3 Steps To Remove Background Noise In Audacity 2023

Audacity is one of the best applications to edit your audio without paying a cent. It helps you to cut,  copy, splice, and mix sounds. You can change the tempo, pitch, and speed of your audio. Audacity also lets you add different effects to your audio, such as echo, reverberation, normalization, and more. 

Besides all these features, Audacity is also great for removing background noise from your audio recording. This is one of the features that most people use it for. This article will show you how to remove background noise from your audio recording using Audacity.

3 Steps To Remove Background Noise In Audacity 2023

Background noise could be a headache in your voiceovers. But luckily, in Audacity, you can remove such unwanted background noises with just a few clicks. You can use the effect of noise removal and repair for this purpose. This effectively removes the low-pitched background distortion. 

Always avoid places with high background noises, like crowded cafes or bars. Even your room ceiling fan could be the reason for a humming sound in your voice recording. If you can’t avoid such places, try to record during the time when there is less background noise. For example, early morning or late at night.

But if you can’t do so, don’t be disappointed; Audacity has the solution for you. Let’s take a look at the step-by-step guide on how to remove background noise with Audacity. 

Step 1: Import or Record The Audio

Import the audio file to Audacity. You can do it by opening the “File” menu and then going to the “Import” section and selecting “Audio.”  You can also record the audio directly into Audacity. To do that, go to the “File” menu and select “New Audio Recording.”

You can also import more than one audio file into Audacity and edit them together. This helps to save time in editing and remove noise from two audio clips. 

Step 2: Select The Noise Area

To apply the effect, you must select the area with high-pitched noise. Listen to your audio carefully and where you feel the background noise, select the area. Use left-click and drag method to select the noise area on the timeline. 

You can also apply the effect on the whole audio by selecting the audio timeline by double-clicking. This method is easy and convenient. You don’t need to subsection your audio and waste time. The subsection audio technique also changes the pitch of those areas you have selected thus whole audio is disturbed.

Step 3: Apply the Effect

Once you have selected the area or the whole audio, it’s time to apply the noise removal and repair effect. Navigate to the “Effects” section on the file menu and then go to the “Noise Removal and Repair” section. Here you will find the “Noise Reduction” option; click on it.

You have to select the specific area of noise before opening this section. Once you are in the section, you will find three main sliders, one is “Noise reduction (dB),“ the second is “Sensitivity,” and the third is “Frequency smoothing (Bands).”

Slide down the “Noise reduction (dB)” from 12 to 9 and listen to your audio. If it’s not satisfactory, repeat the process until you get the desired results. You can also reduce the sensitivity to make high-pitched sounds lower. If you want to lower the noise frequency, lower the Frequency smoothing.

You don’t have to repeat the whole process again and again. Once you have selected the noise, you just have to select the next noise patch, go to the effects file, and select “Repeat Noise Reduction” or press CTRL+R.

Reduce Background Noise in Audacity using Amplify Method

Audio amplification is the method to make your audio louder by increasing the sound. You can use this method if the noise is low and not interfering with your main audio. This process also doesn’t change the quality of your sound. To do this,

• Go to the “Effects” menu and then to “Volume and Compression.”
• Here you will find the “Amplify” click open it.

• Now you have the Amplification (dB) settings, reduce the amplification and press preview.
• You will hear the audio, reduce the amplification till you get the desired results.

Best Microphone Settings To Avoid Background Noise in Audacity

Do you know what is the best practice, don’t let the noise disturbs your recording in Audacity. This can be done by setting up your microphone according to the best-recommended settings. What are the best-recommended settings for microphones to avoid noise? Here these settings are, 

• Go to the sound settings by right-clicking on the Sound icon on your taskbar and selecting “Sound” from the file. 
• Now go to the “Recording” section and select your microphone.
• Open the file by right-clicking on the microphone icon and selecting “Properties.”

• Once you are in microphone properties, go to the “Levels” section. 
• Here you will find two options with sliders under them, one is “Microphone,” and the other is “Microphone Boost.”

• Keep the Microphone level on 50 and the Microphone Boost at +10 dB. 

Note: Some microphones are not so sensitive to catch the noise. These settings may also affect the recording of your microphone. 

Tips To Reduce Background Noise While Recording

What could be the best if you don’t need to do all this hassle of removing the noise in Audacity? You can avoid background noise by following some tips while recording. 

Select Quite Place To Record: Whenever you are recording the voiceovers, always select a quiet place. This will reduce your time and effort in editing and repairing your audio track.

Record in The Night Time: If you want to be perfect in your audio, record at night. The night is the quietest period of your 24 cycles, especially when living in a crowded city. You won’t be disturbed by people, traffic ad animals.

Use Pop filter While Recording: Professionals always use pop filters to record high-quality audio. These filters help control the popping sounds like “P” and “T” The filter is placed in front of the microphone to absorb the extra air pressure. These pop filters are made of foam, one of the best materials to reduce background noise.

Use Good Quality Microphone: Quality shouldn’t be compromised for money.  Always try to use a good-quality microphone while recording. A good-quality microphone will help you record high-quality audio with less background noise.

Conclusion

Noise can be a huge distraction when you’re trying to record audio. In this article, we’ve provided tips on reducing background noise while recording and some best practices for avoiding noise altogether. By following these tips, you’ll be able to produce high-quality audio recordings without distracting background noise.