How to Remove Wind Noise From Audio

The short version

Wind noise is mainly low rumble below about 100 to 150 Hz.
A high-pass filter removes most of it without much harm to speech.
Heavy wind that overloads the mic cannot be repaired.
A foam or fur windshield is the real fix on location.

What wind noise is

Wind is turbulent air hitting the capsule of the microphone. It produces a low, moving rumble that is loudest in the bass and often sounds like a crackle or a roar. Speech sits mostly above that range, so the rumble can be removed without changing how the voice sounds.

Remove it with a high-pass filter

A high-pass filter lets the high frequencies through and cuts the lows. Start at about 100 Hz and move up slowly until the rumble is gone, then back off until the voice sounds natural. Going much higher than about 150 Hz thins a voice noticeably.

What the filter cannot fix

If the wind was loud enough to overload the mic, the crackle is distortion, not rumble, and a filter will not remove it. Check the waveform for flat tops. Those are clipping and need a clipping repair, which is a different job.

Prevent it on location

A foam windshield covers most breezes. A furry windshield (a deadcat) is the answer for stronger wind. Turn the mic so the capsule is out of the wind line and keep the recording level low enough that the wind does not push the meters into the red.

Tunedzy

Tunedzy’s cleanup includes a low cut and a repair for clicks and clipping. Use Before and After to check that the low rumble is gone and that the voice is still full.