This wikiHow teaches you how to use the “Noise Reduction” effect in Audacity to remove background noise from an audio file.
Step
Part 1 of 2: Importing Audio Files
Step 1. Open Audacity
The program icon resembles a pair of blue headphones with a red and orange sound wave in the middle.
- If you don't have Audacity installed, you can download it for Mac or PC from the official website:
- Since April 2017, Audacity has only had partial support for macOS Sierra. This means, you may experience glitches when running it on the Sierra operating system.
Step 2. Click File
It's in the top-left corner of the screen (Mac) or the top-left corner of the Audacity window (Windows).
Step 3. Hover over the Import option
It's in the bottom half of the drop-down menu File ”.
Step 4. Click Audio
It's the top option in the pop-out menu " Import " After that, the audio file selection window will be displayed.
Step 5. Select the desired audio file
If the file you want isn't on your desktop, you may need to browse through the folders shown on the left side of the window. Once you find the file you want to edit, click on the file to select it.
Step 6. Click Open
After that, the audio/music file will be opened in Audacity.
Importing files into Audacity may take a few minutes, depending on the size of the file
Part 2 of 2: Reducing Background Noise
Step 1. Mark the part of the audio track you want to edit
To do this, click and drag the mouse from one section point to another, then release the mouse button. This selected section will be marked with a dark gray block.
- To mark all sections, hold down Command (Mac) or Ctrl (Windows) and press the A key.
- It's a good idea to select an entire section of the audio track so that the sound output remains consistent after you've reduced background noise.
Step 2. Click the Effects tab
It's in the toolbar at the top of the screen (Mac) or Audacity window (Windows).
Step 3. Click Noise Reduction
It's in the bottom half of the drop-down menu Effect ”.
Step 4. Click Get Noise Profile
It's at the top of the pop-up window. This feature determines what elements are considered noise and elements that are not noise so you can filter out background noise while maintaining the integrity of the song or audio itself.
This feature works most effectively when you select a segment longer than three seconds
Step 5. Click the Effect tab again
You should now see some new options at the top of the drop-down menu.
Step 6. Click Repeat Noise Reduction
It's at the top of the menu. Once clicked, the noise profile created by Audacity will be applied to the selected segment or portion of the audio track so that some (or sometimes all) of the background noise can be removed.
If this procedure gives unwanted results, click the tab “ Edit ” at the top of the program window or screen, then click “ Undo " After that, try marking different sections or segments of the audio track.
Step 7. Save changes
To save it, click the tab " File, then click " Export Audio, and select " Save " Your audio file now has no clear background noise.
