Cut AIFC

How to Cut AIFC Files Online

1. Upload Your AIFC File: Drag and drop your .aifc file (or .aiff / .aif if a tool exported AIFF-C with the legacy extension), or click "+ Add Files" to browse. Files stay in the browser session — nothing is sent to a server until you start processing. Batch uploads work for trimming a folder of voicemail or QuickTime captures in one pass.
2. Set Start Time and Duration: Enter the start point in HH:MM:SS.mmm, then either an end time or a duration. Millisecond input is supported, which at 22.05 kHz ima4 ADPCM (a common AIFC sample rate) lands within ~22 samples of the requested edge.
3. Pick Output Format and Quality (Optional): Keep AIFC to preserve the original compression type (sowt, ulaw, alaw, ima4, MAC3, MAC6) bit-for-bit, or switch the Output Format to AIFF, WAV, FLAC, MP3, ALAC, or Opus. Under File Compression pick a Quality Preset (Highest to Lowest) or a Constant Bitrate, then tune Audio Sample Rate (8 kHz to 48 kHz preset) and Audio Channel (Mono / Stereo).
4. Cut and Download: Click "Cut" and the trimmed file downloads when processing finishes. No watermark, no sign-up, no per-file size or count gate.

Why Cut AIFC Files?

AIFF-C (file extension .aifc, FORM type AIFC) was published by Apple Computer in 1991 as a backward-compatible extension to the original 1988 AIFF specification, adding a mandatory FVER chunk and a compression-type field in the COMM chunk so the same container could carry codecs beyond raw big-endian PCM. The original Matt Deatherage spec defined five compression types (NONE, ACE2, ACE8, MAC3, MAC6); QuickTime later registered many more (sowt, ulaw, alaw, ima4, fl32, fl64, QDM2, and others). The practical consequence: an AIFC file may be uncompressed (most macOS exports use sowt, which is little-endian PCM and lossless), telephony-grade µ-law/A-law, ADPCM voice, or a legacy MACE codec — and a "Cut AIFC" page has to work for any of them.

• Trim QuickTime audio exports — QuickTime Player on macOS writes AIFC by default when you "Export As… Audio Only" from a .mov. A browser cut shortens the export without round-tripping through a DAW.
• Edit voicemail and telephony captures — VoIP recorders, legacy PBX systems, and macOS Messages voice memos often store µ-law or A-law inside AIFC. Cut the dead air on either side without rewriting the codec.
• Shorten old Mac sound assets — System sounds, HyperCard stacks, and pre-OS X games used MACE 3:1 or 6:1 inside AIFC. Trim a clip for re-use without first re-encoding to PCM.
• Prep ADPCM game assets — ima4 ADPCM was used in older iOS game audio bundles. Trim a single sound effect from a longer asset before importing into a Unity or Unreal project.
• Cut Logic / Final Cut bounces saved as AIFC — Logic Pro can bounce as AIFF-C sowt; Final Cut Pro accepts AIFC on import. A quick browser trim removes the count-in or tail noise before sending a stem to a collaborator.
• Repair the head of a take — Drop the chair squeak, mic bump, or "are we rolling?" off the start of an AIFC capture without launching the original recording app.

If you need to escape the AIFC container entirely after trimming, AIFC to WAV, AIFC to MP3, AIFC to FLAC, or AIFC to AIFF all run as a single conversion pass. For a general-purpose multi-format editor see Audio Cutter, and for fade-only edits without a hard cut see Trim AIFC.

AIFC vs AIFF vs WAV — Container Comparison

Property	AIFC (AIFF-C)	AIFF (standard)	WAV
Published	1991 (Apple)	1988 (Apple, based on EA IFF)	1991 (Microsoft + IBM, based on RIFF)
FORM type ID	AIFC	AIFF	WAVE
Compression	Optional (codec set in COMM chunk)	None — raw PCM only	None by default; supports compressed codecs via WAVEFORMATEX
Default byte order	Codec-dependent (sowt = LE, NONE = BE)	Big-endian PCM	Little-endian PCM
Required chunks	FORM, FVER, COMM, SSND	FORM, COMM, SSND (no FVER)	RIFF, fmt, data
Codecs you'll see in the wild	sowt, NONE, ulaw, alaw, ima4, MAC3, MAC6, fl32, QDM2	n/a (always PCM)	PCM, ADPCM, GSM 6.10, A-law, µ-law, MP3
Native macOS support	Yes (QuickTime / AVFoundation)	Yes (Logic, Final Cut, GarageBand)	Yes
Native Windows support	Limited — depends on codec; PCM sowt plays in VLC and foobar2000	Partial (Windows Media Player often mishandles big-endian PCM)	Yes (universal)
Max file size	4 GB (32-bit chunk size)	4 GB (32-bit chunk size)	4 GB (RF64 extension lifts cap)

AIFC Compression Types — What You Might Be Cutting

FourCC	Codec	Lossy?	Size vs PCM	Typical source
NONE	Big-endian PCM (classic AIFF behaviour)	No	1×	Cross-platform AIFC masters
sowt	Little-endian PCM ("twos" reversed)	No	1×	macOS / iTunes default AIFF-C export
fl32 / fl64	32-bit / 64-bit float PCM	No	2× / 4×	DAW intermediate renders
ulaw	G.711 µ-law (8-bit log PCM)	Yes	~0.5× of 16-bit PCM	North American / Japanese telephony, voicemail
alaw	G.711 A-law (8-bit log PCM)	Yes	~0.5× of 16-bit PCM	European / international telephony
ima4	IMA ADPCM 4:1	Yes	~0.25×	Older iOS game audio, HyperCard, voice memos
MAC3	MACE 3:1	Yes	~0.33×	Classic Mac OS system sounds, multimedia CDs
MAC6	MACE 6:1	Yes	~0.17×	Lower-bitrate Classic Mac OS audio
QDM2	QDesign Music 2	Yes	~0.05–0.1×	QuickTime 4-era streaming music

If the FourCC is NONE or sowt, a cut is sample-accurate and bit-identical. For the lossy codecs the cut still happens losslessly within the codec when you keep the output as AIFC with the same compression type — re-encoding only kicks in if you switch the output format.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between AIFC and AIFF?

AIFF is the original 1988 Audio Interchange File Format; its FORM type is AIFF and the audio data is always uncompressed big-endian PCM. AIFC (AIFF-C) is the 1991 extension; its FORM type is AIFC, it requires an extra FVER chunk, and the COMM chunk includes a compression-type field that names the codec (NONE, sowt, ulaw, alaw, ima4, etc.). An AIFC file with compressionType = NONE is byte-identical to AIFF audio data — the difference is purely in the container envelope. Most macOS-generated .aifc files use sowt, which is little-endian PCM and still lossless.

My file is .aiff but my tool says it is AIFF-C — how is that possible?

The .aifc extension is the spec-preferred suffix, but the 1991 standard explicitly allows AIFF-C files to ship with .aiff or .aif as well. Apple's own export pipeline does this: when iTunes / Music exports "AIFF" it actually writes an AIFF-C file with the sowt codec inside, often keeping the .aiff extension for compatibility. To check, open the file in a hex viewer — the first 12 bytes will show FORM + size + AIFC for AIFF-C, or FORM + size + AIFF for plain AIFF.

Will cutting an AIFC file reduce audio quality?

When the source codec is lossless (NONE, sowt, fl32, fl64) and you keep the output as AIFC with the same compression type, the trimmed samples are bit-identical to the source — no quality loss at all. When the source is a lossy codec (ulaw, alaw, ima4, MAC3, MAC6, QDM2), the cut itself is non-destructive within the codec, so quality only changes if you re-encode to a different format on the output step. Switching output to WAV PCM, AIFF, or FLAC always preserves whatever fidelity the source codec captured.

How precise is the trim — is it sample-accurate?

The trim input accepts hours, minutes, seconds, and milliseconds, so 00:00:03.275 lands within one millisecond of the requested edge. At 44.1 kHz that is ±44 samples, at 22.05 kHz ±22 samples (typical for ima4 AIFCs), and at 8 kHz telephony rates ±~8 samples. For frame-locked picture-editorial work (where the edit needs to land on an exact video frame), do the final round in your NLE; for almost every other use case millisecond input is sufficient.

Can the cutter read AIFC files with the MACE or QDM2 codec?

AIFC files using sowt, NONE, ulaw, alaw, and ima4 are read and trimmed reliably. MACE 3:1 / MACE 6:1 and QDM2 are legacy codecs whose decoders were removed from macOS after Catalina (10.15, 2019) and from QuickTime years earlier. If a MACE or QDM2 file refuses to load, decode it to PCM AIFC or WAV first using an older Mac or a tool like SoX (sox input.aifc -e signed -b 16 output.wav), then re-upload the PCM version for cutting.

Why does my cut AIFC play in QuickTime but not in Windows Media Player?

Windows Media Player historically supports AIFF and AIFC only when the codec is one Windows already knows about — PCM (NONE / sowt), µ-law, or A-law. If the file uses ima4, MAC3, or MAC6, WMP will report an unsupported format. VLC and foobar2000 read all common AIFC codecs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. If you need the trimmed file to play in WMP, re-export it on the output step as WAV or AIFF PCM and Windows will treat it as a native lossless file.

What is the maximum AIFC file size — is it the same 4 GB cap as AIFF?

Yes. AIFF and AIFC both store chunk sizes as unsigned 32-bit integers, capping a single chunk at 2^32 − 1 bytes (~4.29 GB). For 16-bit / 44.1 kHz stereo PCM that is roughly 6 hours 45 minutes of continuous audio; for ima4 ADPCM at the same rate it stretches to about a day. For longer recordings, switch the output to RF64 / Wave64 WAV via AIFC to WAV — both lift the 4 GB cap by using 64-bit size fields.

Will trimming preserve the loop points and Apple Loops metadata?

Descriptive text metadata (NAME, AUTH, ANNO, copyright chunks) is carried over when the output stays as AIFC or AIFF. Loop point chunks (INST, MARK) reference absolute sample offsets in the original file; after a cut those offsets no longer point at the same musical positions, so the editor re-anchors them where possible and drops them when the original anchor was trimmed away. If the Apple Loops loop points are critical, re-tag the trimmed clip in Logic's Loop Browser after export.

Is the file uploaded to your server?

The cut runs in the browser session and the file is not retained beyond what processing requires — there are no public download URLs, no account is needed, and there are no watermarks. For a multi-format trimmer that handles AIFC alongside MP3, M4A, WAV, FLAC, OGG, and dozens of others in the same queue, see Audio Cutter; for cutting the lossless AIFF source rather than the AIFC variant, see Cut AIFF.