How To Remove Background Noise In Audacity (3 Steps)?

Quality audio is crucial to podcast success. Having an interesting podcast guest, interesting content, or an effective podcast marketing plan will not help if the audio is of bad quality, and the audience cannot distinctly hear your words.

Moreover, background noises like the sound of the computer fan, the sound of air conditioning, and traffic need to be blocked.  

The echo in the room will result in the audience losing trust in the podcast or podcasts performing poorly on networks like Apple Podcasts for Creators, Pandora, or Google Podcasts.

In the meanwhile, the good news is that you do not have to invest in expensive software or a professional audio studio to eliminate common issues of noise.

There is an excellent Noise Reduction tool available on Audacity, which is an absolutely free audio editing software.

However, this tutorial will teach you how to use:

• Methods of reducing background noise before recording
• 3 steps to get rid of background noise in Audacity
• Tips for optimizing your audio for Podcast platforms
• Clean Audio and Its Importance in Analytics, Advertising, and Distribution

Regardless of whether you’re creating content for a Pandora podcast upload, enhancing optimization for Apple Podcast Analytics.

Consequently, developing a professional podcast website, the following guide is created to ensure a professional-sounding outcome is achieved.

How To Prevent Background Noise?

Noise reduction is most effective where there’s less noise to begin with. While reducing noise during the recording process means you’ll simply get a more natural and less mechanical sounding voice-over.

1. Optimize Your Recording Space

Your recording environment is more important than you can possibly realize. A bad room will ruin even the best microphone.

2. How room acoustics affect audio?

• Hard surfaces reflect sound waves, leading to the effects of both echo and
• Large room emphasizes background noise
• Empty spaces increase high frequencies

3. Practical ways to optimize your space

• Firstly, record in a small, quiet room
• Secondly, use curtains, rugs, sofas, and bookshelves to act as sound absorbers
• Thirdly, face a soft surface when you talk
• Finally, switch off unnecessary devices

Professional studios and the best podcast editing and production shops spend much more time on treating rooms than on tweaking software.

Use a Dynamic Mic

Choosing the best microphone is one of the important factors affecting background noise elimination.

Why dynamic microphones are better for home podcasters?

• More sensitive to room noise
• Pick up sound in front of the mic only
• Optimal for UNT or noisy sites

Additionally, dynamic mics are regularly used in podcasting studios, mainly for podcasters who use their podcasts for podcast advertising.

Turn Down The Gain And Get Close

Above all, high gain equals high noise.

Best mic positioning practices

• Firstly, the microphone should be kept 4-6 inches away from your mouth
• Secondly, reduce gain to target your voice at around -6 dB
• Finally, keep a steady distance and tone

This technique:

• Background noise is reduced
• Improves clarity
• Aid to post-production

It is widely considered to be one of the best techniques suggested by professional resources in podcasting.  

Minimize Computer Fan Noise

Computer noise is one of the most common problems editors remove in Audacity.

How to reduce fan noise

• Firstly, close applications that consume a lot of system resources
• Secondly, ensure that your laptop is raised for airflow
• Thirdly, recording done during cooler hours
• Finally, avoid having the mic close to the computer

However, many podcasters do not realize their fan noise until they listen back through the audio. While at this stage, there is only one solution: editing.

How To Remove Background Noise In Audacity?

Once your recording is done, you may use Audacity’s Noise Reduction feature to filter remaining sounds which might affect your voice in a negative manner.

Step 1: Get a Noise Sample

A noise profile tells Audacity what you want removed.

How to capture a noise sample?

1. Firstly, open your audio file in Audacity
2. Secondly, find a section with no speech (room tone)
3. Thirdly, highlight 2–5 seconds of silence
4. Finally, go to Effect → Noise Reduction → Get Noise Profile

This sample may include:

• Fan hum
• Electrical hiss
• Air conditioning noise
• Ambient room sound

The cleaner this sample, the better the final result.

Step 2: Apply Noise Reduction

Now Audacity applies that profile across your entire recording.

How to apply noise reduction

1. Firstly, select the entire track (Ctrl + A)
2. Secondly, go to Effect → Noise Reduction
3. Thirdly, review the default settings
4. Fourthly, click Preview to hear the effect
5. Finally, click OK when satisfied

At this stage, avoid extreme settings subtle reduction sounds more natural.

Step 3: Tweak the Settings

This step separates beginners from professionals.

Key Noise Reduction controls explained

Noise Reduction (dB)

• Controls how much noise is removed
• Recommended range: 6–12 dB
• Too high = metallic or robotic voice

Sensitivity

• Determines how aggressively Audacity identifies noise
• Start around 6.00
• Increase only if noise remains

Frequency Smoothing (Bands)

• Reduces digital artifacts
• Ideal range: 3–6 bands

Pro editing tip

Apply noise reduction in multiple light passes instead of one aggressive pass for more natural results.

Additional Thoughts and Resources

As a matter of fact, noise reduction is just one step in professional audio production.

To fully optimize your podcast audio:

• Remove long silences and filler words
• Compress audio for consistent volume
• Normalize loudness for podcast standards
• Export in MP3 (128–192 kbps)

Enhance discoverability

• Firstly, create detailed podcast show notes
• Secondly, add podcast transcriptions for SEO and accessibility
• Finally, link episodes from your podcast website.

Basically, these steps directly impact:

• Listener retention
• Platform recommendations
• Approval for Pandora podcast submission
• Performance insights in Apple Podcast Analytics

However, many successful creators outsource editing to the best podcast editing and production companies, focusing instead on content, guests, and growth.

FAQs

Here are a few questions and queries on the topic of how to remove background noise in audacity that others have asked on that might be helpful for you at the same time.

Removing Background Noise

In conclusion, knowing how to quiet background noise in Audacity is perhaps one of the most fundamental skills a podcaster should acquire.

Indeed, removing background noise helps enhance their level of authenticity by giving them better marketing for their podcast as well as better monetizing prospects.

Henceforth, through this combination:

• Smart recording methods
• Proper mic usage
• Audacity Noise Reduction Services
• Strategically, you create something that shines

Whether that means picking podcast titles, lining up knowledgeable podcast guests, or building a ready-to-brand show.