Looking for an easy way to edit audio on your iPhone? Whether you want to cut out the unnecessary bits of a lecture, spice up your singing voice notes, or simply mess around with effects, you’re going to need an audio editor.
The below audio editing apps will help you modify the audio files on your iPhone.
1. djay
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for (var i = 0; i djay’s layout will make you feel like a real DJ. It has two maneuverable turntables that let you precisely position the time indicator. And when you turn them, it makes the classic vinyl scratch sound effect—pretty cool. These two turntables are actually two separate tracks, which means you can import two individual audios and mix them together.
This app comes with an equalizer, in which you can manipulate the frequencies. There’s also a high-pass and low-pass filter that allows you to create effects like muffled underwater sounds.
In that same editing window, you’ll see a small gain knob. This will give you control over the dBFS (loudness of the audio) and prevent it from clipping. Keep an eye on the mixer bar; if the green lights go all the way up and turn red, it means you’ve run out of headroom and any excess data will be disregarded. In simpler terms, the audio won’t sound great.
In the bottom control box, you’ll find a BPM (beats per minute) tool to change the tempo of your audio. Remember that changing the tempo will also change the key of your audio. If you’re editing two audio tracks, you can tap on Sync to match their beats.
Right below that are Set and Hold (marked with a curved arrow) buttons. Set inserts a tag on the time bar wherever the time indicator is, and Hold allows you to play the audio from the position of the time indicator for as long as you hold the button. This is handy for going over small sections of audio without having to play the entire track.
The free version comes with a pack of several audio samples and instrument loops that have their own BPM sliders. Exporting a file will require the pro version, but you can simply screen record your edit and convert the screen recorded video to an MP3 audio.
Download: djay (Free, subscription available)
2. Hokusai
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for (var i = 0; i The layout in Hokusai is similar to that of a traditional DAW (digital audio workstation), only not as cluttered. You can import many tracks and edit them together. Since the free version of this app doesn’t come with samples or instrument plugins, it’s better-suited for people who want to perform simple edits.
Tapping on a track will bring up the selector tool. Drag the edges to select the desired length, and drag from the middle of the clip to position it anywhere over the audio. If you tap on the clip, several editing tools will pop up: cut, copy, paste, delete, trim, and more. The latter will take you to the available effects.
In the effects, you’ll find amplitude tools such as fade-in, fade-out, gain control, normalize (the relationship between the soft and loud points of the audio), and a silencer that mutes the selected part. These are great for cleaning up noise on a track. There are also waveform and white noise generators, which you can customize and add to your tracks as synthesizer effects.
When in the file editing window, you’ll see a Record icon below the tracks. This lets you record a voice note and add it as its own track in real time.
The sidebar and tool icon (page with a wrench) offers more editing options such as mono/stereo, track viewing size, and renaming. It’s also where you can adjust the settings and export the tracks in MPEG-4 (compressed) and WAV (uncompressed) via email, text, and AirDrop.
Download: Hokusai (Free, premium version available)
3. WavePad
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for (var i = 0; i If you’re looking for a powerful audio editor with complex features, WavePad is for you. It functions as a mobile DAW with all the basic tools that you’ll find on comparable desktop software. This app is ideal for audio editors who are starting out or want to edit on the go.
Let’s begin with the Edit tab. Here you’ll find standard editing tools such as split, trim, join, duplicate, and loop. You can also access some of these tools by holding down on the track, where they’ll pop up. In the time window, right above the track, you’ll see a smaller, duplicated version of the track. This is a maneuverable zoom tool that expands the view of specific parts on the track.
The Levels tab is where you’ll find the amplitude editors including amplify, normalize, compressor, auto gain, fade in/out, pan, and equalizer. The equalizer is highly involved and gives you the option to adjust the frequencies in a graph or with mixer bars.
WavePad’s Effects panel is what pushes the boundaries of mobile DAWs. It provides detailed settings for echo, reverb, chorus, pitch, and BPM. There is a multitude of effects in the More Effects menu, which enables you to go deeper on edits using advanced techniques. The Cleanup tool (found in the Edit and Effects tabs) has a high/low pass filter, noise gate, click/pop removal, and de-esser.
The Tools and View tabs include additional custom settings such as bookmark placement, sample sounds, markers, zoom tools, and color-coded track placement options.
Finally, the Home tab is where you go to import, save, and export files. Upgrading gives you access to a long list of output formats, while the free version allows you to export in WAV and upload it to iCloud, Dropbox, or Google Drive. Home is also where you’ll find the Undo and Redo buttons.
Download: WavePad (Free, in-app purchases available)
Honorable Mentions for iPhone Audio Editing Apps
If the apps above don’t fulfill what you’re looking for, there are a few more options worth exploring. They aren’t as comprehensive as the above, but can fulfill other needs.
Audio Editor
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for (var i = 0; i An easy-to-use app that offers basic editing, amplitude, and effects tools. It lets you import from your music, files, or extract audio from a video. The free version allows exporting in MP3 or M4A.
Download: Audio Editor (Free, subscription available)
Edity
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for (var i = 0; i Edity’s free effects include pitch manipulation, time-stretching, and high and low-pass filters. It also comes with simplified editing tools. This app is ideal for editing shorter audio; since the fade-in and out options aren’t customizable, they will cut down the majority of the sound on a longer track.
The free version allows you to save to files, send via email, or upload to Dropbox.
Download: Edity (Free, in-app purchases available)
Audio Editing on iPhone Made Easy
With these apps, you can easily edit your favorite audio on your iPhone. Each one of them has something unique to offer, so you’re bound to find one you enjoy. Give them a try and you’ll be pleasantly surprised how much you can edit when away from your computer.