GoldWave Noise Reduction and Sound Quality Improvement

🌟 GoldWave: Essential Guide for Clean, Noise-Free Audio Quality!

Hello! This is ‘PHconlab’.

In our last session, we deeply explored GoldWave’s post-recording editing and sound quality correction methods.

Now, let’s delve into a core technique that will further elevate the quality of your audio content: noise reduction and creating clean sound quality.

By utilizing GoldWave’s powerful noise reduction features, you can effectively reduce unwanted noise introduced during recording, producing clear and professional-sounding audio.

Through this post, master all the know-how of noise reduction with GoldWave to advance your audio production skills to the next level!

👂 Understanding Noise Types: The First Step to Effective Removal!

Noise occurring during recording can broadly be divided into two types.

Understanding the characteristics of these two types of noise is the beginning of effective noise reduction through GoldWave.

• External Noise: Refers to sounds originating from the external environment, such as people’s voices, music, or street noise.
• System Noise: Refers to consistent background noise generated by microphone circuits or computer electronics, also known as White Noise or Hiss.

Such noise should be minimized as much as possible before recording, and in GoldWave, it can be partially removed through post-editing.

However, it’s important to note that sound quality may degrade slightly with noise removal, so finding the right balance is crucial.

🔇 Noise Reduction (Using Presets): Easy Noise Removal with GoldWave!

Clicking the Noise Reduction icon at the top of GoldWave will reveal various settings.

For beginners, utilizing Presets (pre-configured settings) is the simplest and most effective way to remove noise.

• Hiss removal: Removes basic system noise.
• Light hiss removal: Reduces light noise.
• Very light hiss/rumble removal: Gently removes even very faint background noise.

It’s recommended to try ‘Hiss removal’ first, and if necessary, apply it twice to further reduce noise.

However, be aware that this process might also reduce the voice waveform, so it’s always best to check the sound quality using the ‘Preview ▶’ before applying.

✂️ Noise Reduction (Using Clipboard): Precise Removal of Specific Noise!

The second noise reduction method involves selecting and copying specific parts containing noise, then using the ‘Use clipboard’ function for selective noise removal.

• Step 1. Copy Noise Segment: Select only the segment containing noise and click Copy.

• Step 2. Select Area for Application: Select the entire or partial area where similar noise exists.
• Step 3. Apply ‘Use clipboard’: Click Noise Reduction, then select the ‘Use clipboard’ option.
• Step 4. Confirm Application: Click ‘OK’ to apply the changes.

This method is useful for specifically removing certain types of noise, such as fan noise in a particular segment.

However, if used incorrectly, it can degrade the overall sound quality, so ensure you only select the area you intend to apply it to.

🤫 Noise Gate for Breath Noise Removal: The Key to Elevating Audio Quality!

Noise Gate is a highly effective function for removing subtle breath sounds or noise that remain in silent segments where there is no speech.

It contributes to enhancing the overall quality of audio in GoldWave.

• Click Noise Gate Icon: Click the Noise Gate icon, which looks like a door.
• Select Preset: Choose ‘No ignoring of brief sounds‘ from the Presets.
• Apply: Click ‘OK‘ to apply the setting.

This function operates only on silent segments, even when applied to the entire track, resulting in almost no sound quality degradation.

Therefore, it’s recommended to use it in conjunction with Noise Reduction when you want to achieve even cleaner noise removal.

⚠️ Cautions for Noise Reduction: Balancing Sound Quality and Noise Removal!

It’s always important to remember that noise reduction can, to some extent, degrade sound quality.

Especially when you want to remove only specific types of noise, like computer fan noise, you should apply it selectively rather than globally to minimize sound quality degradation.

• Microphone Input Volume:

  If the microphone input volume is set too low, the noise ratio can become relatively higher, leading to more severe sound quality damage.
  Therefore, it is important to set the microphone input to an adequate level.

• Situational Judgment:

  Noise reduction is not a task with a fixed formula.

  • If you plan to add music as a background, slight noise might be negligible.
  • If the content is purely voice-based, you should be more meticulous in removing noise.
  • If the noise is not audible without earphones, it might not need to be removed.

As such, noise reduction requires careful consideration of the balance between sound quality degradation and noise removal, adjusting it appropriately for the situation.

🚀 Creating Top-Quality Audio Content with GoldWave!

In this post, we’ve thoroughly explored GoldWave’s noise reduction and sound quality improvement methods.

Understanding noise types, utilizing Noise Reduction (Presets and clipboard), using Noise Gate for breath noise removal, and being aware of cautions during noise reduction are all essential steps for producing clean and professional audio content.

By skillfully utilizing these functions, you can create more clear and high-quality audio files with GoldWave.

In our next session, we will learn about ‘Natural Audio Production Techniques: Fade and Volume Adjustment’, further deepening your audio editing skills.

The dream of producing high-quality audio content becomes a reality with GoldWave!