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Eliminate White Noise in Audacity Using Equalizer

Jan 23, 2024

Tired of dealing with annoying white noise in your audio recordings? You're in luck! Audacity, a free and powerful audio editing software, offers a solution through its built-in equalizer tool. Follow these simple steps to eliminate white noise and improve your audio quality in Audacity:

  1. Import your audio file: Launch Audacity, and go to 'File' > 'Import' > 'Audio' to load your recording into the software.

  2. Identify the white noise: Play the audio and notice where the white noise occurs. It usually appears as a consistent, low-level background sound, such as the hum of an air conditioner, the buzz of a fluorescent light, or a hissing sound from the recording equipment.

  3. Select the noisy section: Use your mouse to highlight the section of the audio waveform that contains the white noise.

  4. Open the equalizer tool: Go to 'Effect' > 'Equalization'. This will open Audacity's built-in equalizer, which allows you to adjust the frequencies of your audio.

  5. Choose the 'Noise Reduction' preset: In the equalizer window, click on the 'Select curve' dropdown menu and choose 'Noise Reduction'. This preset is designed to target the most common frequencies of white noise.

  6. Tweak the settings: Experiment with the dB (decibel) levels and frequency sliders to further refine the noise reduction. You can preview the results by clicking the 'Preview' button. Be cautious not to overdo the equalization, as this may introduce artifacts and make the audio sound unnatural.

  7. Apply the equalization: Once you're satisfied with the adjustments, click 'OK' to apply the equalization to the selected portion of the audio track. You should notice a significant reduction in white noise.

  8. Save your changes: Go to 'File' > 'Export' > 'Export as WAV' (or your preferred file format) to save your edited recording with the white noise eliminated.

Using the equalizer in Audacity is a great way to improve the clarity of your audio recordings and eliminate unwanted white noise. Master this simple technique, and you'll be well on your way to creating professional-quality audio projects!

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