How to use the command shnsplit (with examples)

Shnsplit is a command-line tool that can split audio files according to a .cue file. It is a part of the shntool package and supports a variety of audio formats. In this article, we will explore various use cases of the shnsplit command.

Use case 1: Split a .wav + .cue file into multiple files

Code:

shnsplit -f path/to/file.cue path/to/file.wav

Motivation:

This use case is useful when you have a large audio file in the WAV format and a .cue file that contains information about the tracks in the audio file. By using the shnsplit command, you can split the audio file into individual tracks based on the information in the .cue file.

Explanation:

• -f path/to/file.cue: Specifies the path to the .cue file that contains the track information.
• path/to/file.wav: Specifies the path to the audio file that needs to be split.

Example output:

When executing the command shnsplit -f path/to/file.cue path/to/file.wav, shnsplit will analyze the .cue file and split the audio file into multiple files based on the track information. The output will be individual audio files for each track.

Use case 2: Show supported formats

Code:

shnsplit -a

Motivation:

This use case is handy when you want to check the supported audio formats by the shnsplit command. By running this command, you can get a list of audio formats that can be used as an argument in the -o option for output files.

Explanation:

• -a: Displays the supported formats by the shnsplit command.

Example output:

Executing the command shnsplit -a will show a list of supported audio formats by the shnsplit command, such as WAV, FLAC, MP3, OGG, etc.

Use case 3: Split a .flac file into multiple files

Code:

shnsplit -f path/to/file.cue -o flac path/to/file.flac

Motivation:

This use case is useful when you have a large audio file in the FLAC format and a corresponding .cue file. By using the shnsplit command with the -o flac option, you can split the FLAC file into individual tracks based on the information in the .cue file.

Explanation:

• -f path/to/file.cue: Specifies the path to the .cue file that contains the track information.
• -o flac: Specifies the output audio format as FLAC.
• path/to/file.flac: Specifies the path to the FLAC audio file that needs to be split.

Example output:

Executing the command shnsplit -f path/to/file.cue -o flac path/to/file.flac will analyze the .cue file and split the FLAC audio file into multiple individual tracks in FLAC format.

Use case 4: Split a .wav file into files of the form “track-number - album - title”

Code:

shnsplit -f path/to/file.cue path/to/file.wav -t "%n - %a - %t"

Motivation:

This use case is helpful when you want to personalize the output file names and organize them in a specific format. By using the -t option, you can provide a format string to specify the desired output file name format.

Explanation:

• -f path/to/file.cue: Specifies the path to the .cue file that contains the track information.
• path/to/file.wav: Specifies the path to the audio file that needs to be split.
• -t "%n - %a - %t": Specifies the format string for the output file names. %n represents the track number, %a represents the album name, and %t represents the track title.

Example output:

When executing the command shnsplit -f path/to/file.cue path/to/file.wav -t "%n - %a - %t", shnsplit will split the audio file into multiple tracks and rename the output files according to the provided format string. For example, the output file may be named “01 - Album Name - Track Title.flac” for the first track.

Conclusion:

The shnsplit command is a powerful tool for splitting audio files according to .cue files. It supports various audio formats and provides options for customization, such as output file formats and output file name formats. By using the shnsplit command, you can conveniently divide your audio files into individual tracks based on track information provided in .cue files.