Remove background noise

Scenario

You recorded speech on a phone/laptop mic. The content is good, but there’s steady noise (HVAC, laptop fan, distant traffic).

Goal

Reduce noise without making the voice sound robotic, underwater, or overly dull.

Inputs

  • Audio file (or extracted audio track from video)
  • A short “noise-only” segment if available (silence with background noise)

Steps

  1. Identify the noise type
    • Steady hum/hiss is ideal for denoising.
  2. Run a conservative denoise pass
    • Start low; it’s better to leave a little noise than introduce artifacts.
  3. Listen for artifacts
    • Warble, chirping, muffled consonants, pumping.
  4. Adjust and re-run
    • Increase reduction only if the voice stays natural.
  5. Check intelligibility
    • Ensure key consonants (t/k/s/f) remain crisp.
  6. Export
    • Use a speech-appropriate bitrate/format.

Output expectations

  • Lower noise floor
  • Clearer speech and less listener fatigue
  • Minimal processing artifacts

Common pitfalls

  • Over-denoising: creates “underwater” voices.
  • Reverb: echo isn’t the same as noise; results may be limited.
  • Clipping: denoise can’t fix distorted audio—avoid clipped sources when possible.

When not to use

  • You need full audio mastering/mixing work.
  • The recording is extremely low quality; re-recording may be faster.

Related pages