NEW · FFmpeg.wasm · 100% Browser-Based

Audio Fade In/Out

Add fade-in and fade-out to audio with adjustable duration and curve shape — linear, logarithmic, or exponential. FFmpeg.wasm runs locally. No upload, no signup, no watermark.

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Drop an audio file
MP3 · WAV · AAC · OGG · FLAC · M4A
Files stay on your device · Never uploaded

Related Tools on UDT

Audio Trimmer →
Trim audio frame-accurately with a visual waveform display.
Audio Normalizer →
EBU R128 loudness normalization to broadcast standards.
Audio Merger →
Concatenate audio files with optional crossfade.
All Audio Tools →
Browse the full Audio Suite — 7+ tools, all in-browser.

Why Do This in Your Browser?

Adding a fade is the single most ubiquitous audio edit and somehow still requires opening a DAW for most people. The math is trivial — multiply samples by a ramp curve — and yet the workflow's friction is real: download a DAW, import the file, draw the fade envelope, render. For a 3-second fade-in on a podcast intro, the friction is the whole job.

FFmpeg's `afade` filter applies any of 17 fade curve shapes in a single pass. The browser tool exposes the four that matter most: linear (constant slope), exponential (slow start, fast end), logarithmic (fast start, slow end), and quarter-sine (smooth-sounding default). The fade applies to the input and exports in seconds.

How It Works

Drop an audio file. The tool displays the waveform with two fade-zone overlays: one at the start (fade-in), one at the end (fade-out). Adjust each independently — duration (0–30 seconds) and curve shape (linear / log / exponential / quarter-sine). Enable only one or both. Preview the result instantly (Web Audio scrub) before final export.

On export, FFmpeg.wasm applies the chosen curves via `afade=t=in:start_time=0:duration=N:curve=X,afade=t=out:start_time=T:duration=N:curve=X` and writes the output. Source format is preserved by default; you can override to a different format if you want format conversion in the same pass.

Tip: For trimming the audio before adding fades, use the Audio Trimmer first — fades sound better on cleanly-cut edges. After fading, run a final loudness pass with the Audio Normalizer for distribution-ready output. For pitch correction on the faded clip (e.g., transposing a music intro to a different key), the Audio Pitch Shifter shifts up to ±12 semitones without changing duration.

Common Use Cases

Podcast Intro/Outro Music
Fade in the theme music at the start of an episode; fade it out at the close. The simplest professional polish.
Audiobook Chapter Transitions
Add a 1–2 second fade to the start and end of each chapter for smoother chapter-to-chapter playback.
Voice-Over Soft Starts
Quick 200ms fade-in eliminates the click that recording starts can produce.
Music Looping Setup
Fade out a song's tail to make it loop cleanly back to the start without a hard cut.
Sound Effect Tail Smoothing
Hard-cut sound effects can sound abrupt; a short fade-out smooths the tail.
Ringtone Preparation
Custom ringtones sound jarring without fades; a 200ms fade-in/out makes them sound polished.

How We Compare

Honest read on free, paid, and self-hosted options for this kind of job:

UDT Audio Fade (this tool): Free, browser-based, FFmpeg.wasm afade filter. Four curve shapes, separate in/out controls, live preview. No upload, no watermark, no signup.
mp3cut.net (fade option): Cloud-based; uploads required; free tier with limits/ads.
Audacity (desktop): Free, full audio editor with curve-by-curve envelope drawing. This browser tool is the focused alternative.
GarageBand (Mac): Free on Mac; full DAW.
Adobe Audition: Creative Cloud $20+/mo; powerful fade tools.
FFmpeg CLI: Free, command-line; same engine as this tool. This is FFmpeg with a UI.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this audio fade tool really free?+
Yes — completely free, no watermark, no time limits, no signup. The site is supported by ads elsewhere; the tool is unrestricted.
What's the difference between the four curve shapes?+
Linear is a constant slope — equal volume increase per millisecond. Logarithmic is fast at first, slow at the end — useful for fades that should reach max early. Exponential is slow at first, fast at the end — the smoothest-sounding fade-in for most listeners. Quarter-sine is in between exponential and linear — a balanced default. For most podcast and music work, quarter-sine sounds the most natural.
Are my audio files uploaded anywhere?+
No. FFmpeg.wasm runs entirely in your browser. The 32MB engine downloads once and caches; after that, the tool works fully offline.
Can I apply only a fade-in (or only a fade-out)?+
Yes — enable each independently. Setting fade duration to 0 disables that fade entirely.
What's a good fade duration?+
Depends on content. For music intros/outros, 1–3 seconds sounds natural. For voice content, 200–500ms is enough to smooth edges. For sound effects, 50–100ms eliminates clicks. Default is 1 second.
What's the maximum file size?+
Limited by browser memory. Most laptops handle 1–2GB audio files comfortably; phones cap around 500MB.
Can I add a fade somewhere in the middle of a file (a 'dip')?+
Not in the current version — the tool applies fades only at the start and end. For mid-file volume automation, an audio editor like Audacity is the right pick.
What's the underlying engine and license?+
FFmpeg.wasm v0.12.x with @ffmpeg/core v0.12.6 (afade filter built in). FFmpeg itself is LGPL-licensed; the wasm wrapper is MIT.