If you want to convert the audio portion of a video into a separate audio file, you can use a free open-source program like Avidemux or VLC Player. Apart from being full of features, these programs allow users to save the audio portion of a video as an MP3. After that, you can transfer the resulting MP3 file to a portable player or play it directly on your computer. If you want to convert a YouTube video into an MP3, there are several online sites that can do that.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Convert YouTube Videos to MP3
Step 1. Copy the URL of the video you want to convert to MP3
Make sure that you copy the full URL from your browser's address bar (browser).
Step 2. Open the YouTube video download site
There are many sites online that allow you to download YouTube videos in MP3 format. Some popular sites for doing this are keepvid.com, savefrom.net, and clipconverter.cc.
Step 3. Paste (paste) the URL of the YouTube video into the box provided on the downloader site
The box should be labeled "URL" or "Address".
Step 4. Click the Download button
Depending on the site you are using, you may be prompted to run a Java plugin. After clicking the Download button, a list of formats that can be used for the converted file for you to download will be displayed.
Step 5. Select the "MP3" option
The audio portion of the video of your choice will be downloaded as an MP3 file.
Some sites only allow you to download files in MP4 format. If that's the case, you'll need to convert it to MP3. Click here for further guidance
Part 2 of 3: Using VLC Player for Video Files
Step 1. Download and install the VLC media player
VLC is a free, open-source media player that can convert files to other formats. VLC is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems, and the program can be downloaded from videolan.org.
Step 2. Open the "Media" menu in VLC, then select "Convert/Save"
The conversion tool will open.
Step 3. Click the button
Add… , then select the video you want.
Step 4. Click the button
Convert / Save to start the conversion process.
Step 5. Select "Audio - MP3" from the "Profile" drop-down menu
Step 6. Click the button
Browse , give the file a name, and then save it.
Make sure that the file is saved in a location where you can easily find it. Click the Start button to start the conversion.
Step 7. Wait for the conversion to complete
Basically, VLC will play back the video in its entirety, so the conversion process takes the same amount of time as the original video.
Part 3 of 3: Using Avidemux for Video Files
Step 1. Download and install the Avidemux video editor
Avidemux is a free, open-source video editor that can extract the audio portion of a video file and convert it to MP3. You can download Avidemux from fixounet.free.fr/avidemux/download.html.
- Avidemux is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. If you're not sure if your Windows is a 32-bit or 64-bit version, click here.
- There are various online conversion services available, but you'll need to upload the video file first in order to convert it, and the process will consume a lot of time and data. Avidemux can convert videos of any size into MP3 files quickly.
Step 2. Open the video file in Avidemux
Click the Open button at the top of the window, or click the "File" menu, then select "Open". Browse your computer to find the video file you want to convert to MP3.
If you want to convert a video playing on YouTube to MP3, first download the video onto your computer using the DownloadHelper extension available in Firefox, or use a website like keepvid.com. Once the video is downloaded, you can use Avidemux to separate the audio portion of the video. Click here for more information on how to download YouTube videos. In addition, there are many online conversion tools available, but usually the choice of quality conversion results available is limited
Step 3. Specify the start point and end point (optional)
If you only want one particular piece of audio, use the "A" and "B" keys to select the part you want.
- Move the slider to your desired starting point, then click the "A" button.
- Move the slider to the end point you want, then click the "B" button. This way, you'll select the section boundaries you want using a start point and an end point.
Step 4. Click the "Audio Output" or "Audio" drop-down menu
You can find the menu on the left side of the Avidemux interface.
Step 5. Select "MP3 (lame)" from the list of available encoders
The "lame" encoder allows you to convert the audio portion of your choice into an MP3 file.
Step 6. Click the button
Configure to adjust the MP3 encoder settings.
You can adjust some settings before saving the audio file.
- Bitrate mode - This option determines how audio data is stored. General users can leave this option in the "CBR" setting.
- Bitrate - This option determines the size and quality of the audio file. Set this option to a value of "192" or "224" for high-quality audio.
- Quality - This option also affects the final quality of the audio file. Choose a larger value for greater quality, but the file will have a larger size as well.
Step 7. Click the "Audio" menu, then select "Save audio"
Step 8. Provide a name for the file, then specify a storage location
Make sure that you include the.mp3 extension at the end of the file name. Avidemux will start processing the audio and convert it to a file.
Step 9. Listen to the resulting MP3 file
Once the conversion is complete, you can listen to the resulting file using anything that can play MP3s. If the file doesn't appear as an MP3 file, right-click on the file and select "Rename". Add the.mp3 extension to the end of the file name.
