# Reference Audio

> Bring audio into a workflow from a YouTube video, an uploaded file or a direct link. Reference Audio extracts the sound track and lets you preview it first.

Source: https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/audio/reference-audio

The **Reference Audio** node brings audio into a workflow from one of three sources: a YouTube video, an uploaded file or a direct link. For a YouTube video, the node extracts the sound track for you, and a player on the node lets you check the audio before you run anything else.

- Found in: Audio › Add Your Own
- Output: audio
- API type: `reference-audio`

## When to use it
- You want the audio of a YouTube video, for example a song for reference or a talk to transcribe.
- You want to transcribe narration, or get word-level timings with [Forced Alignment](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/audio/forced-alignment).
- You want source audio for a voice workflow, such as [Voice Changer](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/audio/voice-changer) or [Dubbing](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/audio/dubbing).

## Quick start
### Add the node

Press Tab on the canvas and choose **Audio › Add Your Own › Reference Audio**.

### Choose the source

Open the settings panel and set **Source** to **YouTube**, **Upload File** or **Direct URL**.

### Get the audio

For YouTube, paste the link into **YouTube URL** and click **Extract Audio**. For a file, choose it under **Audio File**. For a link, paste it into **Audio URL** and click **Set URL**.

### Check it and wire it

When the audio is ready, a player appears. Listen to it, then drag from the **Audio** output to the next node.

Workflow: The audio of a YouTube talk is transcribed, and the transcript is summarized.

- Reference Audio → Transcribe (audio)
- Transcribe → Prompt (prompt)

## Output
Reference Audio is a starting node: it needs nothing wired into it. The output, **Audio**, is the URL of the extracted, uploaded or linked audio.

## Settings
| Setting | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| **Source** | Where the audio comes from: **YouTube** (the default), **Upload File** or **Direct URL**. |
| **YouTube URL** | The link of the video to extract audio from. Click **Extract Audio** to fetch the video's details and extract its sound track. |
| **Audio File** | The file to upload, when Source is **Upload File**. Accepts MP3, WAV, M4A, AAC and FLAC. |
| **Audio URL** | A direct link to an audio file, when Source is **Direct URL**. Click **Set URL** to use it. |

## What happens when you extract from YouTube

1. Nodaro fetches the video's details first, so you can confirm that the link points at the right video.
2. The node extracts the audio track. The status moves from ready to extracting to complete, or to failed.
3. A player appears on the node when the extraction is complete.

A YouTube extraction also records the length of the audio on the node. [Edit Plan](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/video/edit-plan) uses that length for its cost estimate when this node is its main source. Without a recorded length, Edit Plan estimates at its largest length bucket, 180 minutes. Uploads and direct links do not record a length.

## Tips
- **Listen before you run.** The player is the quickest way to confirm that you extracted the right video.
- **Upload WAV for quality.** When file size does not matter, WAV gives the next node the cleanest sound.
- **For other video sites, use Video URL.** The [Video URL](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/automate/video-url) node downloads video or audio from YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook or X.

## Troubleshooting
**The YouTube extraction failed.** Check the link and click **Extract Audio** again. If it keeps failing, set **Source** to **Direct URL** and use another link to the same audio.

## Frequently asked questions

### How do I get the audio of a YouTube video into a workflow?

Add a Reference Audio node, keep Source on YouTube, paste the video link and click Extract Audio. When the extraction is complete, a player appears on the node and the audio is ready for the next node.

### What is the difference between Reference Audio and Upload Audio?

Reference Audio can extract audio from a YouTube link, and it also takes an uploaded file or a direct link. Upload Audio takes a file or a link, and lets you trim or convert the file before it uploads.

### What can I do when YouTube extraction fails?

Check that the link opens the right video, and try again. If it still fails, switch Source to Direct URL and use another link to the same audio.

### Which file formats does Reference Audio accept?

With Source set to Upload File, you can upload MP3, WAV, M4A, AAC and FLAC files. WAV keeps the highest quality.