Free MP3 Cutter and Editor

MP3 Cutter and Editor is a simple and very specific utility that might be just what you need, minus the all frills (and bloat) of a full sound editing suite. Open the single window of the app, select an MP3 file, drag the slider across the waveform to include/exclude what you want, and save. It's that simple. It also happens to be free.

The Joys of Simplicity

MP3 Cutter and Editor is a good tool to have in your apps menu for those times when using a more full-featured editor would be overkill. Sometimes, all you need is a simple means of excluding a mic pop or breathing at the start, or noise at the end of a track. Slicing an album playback or live recording into separate tracks is an ideal use for such a single-minded app. It's also great for producing ringtones or small audio snippets.

The app has some extra features beyond timeline chopping. MP3 Cutter and Editor allows global volume changes and fade in/fade out. These options are easy to implement with simple clicks, and are applied automatically, with no need to set a curve manually on the track.

Another simple feature is mono-to-stereo and stereo-to-mono conversion. Mono will combine two channels into one. Stereo can be simulated by duplicating a single track into two, slightly-out-of-phase tracks. In the old days, they called this "simulated stereo." It might be helpful. Usually, it isn't.

There are no provisions in the app for equalization, noise removal, or normalization. For those, you'll need a more full-featured app. When it says "MP3 Cutter and Editor," that's basically what it means.

Help Comes Standard

Though intuitive to most users of audio applications, some newbies might have questions. MP3 Cutter and Editor includes a tutorial walking new users through the whole process. The originators of the app deserve praise for this feature, which is often sadly missing from freeware and even some commercial applications.

Simple, single-purpose apps like MP3 Cutter and Editor at times aren't given enough recognition. Just like a handyman with a tall cabinet full of tools, people who work in the digital domain need a variety of tools for just the right purpose. A handyman might have a full-featured gizmo with a wrench and a set of pliers built in, right next to a multi-bit screwdriver. The outsider might wonder why he needs the individual versions of any of those tools. But the handyman knows sometimes all you need is a phillips screwdriver of a precise size to get the job done. Any combination tool would be overkill. The ease of use and limited temptation to "tweak" audio clips through MP3 Cutter and Editor should prove beneficial to anyone with a large or small project involving MP3 editing.

The Possible Drawback

There are some complaints online in regards to this app's tendency to add distortion or roughness to the edits. There are claims that the fade-in/fade-out sounds tattered or abrupt. We didn't notice this during our evaluation of MP3 Cutter and Editor, but it's good to be aware.

This possible quality concern aside, MP3 Cutter and Editor makes a great addition to editing toolkits everywhere, and at the price, it really can't be beat.

Pros:

• Simplicity: It doesn't get much simpler in an piece of audio editing software. It says what it does, and it does it. No-nonsense MP3 trimming is its purpose in life.
• Quickness: It's nice that it starts as quickly as it does, and can trim MP3 files without further tweaks and steps.
• User Tutorial: This is something we'd like to see more of everywhere.

Cons:

• No Frills at All: It would be nice to do some noise cancellation or brightening while processing clips. Just a simple "enhance for voice" or "enhance for music" button might make it a little more attractive, but that's a minor complaint.
• Possible Rough Edits: A possible downside to keep in mind, especially when using the fade-in/fade-out feature.

Try It! You Might Like It!

Overall, MP3 Cutter and Editor is worth the download. You might find it's just the right tool for your digital tool caddy. It can save a great deal of time and hassle if all you really needed to do was trim some length off some MP3's, or extract a few excerpts. And, after all, it's free.