How To Edit Audio on iPhone

Editing audio is essential to remove background noise, repetition, and unnecessary pauses to transform the file into high-quality sound. iPhone lets you edit recordings and other third-party audio files through audio editing apps. 

You can trim, replace, copy, paste, remove background noise and delete an audio file or certain parts of the file. Some apps also let you alter the treble, bass, and compressor and merge several files into one.

But how do you edit an audio file on an iPhone?

Do you want to edit voice recordings, lecture notes, voice memos, or any musical compositions on your iPhone? We’ve compiled this article to guide you on how to edit audio on iPhone.

Method #1: Editing Audio on iPhone Using the Voice Memos App

Voice Memos is an app on the Utilities Folder on your Apple devices that lets you record, edit and share voice notes, music, lecture notes, instructions for a meeting, etc. This app is a decent audio editor, and you can trim, delete, replace parts of your audio, or add new parts to an audio file.

When you click to open the file for editing, you can choose to replace the file with a new file, trim parts of it, or delete it.

Trim Audio with Voice Memos

Removing some parts at the beginning and the end of your audio file can make it sound better and more authentic. Follow these steps to trim an audio file on the Voice Memos app:

1. Select the audio you want to edit.
2. Click on the three dots at the bottom left corner.
3. Click on “Edit Recording”.
4. Tap the “Trim” icon on the top right corner.
5. Drag the yellow handles on each end of the recording to mark the parts you want to remove.
6. Hit the “Play” button to double-check the parts you want to trim.
7. Select the “Trim” button to remove the unwanted parts.
8. Click on “Save”.
9. Tap “Done”.

Replace Part of Audio with Voice Memos

You can replace some audio part that doesn’t sound good with a new recording. Here’s is how to do it:

1. Select the audio you would like to edit.
2. Press the three dots in the bottom left corner.
3. Click on “Edit Recording”.
4. Swipe your finger on the waveform to place the blue play-head where you want to replace the audio.
5. Tap on “Replace” and record your new audio.
6. Press “Pause” to finish the new recording.
7. Tap the “Play” button to double-check if the new recording is good.
8. Press “Done” to save the changes.

Enhance Audio with Voice Memos

Did you know you can remove background noise, increase the playback speed and skip silence? Let’s discuss how to make these changes on your audio file below.

Here’s  how to remove the background noise from an audio file on your iPhone:

1. Select the recording you want to enhance.
2. Click on the three blue horizontal lines on the left.
3. Move the “Enhance Recording” toggle to the right to turn it on.
4. Your audio file is now devoid of background noise.

Here’s how to increase the playback speed of an audio file on your iPhone:

1. Select your recording.
2. Tap on the three blue horizontal lines on the left.
3. Drag the slider left or right to set your preferred playback speed.
4. Save the settings by tapping on the “X” button on the pop-up window.

Method #2: Editing Audio on iPhone Using the GarageBand App

GarageBand is a music creation app on Apple devices where you can record, edit and share audio files. It is a free app that you can download on the App store. It performs better edits than the Voice Memos app, with more complex features such as merging tracks, audio automation, and audio panning.

Moreover, you can add plug-ins, equalization, and mastering effects. This article will cover the basic audio edits such as deleting, duplicating, merging, renaming, splitting and trimming.

Here’s how to perform quick edits on GarageBand on your iPhone:

1. Open the “GarageBand” app.
2. Tap on “Tracks”.
3. Scroll through the musical instruments and click on the “Audio Recorder”.
4. Tap on “Voice”.
5. Click on the feature on the top left corner that looks like a square made up of two broken lines and one full line.
6. Tap on the plus sign (+) in the top right corner.
7. Turn on “Automation” by moving the toggle to the right.
8. Click on the file you want to edit and drag it to the audio recorder.
9. Select the three vertical lines menu on the top right corner. This feature lets you change the vocals on your audio file.
10. You can also adjust the compressor, treble, and bass and master effects like echo and reverb.

Trim Audio with GarageBand

To trim audio on iPhone using GarageBand, follow these steps:

1. Tap and hold one end of the file until a pointer appears.
2. Drag the pointer over the part you want to remove.
3. Tap on “Trim”.

Split Audio with GarageBand

You can split your audio file into several parts for better editing or delete some unwanted elements. Follow these steps to split your audio file on GarageBand:

1. Tap the region you want to split the audio file.
2. Click on “Split”.
3. A split marker in the form of a pair of scissors appears above the part.
4. Drag the marker down.
5. Your file splits into two along that line.

Merge Audio Files with GarageBand

GarageBand lets you merge several audio files to create a single file. To achieve this on your iPhone, follow these steps:

1. Click on the musical instrument icon on the left side of one of the audio files you want to merge with others.
2. Press “Merge” on the pop-up menu.
3. Click on the circles on the left of the other files. Clicking on these circles selects the files.
4. Tap on the “Merge” button that appears at the top right corner.
5. Your several files merge to form a singular file.

Conclusion

Editing an audio file makes it sound better and more authentic. You can edit audio files on your iPhone using the Voice Memos app from the Utilities Folder. Additionally, you can download the GarageBand app from the App Store, which offers even more editing options.