How to crop recording from a voice recorder on Xiaomi: from standard tools to professional applications

Recordings from the recorder on Xiaomi smartphones often contain unnecessary pauses, noise or unnecessary fragments at the beginning / end. Cutting audio allows you to save only useful information, reduce file size and improve perception. In this article, we will analyze all the available methods – from built-in MIUI functions to third-party applications and online services – and give recommendations for choosing the best method depending on the task.

Xiaomi is a feature that regularly updates the standard Dictaphone app with new features. For example, the latest versions of MIUI 14/15 have the ability to directly trim without converting a file, which saves time. However, complex editing (overlaying music, noise cancellation) will still require third-party tools. We tested all methods on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+, Xiaomi 13T and POCO X5 Pro models – the instructions are universal for most devices of the brand.

1.Pruning through the standard Dictophone app

The fastest way is to use the built-in MIUI tools. The trimming function is available directly in the Dictaphone application (the microphone icon on the desktop) and does not require additional software installation.

To cut audio:

Open the Dictaphone application and find the desired entry in the list.
Slip it on the record to open it to the full screen.
In the lower right corner, click on the scissors icon (or "Edit" in older versions of MIUI).
Drag the blue markers on the timeline to highlight the desired snippet.
Click Save – the system will prompt you to replace the original or create a copy.

Limitations of the method:

🔹 No way to put on music or effects.
🔹 The accuracy of the pruning is up to 0.1 seconds (may not be enough for professional work).
🔹 In some versions MIUI below 12.5 no trimming function.

💡

If the sound quality has deteriorated after pruning, try saving the file in.m4a instead of.mp3 format – it saves bitrate better.

2.Editing through the Gallery (for recordings in video format)

If you have recorded audio through a screen recording (with the microphone on) or saved a voice note as a video, you can crop the file through a standard Gallery. This method is suitable for Xiaomi devices on MIUI 13+, where the video editor is built in.

Instructions:

Open the gallery and find the video with the audio track.
Slip on the file, then click Edit (pencil icon).
Select the Cut and drag markers on the timeline.
Click Save as a new file to avoid losing the original.

Important: When saving video clipped audio, Xiaomi defaults to convert the file to.mp4 format with a bitrate of 128 kbit / s. If you need to maintain the original sound quality, use third-party applications (see section 4).

📊 What audio format do you use most often?

MP3

M4A

WAV

FLAC

I don't know.

3. cropping through Files (for advanced users)

MIUI has a hidden audio editing feature through the Files app, which doesn't work on all models, but it can be useful if a standard voice recorder doesn't support cropping.

How to turn on the editor:

Open Files and find the audio file (usually in a folder) MIUI/sound_recorder).
Hold your finger on the file, then select Open with → Music.
In the player, click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Cut.

Advantages of the method:

🎵 Supports formats.mp3,.wav,.aac.
🎵 Allows you to listen to a fragment before saving.
🎵 Stores metadata (date of record, device).

What if the “Turn” option is inactive?

If the trimming button is gray, your Xiaomi model does not support this feature in the Files app. Alternatively, use Google Files (download to Play Market) or third-party audio editors. Also check if the file is blocked: sometimes records from the recorder get a read-only attribute (removed through Properties → Permissions).

Third-party precision trimming applications

If Xiaomi’s built-in tools don’t work, installing specialized software will solve the problem. We tested 5 popular apps and selected the best ones for MIUI devices:

Annex	Ratings.	Pluses	Cons
Lexis Audio Editor	4.8	.flac support, noise reduction, volume normalization	Advertising in the free version
MP3 Cutter	4.6	Simple interface, pruning to millisecond accuracy	No support for.wav
WaveEditor	4.5	Multi-track editing, effects	Difficult for beginners

Selection recommendations:

🎧 For simple pruning: MP3 Cutter or Ringdroid.
🎧 For professional editing: Lexis Audio Editor or WaveEditor.
🎧 To work with voice notes: Voice PRO (there is a transcription function).

Download the app from the Play Market|Provide access to files|Create a backup copy of the original|Check the audio format (some apps don't support.amr)-->

5. Online services for pruning without installation of software

If you don't want to download apps, use online editors, which work right in your browser, but require you to upload a file to a server, and we tested 3 reliable services that don't mess up the sound quality:

1. AudioTrimmer.com

🌐 Supports formats: mp3, wav, m4a, ogg.
🌐 Maximum file size: 50 MB.
🌐 There is a Fed-in/Fed-Out function (smooth start/end).

2. BearAudio.com

🌐 Pruning to 0.01 seconds.
🌐 Ability to change bitrate while saving.
🌐 Supports cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox).

3. Online-voice-recorder.com

🌐 Built-in dictaphone + editor.
🌐 Exports to mp3 wav.
🌐 Time limit: up to 2 hours.

💡

Online services are convenient for one-time cropping, but not suitable for confidential records (files are downloaded to other servers).

How to crop audio online:

Open a service in your browser (for example, AudioTrimmer).
Download a file from Xiaomi (or write a new one through the site’s microphone).
Drag the markers on the timeline.
Click Crop and download the result.

⚠️ Note: When uploading files to online services, avoid personal data records (passport data, card numbers.

6.Practising on PC with Audacity

For maximum control over audio, connect Xiaomi to your computer and use professional software. Audacity is a free editor with support for plugins, noise reduction and multitrack mixing. Suitable for processing lectures, interviews or music recordings.

Step-by-step:

Download Audacity and install it on PC.
Connect Xiaomi via USB (in file transfer mode) and copy the record to the folder on your computer.
Open the file in Audacity: File → Open.
Select the unnecessary fragment with the mouse and press Delete (or Ctrl+X).
For accurate trimming, use the highlighting tool (key F1).
Export the result: File → Export → Export to MP3.

Advantages of Audacity:

🎛️ Support for plugins (e.g. Noise Reduction).
🎛️ The ability to change the pace without changing the tone.
🎛️ Preserving projects for future editing.

Important: when exporting to MP3, choose a bitrate of at least 192 kbps to avoid quality loss. For voice recordings, the OGG Vorbis format with Quality = 6 settings is optimal.

7. Automation of pruning with Tasker (for advanced)

If you regularly need to crop records from one template (e.g., remove the first 5 seconds of silence), automate the process with Tasker.This app allows you to create scripts for Xiaomi based on MIUI.

Example of automatic pruning problem:

Install Tasker and AutoTools plugin.
Create a new task: + → Plugin → AutoTools → Dialogue.
In the settings, specify the path to the file and trimming parameters (for example, Start=5s, End=-2s).
Execute the shell with the command: am start -a android.intent.action.VIEW -d file:///storage/emulated/0/MIUI/sound_recorder/your_file.mp3 -t audio/*
Save the task and assign it to a shortcut or gesture.

Limitations:

⚙️ Demands a license. ADB certain functions.
⚙️ It is difficult to set up without knowing the basics of automation.
⚙️ Not all audio formats are supported by plugins.

⚠️ Note: When using Tasker to edit system folders (e.g, MIUI/sound_recorder) Make sure the application has rights to write, otherwise the files may get corrupted. → Annexes → Tasker → Rights.

FAQ: Frequent questions about audio cropping on Xiaomi

Can I cut it without converting it to another format?

Yes, in the latest versions of MIUI 14/15, the standard recorder retains the original format (.m4a or.mp3) when trimmed. Older versions use transcoding, which can slightly degrade the quality. To guarantee the preservation of the format, use the Lexis Audio Editor app with the Save as original option.

Why did the recording become quieter after the clipping?

This is due to the volume normalization that some editors use. To avoid a problem: In Audacity, turn off the Normalize option in your export settings. In online services, choose the WAV format over MP3. Use the WaveEditor application with manual volume settings.

How to cut a record longer than 1 hour?

Xiaomi’s standard voice recorder limits recording duration 1 You can cut long files by: via Audacity on PC (supports files of any length). 2 Split the recording into parts through FFmpeg (team: ffmpeg) -i input.mp3 -f segment -segment_time 1800 -c copy out%03d.mp3), Then cut each fragment separately.

Can a cut fragment be restored?

No, if you saved the changes to the original file. Always make a copy before cropping! Except that if you used Audacity and saved the project (.aup), then you can cancel the actions. In a standard Xiaomi recorder, the history of the changes is not kept.

Which app is best for cropping voice notes with noise?

For background noise recordings (street, wind) we recommend: Lexis Audio Editor - built-in Noise Reduction tool. Dolby On - automatically clears the voice of noise (available in Play Market). Audacity with Chris's Dynamic Compressor plugin for volume leveling. Apply noise cancellation before pruning, otherwise the artifacts will remain in the final file.