How To Merge Audio Files

Merging audio files, or joining is useful for creating soundtracks for videos, mixes without gaps or your own audio stream to play as an MP3. Streaming may be the way of things right now but if you own your music and want to play it your way, merging allows you to create one long mix out of lots of smaller tracks. Here are five audio tools you can use to merge audio files.

Not all audio editors can merge audio very well. There are also some standalone audio joining apps that specialize in doing just that. Rather than roll out another version of ‘best audio editors’ I have looked at those that specialize in joining audio and describe those rather than the usual. With the exception of Audacity as it is too good a program to ignore.

Audio Merge Tools

There are several audio software programs that you can use to merge audio files. Each of these tools will make short work of merging your audio into a longer mix. They will save them as MP3, most offer versions for different operating systems and all will be either free or available at a reasonable cost.

Audacity

Audacity is the best free audio editing program bar none. It’s available for Windows, Mac and Linux and works very well indeed. It’s powerful, relatively easy to get to grips with, works with most audio formats, saves as multiple audio formats and can make short work of merging audio files for any kind of use.

Here’s how to merge the audio files:

1. Start by importing both files into Audacity.
2. Next, select the audio file that wasn’t selected upon importing by clicking on the label for it.
3. Now, click on Edit > Cut.
4. Then, move your cursor to the end of the first track’s audio.
5. Finally, click on Edit > Paste.

You can repeat these steps as many times as needed, it’s that easy to merge audio files using Audacity..

I do talk about Audacity a lot and that is mainly because it deserves your support. It is capable of most things audio programs costing hundreds of dollars are capable of and is free to use, although donations are always welcomed. The community is exceptionally helpful and the manual is pretty good too.

Audio Joiner

Audio Joiner is an online app that can merge audio dynamically. This tool is free and enables you to join unlimited audio tracks within your browser. You land on the website, select Add tracks, upload your files, add them in the order you want them to appear in your mix and select Join. The joining process takes a few seconds and then you get an MP3 download with the merged files.

While the site advertises unlimited joins, the more you add, the longer it takes to join them. That’s fine but be prepared to wait a little while at peak times. For a free tool purely for merging audio, this is very good at what it does. It is simple, works with multiple audio formats, allows you to crossfade and adjust levels as you see fit.

Apowersoft Free Online Audio Editor

Apowersoft Free Online Audio Editor is another web-based tool that lets you merge audio files for any use. This is a little more fully-featured than Audio Joiner but does the job just as well. You can use the online version or download a program to your computer depending on your needs. The online version requires you download a launcher for some reason but once done, you can access the audio editor.

The web app works with most audio formats, can mix, edit, add effects, split and merge audio and likely a few other tricks too. As the name suggests, it is free to use to create your mix and works pretty well. The desktop version and launcher work on both Windows and Mac.

Merge MP3

Merge MP3 may looks quite dated but does the job of merging audio very well. It’s a download not a web app and works on Windows and Mac. The interface is a little old school in its design but there is no arguing with its capability. It specializes in joining audio, hence the name and it does it well.

The main downside is that this program only works with MP3 files. The others in this list are compatible with other audio formats but if you have a collection of MP3s you want to merge, this gets the job done. The UI is straightforward and all you need do it load up your tracks, put them in order and join them. The result is one large MP3 file with all your merged tracks in one.

MixPad

MixPad is a fully fledged audio editing program that can merge and split audio files. It is free and works on Windows. The program looks the part and can be a little overwhelming at first but spend a few minutes with it and you’ll soon get to grips with the menus and where the various tools are to be found. Merging audio is as simple as adding it and ordering the tracks before joining them.

MixPad is also capable of so much more. It can add effects and has a library of them included. It also supports multiple audio types, depths, compression formats and can manage all kinds of audio editing tasks. It isn’t quite as powerful as Audacity but for a free tool, it is very good indeed.

Take Away

There’s a lot of software for you to use to merge audio files, explore the options available to you. I recommend starting with Audacity, it’s free, has a lot of support, and there’s many tutorials online to help get you started.

How do you merge audio files? Feel free to share in the comments below.