In most cases, audio recordings need post-editing and cleanup to sound clear and professional. There are several reasonssuch as background noise, uneven volume, or a muffled voice. If you’re planning to use your audio for playback or to voice a video, especially on a public platform, audio processing is essential.
Let’s walk you through a quick and effective way to clean up audio, with a focus on enhancing speech. Even if your goal goes beyond voice recordings, this method will help improve the overall sound quality of any file. For the best results, use reliable headphones while editing because speakers may mask issues like low-end rumble or subtle noise.
Record your voice using an audio editor, or import an existing file. For testing, you can read a short poem with expression. When you’re done recording, leave about 10 seconds of clean background sound (no clicks or movement). This will be useful later for noise filtering.
Noise in audio recordings such as a subtle hiss, a persistent hum, or random clicks affects the clarity of your music, podcast, or voiceover.
Noise comes in different forms:
Constant noise is easier to remove because it’s consistent. You might hear this as the steady hum of an air conditioner or the buzz of electrical equipment.
Irregular noise is trickier to eliminate since it’s sporadic and often overlaps with the main audio. This type of noise includes keyboard taps, door slams, or mic bumps.
The best-case scenario is having a short section where only the noise is present, for example, a silent pause before someone starts speaking. This makes it much easier for your audio editing program to identify and remove unwanted sounds.
Most noise reduction tools follow the same basic process:
Create the noise profile
You select a sample of “pure” noise (no speech or music) so the software knows what to target.
Apply the reduction:
The editor then scans the entire track and removes frequencies that match the noise profile.
Fine-tune the settings
Too much noise reduction can make voices sound robotic or introduce weird artifacts, so moderation is key.
A good starting point is a light reduction (6–12 dB) and then adjust it from here. If the noise is still noticeable, a second gentle pass is better than one aggressive one.
The Equalizer helps you shape the tonal balance of your voice. You can manually adjust frequency bands by moving sliders up to brighten or down to dull the sound. If you’re unsure, try built-in presets if there are any. After making changes, use the Preview button to check the result. A well-equalized voice sounds fuller and more natural.
The Compressor reduces the dynamic range of your audio, making quiet parts louder and loud parts quieter. Usually, it works together with the Noise Gate to keep your volume consistent and background noise under control.
Key settings include:
It is the level (in dB) above which compression starts. A lower threshold increases compression. Set it based on the quietest part of your recording.
Ratio shows how much the sound is reduced once it passes the threshold. For speech, a ratio between 2:1 and 4:1is usually ideal.
Attack determines how fast the compressor responds. Use 10–40 ms to keep vocals natural.
Release is the opposite of attack. It controls how long the compressor continues to apply gain reduction after the sound falls below the threshold. A setting around 100–150 ms works well for speech.
Be careful not to over-compress your audio, otherwise it can sound flat and lifeless. Aim to preserve the natural dynamics and character of the voice.
To avoid distortion and control sudden volume peaks, apply a Limiter. It caps the highest volume levels while keeping the rest of the audio intact.
Recommended settings:
Adding a subtle Reverb effect can make your voice sound more natural and full, especially in dry or overly clean recordings. Use it sparingly to add space and depth without making the voice sound distant or echoey.
Normalization brings your audio to a consistent overall volume without changing its dynamics. It raises quieter parts to match louder ones, ensuring balanced output. You’ll find it under Amplitude Effects. By default, it’s set to 0 dB, but using -1 dB or -0.5 dB is safer to avoid clipping. Apply normalization at the end of your editing process, once everything else is done.
Once you’ve finished fine-tuning your audio, it’s time to save your work. Export your recording(s) in popular formats such as MP3, WAV, FLAC, and others, depending on your needs. Before saving, always check your final result to make sure everything sounds just right. This helps catch any over-processing or unwanted changes early.
Here are three great options for polishing your audio, ranging from free to premium:
Perfect for beginners, with essential noise removal, EQ, and compression tools.
A user-friendly Windows editor with noise reduction, voice enhancement, and batch processing.
Professional software with spectral editing and advanced restoration features.
Whether you need a free starter tool or a professional-grade editor, there’s an option here for every need and budget.
Cleaning up audio requires both technical skill and a careful ear. The key is to remove distractions like noise and uneven volume while keeping the recording natural and dynamic. Always listen critically, test your edits on different speakers or headphones, and fix issues when possible, for example, improving mic placement or recording in a quieter space. With the steps described above, you can turn a raw voice recording into polished, professional-sounding audio even if you have no editing experience.
Give AVS Audio Editor a try and start cleaning up your recordings with ease.
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