How to Remove Background Noise From Video & Audio | Tutorial

Background noise is by no means permanent. With easy-to-use noise removal tools like Riverside’s, cleaning your audio is easier than ever. This article walks you through how to prevent background noise in the first place and how to remove it from your audio or video if you need to. 

TL;DR

• Background noise comes in many forms. It can be a buzz, murmur, hiss or high-pitched sound.
• Minimizing the risk of background noise before and during your recording is essential. 
• Make sure to record in a quiet environment, using the right tools, and taking as many precautions as possible. 
• Riverside has a background noise removal tool that works during your recording. You can also remove background noise in the built-in editor. 

What is background noise in videos? 

Let’s start by defining what ‘background noise’ is in videos. Background noise refers to any unwanted ambient sounds in your video recording's audio. For example, this could be a buzzing, a hum, or a high-pitched sound. 

Different types of background noise

Believe it or not, background noise actually falls into different categories: 

• Broadband noise/wideband noise is background noise that occurs across a wide range of frequencies 
• Narrowband noise is the opposite of broadband noise, occurring over a limited range of frequencies. 
• Impulse noise covers noises that sound like pops and crackles. Pops occur from plosive sounds such as ‘p’s in speech, whilst crackles usually come down to electrical equipment. 
• Irregular noise is background noise that is location specific. This could be weather-related or something like your fan or AC unit. 

Can you remove background noise from a video?

Don’t worry, though. It’s possible and easy to remove background noise from your videos, as long as you use the right tools. Some platforms offer AI-powered background noise remover features, while others allow you to do it manually. 

How to Remove Background Noise from Videos & Audio Recordings: The Basics

Minimize background noise during recording

The very first step to removing background noise from your recordings is to implement best practices during recording. This means: 

• Optimizing your mic placement
• Using a noise-cancelling mic 
• Trying to record, wherever possible, in quiet environments.
• Identifying potential sources of background noise (like your noisy AC) and turning these off!
• Using the right type of mic and investing in a mic stand and pop filter
• Adjusting your gain levels to ensure you’re not going overboard and distorting your audio 

Depending on your recording software, you may also have access to a background noise remover that works actively as you’re recording. This should work to minimize your workload during post-production. 

Identifying background noise

The first step to eliminating background noise from your recording is to identify it. When you’re listening back to your recording, note down any noises that you want to get rid of. These could be present throughout the recording or occur at certain moments. 

Basic Noise Removal Techniques

Noise Gates 

Noise gates work by setting certain frequency limits or thresholds. These ‘gates’ block any sounds that fall below your set frequency minimum. This works to mute any irrelevant background noise automatically. You can toggle the amount that your noise gate affects the volume of any audio below the threshold. This is called the noise gate ‘ratio’. 

Reverb & echo removal 

Reverb removal is all about eliminating what are known as ‘audio tails’ and echoes. These commonly happen in audio tracks when you’ve recorded in a large and open space. These audio tails and echoes can muddy the quality of your audio, so reverb removal tools help you to neutralize their impact. 

EQ

The EQ or Equalizer gives you the ability to control the volumes of different frequencies. This means you can very easily minimize the volume of your background noise by identifying the frequency it sits at. 

How to remove background noise from audio and video with automated tools

Removing background noise doesn’t require expert knowledge or know-how. In fact, a lot of platforms nowadays make your life super easy with automated background noise removal tools. Let’s take a look at some of the best ones out there: 

Riverside background noise remover

Compatibility: Riverside is browser-based so you can use it from any computer. There’s also a mobile app for recording on the go. 

Price:

Riverside has four pricing tiers to match every budget: 

• Free 
• Standard - $15/month 
• Pro - $24/month 
• Business - Get in touch for information on pricing 

Riverside is a browser-based remote recording platform that helps you to achieve super high-quality audio and video recordings. You’ll find a whole range of tools that help you to achieve professional results easily. And Riverside covers everything from recording, transcribing, and editing. In terms of optimizing your audio quality, Riverside records each participant locally. This means it records everyone on their own device rather than over the internet. So weak wifi doesn’t impact the quality of your recording. It also offers a dedicated background noise removal tool: 

How to remove background noise with Riverside

You can enable background noise removal during your recording. This filter applies to both your live studio audio and each participant’s recording. 

To enable this feature, head to the bottom of your screen in your Riverside Studio. Click People > Recording Overview > and toggle Remove Background Noise on. 

You can also remove background noise in post-production. You can do this when you export your Clip from the Editor by clicking on Export Options > Remove Background Noise > Export. 

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 Adobe Audition and Premiere Pro

Compatibility: MacOS & Windows 

Price:

For access to just Audition or just Premiere Pro alone, it costs $20.99 per month. If you want access to both Adobe Premiere Pro and Audition, then you can get the Creative Cloud All Apps subscription for $54.99 per month.  

Adobe Premiere Pro and Audition are part of the Adobe Creative Cloud Suite. Audition is a professional DAW, specifically for recording, editing, and working with audio. Premiere Pro is for creators looking to work with video. Both tools integrate seamlessly and include several precision audio clean-up tools, including background removal. 

How to remove background noise with Adobe Audition: 

If you’re dealing with a hissing background noise in your audio, here’s what you need to do. Open your audio file in Audition and head to Effects > Noise Reduction / Restoration > Hiss Reduction. Next, sample your hiss audio and ‘Capture Noise Floor’ in the dialog box. Click ‘Output Hiss Only’ to isolate the hissing noise and then use the slider controls to minimize their volume. 

You’ll find the automated background removal tool in the same place under Effects > Noise Reduction/Restoration> Noise Reduction. From here, select the hiss sample and ‘capture noise print’, then use the sliders to toggle the amount you’re minimizing the background noise volume. 

How to remove background noise with Adobe Premiere Pro: 

Removing background noise in Premiere Pro is simple, head to Window > Effects > Audio Effects > Noise Reduction/Restoration > DeNoise. You can then play around with the amount the background noise is reduced by heading to Effect Controls and toggling the Reduction knob. 

In the essential sounds panel, you can categorize your audio into four different categories: dialogue, music, sound effects and ambiance. Use the Repair Panel to play with the Reduce Noise and DeNoise tools. You’ll also find a Reduce Reverb tool there that lets you adjust the amount of Reverb in your audio. 

Audacity 

Compatibility: MacOS, Windows, GNU/Linux

Price:

Audacity is free to use. 

Audacity is an open-source audio platform that lets you record and edit your audio. It’s a well-loved platform, and if you know how to use it, you can achieve great results. Audacity is especially unique because it is open source, meaning you can customize the platform using plug-ins. 

How to remove background noise with Audacity 

Head to Effect > Noise Removal and Repair > Noise Reduction. From here, you’ll need to tell Audacity what noise it is that you want to filter out. Click ‘Get Noise Profile’ and select the region of your audio waveform where the background noise occurs. You can then toggle the amount of noise reduction you want. 

Podcastle

Compatibility: Podcastle is browser-based

Price: 

There are three Podcastle pricing tiers: 

• Basic - $0
• Storyteller - $11.99/month 
• Pro - $23.99/month 

Podcastle is an audio and video recording platform for podcasters. It aims to support creators along every step of the podcast creation journey. You can record and edit your content all in one place. 

How to remove background noise with Podcastle 

Podcastle’s background removal tool is called ‘Magic Dust’. All you need to do is head to Podcastle’s Audio Editor after you finish recording, then click on ‘Magic Dust’ at the bottom of the page. This will automatically remove any background noise from your recording. 

Dos and don’ts of removing background noise

Removing background noise isn’t an exact science. It takes a delicate balance of practice, the right tools, and patience. Here are some key dos and don’ts for when it comes to removing background noise: 

• Don’t sacrifice the integrity of your recording. When you’re focussing on removing background noise from your recording, you can end up doing more damage than good to your overall audio. Try and achieve a balance. 
• Don’t stress too much. Ideally, your audio recordings would be completely background noise free. But at the end of the day, sometimes background noise is impossible to completely eliminate. Focus instead on optimizing the quality of your content in other ways. 
• Do use the right tools. The right background noise removal tools and features are key to making your life as easy as it should be. You should definitely not be spending too much of your time trying to eliminate background noise from your recordings. 
• Do mitigate against background noise during your recording. At the end of the day, background noise removal tools can only do so much. Take all the precautions possible to minimize background noise before and during your recording session. 

FAQs on How to Remove Background Noise From Video and Audio

How do I remove unwanted background noise from a video?

Use Riverside’s background noise removal tools during and after your recording. Together, these should eliminate all background noise from your audio. 

Is there an app to remove background noise from a video?

You don’t need to add another app to your recording and editing workflow. Simply use Riverside’s native background noise removal tools as part of your existing content creation process. 

How do I remove background noise from a video for free?

You can use Riverside for free and make the most of its background noise removal tools as you’re recording and in the in-built editor.