How to Clean Up a Zoom or Video Call Recording
Updated October 2026
Call audio is compressed and often mixed into one track, so cleanup has less to work with than a studio recording. Start with the best file you can get, then clean gently.
The short version
- Get separate local recordings for each speaker if the app offers them; they clean up much better.
- Use gentle settings on a mixed file: heavy noise reduction makes call audio sound thin.
- Fix echo and noise first, then level each speaker, then check the result.
- Recording locally on each person’s own device beats any cleanup of a call.
Get the best file
Many call apps record a single mixed file, and some can record each participant on their own. Separate tracks are the best case, because you can clean and level each person before you combine them. Ask the people on the call to record locally too, if the app allows it, and keep the original file.
Know what cleanup can fix
Cleanup helps with steady fan noise, room hiss, light keyboard noise and mild echo. It cannot rebuild speech that was clipped or cut out, separate two people who talk over each other, or restore the thin sound that call compression leaves behind.
A sequence that works
- Remove the steady noise with a gentle setting.
- Reduce echo only if it is clearly there; heavy echo removal makes the voice hollow.
- Level each speaker so the quiet and loud guests sit at a similar volume.
- Check the loudness and the true peak before you export.
The phone cleanup steps apply to a call recording too. For a call with several people, the Multitrack studio in Tunedzy lets you level each voice on its own track before you mix.
Where to start on your own call
Record locally next time, use headphones so the other side does not echo back, and keep each person close to a mic. A good local recording needs less cleanup than any call audio.
Clean each voice on its own track
Multitrack in Tunedzy lets you clean and level each voice separately, then mix them with the loudness set to a target.
Free tools for this
Frequently asked questions
Can I clean a Zoom recording for free?
Yes, with a free editor or a browser tool, with the limits each one has. Tunedzy Go cleans a file on your phone for free.
Why does my call sound thin after cleanup?
The noise reduction was too strong, or the call was already compressed. Use less reduction and a gentler setting.
Can I separate two people who talk at once?
Not reliably. Overlapping speech is very hard to separate. Separate local tracks are the best way to avoid the problem.
Keep going
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