MTS to MP3 Converter

How to Convert MTS to MP3 Online

1. Upload Your MTS File: Drag and drop or click "Add Files" to select MTS or M2TS files straight off your AVCHD camcorder's SD card or BDMV/STREAM folder. Sony Handycam, Canon Vixia/Legria, Panasonic HC-series, and JVC Everio footage all work. Batch is supported — convert an entire shoot in one pass.
2. Pick MP3 Bitrate Mode: Default is the Quality Preset dropdown (Highest through Lowest). Switch to Constant Bitrate for predictable file size (32-320 kbps presets — pick 128 kbps for casual listening, 192 kbps for balanced quality, 256-320 kbps for near-lossless), or Variable Bitrate for smarter bit allocation at the same average size (ranges from 45-85 kbps up to 320-510 kbps). Custom Bitrate accepts any kbps value, and File Size Percentage / Specific File Size let you target a final MB or KB number.
3. Set Sample Rate, Channels, and Trim (Optional): Pick a sample rate (8 kHz up to 48 kHz — match the source's 48 kHz to skip resampling), choose Original, Mono, or Stereo channels, and optionally trim a section using start time + duration in seconds or HH:MM:SS.sss format. Useful for pulling a single take out of a long camcorder clip.
4. Convert and Download: Click Convert. The H.264 video track is discarded, the AC-3 audio is decoded and re-encoded as MP3, and you download individually or as a ZIP — no sign-up, no watermark.

Why Convert MTS to MP3?

MTS (and its M2TS sibling) is the AVCHD container Sony, Canon, Panasonic, and JVC camcorders write to SD cards and internal storage. The video inside is H.264; the audio is almost always Dolby AC-3 at 48 kHz, two-channel or 5.1-channel. MP3 is the universal compressed audio format — every car stereo, smart speaker, phone, and DAW handles it natively. Common reasons to extract MTS audio as MP3:

• Wedding, recital, and event audio extraction — Pull the spoken vows, the speeches, or the music performance out of a 4-8 GB camcorder clip and end up with a 30-60 MB MP3 you can share over email, Google Drive, or WhatsApp without hitting attachment limits.
• Interview and dialogue archives — Camcorder interview footage extracted to MP3 feeds straight into transcription pipelines (Otter.ai, Whisper, Descript) and is small enough to store thousands of hours of source material on a phone or single SD card.
• In-car and portable listening — A 1-hour HD camcorder lecture or sermon shrinks from 4-6 GB to a 30-50 MB MP3 that any car stereo, Bluetooth headphone, or vintage MP3 player can play directly off a USB stick.
• Podcast and YouTube audio bed extraction — Strip the audio out of camcorder b-roll for remixing in Audacity, Reaper, or Logic Pro. MP3 imports cleanly everywhere, unlike AC-3 inside MTS which several editors refuse to decode.
• Storage savings without losing the audio — When you only need the audio, dropping the H.264 video track plus re-encoding the AC-3 as MP3 typically reduces a 4 GB MTS to a 30 MB file — a roughly 99% size reduction.
• Surround-to-stereo downmix for everyday devices — Many AVCHD clips carry 5.1-channel AC-3 audio. MP3 supports up to stereo, so the encoder downmixes the rear and center channels into a clean two-channel mix that plays correctly on phones, headphones, and ordinary speakers.

If you need the audio uncompressed for editing instead, see MTS to WAV. To keep the video and just change containers, see MTS to MP4.

MTS vs MP3 — Format Comparison

MP3 Bitrate Quick Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this extract just the audio from the MTS?

Yes. The H.264 video track is discarded and only the audio is saved as MP3. The output is audio-only — there is no video in an MP3. If you also need the video in a different container, see MTS to MP4 for video conversion.

What audio codec is inside an MTS file?

AVCHD camcorders almost always record Dolby AC-3 (Dolby Digital) at 48 kHz, in stereo or 5.1-channel. Some higher-end models can also record uncompressed PCM. The conversion decodes whichever is present and re-encodes it as MP3.

Will 5.1 surround audio be preserved?

No — MP3 supports mono or stereo only. The original 5.1 channels are downmixed to a standard two-channel stereo MP3 (front L/R with center and surround folded in at standard levels). If you need to keep all six channels separate, convert to a multichannel-capable format like AC-3 or FLAC instead.

What bitrate should I pick for camcorder audio?

For dialogue-heavy footage (interviews, speeches, lectures) 128 kbps stereo or 96 kbps mono is plenty. For music performances or wedding recordings where the music matters, pick 192-256 kbps stereo. For an archival master or critical listening, use 320 kbps. Variable Bitrate (VBR) at the 192-220 kbps range gives the same average size with smarter bit allocation when the source has both quiet and loud passages.

Why is the MP3 so much smaller than the MTS?

The MTS file is mostly video — the H.264 stream typically accounts for 95-98% of the bytes. The audio inside is a small fraction (a few hundred kbps of AC-3). When you discard the video and re-encode the audio as MP3, the total result is dramatically smaller: a 4 GB MTS clip typically becomes a 30-60 MB MP3.

Will converting from AC-3 to MP3 make the audio worse?

You're stacking two lossy compressions (AC-3 → MP3), so there is some quality loss compared to the original microphone signal. At 256-320 kbps MP3 the loss is inaudible to most listeners. At 128 kbps you may notice subtle softening on cymbals, reverb tails, and high-frequency detail. If you want a clean intermediate for editing, convert to MTS to WAV instead — uncompressed PCM with no further loss.

Can I trim part of an MTS and save just that section as MP3?

Yes. Use the trim section to enter a start time and duration. Both accept seconds (12.5) or HH:MM:SS.sss format (00:01:30.500). Useful for pulling one wedding speech out of a multi-hour reception clip, extracting a single song from a recital, or cutting an interview answer out of a long camcorder shoot.

What sample rate should I pick?

Match the source. AVCHD audio is recorded at 48 kHz, so picking 48 kHz avoids resampling. 44.1 kHz is the audio CD / general music standard and works fine. Lower rates (16 or 22 kHz mono) save more space but should only be used for speech-only delivery — they will noticeably dull music or applause.

Can I batch convert multiple MTS files?

Yes. Drop in multiple.mts or.m2ts files at once and each converts in parallel withon our servers. Output downloads as individual MP3s or as a single ZIP — useful for converting an entire camcorder SD card of clips in one pass.