TrackCut
Split long MP3/WAV recordings into tracks, from the keyboard
Load a live set, a radio show or a digitised tape and get one file per track. Silence detection proposes the splits, you confirm or nudge each one by ear, then export: MP3 without re-encoding, or MP3/FLAC/WAV with loudness normalisation and ReplayGain tags. Can also pull the audio of a YouTube link.
Free for personal, educational and non-profit use, exporting the first 10 tracks of each recording. Commercial use — including a solo consultant on client work — requires TrackCut Pro, which also exports every track. Every build is produced by release CI and served from mayorana.ch.
The macOS build is signed with an Apple Developer ID and notarized, so it opens with a normal double-click.
Read the release notesHow TrackCut compares
Only the things TrackCut is strong at are listed. The others do plenty it doesn't — this table is about why you would pick it.
| Feature | TrackCut | Audacity | mp3DirectCut | mp3splt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Splits suggested in every silence, reviewed by ear from the keyboard | Label Sounds, then review by hand | Pause detection, review by hand | Automatic, no review | |
| MP3 export with no re-encoding, sample-exact with a gapless header | Re-encodes | Lossless, frame-exact | Lossless, frame-exact | |
| EBU R128 loudness per track, ReplayGain 2.0 tags, LUFS normalisation | Normalisation, no ReplayGain tags | Gain normalisation | ||
| Paste a YouTube link and split its audio | ||||
| Videos split on their sound into MP4 clips | ||||
| macOS, Windows and Linux | Windows only |
Compared in October 2026 from each product's public documentation. Something out of date? Tell us
One-time purchase, including a year of updates. Secure payment by Stripe; your licence key is shown right after and sent by email.
Overview
A two-hour recording is one file, and what you want is twenty. Doing it in a waveform editor means scrolling, zooming, selecting and exporting by hand, twenty times, and hoping each cut landed in the gap and not on the first note.
TrackCut reads the whole file once, suggests a split in every quiet stretch, then walks you through them: Tab plays three seconds either side of the next split, Enter keeps it, Backspace drops it. Most recordings are reviewed without touching the mouse.
Export copies the original MP3 frames instead of re-encoding them, with a gapless header, so the tracks sound exactly like the source and play back to back without a click.
What it does
Splits suggested, reviewed by ear
Silence detection proposes a split in the middle of every quiet stretch. You hear each one before you keep it, nudge it by 10 ms, or snap it to the quietest point nearby.
MP3 export without re-encoding
Original frames are copied and a LAME gapless header records the exact start and end, so tracks lose nothing and gapless players join them seamlessly. Tests compare every exported track with the source, sample by sample.
Other formats when you need them
MP3 VBR or CBR, FLAC or 16-bit WAV, with an A/B loop that switches between the original and the chosen format at the same position before you commit.
Loudness measured, not guessed
EBU R128 loudness and true peak for every track, updated as you move splits. ReplayGain 2.0 tags on export, and optional normalisation to −14 or −16 LUFS per track or for the whole set.
Silence trimmed at the edges
Lead-in, tail and the gaps between tracks are cut from the export by default, keeping a quarter of a second so quiet attacks and fades survive. Preview cuts plays exactly what the export will keep.
Titles, batches and YouTube links
Type titles as you go or paste a tracklist. Mark files done and export them all in one queue. Paste a YouTube link to download its audio and split it like any other file.
Requirements
- macOS on Apple Silicon, Windows, or Linux x86_64
- MP3 or WAV recordings; YouTube downloads arrive as audio and are opened directly
- An internet connection only for the YouTube download, which fetches yt-dlp and Deno on first use
Built with
Rust · Dioxus · symphonia · LAME · FLAC · yt-dlp
What's new
Version 0.1.19, released 7 October 2026. TrackCut ships often; every version and what it changed is listed on the release notes page.
Read the release notesLicence
Source-available under the PolyForm Noncommercial License 1.0.0: free for personal use, learning, research and hobby projects, and for charities, schools, universities and government institutions, with exports limited to the first 10 tracks of each recording. Commercial use — including a solo consultant on client work and an employee using it at their job — requires TrackCut Pro, which also exports every track. Pro is the commercial licence: there is nothing else to buy.
Source
The source is public and readable. Fork it and rebrand it — the name and logo are trademarks and are not covered by the licence.
View on GitHubQuestions
Does it re-encode my MP3s?
Not unless you pick another format. The default export copies the original MP3 frames, so the quality is exactly the source's.
Is my original file changed?
No. Splits and titles are saved in a small cutlist file next to your recordings, and tracks are written to a new folder. Apply cuts writes a separate copy.
Will the tracks play without gaps?
In gapless players — iTunes/Music, foobar2000, anything built on ffmpeg — yes: each track carries the header that tells the player where the audio really starts and ends.
Do I need ffmpeg?
No. Decoding, encoding and the YouTube download all work without installing anything else.
Questions about this tool?
Ask about a commercial licence for your team, report an issue, or tell us what is missing. We read every message.
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