How to Clean Up a Voice Recording in Audacity
Updated October 2026
Audacity is free and does a good job on steady noise when you use it carefully. The method is the same for any recording: a profile, a gentle reduction, then checks.
The short version
- Select a second or two of room tone and take a noise profile from it.
- Apply noise reduction to the whole recording with a moderate setting.
- Use the click removal tool only on the clicks you can hear.
- Compare with the original and keep the file you like.
Before you start
Save the original file under another name. Audacity edits in place, so keep a copy you can go back to. Set the project to the sample rate of the recording to avoid resampling.
Step 1: take a noise profile
Find a part of the recording where nobody is speaking, about one or two seconds long. Select it, then open the noise reduction effect and choose to get the noise profile. This tells the effect what the room sounds like.
Step 2: apply a gentle reduction
Select the whole recording, open noise reduction again, and use moderate settings. Start with a reduction around 12 dB and listen. If the voice sounds watery or thin, lower it. The watery sound guide explains the cause.
Step 3: check for clicks
Listen for clicks, mouth pops and crackle. Use the click removal effect with its default settings on a short selection, and listen again. Over-using it leaves dull patches.
Step 4: check the level
Use the amplify effect or normalise to bring the loudest peaks to a safe level, and check the loudness with the free LUFS meter.
Where Tunedzy fits
Audacity is a manual method, so the steps take time and your ear decides each setting. Tunedzy runs the same kinds of steps automatically and reports what it changed. Many people use Audacity for a precise fix and Tunedzy for the standard cleanup.
Automatic, if you do not want the steps
Tunedzy runs the cleanup, the repair and the loudness check in one pass on your PC. Use Before and After to compare.
Free tools for this
Frequently asked questions
Is Audacity free?
Yes. It is free and open source, for Windows, macOS and Linux.
Why does Audacity sound robotic after noise reduction?
The reduction was too strong. Lower it and use a shorter noise profile from quieter room tone.
Can Audacity remove echo?
Not directly. Reducing echo in Audacity is a workaround, and the results are limited.
Keep going
Tunedzy vs AudacityHow to Remove Background Noise From a Voice Recording
How to Trim Silence From a RecordingAll guides and comparisons · Tunedzy Go on your phone · Pricing