Updated October 2026 · Video sound
Traffic noise is a low rumble with bursts of horns and engines, and it is hard to remove once it covers the voice. Move indoors or away from the road, record at a quieter time, and place the microphone close to the speaker. Clean what remains gently, and re-record the sections the noise has covered.
Traffic is one of the most common reasons a good video sounds poor. The rumble of cars is low and steady, and the bursts of horns and engines are sharp. Both overlap the voice, so cleaning them afterwards can make the speech sound thin. The best approach is to avoid the noise at the source.
Record in a room on the far side of the building, away from the road. Close the windows and doors, and turn off fans or air conditioning. Even a short distance from a busy road can make a large difference, especially for the low rumble.
Record early in the morning, late at night or on a quiet day, when traffic is lighter. A few minutes of quiet beats hours of cleanup. Plan the shoot around the time when the road is calmest.
A close microphone captures more of the voice and less of the road. Use a clip-on for the chest, or a desk microphone close to the mouth. Keep the distance steady, so the voice does not drop under the noise when you move.
A high-pass filter can reduce low rumble without changing the voice much, if the cutoff is set carefully. Use noise reduction lightly, and listen for the watery sound that heavy cleanup causes. The Noise-Free Voice Recorder can clean background noise from an existing recording.
If a horn or engine covers a word, no filter can restore it. Re-record that line, rather than repairing it. A short clean take is better than a long repaired one.
Traffic noise in a city is hard to remove completely. Plan the location and the time, and treat cleanup as a way to tidy the recording, not a rescue.
Spot clipping, noise, rumble and level problems. Runs in your browser, nothing is uploaded.
Rarely. It reduces the rumble, but bursts of horns can cover the voice.
It helps with wind, not with the sound of traffic. Distance and timing help more.
Early morning, late at night or on a quiet day. Test the location first.
Use it lightly, and only on sections that need it, to avoid a watery sound.
