Skip to main content

Audio Extraction Basics

Audio extraction is one of yt-dlp's most popular features, allowing you to download just the audio from video content. This guide covers the essential methods and options for extracting audio.

Basic Audio Extraction​

Extract Audio with Default Settings​

# Extract audio using default format (usually best available)
yt-dlp -x "https://example.com/video"

# Equivalent using long form
yt-dlp --extract-audio "https://example.com/video"

Specify Audio Format​

# Extract as MP3
yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 "https://example.com/video"

# Extract as AAC
yt-dlp -x --audio-format aac "https://example.com/video"

# Extract as FLAC for lossless quality
yt-dlp -x --audio-format flac "https://example.com/video"

Audio Quality Control​

Set Audio Quality​

# Best quality (0)
yt-dlp -x --audio-quality 0 "https://example.com/video"

# Balanced quality (5, default)
yt-dlp -x --audio-quality 5 "https://example.com/video"

# Smaller file size (9)
yt-dlp -x --audio-quality 9 "https://example.com/video"

# Specific bitrate
yt-dlp -x --audio-quality 128K "https://example.com/video"

Format-Specific Extraction​

# Use format selector for audio-only
yt-dlp -f 'ba[ext=m4a]' "https://example.com/video"

# Best audio format with specific codec
yt-dlp -f 'ba[acodec^=mp3]' "https://example.com/video"

Advanced Audio Options​

Multiple Audio Rules​

# Complex format remuxing rules
yt-dlp --remux-video "aac>m4a/mov>mp4/mkv" "https://example.com/video"

# Multiple audio format preferences
yt-dlp -x --audio-format "mp3/aac/best" "https://example.com/video"

Keep Original Video​

# Extract audio but keep original video file
yt-dlp -x --keep-video "https://example.com/video"

Supported Audio Formats​

Lossless Formats​

  • FLAC: Free Lossless Audio Codec
  • ALAC: Apple Lossless Audio Codec
  • WAV: Uncompressed audio

Lossy Formats​

  • MP3: Most compatible, widely supported
  • AAC: Good quality-to-size ratio
  • Opus: Modern, efficient codec
  • Vorbis: Open-source alternative
  • M4A: Apple's audio format

Post-Processing for Audio​

Embed Metadata​

# Add metadata to extracted audio
yt-dlp -x --embed-metadata "https://example.com/video"

# Add thumbnail as cover art
yt-dlp -x --embed-thumbnail "https://example.com/video"

Audio Processing Options​

# Custom ffmpeg arguments for audio
yt-dlp -x --postprocessor-args "ffmpeg:-af volume=0.5" "https://example.com/video"

Audio Extraction from Playlists​

Extract Audio from Entire Playlist​

# Extract all audio from playlist
yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 "https://example.com/playlist"

# With organized output
yt-dlp -x -o "%(uploader)s/%(playlist)s/%(title)s.%(ext)s" "https://example.com/playlist"

Performance Considerations​

Concurrent Downloads​

# Download multiple audio streams simultaneously
yt-dlp -x --concurrent-fragments 4 "https://example.com/video"

Rate Limiting​

# Limit download speed to avoid throttling
yt-dlp -x --limit-rate 1M "https://example.com/video"

Troubleshooting Audio Extraction​

Common Issues​

  • Missing ffmpeg: Audio extraction requires ffmpeg/ffprobe
  • Format unavailability: Some sites may not offer separate audio streams
  • Quality limitations: Source quality determines output quality

Solutions​

# Check available formats first
yt-dlp -F "https://example.com/video"

# Use fallback format selection
yt-dlp -f 'ba/b' -x "https://example.com/video"

# Verbose output for debugging
yt-dlp -x -v "https://example.com/video"