Mastering Audio: How to Remove Background Sound in Premiere Pro
Audio editing is a crucial skill for anyone working with video production, whether you’re a filmmaker, content creator, or video editor. One of the most common challenges in audio editing is dealing with unwanted background noise that can distract from the main audio track. Fortunately, Adobe Premiere Pro offers powerful tools to help you remove background sound and ensure your audio is clear, professional, and polished. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process of mastering audio in Premiere Pro, focusing on how to effectively remove unwanted background noise.
Understanding the Basics of Audio Editing
Before diving into how to remove background sound, it’s important to understand the basics of audio editing in Premiere Pro. Audio editing involves manipulating sound clips to improve quality, adjust levels, and enhance the listening experience. In the context of removing background noise, audio editing primarily focuses on isolating and eliminating unwanted sounds while preserving the integrity of your primary audio track.
Background noise can include hums, hisses, traffic sounds, air conditioning noise, and other environmental sounds that interfere with the main audio. Premiere Pro offers several tools and techniques for reducing or removing these distractions, so you can produce clean, professional audio.
Step-by-Step Guide: How to Remove Background Sound in Premiere Pro
Let’s break down the process of removing background noise in Premiere Pro into easy-to-follow steps:
Step 1: Import Your Audio Clip into Premiere Pro
The first step in audio editing is to import your audio clip into Adobe Premiere Pro. Open Premiere Pro and create a new project or open an existing one. To import the audio file, follow these steps:
- Click on File in the top menu.
- Select Import and browse to the location of your audio file.
- Click Open to import the file into your project.
Your audio clip will now appear in the timeline, ready for editing.
Step 2: Identify the Background Noise
Before you begin removing background noise, it’s important to listen to your audio carefully and identify where the unwanted sounds occur. Play through the clip and pay close attention to sections that contain background noise. These could include consistent sounds like hums, clicks, or static.
Use the waveform view to visually inspect the audio clip. Background noise often appears as consistent, low-level fluctuations that can be distinguished from the main audio. Mark these sections on your timeline for easier reference during editing.
Step 3: Apply the ‘DeNoise’ Effect
Adobe Premiere Pro has a built-in noise reduction tool called DeNoise, which is perfect for reducing background noise. Here’s how to use it:
- Go to the Effects panel (located in the top-left corner of your workspace).
- Search for DeNoise in the search bar.
- Drag the DeNoise effect onto your audio clip in the timeline.
- Once applied, go to the Effect Controls panel.
- Under the DeNoise effect, adjust the Reduction slider to reduce background noise. A higher reduction value will remove more noise, but be careful not to overdo it, as it can distort the main audio.
The DeNoise effect works well for general background noise, but sometimes it’s not enough to completely eliminate all unwanted sounds.
Step 4: Use the ‘Noise Reduction/Restoration’ Feature in Adobe Audition
If the built-in tools in Premiere Pro are insufficient for your needs, you can take your audio to Adobe Audition for advanced noise reduction. Premiere Pro integrates seamlessly with Adobe Audition, allowing you to send your audio for more detailed editing:
- Right-click on the audio clip in Premiere Pro and select Edit Clip in Adobe Audition.
- Once the clip is open in Audition, go to the Effects menu and select Noise Reduction/Restoration, followed by Noise Reduction (Process).
- Select a noise profile by highlighting a section of audio that contains only the background noise. Click Capture Noise Print.
- Apply the noise reduction by adjusting the sliders for Reduction and FFT Size, then click Apply.
- Save the changes and return to Premiere Pro for further editing.
Step 5: Fine-Tuning Audio Levels and Clean-Up
After removing the bulk of the background noise, you’ll likely need to fine-tune the audio levels to balance the primary sound with the cleaned-up audio. In Premiere Pro, you can adjust the volume, apply compression, and make any other necessary adjustments:
- In the Effect Controls panel, adjust the Volume to ensure the audio is at an appropriate level.
- Apply a Compressor effect to smooth out the volume levels and make quieter parts more audible.
- Use an EQ (equalizer) to further fine-tune the frequency range and remove any remaining undesirable noise.
By following these steps, you’ll achieve clean, clear audio that is free of distracting background noise.
Troubleshooting Tips for Audio Editing in Premiere Pro
While the steps outlined above should help you remove most types of background noise, you may encounter some challenges along the way. Here are some troubleshooting tips to help you overcome common audio editing issues:
1. Background Noise is Still Present After Applying DeNoise
If background noise persists despite using the DeNoise effect, try adjusting the Reduction slider more aggressively. However, be cautious not to overdo it, as excessive noise reduction can cause the audio to sound unnatural or robotic. If this doesn’t work, consider sending your clip to Adobe Audition for more advanced processing.
2. Audio Sounds Distorted or Muffled
Distortion or muffling can occur if too much noise reduction has been applied. In this case, try reducing the noise reduction amount or using the EQ tool to cut off low-frequency noise without affecting the clarity of the primary audio.
3. Noise Reduction Causes Loss of Desired Audio Quality
Sometimes, noise reduction can unintentionally affect the quality of the primary audio. To mitigate this, always use the Noise Profile feature in Adobe Audition, which allows the software to isolate the specific unwanted sound frequencies and reduce them without impacting the main audio.
Conclusion: Perfecting Your Audio Editing Skills
Removing background noise in Premiere Pro is an essential skill for video editors who want to ensure their audio is as professional as their visuals. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can eliminate unwanted sounds and achieve clean, clear audio. Remember, the key to successful audio editing lies in understanding the tools at your disposal, making gradual adjustments, and using external software like Adobe Audition when necessary.
Whether you’re editing a short film, a YouTube video, or a podcast, mastering audio editing will elevate the overall quality of your project. With practice and patience, you’ll be able to tackle even the most challenging background noise situations and create polished, high-quality audio for your audience.
For more tips on mastering audio editing, check out this guide on advanced audio techniques in Premiere Pro. And for additional resources, visit Adobe Audition for more detailed noise reduction features.
This article is in the category Tips & Tricks and created by EditStudioPro Team