Ambient noise in recorded audio or video is unavoidable. You can not record every video or audio from a silent room. If you do, you will still discover a humming noise from your laptop, desktop, fan, air conditioning, etc. Instead of investing too much money and time in eliminating background noise, you can just eliminate the noise from the recorded audio. There has been much development in noise reduction algorithms. You can take advantage of such algorithms by using any of the apps mentioned in this article. Also, read on to discover more about audio noise so that you can create plans to produce crystal-clear audio for your content.
Noise in Audio
The residual low-level sounds in an audio recording are noise. These are distinctive sound waves other than your voice, musical instruments, or audio from gameplay. The default sound of your recording environment, those you can hear during a quiet section of your audio, is also noise. Noise can be static sound created by electrical interference of wires that plug your speakers and microphones into the computer or other recording devices. For sure, you will capture some level of noise during podcast recording, YouTube video recording, etc. But, when that noise distracts the audience or forces them to stop playing and look for other content, that is a problem. For example, consider you are recording a YouTube video in front of a teleprompter. To feed content to the teleprompter, someone is constantly typing. Your microphone can record the crackle of the keyboard if you do not use a separate recording room. Now, if you allow this in the final video, the audience will surely feel distracted.
How Does Noise Affect Recording and the Final Audio/Video?
The primary negative impact of noise on audio or video content is diverting the focus of the audience. Audio and slideshow-based videos must be free from noise. Because, in such content, the audience needs to focus on your commentary to understand the subject you are discussing. The visuals, if any, are not sufficient to understand the whole topic. Other major effects are:
Audio noise creates a question in the audience’s mind about the professionalism of your YouTube or podcast channel. If you are discussing audio products or concepts for content creation and the listeners hear noise, that is not good for your channel’s reputation. Some background noise can create major health issues like nausea, headache, hypertension, mental stress, etc. When you are teaching musical instruments through recorded audio or video, background noise can impact the learning capability of your content subscribers.
The negative effects of noise on recorded content are plenty. Some are obvious while some are not. But noise surely reduces your content views, likes, and subscriptions.
How to Reduce Ambient Noise Before Recording
Though advanced tools help you eliminate most of the background noise, it is good to reduce ambient sound during recording to get the best result. Here are some suggestions you must follow before recording:
Use a Cardioid Microphone
Post-processing of recorded audio to reduce noise is a time-taking process. Hence, you must use a microphone that reduces the noise during recording by not capturing the ambient audio. Cardioid microphones are good examples. These microphones are highly sensitive to sound to which you point the front of the mic. Additionally, these mics virtually reject all the sounds in its rear because of low input dB at the back.
Record the Voice in a Quiet Place
If your video allows you to record the voice later, do it from a quiet place. For podcasts, you can always do that from a quiet room since no one will see you. You may use heavy rugs, curtains, and wooden furniture to reduce room echo.
Record the Ambient Noise
Before giving your voiceover, record the ambient sound (room tone) of your room for 20 to 30 seconds. You can upload this file as an example for the post-processing software to remove background noise.
Use Minimum Gain
Set the microphone in the lowest possible gain or input dB. You will need to test the microphone multiple times in different dB inputs to find out the lowest scale you can use.
Reduce Mouth and Mic Distance
The mouth-to-mic distance should be six inches or less. This will enable a low gain to record a crystal clear sound of your voiceover.
Place the Microphone Away From the Ambient Sound
While using a unidirectional or cardioid mic, place its front away from the noise. The mic will nullify much of the noise.
Shut Down Some Room Appliances
Switch off appliances like air conditioning, heater, cooler, dehumidifier, fan, exhaust, etc.
How to Remove Noise After Recording
Once you have recorded your voiceover by following the above tips, the post-processing of the audio becomes super-easy. Post-processing is the editing workflow where you remove background noise from audio, remove fumbling from your recording, reduce fillers, etc. Many online and offline audio editing apps help you reduce or eliminate noise from an audio recording. Currently, most of these apps use artificial intelligence (AI) and neural networks to spot and delete noise from voiceover. The standard workflow is as follows:
You download and install the app or use its web app version. Upload a noise profile, the room tone that you recorded earlier. Set manual or automatic noise reduction settings. Automatic settings deliver fair results. Start the noise removal process.
Such apps usually remove constant background noise like whistles, hums, buzzes, hiss, whines, fan noise, etc. Irregular noise, like pops, clicks, traffic noise, etc., will require manual editing. To effortlessly remove background noise from audio yourself, try out the following online/standalone applications now:
VEED
Background noise can be annoying, but with the powerful online tool VEED, you can get rid of it in some quick clicks. Now, you do not have to spend on expensive high-end microphones for perfect recording. Its top features include:
Supports all major audio formats like MP3, WAV, M4A, and AAC A complete online tool that does not require a software download Removes audio background from video files like MP4, AVI, WMV, and MOV Capable of removing static, weather, traffic, and white fan noise
You can use it for song recording, podcasting, music mixing, and voiceover. Moreover, this tool can also add background music to your file.
Podcastle
Podcastle is an automatic noise cancellation tool that only needs one click to make your audio flawless. Any annoying noise such as static and chatter can be removed with this software. It comes with the following features:
AI noise cancellation for professional-grade clean, and crisp audio Easy-to-use software that needs minimum effort Automatically removes silent parts or pauses from the audio Add sound effects and music tracks to the audio file Intuitive editing dashboard for perfect audio
Whether you are a professional or amateur podcaster, you can use this tool to create, edit, and distribute your content. This collaborative solution supports MP3 and other popular file formats.
Audacity
Audacity’s audio editing package comes with a noise reduction feature. The tool delivers good results for background noise in an audio file that are constant—for example, humming noise from a desktop heat sink or tape hiss. The tool is not ideal for unpredictable ambient sounds like someone speaking in the background. You need to upload a noise profile on the Noise Reduction window. The software uses this profile to eliminate predictable background noise automatically. It is a standalone application and is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux PCs. The software publisher has also released a noise reduction manual.
Descript
Do you want to get studio-quality audio but do not have access to any studio? It is time to choose Descript. This software can remove all background and ambient noises that you do not need in your audio file. It offers you the following functionalities:
Uses AI to remove echo and noise of any amount Elevates the voice quality of the speaker Regenerative speech effect to rebuild voice after noise removal
Its online version only supports files less than 25 MB in size and 5 minutes in length. The downloaded version has no such restrictions.
Media
Do not let your music journey get hampered by irritating background noises. Use Media to get rid of all background interference. Here, you get these features:
Easy and fast interface with no learning curve Remove different noises like weather, traffic, static, wind, click, fan, etc. Flexible and customizable tool to adjust noise decibels Supports MP3, M4A, MP4, OGG, AU, MOV, VOB, MTS, and other major formats
This AI-powered application is suitable for editing songs, music mixes, vocals, audiobooks, podcasts, or voiceovers. It also lets you add high-quality music effects.
Audio Denoise
Audio Denoise is an AI-based background noise-removing web app based on cepstral and spectral audio noise reduction techniques. The web app is free for public use without any software warranties. You need to upload your audio file in the Input section. There are three preset configurations for noise reduction. You can choose one or change the noise reduction parameters yourself. This application will require multiple trials and errors before you can get a substantial result.
Runway
If you are a voice artist or editor looking for the easiest way to get rid of the background noise from an audio (or even video) file, Runway is here for you. With it, any distracting or unwanted noise from your footage can be cleaned during the post-production phase. This robust solution makes it easy for anyone to separate a voiceover for a perfectly crisp edit. Whether it is an airplane humming or any static noise, the tool can remove them with one click. Moreover, you can use it to give your audio a professional boost.
LALAL
LALAL is a tool that uses AI and modern noise-cancellation technology to clean any background music or noise. Using this software, one can extract clear voice from any audio and video file. One can even integrate this voice-cleaning algorithm into environments such as websites, applications, and online services. Thus, you can cancel all unwanted sounds and presents your listeners with a crystal clear voice. Besides, the application can help you get rid of any vocals, instruments (drums, guitar, piano, and others), and accompaniments. The tool is ideal for musicians, editors, streamers, journalists, and transcribers.
Kapwing
There will be at least some sort of background noise in your recording unless you are recording in a sound-proof studio. Kapwing can remove these unwanted background sounds and come up with clean audio. The Automatic Background Remover feature of this software offers audio intelligence. It not only lessens the severity of certain noises but also corrects loud noises and separates speech within the noise. Kapwing is an online tool that does not need you to download heavy applications or learn to manage heavy-duty editing tools. If you are a live streamer or podcaster who uses microphones like the Blue Snowball, the software can remove background noise in one click.
RX 10
Using RX 10, you can make your vocal sound loud and clear to the audience by getting rid of all the unwanted background noises. It is capable of removing unwanted humming sounds on the go without any need for analyzing the audio file. Its spectral de-noise feature can expel irritating tonal and broadband noise to turn any recording into a crystal clear one. This tool can also identify and remove digital impulse noises including clicks and pops for a pleasant listening experience. Furthermore, you can use also get rid of the sounds of rustle and wind from audio and video files with this solution.
Conclusion
Video and audio content creators focus so much on the content that they forget about basic content hygiene, like noiseless audio. Here, you can make a difference by removing unwanted sound artifacts from your content and getting more engagement than your competitors. You do not need to put much effort to remove background noise from audio if you use the above software. Some of these even come with artificial intelligence algorithms that automatically eliminate noise from an uploaded audio file. You may also be interested in learning about these outstanding apps that help you remove noise and echo during online meetings.
