What Is Audio Extraction?
Audio extraction pulls the audio track out of a video file and saves it as a standalone audio file. SoundWorks supports lossless extraction (copying the audio stream as-is) and recoded extraction (converting to a different audio format during extraction).
Supported video inputs: MP4, AVI, MKV, MOV, FLV, WMV, WebM, and more.
Why Extract Audio from Video?
Repurpose video content. Turn video interviews, lectures, or podcasts into audio-only files for podcast distribution, music libraries, or offline listening.
Isolate soundtracks. Extract background music, sound effects, or voice tracks from video productions for reuse in other projects.
Save bandwidth and storage. Audio files are dramatically smaller than video. Extract what you need and archive or share just the audio.
Feed other workflows. Extract audio to transcribe it with Whisper, process it through the batch converter, or use it as reference audio for voice cloning.
How It Works
Step 1: Select a video file. Choose any supported video format. SoundWorks detects the embedded audio codec and stream automatically.
Step 2: Choose extraction mode. Select lossless extraction to copy the audio stream without re-encoding, or choose a target format (MP3, AAC, WAV, FLAC, etc.) for recoded extraction.
Step 3: Configure options. For recoded extraction, set bitrate, sample rate, and channel configuration (mono or stereo). For lossless mode, no configuration is needed.
Step 4: Extract. SoundWorks processes the video and saves the audio file. Lossless extraction is nearly instant since no re-encoding is required.
Lossless vs Recoded
Lossless extraction copies the audio stream byte-for-byte from the video container. The output file is identical to the original audio — no quality loss, no re-encoding, and very fast processing. The output format matches whatever codec the video used (typically AAC or Opus).
Recoded extraction converts the audio to your chosen format during extraction. This lets you control the output codec, bitrate, and quality settings. Use this when you need a specific format or want to change audio parameters.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I extract audio from multiple videos at once? Yes. Use batch mode to queue multiple video files and extract audio from all of them with consistent output settings.
Does lossless extraction change the audio quality? No. Lossless extraction copies the audio stream without any modification. The output is bit-identical to the original audio embedded in the video.
What if the video has multiple audio tracks? SoundWorks detects all audio streams in the video file. You can select which track to extract.
Can I extract just a portion of the audio? Yes. Combine audio extraction with the fragment extractor to specify start and end times. Extract only the segment you need.