Fix distorted audio
Crackly, clipped or crunchy on the loud parts? fix.fm finds the flattened peaks and repairs them. Free, in your browser, nothing uploaded.
Never uploaded. Everything runs in your browser.
What's happening
Distorted audio crackles or crunches on the loud parts. It usually means the recording was too hot: the voice got louder than the mic or recorder could take, so the tops of the sound wave were cut off flat. That's called clipping, and you hear it as a harsh, fuzzy edge on laughs, shouts and hard consonants.
fix.fm looks for runs of samples stuck at the same peak level, which is what a clipped wave looks like up close, and counts how much of the recording is affected. Even 0.05% is enough to hear on a clean voice. Past 1.5%, the distortion is on almost every loud word.
How it works here
- 01
Finds the flat tops
It looks for the loud moments where the wave hit the ceiling and got cut off flat.
- 02
Redraws the peaks
It rebuilds each flattened peak from the shape of the sound just before and after, then brings the whole file down so the new peaks fit.
- 03
Stays on your computer
Your file is never uploaded. The repair runs in this browser tab.
Questions
Can distorted audio really be fixed?
Light to medium clipping, yes, often very well. When only the very tops were cut off, there's enough of the wave left to redraw them. When a recording was pushed so hard that most of each word is flat, some crunch will stay.
Is my audio uploaded anywhere?
No. The file is read and repaired inside this browser tab. It never leaves your computer.
Why is the fixed version quieter?
The rebuilt peaks are taller than the ceiling that cut them, so the whole file comes down a little to make room. If it ends up too quiet, pick the "too quiet" fix as well and it will bring the voice back up safely.
Does it work on an MP3 that was clipped?
Yes. Saving as MP3 or AAC smooths the flat tops into small ripples, so fix.fm looks for the pile of loud samples at the old ceiling instead and rebuilds from just under it. If you still have the original WAV, use that: it keeps more of the shape to work from.
Does it work on distorted music or a blown speaker sound?
It's built for clipping, the flat tops you get from recording too loud. It's tuned on voices. Distortion from a damaged speaker, a cheap mic or an effect pedal is a different kind of damage and won't be undone.
How do I stop audio clipping next time?
Turn the input gain down until your loudest laugh peaks around -6 dB on the meter. A little quiet is easy to fix. Clipped is much harder.