While you can not completely get rid of the noises from your sound recordings, it is possible to suppress them to some extent. From using the built-in noise cancellation settings on your device to using the audio accessories, you can easily reduce background noise.
How to Reduce Background Noise on Mic?
There are some proven techniques you can execute to reduce the background noise. But before you begin, you must take care of a few things. We recommend you record audio using an external mic, probably one that comes in the headphones. In-built audio recorders on laptops or mobiles do work but are not that good if you want your recording to sound crisp and clear. Here, we have explained a few workarounds to apply to reduce background noise on a microphone.
Check Surrounding For Disturbances
Reducing the background noise on your mic starts from the recording environment itself. If you don’t want any noise on your audio recordings, you should make sure there are no disturbing factors around you. The sound of vehicles, animals, and electrical appliances like TV, radio, and mixer grinder is mostly responsible for deteriorating your audio recording. If you have control over them, turn them off till you finish the recording. Meanwhile, if you have wired microphones, check if they run together with the electrical cables. Electrical interferences produce a magnetic field; the major reason noise is generated on your recording. Consider recording in an isolated environment with no electrical and magnetic interference.
Use Noise Cancellation Mic
Noise cancellation mics use two microphone elements that help suppress the noise from the sound source at a distance and prioritize the nearby sound source. With the help of one of the microphones, an anti-noise signal is generated that cancels the actual noise. If you can not find a quieter place for recording, a noise cancellation mic can assist you in a noise-free recording. Noise cancellation microphones are designed to focus only on the protagonists’ voices and ignore all the low-frequency noises in the background. However, you may have to invest few extra bucks, but it can yield the best out of your mic.
Get a Windjammer Mic
If you don’t have a noise cancellation mic, you can also use a windjammer (deadcat) with your ordinary microphone and suppress the noise. The dead cat on the microphone is basically a fake fur that looks like the fur of a cat and acts as a windscreen on your mic. Dead cat mics are generally used for recording in a windy place. It helps to remove the distorting sound effect that wind creates when you are recording. Not only this, but if you exhale too much air while speaking, it also helps for a crisp recording suppressing the breathing sound.
Get a Pop Filter
Another accessory you can use with your mic is the pop filter. Some mics have a built-in pop filter, while you need to install it separately on others. It suppresses the pops or puffs of air from your mouth that sound like a thud. So, if you think you need it, get one and make your audio sound better.
Use Third-party Applications
Many third-party applications over the Internet, like Equalizer APO and Audacity, help suppress the background noise on the mic. Prevention is better than cure, but if there is background noise in your recording and you have to suppress it, it would be best to use those apps. They have a mechanism that helps reduce the background noise using the in-app noise cancellation feature. Audacity uses a Fourier algorithm that works by identifying patterns and cycles of noise on the audio to reduce it. All you have to do is select the quiet segment of your audio recording where there is no sound of the central character. It then detects the background noise from the selected part and then suppresses it in the entire recording. You can refer to their manual and get more insights on how to use it.
Noise Cancellation on Windows
Some sound card manufacturers integrate an in-built functionality that helps you reduce the background noise in your audio recording on Windows computers. Not only noise reduction, some of them even provide echo cancellation features. You can check from your sound settings if you have the feature and enable them.
Noise Cancellation on Mac
If you use airpods to record audio on your Mac, it provides a built-in noise cancellation feature. It detects the noise from the outside environment and generates the anti-noise waveform. The inverted waveform cancels out the original noise waveform and helps cancel the noise. Follow the steps below to use the noise cancellation feature on your Mac:
Noise Cancellation on iPhone
As an iPhone user, you can easily suppress the noise on your recordings. Not only that, but the iPhone also has a noise cancellation feature when you are over a phone call. Here’s how to use noise cancellation on your phone calls: Likewise, follow the steps below to suppress noise on your voice recording application:
