Audacity: Use the Noise Reduction Tool
Audacity has a Noise Reduction Tool which allows us to reduce (and, in some cases, completely remove) unwanted, recurring noise. While we recommend waiting until that noise is finished or moving to a different area where that noise is not picked up, sometimes it is unavoidable. See Audacity Support’s Noise Reduction & Removal page or their Removing clicks & pops page for more details.
| 1 | If we know that there will be recurring noise (such as an air exchange or someone mowing their lawn), start the recording and try to pick up that noise first. Then, start your recording. |  Showing an example of air exchange running while recording.
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| 2 | Drag select a portion of the audio with the reoccurring sound. | Highlighting a section of the audio having been selected
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| 3 | Then go to Effect>Noise Removal and Repair>Noise Reduction. | Highlighting the options for Effect>Noise Removal and Repair>Noise Reduction
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| 4 | Click on Get Noise Profile in the pop-up that appears. | Highlighting Get Noise Profile button
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| 5 | The pop-up will close. Use CTRL+A or CMD+A to select the entire audio clip. Then, go back to Effect>Noise Removal and Repair>Noise Reduction | Highlighting the options for Effect>Noise Removal and Repair>Noise Reduction |
| 6 | Play with the sliders and/or other options a bit and use the Preview button to see if those changes are worthwhile. | Highlighting various options and Preview button
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| 7 | When satisfied, click on OK. | Highlighting OK button
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| 8 | To the right are sample audio waveforms. | Audio before using the Noise Reduction Tool: Audio after using the Noise Reduction Tool:
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