Free Online Stereo Audio Channel Splitter
Separate left and right channels into individual audio files.
LeftPeak —
RightPeak —
Load a file to split its channels. Each download is a mono 16-bit PCM WAV file at the original sample rate.
About the Stereo Audio Channel Splitter
A stereo recording contains two channels, usually intended for the left and right speakers. Sometimes those channels need to be handled separately: a producer may want to remove a vocal that sits slightly off-centre, sample only the left side of a vintage record, analyse the difference between microphones, or archive each channel as an independent mono file. This tool decodes an audio file in the browser, previews each channel on its own, displays the waveform, measures peak levels, and exports the left and right tracks as mono 16-bit WAV files. Nothing is uploaded to a server.
How the split works
When you load a file, the Web Audio API decodes it into a buffer containing one sample array per channel. For a stereo file there are two arrays; for a mono file there is one, and the tool uses it for both outputs with a note that the channels are identical. Previewing a channel copies its samples into a temporary mono buffer and plays that buffer through the default output. The two speakers therefore reproduce only the selected channel, which makes it easy to hear what is unique to each side. The waveform view draws both channels on separate lanes using the same time axis.
Peak levels and headroom
Peak level is the largest absolute sample value in a channel, expressed in decibels relative to full scale. A peak of 0 dBFS means the signal reaches the maximum code value; negative values indicate headroom below that ceiling. A file that peaks at −0.1 dBFS is close to clipping, while one that peaks at −12 dBFS has a comfortable margin. The tool reports peak values for both channels so you can spot an imbalance or a channel that was recorded much hotter than the other. It also computes the network's RMS level internally for the waveform scaling, but peak is the more useful indicator for avoiding distortion.
Export format
The downloads are mono 16-bit PCM WAV files. Each file contains a standard RIFF header followed by interleaved samples, but because there is only one channel the samples are simply sequential. The original sample rate is preserved, so a 48 kHz recording produces 48 kHz mono files. PCM is uncompressed, which makes the files larger than the source MP3 but avoids another generation of lossy encoding. Mono files are half the size of a stereo file with the same duration and bit depth. If you need both channels in one archive, the ZIP button packages the two WAV files together.
Practical uses
- Isolate the left or right side of a stereo recording for sampling or analysis.
- Check whether a vocal or instrument is panned to one side.
- Create mono backing tracks for rehearsal or broadcast.
- Compare the two microphones of a spaced pair or a mid-side recording.
- Extract a single channel from a file that has one silent or damaged side.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if I load a mono file?
A mono file has only one channel. The tool uses that channel for both the left and right previews and downloads, and displays a note explaining that the outputs are identical.
Does splitting reduce quality?
The WAV export is uncompressed and preserves the decoded samples exactly, but if the source was a lossy MP3 or AAC file, the decoded audio already contains the codec's losses. Re-encoding is avoided, so the split itself adds no further loss.
Why is the ZIP button disabled?
The ZIP feature requires the JSZip library from the CDN. If the library fails to load, the individual WAV buttons still work. Check your connection and reload the page to enable the archive option.