For YouTube to MP3 with trim, third-party apps and online tools offer ways to save an authorized YouTube audio segment as an MP3. The supplied documentation does not establish a YouTube announcement or authorization for developers to add this capability.
There are two documented ways for saving a portion of an authorized YouTube clip as MP3: one involves converting a direct YouTube link using browser-based websites like EzConv; and the other involves uploading a video file using an Android app. Both workflows require selecting a specific segment of the YouTube clip (by dragging handles), then downloading the saved MP3 segment. Check that you have permission to download and edit the audio for your intended use.
If you prefer, there’s another way. You can use your existing, authorized YouTube MP3 on your local system and export a segment of that MP3 into an MP3 file using Audacity, without going back to YouTube. However, Audacity doesn’t allow direct conversion between YouTube and MP3. If you want to convert a YouTube link to MP3 directly in your browser, then download the resulting MP3 file, you can use a third-party service called Free YT to MP3. Once you’ve done so, Audacity will allow you to open that MP3 file, select a segment of the audio, and then export it again as MP3.
Once you’ve exported the selected portion, you’ll be able to check the saved clip by reopening it in Audacity. You can also trim an existing MP3 without re-encoding it if you’re running Windows.
How To Save An Authorized YouTube Clip As An MP3
EzConv is a browser-based website that enables the ability to save an authorized YouTube audio segment. This process requires a user to input a YouTube link, choose whether they want to trim the downloaded audio segment, and then adjust the start and end of the desired section. The resulting selection is saved as an MP3, which you can download.
The uploaded-video workflow used by this app is different than the browser’s link-input workflow described above. In the app, you upload a video file rather than enter a link to YouTube’s site.
Both workflows enable the ability to save an MP3 audio segment. But only the browser workflow requires a YouTube link; the Android app starts with a video file and can work offline.
Local Editing Of Converted Files
You can use your existing, authorized YouTube MP3 on your local system and export a segment of that MP3 into an MP3 file using Audacity, without going back to YouTube. There are some constraints to note here, however.
First, Audacity doesn’t allow direct conversion between YouTube and MP3. Instead, you must already have a file created via an external source. Second, when importing files into Audacity, only the currently opened project is converted — Audacity won’t convert an entire folder full of MP3s at once.
That said, there are still steps that you can take to accomplish your goal. First, you need to use an online converter to convert a YouTube link to MP3, then download the resulting MP3 file. Next, you’ll open the MP3 file inside Audacity. You can open File > Export Audio and choose MP3 as the output format. Then, you can use Audacity’s “Current Selection” option (as opposed to the “Entire Project”) to create an export range. Before exporting, play back your selected audio to check it. Audacity provides three export options: “Whole Project,” “Current Selection,” or exporting multiple files. After Audacity exports your selected range, simply reopen the MP3 file to listen to the beginning, ending, and duration of the new file.
Trimming An Existing MP3 File Without Re-Encoding
Finally, there’s a Windows-based solution that allows you to trim an existing MP3 file without going through another encoding pass. This technique preserves encoded quality, while also reducing the time required for encoding.
The software known as mp3DirectCut accomplishes all this, allowing you to cut and crop an existing MP3 without re-encoding. The benefit is twofold: you don’t have to worry about losing quality, since the program simply cuts out unnecessary frames; and encoding takes less time because there’s no additional step involved.
However, there is a caveat: You can only edit at positions that match MP3 frame starts. That means you’ll have to make adjustments based on how large each MP3 frame is. Finally, you’ll need to run Windows or Linux with Wine.