Fade in and fade out audio

Add a fade to audio in three steps

1. Choose an audio file or a video, or try the included sample.
2. Set how many seconds to fade in and fade out, and pick a curve.
3. Press Add fades, listen to the preview, and download the result.

Why fades matter

A recording that starts or stops abruptly can sound like a mistake. A short fade in removes the click at the start of a trimmed clip, and a fade out gives a song, a ringtone, or a voice-over a natural ending. Many platforms also reject or complain about audio that begins mid-wave, so a half-second fade is a cheap fix.

Choosing fade lengths

Use 0.1 to 0.5 seconds to smooth the edges of a cut clip without anyone noticing. Use 2 to 5 seconds for a musical fade out, and up to 10 seconds for a slow ending on a long track. The fade is measured from the very start and the very end of the file, and it is limited to the length of the recording.

Smooth and linear curves

Human hearing is not linear, so a straight-line fade sounds like it stays loud for a long time and then drops quickly. The smooth curve follows a sine shape that matches how loudness is perceived, and is the better default for music. Use the linear curve for short fades on speech, where the difference is small.

Video and length

If you choose a video, the soundtrack is faded and the picture is kept, and the length does not change. Choose audio only for an MP3. To fade a section from the middle of a longer file, trim it first with the audio trimmer, then add the fade.