Viewing Audio Track Waveforms
On an iMac, Quicktime lets you view the waveform of an audio or video track if you first click the Edit tab and select “Trim…”. You will then have the option to select “Show Audio Track” under the View menu bar.
Alternatively, many phone recording apps will allow you to view your audio waveforms directly. For example, on the iphone, you can use the “voice memos” app, record, and then click on the three dots to edit the recording. While in edit mode it is easy to zoom in and slide the track to find the times.
Another option is to use Audacity. Audacity is a free audio editing and viewing software which is available on most devices (MacOS, Windows, Linux).
Installation:
Follow this link. Naviagte to your device’s subpage and install the correct version following the installation instructions.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are trying to edit files ending in .M4A, which is the format iPhone and Android devices export voice memos as, you must install an additional package FFmpeg. Follow the link and instructions on the installation page to ensure you can work with this common file type if recording audio using a smartphone.
