If you want to remove background noise from audio you have two options. The most common method is to remove it after you’ve made the recording – in post-production. However, you can save time by removing background noise during your recording using an app called Krisp.
Krisp.ai is the best app for removing background noise from audio while recording or streaming. Krisp is available for Windows and Mac and has a free tier to its pricing which allows 2 hours of noise reduction per week. To remove background noise from pre-recorded audio, I use Audacity.
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Krisp and Audacity can both be used for free and work on Windows and Mac. In this article, we’ll look at how to use them to remove background noise from audio.
How to remove background noise while recording, streaming, and video calling.
Krisp works by removing background noise from your microphone as you speak, regardless of which app you are using. As a result, you can use Krisp to record directly to your computer and in live environments such as when on video calls and when streaming on platforms such as YouTube and Twitch. Although its primary use is for use with online video calling apps, such as Zoom, Team and Google Meets.
How to install Krisp.ai
To start using Krisp, browse to Krisp.ai and click on Get Krisp for Free.
You’ll be asked to provide an email address and you’ll receive a verification code. Enter your verification code, run through a few marketing questions, and then download the app for either Windows or Mac. The install process is very standard.
Once installed, Krisp adds an icon to the system tray in Windows, or the menu bar if you’re on a Mac. Clicking on the Krisp icon and choosing Get Started will sign you into your Krisp account and present Krisp’s settings.
Krisp will automatically apply noise reduction to your computer’s default microphone. If you have more than one microphone installed on your computer, you can choose which of your microphones to use with Krisp by clicking on the drop-down menu.
You also have the option to enable Krisp on your speakers to enhance the audio you listen to. This is useful in video calls where someone other than you is creating a lot of background noise. Just remember to disable it after the call so you’re not applying noise reduction to your Spotify tunes!
That’s all the setup that is required to start using Krisp. It will automatically start each time you start your computer but, if you prefer it didn’t, you can disable this option in Settings.
How to remove background noise in Microsoft Teams.
Having installed Krisp using the instructions above, to start using Krisp in Microsoft Teams, open the Audio settings in your Teams meeting. In the drop-down menu, under your microphone options, should be the option to select Krisp.
Make sure Krisp’s noise reduction is enabled by clicking on the Krisp icon in the system tray on Windows, or in the menu bar on Mac. Krisp will reduce or remove any background noise picked up by your microphone as you talk. You can also apply noise reduction when listening to others on the call by enabling Krisp on your speakers. Enable the option in your Krisp settings before selecting Krisp as your speakers in your Microsoft Teams settings.
It’s worth noting that Microsoft Teams has excellent background noise cancellation built into Teams, so you may not need to use Krisp at all. To enable noise suppression in Microsoft Teams, open up the Audio settings in your meeting and switch Noise Suppression from Auto to High.
How to remove background noise in Zoom.
To remove background noise in a Zoom call, click on the arrow to the right of the microphone icon in the bottom, left corner of your Zoom meeting window, and choose Krisp as the microphone. Alternatively, if you have the Zoom app installed, you can set Krisp as the default microphone for all calls by opening Settings, clicking on Audio in the menu, and choosing Krisp from the microphone list.
Alternatively, if you have the Zoom app installed, you can set Krisp as the default microphone for all calls by opening Settings, clicking on Audio in the menu, and choosing Krisp from the microphone list.
However, similar to Microsoft Teams, Zoom includes its own built-in audio suppression, so you may find Krisp unnecessary.
How to remove background noise in Google Meets.
To remove background noise from a Google Meets session click on the ellipsis icon in the bottom right corner of the meeting window and choose Settings. In the Audio settings choose Krisp as the Microphone. Krisp will automatically block background noise as you talk.
How to remove background noise from an audio recording.
As well as removing background noise in video calls, Krisp also works when recording directly to a computer using apps such as OBS and Audacity, making it ideal for Podcasters and YouTubers.
To remove background noise from an audio recording, install Krisp as described above, then open your recording application. In your audio input settings, set the microphone to be Krisp. In Audacity, you can choose the microphone setting from the main menu.
In OBS, open Settings, and in Audio Settings set, “microphone/auxillary” to Krisp.
How to remove background noise from an audio file.
To remove background noise from an audio file I’ve already created, I use Audacity. Like Krisp, Audacity is available for both Windows and Mac and can be downloaded for free from audacityteam.org.
Open your audio file in Audacity by clicking on File > Open and navigate to your audio file or, even easier, simply drag your audio file onto the workspace. In order to remove background noise from our audio track, we must first capture a sample of the noise. To do this highlight an area where you are not speaking and zoom into the timeline. Make sure to capture the area that will give an accurate reflection of just the background noise you wish to remove.
If it helps you can enlarge the waveform by increasing the size of the track. Once you are happy with your selection, click on Effect from the menu and choose Noise Reduction.
We first need to create a noise profile based on our selection so to do this click the button.
Now that we have our Noise profile we can apply it to the whole track. Click on Select to highlight everything. You can zoom out to check that the whole track is indeed selected and then go back into the Noise Reduction menu option and apply the reduction by clicking ok. You will see the noise reduction being applied and, if we zoom back into the track you’ll see that the waveform is now significantly flatter where no one is speaking.
To export our new, clearer audio track click on File and Export. I prefer to export to WAV, – I’ll give the file a name and change the format to 24-bit.
Final Thoughts.
Whilst there is a tonne of free noise reduction apps available online, my recommendations for removing background noise from both pre-recorded audio files and audio you record live are Krisp.ai and Audacity. If you want to save time in your recording workflow by reducing background noise as you record, rather than after the fact, I highly recommend giving Krisp.ai a try.
