How to Fade Song Clips In and Out Without Abrupt Endings

A clip can be cut at exactly the right moment and still sound wrong, because the sound stops suddenly or starts with a click. Fades fix both. This guide explains why the problem happens, how long your fades should be, and how to add them for free in your browser.

Why cut audio clicks or sounds abrupt

Sound is a wave that moves up and down. If you cut it at a point where the wave isn't near zero, the speaker jumps instantly from that value to silence. You hear that jump as a click or pop.

Even without a click, ending inside a held note, a cymbal ring or a reverb tail sounds like someone switched the music off. Listeners notice that more than you might expect, especially when a short clip loops.

A fade gradually changes the volume between silence and full level, so there's no sudden jump.

Fade in vs fade out

• Fade in: volume rises from silence to full level at the start of the clip. Use it when the clip starts mid-sound or when you want a gentle entry.
• Fade out: volume falls to silence at the end. Use it when the clip ends inside a sustained sound, or when you want a soft finish rather than a hard stop.

How long should a fade be?

There's no single right answer, but these ranges are good starting points:

Situation · Suggested fade

Hide a click at a cut point · 0.05–0.2 seconds

Start that lands mid-note · 0.2–0.5 seconds

Short clip ending inside a sustained sound · 0.5–1.5 seconds

Musical "song is ending" feel · 2–5 seconds

Keep fades short on short clips. A 3-second fade in on a 15-second hook means the first fifth of your clip is quieter than the rest, which can weaken the start. Many hooks only need a tiny fade in to remove a click, plus a slightly longer fade out.

Smooth vs linear fades

Fades also have a shape:

• Linear changes volume by the same amount every moment. It can sound like the level drops quickly at first and then lingers.
• Smooth (an S-curve) eases in and out. It starts gently, moves faster in the middle, and settles gently. For most music, smooth sounds more natural.

The TrackPush Audio Trimmer offers both shapes. Try each on your clip and keep the one that sounds better.

How to add fades for free

1. Open the Audio Trimmer and choose your song. It opens in your browser and isn't uploaded.
2. Set the start and end points by dragging the handles or typing exact times.
3. Use the Fade in and Fade out sliders. The waveform shows the faded shape so you can see where the fades happen.
4. Pick smooth or linear.
5. Press Preview selection. The preview plays the exact faded audio you'll download.
6. Download as MP3 or WAV.

The trimmer keeps fade in and fade out from overlapping. If you shorten the selection, the fades shrink to fit.

Fades and looping clips

Short videos often loop. A long fade out followed by a fade in creates an obvious dip each time the clip restarts. For clips likely to loop:

• Use a very short fade in, just enough to remove the click
• End on a strong beat with a short fade out
• Preview the clip a few times in a row to hear how the loop feels

When fades aren't enough

If the clip still sounds wrong, the problem may be the cut point rather than the fade. Try moving the end to just after a phrase finishes, or the start to just before a drum hit. On the waveform, quieter gaps between phrases are often the cleanest places to cut.

Use the clip in a video

Once your clip sounds clean, it's ready for promo content. You can choose and trim a hook for short-form videos, or bring the clip into TrackPush to create lyric videos and themed vertical videos. Start free.