Once you have prepared your clean audio file using the steps above, ensure you are following the correct workflow within Avidemux to prevent further glitches:
You are trying to load a MP3 file into a project where Audio Output is set to "AAC" . Avidemux tries to copy the MP3 as AAC, which is impossible. Alternatively, you load a FLAC file when Audio Output is set to "Copy" while outputting to an MP4 container (which doesn’t support FLAC).
If you do not want to use command-line utilities, you can use a free audio editor like Audacity. Converting the source file to an uncompressed, metadata-free PCM .wav profile will bypass the file verification check in Avidemux.
| Output Container | Supported Audio Codecs (for direct copy) | | :--- | :--- | | | AAC, MP3 (limited), AC-3, PCM | | MKV (.mkv) | Almost everything (MP3, AAC, FLAC, Opus, DTS) | | AVI (.avi) | MP3, PCM, AC-3 (AAC is very problematic in AVI) |
While not a direct cause of the error, large audio files or those whose length doesn't match the video can cause instability or issues during the final save process. One developer noted that the maximum audio probe size is 1 MiB, and ID3v2 tags can occupy up to 256 MiB. It is always easily possible to make detection fail with such a large tag at the head of the file. The best workflow is to ensure your raw audio file is the same length as your video before you even try to add it in Avidemux. While you can add an audio track of any length, mismatched lengths can lead to unpredictable results in the final exported video.
This means when you try to load an audio-only file like an MP4 or M4A, Avidemux's demuxer gets confused because it's looking for a video component that simply isn't there, leading directly to the "Cannot use that file as audio track" error.
To resolve the error in Avidemux , you must provide the software with a raw, uncompressed, or correctly muxed stream because Avidemux cannot invoke demuxers for external tracks enclosed in standard containers like .m4a , .mp4 , or .ogg .
Avidemux works best with Constant Bitrate (CBR) audio. VBR files can cause muxing errors.
If you are trying to use a FLAC or Opus file as an external track, you must change your output format to MKV . MP4 does not support FLAC natively.
Avidemux will accept:
Avidemux works reliably with:
If Avidemux rejects your file, the most reliable fix is converting it to a standard format: Open the audio file in File > Export > Export as WAV WAV (Microsoft) signed 16-bit PCM In Avidemux, go to Audio > Select Track , check the "Enabled" box, click the dropdown, and select Add audio track to point to your new WAV file. 3. Update Avidemux
Ensure the video is opened first, then select the audio track.
Avidemux is a beloved tool in the video editing world for one simple reason: it’s fast, free, and perfect for cutting, filtering, and re-encoding video without the bloat of professional suites like Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve. However, its simplicity has a downside. When something goes wrong, the error messages can be cryptic, unhelpful, and infuriating.
file can confuse Avidemux's probe. Removing the first several thousand bytes or cleaning the metadata can allow the file to be accepted. OGG/Vorbis Files
ffmpeg -i input.m4a -c:a copy -bsf:a aac_adtstoasc output.aac Use code with caution. Import this new output.aac file directly into Avidemux. For Truncating MP3 Metadata Headers:
Once you have prepared your clean audio file using the steps above, ensure you are following the correct workflow within Avidemux to prevent further glitches:
You are trying to load a MP3 file into a project where Audio Output is set to "AAC" . Avidemux tries to copy the MP3 as AAC, which is impossible. Alternatively, you load a FLAC file when Audio Output is set to "Copy" while outputting to an MP4 container (which doesn’t support FLAC).
If you do not want to use command-line utilities, you can use a free audio editor like Audacity. Converting the source file to an uncompressed, metadata-free PCM .wav profile will bypass the file verification check in Avidemux.
| Output Container | Supported Audio Codecs (for direct copy) | | :--- | :--- | | | AAC, MP3 (limited), AC-3, PCM | | MKV (.mkv) | Almost everything (MP3, AAC, FLAC, Opus, DTS) | | AVI (.avi) | MP3, PCM, AC-3 (AAC is very problematic in AVI) |
While not a direct cause of the error, large audio files or those whose length doesn't match the video can cause instability or issues during the final save process. One developer noted that the maximum audio probe size is 1 MiB, and ID3v2 tags can occupy up to 256 MiB. It is always easily possible to make detection fail with such a large tag at the head of the file. The best workflow is to ensure your raw audio file is the same length as your video before you even try to add it in Avidemux. While you can add an audio track of any length, mismatched lengths can lead to unpredictable results in the final exported video. avidemux+cannot+use+that+file+as+audio+track
This means when you try to load an audio-only file like an MP4 or M4A, Avidemux's demuxer gets confused because it's looking for a video component that simply isn't there, leading directly to the "Cannot use that file as audio track" error.
To resolve the error in Avidemux , you must provide the software with a raw, uncompressed, or correctly muxed stream because Avidemux cannot invoke demuxers for external tracks enclosed in standard containers like .m4a , .mp4 , or .ogg .
Avidemux works best with Constant Bitrate (CBR) audio. VBR files can cause muxing errors.
If you are trying to use a FLAC or Opus file as an external track, you must change your output format to MKV . MP4 does not support FLAC natively. Once you have prepared your clean audio file
Avidemux will accept:
Avidemux works reliably with:
If Avidemux rejects your file, the most reliable fix is converting it to a standard format: Open the audio file in File > Export > Export as WAV WAV (Microsoft) signed 16-bit PCM In Avidemux, go to Audio > Select Track , check the "Enabled" box, click the dropdown, and select Add audio track to point to your new WAV file. 3. Update Avidemux
Ensure the video is opened first, then select the audio track. If you do not want to use command-line
Avidemux is a beloved tool in the video editing world for one simple reason: it’s fast, free, and perfect for cutting, filtering, and re-encoding video without the bloat of professional suites like Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve. However, its simplicity has a downside. When something goes wrong, the error messages can be cryptic, unhelpful, and infuriating.
file can confuse Avidemux's probe. Removing the first several thousand bytes or cleaning the metadata can allow the file to be accepted. OGG/Vorbis Files
ffmpeg -i input.m4a -c:a copy -bsf:a aac_adtstoasc output.aac Use code with caution. Import this new output.aac file directly into Avidemux. For Truncating MP3 Metadata Headers: