be best as it offers a smooth and flawless post-production experience without giving much overhead to the processor.

• Lossless Compressed Audio

If your audiences own highly sophisticated audio players with Hi-Fi speaker systems, and they are also good at recognizing and understanding the differences between poor and optimal audio quality, using lossless compressed audio format would be a good choice as it gives decent sound quality in smaller file size.

• Compressed Audio

If you are preparing a media for home users and casual listeners, you can safely use an audio format that has been prepared using a higher compression ratio. In such a scenario, MP3 is the best audio format that not only offers the decent sound quality, it also occupies less amount of space on your storage media, thus enabling you to save more files at a given time.

Part 3: Which Audio File Formats Does YouTube Support?

At the time of this writing, YouTube supports two types of formats namely MPEG-2 and MPEG-4. Although both of these are video containers, they also hold audio files. Details about both these types are as follows:

• MPEG-2
  • Audio Bitrate: 128kbps or above
  • Audio Codec: Dolby AC-3 or MPEG Layer II
• MPEG-4
  • **Video Codec:**264
  • Audio Bitrate: 128kbps or above

Since many people nowadays produce videos in MP4 due to its wide range of supported devices and players and the fact that the container is used by majority of users worldwide, MPEG-4 with audio format could be mostly seen on YouTube.

Part 4: Audio Format in Filmora

Being one of the most versatile post-production tools preferred by many professional editors worldwide, Filmora comes with a variety of audio formats from all the three categories discussed above. Furthermore, Filmora also displays relevant information about each of the file types it offers.

The following table shows a list of formats and the details that Filmora supports:

Video Format	Corresponding Audio Encoder	Audio Type
MP4	Lossy Compressed
WMV	WMA8, WMA9	Uncompressed
AVI	MP3, PCM	Lossy Compressed, Uncompressed
MOV	Lossy Compressed
F4V	Lossy Compressed
MKV	MP3	Lossy Compressed
TS	MPEG-2 Audio	Lossy Compressed
3GP	Lossy Compressed
MPEG-2	MPEG-2 Audio	Lossy Compressed
WEBM	Vorbis	Lossy Compressed

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

The quality of sound that you hear depends on various factors, and an appropriate audio format is one of them. While each type of acoustic file has its own significance, choosing the best audio format as per the target player, expected audience, and/or supporting videos or images (if any) is something that needs much consideration to offer a flawless listening experience.

With that said, here you will learn about some of the most common sound file types, which among them could be the best audio format according to your requirements, and a couple of important points that you must keep in might while picking an extension for your media preparations.

• Part 1: 10 Most Common Audio Formats
• Part 2: How to Choose Best Audio Format?
• Part 3: Which Audio File Formats Does YouTube Support?
• Part 4: Audio Format in Filmora

Using Filmora to Record & Edit & Save Audio Easily

Wondershare Filmora is a simple yet robust video editing software that allows you to save a video to mp3 easily. Besides, if you want to remove background noise from audio, or change the audio volume or remove unwanted audio parts from the video, you should definitely try Filmora.

---

Part 1: 10 Most Common Audio Formats

Before listing the most common audio file formats, it is important to understand the categories of the sound files. Every audio format that exists belongs to one (or more) category depending on the way it is being created and the characteristics it has.

In a nutshell, there are three major categories, including:

• Uncompressed Audio Format
• Lossless Compressed Audio Format
• Lossy Compressed Audio Format

Below is a brief introduction of each of the classes listed above along with the audio file types that belong to them:

1. Uncompressed Audio Format

Uncompressed audio is the original sound that has been recorded directly from the source in the analog form, and then converted to a digital signal without any modifications or compressions. Because an uncompressed sound is prepared with no retouching or manipulations, it gives an as-is listening experience. Since no compression is done on such a file either, it occupies a remarkably huge amount of space on your storage media.

Some sound files that fall under this category include:

1) Pulse-Code Modulation (PCM)

A PCM file is the digital version of an analog waveform that is created by recording the audio samples, technically known as pulses. The PCM format is mostly used when creating optical media discs, typically the CDs and DVDs.

2) Waveform Audio File Format (WAV)

Generally used on the Windows platform, this audio format is not a file itself but a container that may contain both compressed or uncompressed files. However, in most cases, it is the latter that a WAV file has, and PCM format is one of them.

You may also interest: YouTube to WAV >>

3) Audio Interchange File Format (AIFF)

AIFF is almost identical to WAV format in its characteristics with the only difference that, unlike the latter, it was developed by Apple somewhere in 1988, and works as a container for both compressed and uncompressed audio files. While the compressed version of the format is called AIFF-C, the term Apple Loop is used when the scenario is otherwise. As it is with WAV, even AIFF files mostly contain uncompressed audio, that usually is PCM.

You may also like: Best AIFF to MP3 Converters >>

4) Data Stream Digital (DSD)

Used by Sony and Phillips, DSD is also not a format itself but a container that can store PCM files to provide decent sound quality. However, due to distortions in the composed audio, DSD files are not much in trend.

2. Lossless Compressed Audio Format

Lossless Compressed audio format is a type of file that is compressed using some advanced methods without compromising with the quality of the sound. This means that when played, you experience the same acoustic excellence as that of the source, i.e. uncompressed audio. However, even though the lossless compressed files are comparatively small in size, they still occupy decent amount of space on the hard drive or any other storage media in use.

Some formats that fall under the lossless compressed category include:

1) Free Lossless Audio Code (FLAC)

At around half the size of the source sound file, FLAC offers the original audio quality without removing any acoustic information during compression. Being an opensource and royalty-free audio format, FLAC is even easier to get, and in most cases is used as an alternative to MP3.

Check some of the best FLAC editor programs >>

2) Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC)

Introduced by Apple Inc. and initially released as a proprietary product, ALAC was made royalty-free and opensource in 2011. Even though ALAC files are larger in size when compared to FLAC, the former format is used in iTunes and iOS as the latter isn’t supported by these platforms.

3. Lossy Compressed Audio Format

These are the highly compressed files that occupy significantly less amount of space on your storage media. However, during the compression process, some acoustic information is lost in order to reduce the file size. Nevertheless, if compressed correctly, the deterioration in the quality is almost negligible, and cannot be experienced unless the listener is quite experienced and the source recording is played next to the compressed audio simultaneously.

Some audio formats that fall under the lossy compressed category include:

1) MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 (MP3)

This is one of the most common file types and the best audio format for almost all media types that have sound. An MP3 file is free from the noises of the least significant in the composed audio. In addition, all the acoustic information with the frequency that normal human beings fail to catch (below 20Hz and above 20000Hz) is safely erased during compilation and compression. Furthermore, what makes MP3 the best audio file format is its ability to accommodate with almost all the devices of nearly any platform such as Android, Windows, iOS, Mac, etc.

Check this MP3 editor and convert video to MP3 easily.

2) OGG

This one, again, is not in fact an audio format but is a container for audio that generally stores Vorbis files. Although OGG files are way advanced in terms of sound quality and even offer higher compression ratio when compared with MP3, they are not much in use as many platforms and devices don’t support the format till date.

3) AU

AU is a format by Sun, DEC, and NeXT. It is yet another container that can hold both lossless and lossy files. AU files are mostly used in UNIX.

What’s the difference between common audio file formats like MP3, WAV, and FLAC? Watch the video below to learn more.

---

Part 2: How to Choose Best Audio Format?

If you are a media creator, and are into the business of preparing audio and video content for your clients or directly for the audience, it is imperative to understand what could be the best audio file format to compose the audiovisual files. Here are a few tips that you must keep in mind in this context before proceeding:

• Uncompressed Audio

If the media type you are about to create is expected to be used for further editing before exporting to a different format, using an uncompressed audio format would be best as it offers a smooth and flawless post-production experience without giving much overhead to the processor.

• Lossless Compressed Audio

If your audiences own highly sophisticated audio players with Hi-Fi speaker systems, and they are also good at recognizing and understanding the differences between poor and optimal audio quality, using lossless compressed audio format would be a good choice as it gives decent sound quality in smaller file size.

• Compressed Audio

If you are preparing a media for home users and casual listeners, you can safely use an audio format that has been prepared using a higher compression ratio. In such a scenario, MP3 is the best audio format that not only offers the decent sound quality, it also occupies less amount of space on your storage media, thus enabling you to save more files at a given time.

Part 3: Which Audio File Formats Does YouTube Support?

At the time of this writing, YouTube supports two types of formats namely MPEG-2 and MPEG-4. Although both of these are video containers, they also hold audio files. Details about both these types are as follows:

• MPEG-2
  • Audio Bitrate: 128kbps or above
  • Audio Codec: Dolby AC-3 or MPEG Layer II
• MPEG-4
  • **Video Codec:**264
  • Audio Bitrate: 128kbps or above

Since many people nowadays produce videos in MP4 due to its wide range of supported devices and players and the fact that the container is used by majority of users worldwide, MPEG-4 with audio format could be mostly seen on YouTube.

Part 4: Audio Format in Filmora

Being one of the most versatile post-production tools preferred by many professional editors worldwide, Filmora comes with a variety of audio formats from all the three categories discussed above. Furthermore, Filmora also displays relevant information about each of the file types it offers.

The following table shows a list of formats and the details that Filmora supports:

Video Format	Corresponding Audio Encoder	Audio Type
MP4	Lossy Compressed
WMV	WMA8, WMA9	Uncompressed
AVI	MP3, PCM	Lossy Compressed, Uncompressed
MOV	Lossy Compressed
F4V	Lossy Compressed
MKV	MP3	Lossy Compressed
TS	MPEG-2 Audio	Lossy Compressed
3GP	Lossy Compressed
MPEG-2	MPEG-2 Audio	Lossy Compressed
WEBM	Vorbis	Lossy Compressed

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

The quality of sound that you hear depends on various factors, and an appropriate audio format is one of them. While each type of acoustic file has its own significance, choosing the best audio format as per the target player, expected audience, and/or supporting videos or images (if any) is something that needs much consideration to offer a flawless listening experience.

With that said, here you will learn about some of the most common sound file types, which among them could be the best audio format according to your requirements, and a couple of important points that you must keep in might while picking an extension for your media preparations.

• Part 1: 10 Most Common Audio Formats
• Part 2: How to Choose Best Audio Format?
• Part 3: Which Audio File Formats Does YouTube Support?
• Part 4: Audio Format in Filmora

Using Filmora to Record & Edit & Save Audio Easily

Wondershare Filmora is a simple yet robust video editing software that allows you to save a video to mp3 easily. Besides, if you want to remove background noise from audio, or change the audio volume or remove unwanted audio parts from the video, you should definitely try Filmora.

---

Part 1: 10 Most Common Audio Formats

Before listing the most common audio file formats, it is important to understand the categories of the sound files. Every audio format that exists belongs to one (or more) category depending on the way it is being created and the characteristics it has.

In a nutshell, there are three major categories, including:

• Uncompressed Audio Format
• Lossless Compressed Audio Format
• Lossy Compressed Audio Format

Below is a brief introduction of each of the classes listed above along with the audio file types that belong to them:

1. Uncompressed Audio Format

Uncompressed audio is the original sound that has been recorded directly from the source in the analog form, and then converted to a digital signal without any modifications or compressions. Because an uncompressed sound is prepared with no retouching or manipulations, it gives an as-is listening experience. Since no compression is done on such a file either, it occupies a remarkably huge amount of space on your storage media.

Some sound files that fall under this category include:

1) Pulse-Code Modulation (PCM)

A PCM file is the digital version of an analog waveform that is created by recording the audio samples, technically known as pulses. The PCM format is mostly used when creating optical media discs, typically the CDs and DVDs.

2) Waveform Audio File Format (WAV)

Generally used on the Windows platform, this audio format is not a file itself but a container that may contain both compressed or uncompressed files. However, in most cases, it is the latter that a WAV file has, and PCM format is one of them.

You may also interest: YouTube to WAV >>

3) Audio Interchange File Format (AIFF)

AIFF is almost identical to WAV format in its characteristics with the only difference that, unlike the latter, it was developed by Apple somewhere in 1988, and works as a container for both compressed and uncompressed audio files. While the compressed version of the format is called AIFF-C, the term Apple Loop is used when the scenario is otherwise. As it is with WAV, even AIFF files mostly contain uncompressed audio, that usually is PCM.

You may also like: Best AIFF to MP3 Converters >>

4) Data Stream Digital (DSD)

Used by Sony and Phillips, DSD is also not a format itself but a container that can store PCM files to provide decent sound quality. However, due to distortions in the composed audio, DSD files are not much in trend.

2. Lossless Compressed Audio Format

Lossless Compressed audio format is a type of file that is compressed using some advanced methods without compromising with the quality of the sound. This means that when played, you experience the same acoustic excellence as that of the source, i.e. uncompressed audio. However, even though the lossless compressed files are comparatively small in size, they still occupy decent amount of space on the hard drive or any other storage media in use.

Some formats that fall under the lossless compressed category include:

1) Free Lossless Audio Code (FLAC)

At around half the size of the source sound file, FLAC offers the original audio quality without removing any acoustic information during compression. Being an opensource and royalty-free audio format, FLAC is even easier to get, and in most cases is used as an alternative to MP3.

Check some of the best FLAC editor programs >>

2) Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC)

Introduced by Apple Inc. and initially released as a proprietary product, ALAC was made royalty-free and opensource in 2011. Even though ALAC files are larger in size when compared to FLAC, the former format is used in iTunes and iOS as the latter isn’t supported by these platforms.

3. Lossy Compressed Audio Format

These are the highly compressed files that occupy significantly less amount of space on your storage media. However, during the compression process, some acoustic information is lost in order to reduce the file size. Nevertheless, if compressed correctly, the deterioration in the quality is almost negligible, and cannot be experienced unless the listener is quite experienced and the source recording is played next to the compressed audio simultaneously.

Some audio formats that fall under the lossy compressed category include:

1) MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 (MP3)

This is one of the most common file types and the best audio format for almost all media types that have sound. An MP3 file is free from the noises of the least significant in the composed audio. In addition, all the acoustic information with the frequency that normal human beings fail to catch (below 20Hz and above 20000Hz) is safely erased during compilation and compression. Furthermore, what makes MP3 the best audio file format is its ability to accommodate with almost all the devices of nearly any platform such as Android, Windows, iOS, Mac, etc.

Check this MP3 editor and convert video to MP3 easily.

2) OGG

This one, again, is not in fact an audio format but is a container for audio that generally stores Vorbis files. Although OGG files are way advanced in terms of sound quality and even offer higher compression ratio when compared with MP3, they are not much in use as many platforms and devices don’t support the format till date.

3) AU

AU is a format by Sun, DEC, and NeXT. It is yet another container that can hold both lossless and lossy files. AU files are mostly used in UNIX.

What’s the difference between common audio file formats like MP3, WAV, and FLAC? Watch the video below to learn more.

---

Part 2: How to Choose Best Audio Format?

If you are a media creator, and are into the business of preparing audio and video content for your clients or directly for the audience, it is imperative to understand what could be the best audio file format to compose the audiovisual files. Here are a few tips that you must keep in mind in this context before proceeding:

• Uncompressed Audio

If the media type you are about to create is expected to be used for further editing before exporting to a different format, using an uncompressed audio format would be best as it offers a smooth and flawless post-production experience without giving much overhead to the processor.

• Lossless Compressed Audio

If your audiences own highly sophisticated audio players with Hi-Fi speaker systems, and they are also good at recognizing and understanding the differences between poor and optimal audio quality, using lossless compressed audio format would be a good choice as it gives decent sound quality in smaller file size.

• Compressed Audio

If you are preparing a media for home users and casual listeners, you can safely use an audio format that has been prepared using a higher compression ratio. In such a scenario, MP3 is the best audio format that not only offers the decent sound quality, it also occupies less amount of space on your storage media, thus enabling you to save more files at a given time.

Part 3: Which Audio File Formats Does YouTube Support?

At the time of this writing, YouTube supports two types of formats namely MPEG-2 and MPEG-4. Although both of these are video containers, they also hold audio files. Details about both these types are as follows:

• MPEG-2
  • Audio Bitrate: 128kbps or above
  • Audio Codec: Dolby AC-3 or MPEG Layer II
• MPEG-4
  • **Video Codec:**264
  • Audio Bitrate: 128kbps or above

Since many people nowadays produce videos in MP4 due to its wide range of supported devices and players and the fact that the container is used by majority of users worldwide, MPEG-4 with audio format could be mostly seen on YouTube.

Part 4: Audio Format in Filmora

Being one of the most versatile post-production tools preferred by many professional editors worldwide, Filmora comes with a variety of audio formats from all the three categories discussed above. Furthermore, Filmora also displays relevant information about each of the file types it offers.

The following table shows a list of formats and the details that Filmora supports:

Video Format	Corresponding Audio Encoder	Audio Type
MP4	Lossy Compressed
WMV	WMA8, WMA9	Uncompressed
AVI	MP3, PCM	Lossy Compressed, Uncompressed
MOV	Lossy Compressed
F4V	Lossy Compressed
MKV	MP3	Lossy Compressed
TS	MPEG-2 Audio	Lossy Compressed
3GP	Lossy Compressed
MPEG-2	MPEG-2 Audio	Lossy Compressed
WEBM	Vorbis	Lossy Compressed

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Benjamin Arango

Precision in Perception: Techniques for Correcting Warped Audio Cuts

Create High-Quality Video - Wondershare Filmora

An easy and powerful YouTube video editor

Numerous video and audio effects to choose from

Detailed tutorials are provided by the official channel

Try It Free Try It Free

So you’re all set: you’ve sat down, grabbed your microphone, fired up your recording software, and started pouring out the content of your mind. Once finished, you listen back to the recording, thinking you’re about to hear the silky-smooth undertones of your voice resonating through your ears, but something odd occurs — it sounds terrible. Distorted audio is very unwelcoming since you want the sound to be natural. This guide will explain how to fix distorted audio using various methods.

In this article

01 What Causes Distorted Audio?

02 How To Fix Distorted Audio Using Different Methods

What Causes Distorted Audio?

Distorted audio is the main culprit in ruined audio clips. Here are some of the causes of distorted sound.

1. Recording Environment

Not recording dialogue and voice-over in a studio can cause distorted audio. However, audio quality can be out of control if you conduct an onsite interview. Getting a meaningful and cinematic shot should come first. If you do not use a studio-quality microphone that comes with directional controls, you’ll likely have distorted audio. You might want to go for a unidirectional stereo channel if you want boom movements to be undetectable.

When a cheap, low-quality microphone is moving, you’ll hear the unsteadiness in your recording, leading to distorted audio. Recording audio in an echo chamber or an overly large room can also result in distorted audio.

2. Touching the Mic While Recording

If you hand the microphone to someone who does not know how to use it, they might hold it too loosely or close. Microphones feature sensitive parts that should not be dropped, shaken, or breathed on. When you are interviewing people unfamiliar with industry standards, you should hold the microphone, not the person you are interviewing. The mic is not within the range of 6” to 12 “ away from the speaker, this could lead to distorted audio.

3. Using the Wrong Mic

A reliable mic comes with audio controls and captures room tone and timbre. It should be portable, compact, and have a wind sleeve. In outdoor situations where ADR is not an option, you might want to use a wind sleeve.

Podcast showrunners and content creators often use Blue Yeti mics connected to a soundboard. While these are cheaper options, they can cause distorted audio. Content creators who are not stationary should purchase a lavalier, and wireless is a more high-end and expensive option.

4. Positioning Your Microphones Incorrectly

You have to be careful if you’ll be mounting a mic on your DSLR. Filming events with a one-mic setup is a promise to record everything you hear again. You’ll inevitably film some moments at a distance and leave the audio compromised to distortion.

5. Faulty Equipment

Your equipment can fail in different ways. For instance, your effects processor can fail, meaning that you won’t hear any sound passing through it. It can also fail, and you end up hearing a distorted sound passing out of the processor. Essentially, this might or might not be linked to the component’s capability of handling the signal as much as the busted internals result.

How To Fix Distorted Audio Using Different Methods

You can fix distorted audio using various methods. They include:

Method 1: How To Fix Distorted Audio in Audacity

Audacity is the bread and butter for individuals who adore a crisp audio quality. Audacity helps users finetune various attributes of their recordings. It is a free and intuitive software suite suitable for newbies and individuals who don’t interact with computers. With that in mind, here is how to fix distorted audio using Audacity.

1. Open the audio file by dragging and dropping it into Audacity.
2. Select the distorted part and click on the Effect option. Then, select Noise Reduction.

1. The Noise Reduction window will open.

1. Now, click on Noise Profile, and Audacity will know what to filter out.
2. Next, select the entire audio and open the Noise Reduction Window again ( Effect > Noise Reduction ). Then, set the values to suit your preferences.
3. Hit preview to check the audio, then the Click OK button.

If the audio is still distorted, apply the filter again. Don’t overdo the process numerous times to ensure your audio is not degraded, making the voice sound robotic and tinny.

Now, use compression to your advantage. If compression confuses you, think of it as a tool that adjusts your audio for the listener’s benefit. Compression not only quiets the background minutiae that creeps into your recording, but it also boosts your voice and gives it a full, captivating resonance.

1. To start the compression process, select your audio track, press CTRL + A, click “Effect” and then click “Compressor.”

1. Adjust the values in the compressor to meet your needs and make your voice “pop” from the background.
2. Once you have set the values, hit the Preview button to check the audio. Then, click on OK.

That is how to fix distorted audio using Audacity.

You May Be Interested In

• 7 Best Audacity Alternatives for Android
• How to use Audacity for Podcasts

How To Fix Distorted Audio in Garageband

Garageband is one of the most popular audio recording software available. Though you can use it for various purposes, it is mainly intended to be used to create music. However, many people have the problem of distorted audio files, making production difficult when trying to perfect a project. To learn how to fix distorted audio in Garageband, follow the steps below:

1. Launch GarageBand, then open your audio file. Once your audio file finishes loading, select the audio file from which you want to remove distortion by clicking it.
2. Click on the “i” symbol encapsulated in a blue circle positioned on the lower-right portion of your screen. This icon sits in the middle of two other icons: a set of notes and an eye.
3. Select the “Real Instrument” tab located on the top right side of your screen. You’ll see two tabs: Master Tracks and Real Instrument.
4. Click the Edit tab to activate it, and a list of effects will pop up.
5. Select Distortion from the list, and you’ll see a drop-down menu.
6. Next, select the None option to remove distortion.

If you have distorted audio due to poor recording quality, navigate to the Real Instrument”Edit menu and select AULowpass from the boxes available. Doing this will remove frequencies above a certain range, and this will fix the distorted audio.

Method 3: How To Fix Distorted Audio in Windows 10

Several actions can cause problems or distort sound on your Windows 10 application. Some of the common causes include:

• When upgrading your computer from an older version to a new one
• In case your computer gets corrupted with a virus
• If your computer or device doesn’t the right sound drivers

So how do you fix distorted audio in Windows 10? There are several ways you can fix distorted audio in Windows 10. Here is how to fix distorted audio using some of the best ways.

1. Reinstall drivers

1. Right-click the start button and choose device manager.
2. Navigate through sound, video, and game controllers.
3. Click on the Details tab.
4. Select hardware Ids from the drop-down menu.

1. Copy and first the first value of drivers in your browser and search the internet.

1. Open the official site and download the correct driver。
2. Install and restart your PC。

2. Update drivers

1. Right-click on the start button.
2. Scroll to the sound, video, and game controllers option.
3. Right-click on the sound device and select uninstall the device.

1. Restart your PC after the uninstall process is finished.
2. Open the device manager.
3. Select and click on the scan for hardware changes option.

Windows will automatically install a new version of sound drivers

3. Run Windows Audio Troubleshooter

1. To use this method, open Start and click the cog-like icon. This will open the Settings app.
2. Select Update & security.
3. Choose Troubleshoot in the left pane.
4. Expand the Playing Audio by clicking it.
5. Hit the Run the troubleshooter button, then follow the further instructions.

4. Take Exclusive Control of Your Device Option by Disabling Allow Applications

1. Navigate to the notification area and right-click on the sound icon. Open Playback devices.
2. Next, right-click on the default Playback Device, then open Properties.
3. Choose the Advanced tab option.
4. Navigate to the Exclusive mode section and check the box that says disable Allow applications to control your device.

When it comes to editing or performing audio editing in the video, Wondershare Filmora is a powerful video editing software that can help you with reducing the voiceover volume, mute the audio in the video, or cut, copy, paste or insert your audio files. Learn more about the audio editing features of Filmora from the below video & download Filmora to try!

Try It Free

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Try It Free

For macOS 10.12 or later

Conclusion

● Whether you’re an amateur audio enthusiast or produce a podcast with thousands of listeners, the quality of your audio can “make or break” your results. When your audience is listening to an audio recording, the last thing they want to notice or hear is a distortion because it is very distracting. When recording, it is almost impossible to find an environment that removes audio distortion without access to a recording studio. Luckily, you can use the above methods to fix distorted audio and make it look professional.

Try It Free Try It Free

So you’re all set: you’ve sat down, grabbed your microphone, fired up your recording software, and started pouring out the content of your mind. Once finished, you listen back to the recording, thinking you’re about to hear the silky-smooth undertones of your voice resonating through your ears, but something odd occurs — it sounds terrible. Distorted audio is very unwelcoming since you want the sound to be natural. This guide will explain how to fix distorted audio using various methods.

In this article

01 What Causes Distorted Audio?

02 How To Fix Distorted Audio Using Different Methods

What Causes Distorted Audio?

Distorted audio is the main culprit in ruined audio clips. Here are some of the causes of distorted sound.

1. Recording Environment

Not recording dialogue and voice-over in a studio can cause distorted audio. However, audio quality can be out of control if you conduct an onsite interview. Getting a meaningful and cinematic shot should come first. If you do not use a studio-quality microphone that comes with directional controls, you’ll likely have distorted audio. You might want to go for a unidirectional stereo channel if you want boom movements to be undetectable.

When a cheap, low-quality microphone is moving, you’ll hear the unsteadiness in your recording, leading to distorted audio. Recording audio in an echo chamber or an overly large room can also result in distorted audio.

2. Touching the Mic While Recording

If you hand the microphone to someone who does not know how to use it, they might hold it too loosely or close. Microphones feature sensitive parts that should not be dropped, shaken, or breathed on. When you are interviewing people unfamiliar with industry standards, you should hold the microphone, not the person you are interviewing. The mic is not within the range of 6” to 12 “ away from the speaker, this could lead to distorted audio.

3. Using the Wrong Mic

A reliable mic comes with audio controls and captures room tone and timbre. It should be portable, compact, and have a wind sleeve. In outdoor situations where ADR is not an option, you might want to use a wind sleeve.

Podcast showrunners and content creators often use Blue Yeti mics connected to a soundboard. While these are cheaper options, they can cause distorted audio. Content creators who are not stationary should purchase a lavalier, and wireless is a more high-end and expensive option.

4. Positioning Your Microphones Incorrectly

You have to be careful if you’ll be mounting a mic on your DSLR. Filming events with a one-mic setup is a promise to record everything you hear again. You’ll inevitably film some moments at a distance and leave the audio compromised to distortion.

5. Faulty Equipment

Your equipment can fail in different ways. For instance, your effects processor can fail, meaning that you won’t hear any sound passing through it. It can also fail, and you end up hearing a distorted sound passing out of the processor. Essentially, this might or might not be linked to the component’s capability of handling the signal as much as the busted internals result.

How To Fix Distorted Audio Using Different Methods

You can fix distorted audio using various methods. They include:

Method 1: How To Fix Distorted Audio in Audacity

Audacity is the bread and butter for individuals who adore a crisp audio quality. Audacity helps users finetune various attributes of their recordings. It is a free and intuitive software suite suitable for newbies and individuals who don’t interact with computers. With that in mind, here is how to fix distorted audio using Audacity.

1. Open the audio file by dragging and dropping it into Audacity.
2. Select the distorted part and click on the Effect option. Then, select Noise Reduction.

1. The Noise Reduction window will open.

1. Now, click on Noise Profile, and Audacity will know what to filter out.
2. Next, select the entire audio and open the Noise Reduction Window again ( Effect > Noise Reduction ). Then, set the values to suit your preferences.
3. Hit preview to check the audio, then the Click OK button.

If the audio is still distorted, apply the filter again. Don’t overdo the process numerous times to ensure your audio is not degraded, making the voice sound robotic and tinny.

Now, use compression to your advantage. If compression confuses you, think of it as a tool that adjusts your audio for the listener’s benefit. Compression not only quiets the background minutiae that creeps into your recording, but it also boosts your voice and gives it a full, captivating resonance.

1. To start the compression process, select your audio track, press CTRL + A, click “Effect” and then click “Compressor.”

1. Adjust the values in the compressor to meet your needs and make your voice “pop” from the background.
2. Once you have set the values, hit the Preview button to check the audio. Then, click on OK.

That is how to fix distorted audio using Audacity.

You May Be Interested In

• 7 Best Audacity Alternatives for Android
• How to use Audacity for Podcasts

How To Fix Distorted Audio in Garageband

Garageband is one of the most popular audio recording software available. Though you can use it for various purposes, it is mainly intended to be used to create music. However, many people have the problem of distorted audio files, making production difficult when trying to perfect a project. To learn how to fix distorted audio in Garageband, follow the steps below:

1. Launch GarageBand, then open your audio file. Once your audio file finishes loading, select the audio file from which you want to remove distortion by clicking it.
2. Click on the “i” symbol encapsulated in a blue circle positioned on the lower-right portion of your screen. This icon sits in the middle of two other icons: a set of notes and an eye.
3. Select the “Real Instrument” tab located on the top right side of your screen. You’ll see two tabs: Master Tracks and Real Instrument.
4. Click the Edit tab to activate it, and a list of effects will pop up.
5. Select Distortion from the list, and you’ll see a drop-down menu.
6. Next, select the None option to remove distortion.

If you have distorted audio due to poor recording quality, navigate to the Real Instrument”Edit menu and select AULowpass from the boxes available. Doing this will remove frequencies above a certain range, and this will fix the distorted audio.

Method 3: How To Fix Distorted Audio in Windows 10

Several actions can cause problems or distort sound on your Windows 10 application. Some of the common causes include:

• When upgrading your computer from an older version to a new one
• In case your computer gets corrupted with a virus
• If your computer or device doesn’t the right sound drivers

So how do you fix distorted audio in Windows 10? There are several ways you can fix distorted audio in Windows 10. Here is how to fix distorted audio using some of the best ways.

1. Reinstall drivers

1. Right-click the start button and choose device manager.
2. Navigate through sound, video, and game controllers.
3. Click on the Details tab.
4. Select hardware Ids from the drop-down menu.

1. Copy and first the first value of drivers in your browser and search the internet.

1. Open the official site and download the correct driver。
2. Install and restart your PC。

2. Update drivers

1. Right-click on the start button.
2. Scroll to the sound, video, and game controllers option.
3. Right-click on the sound device and select uninstall the device.

1. Restart your PC after the uninstall process is finished.
2. Open the device manager.
3. Select and click on the scan for hardware changes option.

Windows will automatically install a new version of sound drivers

3. Run Windows Audio Troubleshooter

1. To use this method, open Start and click the cog-like icon. This will open the Settings app.
2. Select Update & security.
3. Choose Troubleshoot in the left pane.
4. Expand the Playing Audio by clicking it.
5. Hit the Run the troubleshooter button, then follow the further instructions.

4. Take Exclusive Control of Your Device Option by Disabling Allow Applications

1. Navigate to the notification area and right-click on the sound icon. Open Playback devices.
2. Next, right-click on the default Playback Device, then open Properties.
3. Choose the Advanced tab option.
4. Navigate to the Exclusive mode section and check the box that says disable Allow applications to control your device.

When it comes to editing or performing audio editing in the video, Wondershare Filmora is a powerful video editing software that can help you with reducing the voiceover volume, mute the audio in the video, or cut, copy, paste or insert your audio files. Learn more about the audio editing features of Filmora from the below video & download Filmora to try!

Try It Free

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Try It Free

For macOS 10.12 or later

Conclusion

● Whether you’re an amateur audio enthusiast or produce a podcast with thousands of listeners, the quality of your audio can “make or break” your results. When your audience is listening to an audio recording, the last thing they want to notice or hear is a distortion because it is very distracting. When recording, it is almost impossible to find an environment that removes audio distortion without access to a recording studio. Luckily, you can use the above methods to fix distorted audio and make it look professional.

Try It Free Try It Free

So you’re all set: you’ve sat down, grabbed your microphone, fired up your recording software, and started pouring out the content of your mind. Once finished, you listen back to the recording, thinking you’re about to hear the silky-smooth undertones of your voice resonating through your ears, but something odd occurs — it sounds terrible. Distorted audio is very unwelcoming since you want the sound to be natural. This guide will explain how to fix distorted audio using various methods.

In this article

01 What Causes Distorted Audio?

02 How To Fix Distorted Audio Using Different Methods

What Causes Distorted Audio?

Distorted audio is the main culprit in ruined audio clips. Here are some of the causes of distorted sound.

1. Recording Environment

Not recording dialogue and voice-over in a studio can cause distorted audio. However, audio quality can be out of control if you conduct an onsite interview. Getting a meaningful and cinematic shot should come first. If you do not use a studio-quality microphone that comes with directional controls, you’ll likely have distorted audio. You might want to go for a unidirectional stereo channel if you want boom movements to be undetectable.

When a cheap, low-quality microphone is moving, you’ll hear the unsteadiness in your recording, leading to distorted audio. Recording audio in an echo chamber or an overly large room can also result in distorted audio.

2. Touching the Mic While Recording

If you hand the microphone to someone who does not know how to use it, they might hold it too loosely or close. Microphones feature sensitive parts that should not be dropped, shaken, or breathed on. When you are interviewing people unfamiliar with industry standards, you should hold the microphone, not the person you are interviewing. The mic is not within the range of 6” to 12 “ away from the speaker, this could lead to distorted audio.

3. Using the Wrong Mic

A reliable mic comes with audio controls and captures room tone and timbre. It should be portable, compact, and have a wind sleeve. In outdoor situations where ADR is not an option, you might want to use a wind sleeve.

Podcast showrunners and content creators often use Blue Yeti mics connected to a soundboard. While these are cheaper options, they can cause distorted audio. Content creators who are not stationary should purchase a lavalier, and wireless is a more high-end and expensive option.

4. Positioning Your Microphones Incorrectly

You have to be careful if you’ll be mounting a mic on your DSLR. Filming events with a one-mic setup is a promise to record everything you hear again. You’ll inevitably film some moments at a distance and leave the audio compromised to distortion.

5. Faulty Equipment

Your equipment can fail in different ways. For instance, your effects processor can fail, meaning that you won’t hear any sound passing through it. It can also fail, and you end up hearing a distorted sound passing out of the processor. Essentially, this might or might not be linked to the component’s capability of handling the signal as much as the busted internals result.

How To Fix Distorted Audio Using Different Methods

You can fix distorted audio using various methods. They include:

Method 1: How To Fix Distorted Audio in Audacity

Audacity is the bread and butter for individuals who adore a crisp audio quality. Audacity helps users finetune various attributes of their recordings. It is a free and intuitive software suite suitable for newbies and individuals who don’t interact with computers. With that in mind, here is how to fix distorted audio using Audacity.

1. Open the audio file by dragging and dropping it into Audacity.
2. Select the distorted part and click on the Effect option. Then, select Noise Reduction.

1. The Noise Reduction window will open.

1. Now, click on Noise Profile, and Audacity will know what to filter out.
2. Next, select the entire audio and open the Noise Reduction Window again ( Effect > Noise Reduction ). Then, set the values to suit your preferences.
3. Hit preview to check the audio, then the Click OK button.

If the audio is still distorted, apply the filter again. Don’t overdo the process numerous times to ensure your audio is not degraded, making the voice sound robotic and tinny.

Now, use compression to your advantage. If compression confuses you, think of it as a tool that adjusts your audio for the listener’s benefit. Compression not only quiets the background minutiae that creeps into your recording, but it also boosts your voice and gives it a full, captivating resonance.

1. To start the compression process, select your audio track, press CTRL + A, click “Effect” and then click “Compressor.”

1. Adjust the values in the compressor to meet your needs and make your voice “pop” from the background.
2. Once you have set the values, hit the Preview button to check the audio. Then, click on OK.

That is how to fix distorted audio using Audacity.

You May Be Interested In

• 7 Best Audacity Alternatives for Android
• How to use Audacity for Podcasts

How To Fix Distorted Audio in Garageband

Garageband is one of the most popular audio recording software available. Though you can use it for various purposes, it is mainly intended to be used to create music. However, many people have the problem of distorted audio files, making production difficult when trying to perfect a project. To learn how to fix distorted audio in Garageband, follow the steps below:

1. Launch GarageBand, then open your audio file. Once your audio file finishes loading, select the audio file from which you want to remove distortion by clicking it.
2. Click on the “i” symbol encapsulated in a blue circle positioned on the lower-right portion of your screen. This icon sits in the middle of two other icons: a set of notes and an eye.
3. Select the “Real Instrument” tab located on the top right side of your screen. You’ll see two tabs: Master Tracks and Real Instrument.
4. Click the Edit tab to activate it, and a list of effects will pop up.
5. Select Distortion from the list, and you’ll see a drop-down menu.
6. Next, select the None option to remove distortion.

If you have distorted audio due to poor recording quality, navigate to the Real Instrument”Edit menu and select AULowpass from the boxes available. Doing this will remove frequencies above a certain range, and this will fix the distorted audio.

Method 3: How To Fix Distorted Audio in Windows 10

Several actions can cause problems or distort sound on your Windows 10 application. Some of the common causes include:

• When upgrading your computer from an older version to a new one
• In case your computer gets corrupted with a virus
• If your computer or device doesn’t the right sound drivers

So how do you fix distorted audio in Windows 10? There are several ways you can fix distorted audio in Windows 10. Here is how to fix distorted audio using some of the best ways.

1. Reinstall drivers

1. Right-click the start button and choose device manager.
2. Navigate through sound, video, and game controllers.
3. Click on the Details tab.
4. Select hardware Ids from the drop-down menu.

1. Copy and first the first value of drivers in your browser and search the internet.

1. Open the official site and download the correct driver。
2. Install and restart your PC。

2. Update drivers

1. Right-click on the start button.
2. Scroll to the sound, video, and game controllers option.
3. Right-click on the sound device and select uninstall the device.

1. Restart your PC after the uninstall process is finished.
2. Open the device manager.
3. Select and click on the scan for hardware changes option.

Windows will automatically install a new version of sound drivers

3. Run Windows Audio Troubleshooter

1. To use this method, open Start and click the cog-like icon. This will open the Settings app.
2. Select Update & security.
3. Choose Troubleshoot in the left pane.
4. Expand the Playing Audio by clicking it.
5. Hit the Run the troubleshooter button, then follow the further instructions.

4. Take Exclusive Control of Your Device Option by Disabling Allow Applications

1. Navigate to the notification area and right-click on the sound icon. Open Playback devices.
2. Next, right-click on the default Playback Device, then open Properties.
3. Choose the Advanced tab option.
4. Navigate to the Exclusive mode section and check the box that says disable Allow applications to control your device.

When it comes to editing or performing audio editing in the video, Wondershare Filmora is a powerful video editing software that can help you with reducing the voiceover volume, mute the audio in the video, or cut, copy, paste or insert your audio files. Learn more about the audio editing features of Filmora from the below video & download Filmora to try!

Try It Free

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Try It Free

For macOS 10.12 or later

Conclusion

● Whether you’re an amateur audio enthusiast or produce a podcast with thousands of listeners, the quality of your audio can “make or break” your results. When your audience is listening to an audio recording, the last thing they want to notice or hear is a distortion because it is very distracting. When recording, it is almost impossible to find an environment that removes audio distortion without access to a recording studio. Luckily, you can use the above methods to fix distorted audio and make it look professional.

Try It Free Try It Free

So you’re all set: you’ve sat down, grabbed your microphone, fired up your recording software, and started pouring out the content of your mind. Once finished, you listen back to the recording, thinking you’re about to hear the silky-smooth undertones of your voice resonating through your ears, but something odd occurs — it sounds terrible. Distorted audio is very unwelcoming since you want the sound to be natural. This guide will explain how to fix distorted audio using various methods.

In this article

01 What Causes Distorted Audio?

02 How To Fix Distorted Audio Using Different Methods

What Causes Distorted Audio?

Distorted audio is the main culprit in ruined audio clips. Here are some of the causes of distorted sound.

1. Recording Environment

Not recording dialogue and voice-over in a studio can cause distorted audio. However, audio quality can be out of control if you conduct an onsite interview. Getting a meaningful and cinematic shot should come first. If you do not use a studio-quality microphone that comes with directional controls, you’ll likely have distorted audio. You might want to go for a unidirectional stereo channel if you want boom movements to be undetectable.

When a cheap, low-quality microphone is moving, you’ll hear the unsteadiness in your recording, leading to distorted audio. Recording audio in an echo chamber or an overly large room can also result in distorted audio.

2. Touching the Mic While Recording

If you hand the microphone to someone who does not know how to use it, they might hold it too loosely or close. Microphones feature sensitive parts that should not be dropped, shaken, or breathed on. When you are interviewing people unfamiliar with industry standards, you should hold the microphone, not the person you are interviewing. The mic is not within the range of 6” to 12 “ away from the speaker, this could lead to distorted audio.

3. Using the Wrong Mic

A reliable mic comes with audio controls and captures room tone and timbre. It should be portable, compact, and have a wind sleeve. In outdoor situations where ADR is not an option, you might want to use a wind sleeve.

Podcast showrunners and content creators often use Blue Yeti mics connected to a soundboard. While these are cheaper options, they can cause distorted audio. Content creators who are not stationary should purchase a lavalier, and wireless is a more high-end and expensive option.

4. Positioning Your Microphones Incorrectly

You have to be careful if you’ll be mounting a mic on your DSLR. Filming events with a one-mic setup is a promise to record everything you hear again. You’ll inevitably film some moments at a distance and leave the audio compromised to distortion.

5. Faulty Equipment

Your equipment can fail in different ways. For instance, your effects processor can fail, meaning that you won’t hear any sound passing through it. It can also fail, and you end up hearing a distorted sound passing out of the processor. Essentially, this might or might not be linked to the component’s capability of handling the signal as much as the busted internals result.

How To Fix Distorted Audio Using Different Methods

You can fix distorted audio using various methods. They include:

Method 1: How To Fix Distorted Audio in Audacity

Audacity is the bread and butter for individuals who adore a crisp audio quality. Audacity helps users finetune various attributes of their recordings. It is a free and intuitive software suite suitable for newbies and individuals who don’t interact with computers. With that in mind, here is how to fix distorted audio using Audacity.

1. Open the audio file by dragging and dropping it into Audacity.
2. Select the distorted part and click on the Effect option. Then, select Noise Reduction.

1. The Noise Reduction window will open.

1. Now, click on Noise Profile, and Audacity will know what to filter out.
2. Next, select the entire audio and open the Noise Reduction Window again ( Effect > Noise Reduction ). Then, set the values to suit your preferences.
3. Hit preview to check the audio, then the Click OK button.

If the audio is still distorted, apply the filter again. Don’t overdo the process numerous times to ensure your audio is not degraded, making the voice sound robotic and tinny.

Now, use compression to your advantage. If compression confuses you, think of it as a tool that adjusts your audio for the listener’s benefit. Compression not only quiets the background minutiae that creeps into your recording, but it also boosts your voice and gives it a full, captivating resonance.

1. To start the compression process, select your audio track, press CTRL + A, click “Effect” and then click “Compressor.”

1. Adjust the values in the compressor to meet your needs and make your voice “pop” from the background.
2. Once you have set the values, hit the Preview button to check the audio. Then, click on OK.

That is how to fix distorted audio using Audacity.

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How To Fix Distorted Audio in Garageband

Garageband is one of the most popular audio recording software available. Though you can use it for various purposes, it is mainly intended to be used to create music. However, many people have the problem of distorted audio files, making production difficult when trying to perfect a project. To learn how to fix distorted audio in Garageband, follow the steps below:

1. Launch GarageBand, then open your audio file. Once your audio file finishes loading, select the audio file from which you want to remove distortion by clicking it.
2. Click on the “i” symbol encapsulated in a blue circle positioned on the lower-right portion of your screen. This icon sits in the middle of two other icons: a set of notes and an eye.
3. Select the “Real Instrument” tab located on the top right side of your screen. You’ll see two tabs: Master Tracks and Real Instrument.
4. Click the Edit tab to activate it, and a list of effects will pop up.
5. Select Distortion from the list, and you’ll see a drop-down menu.
6. Next, select the None option to remove distortion.

If you have distorted audio due to poor recording quality, navigate to the Real Instrument”Edit menu and select AULowpass from the boxes available. Doing this will remove frequencies above a certain range, and this will fix the distorted audio.

Method 3: How To Fix Distorted Audio in Windows 10

Several actions can cause problems or distort sound on your Windows 10 application. Some of the common causes include:

• When upgrading your computer from an older version to a new one
• In case your computer gets corrupted with a virus
• If your computer or device doesn’t the right sound drivers

So how do you fix distorted audio in Windows 10? There are several ways you can fix distorted audio in Windows 10. Here is how to fix distorted audio using some of the best ways.

1. Reinstall drivers

1. Right-click the start button and choose device manager.
2. Navigate through sound, video, and game controllers.
3. Click on the Details tab.
4. Select hardware Ids from the drop-down menu.

1. Copy and first the first value of drivers in your browser and search the internet.

1. Open the official site and download the correct driver。
2. Install and restart your PC。

2. Update drivers

1. Right-click on the start button.
2. Scroll to the sound, video, and game controllers option.
3. Right-click on the sound device and select uninstall the device.

1. Restart your PC after the uninstall process is finished.
2. Open the device manager.
3. Select and click on the scan for hardware changes option.

Windows will automatically install a new version of sound drivers

3. Run Windows Audio Troubleshooter

1. To use this method, open Start and click the cog-like icon. This will open the Settings app.
2. Select Update & security.
3. Choose Troubleshoot in the left pane.
4. Expand the Playing Audio by clicking it.
5. Hit the Run the troubleshooter button, then follow the further instructions.

4. Take Exclusive Control of Your Device Option by Disabling Allow Applications

1. Navigate to the notification area and right-click on the sound icon. Open Playback devices.
2. Next, right-click on the default Playback Device, then open Properties.
3. Choose the Advanced tab option.
4. Navigate to the Exclusive mode section and check the box that says disable Allow applications to control your device.

When it comes to editing or performing audio editing in the video, Wondershare Filmora is a powerful video editing software that can help you with reducing the voiceover volume, mute the audio in the video, or cut, copy, paste or insert your audio files. Learn more about the audio editing features of Filmora from the below video & download Filmora to try!

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Conclusion

● Whether you’re an amateur audio enthusiast or produce a podcast with thousands of listeners, the quality of your audio can “make or break” your results. When your audience is listening to an audio recording, the last thing they want to notice or hear is a distortion because it is very distracting. When recording, it is almost impossible to find an environment that removes audio distortion without access to a recording studio. Luckily, you can use the above methods to fix distorted audio and make it look professional.

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