How to Remove Background Noise in Premiere Pro for Clean Audio

Although we don't always realize it, we are more sensitive to audio quality than the imagery. No matter how great your visuals are, background noise like wind, traffic, or static ruins the viewing experience. It's a common problem. Clear sound quality is always crucial, whether you are working on a vlog, a documentary, or a commercial project.

Fortunately, Adobe Premiere Pro offers several ways to tackle these issues. So here in this guide, we'll introduce how to remove background noise in Premiere Pro for clean and professional-quality sound, plus an AI-powered solution.

1. Using the DeNoise Effect

Premiere Pro offers a wide array of audio effects. The DeNoise effect is a fast and effective option to clean up the audio. Here's how to reduce background noise in Premiere Pro with the DeNoise Effect.

Step 1. Open the project and add an audio.

Place your audio or video clip with embedded audio on the timeline. Click and select it.

Step 2. Add a DeNoise effect in Premiere Pro.

Go to Effects > Audio Effects > Noise Reduction/Restoration > DeNoise. Drag and drop the DeNoise effect onto your audio clip.

Step 3. Adjust the level of the noise reduction.

Locate the DeNoise effect in the Effect Controls panel. You can leave the default preset or fine-tune the intensity of the DeNoise effect.

To do so, click the Edit button to bring up the Clip Fx Editor. Here, you can choose a preset (Default, Light Heavy Noise Reduction, and Heavy Noise Reduction) and drag the Amount slider to change the intensity of noise reduction.

Audio effects affect unwanted noise, also the vocals and background music in the entire audio clip. So if the volume is lower than necessary, you can use the Gain slider on the right to increase the value of Make-Up Gain. Close the window when you find the sweet spot.

2. Using Essential Sound Panel

Another background noise removal tool in Premiere Pro is the Essential Sound panel. This panel provides various tools for audio mixing and repair. It works with presets based on different types of audio, so you can easily classify audio clips and make adjustments to remove background noise, enhance dialogue, and unify sound levels. It's especially helpful for those who aren't audio experts but need professional-sounding results.

In the following we'll show you how to remove background noise in Premiere Pro with the Essential Sound panel.

Step 1. Enable the Essential Sound panel.

Go to Window > Essential Sound and check it. The Essential Sound panel will appear.

Step 2. Assign a type to your audio clip.

Select the audio clip in your sequence. Premiere Pro allows you to classify your audio clips as Dialogue, Music, SFX, or Ambience. Go to Essential Sound panel > Dialogue to assign the clip type. It's based on the International Broadcast Loudness scale for dialogue.

Step 3. Unify the loudness level throughout the clip.

Click to expand Unify Loudness and click Auto Match. This will automatically match clips to a standard average loudness for Dialogue but it's not a prerequisite.

Step 4. Remove background noise from audio.

Expand the Repair section and select the check-box for Reduce Noise. Move the slider to adjust the level of the noise reduction between 0 through 10 as you play back the audio clip. The further to the right the slider is, the greater the value, the more noise reduction you'll get. Don't go too far or your audio may sound distorted and unnatural.

Step 5. Improve the clarity and use creative effects.

Click to expand the Clarity section. Premiere Pro allows you to improve dialogue audio clarity by compressing or expanding the dynamic range, adjusting the frequency response, and processing the enhancing male (Low Tone) and female (High Tone) voices. You can select the check-box for the property that you want to change as needed, and then use the slider to adjust its level.

3. Using Enhance Speech Feature

The Enhance Speech feature in Premiere Pro is designed to remove background noise with AI and improve the quality of your dialogue recordings. It can clean up your recording and make it sound like it was recorded in a professional studio. Here's how to remove background noise in Premiere Pro with Enhance Speech.

Step 1. Select the audio clip containing dialogue on the timeline.

Step 2. Locate the Essential Sound panel > Enhance Speech Premiere Pro.

Step 3. Click Enhance to start the analysis.

Step 4. Adjust the amount of enhancement by dragging the Mix Amount slider.

4. Alternative AI Noise Reduction Tool

While Premiere Pro offers built-in noise reduction tools, sometimes we may still want a simple yet decent alternative due to complexity or the need for faster, more automated solutions.

VideoProc Converter AI provides an easy and AI-powered background noise remover that you are looking for. Unlike manual methods, its AI Noise Suppression simplifies the process, saving time and ensuring high-quality audio with minimal effort. This is especially useful for those who want fast results without needing advanced audio editing skills. Plus, it supports batch processing. You can easily handle multiple recordings for podcasts, vlogs, webinars, or interviews simultaneously. Even better, VideoProc's AI audio cleaner supports a wide range of formats, including OGG, MKV, and other formats that Premiere Pro does not support yet.

After downloading and installing VideoProc Converter AI on your device, you can follow the steps below to remove background noise from your video and audio files with AI.

Step 1. Import your file and enable AI noise suppression.

Launch the software and go to the Audio AI module from the main interface. Drag and drop your files to the program. Select the check-box of Noise Suppression and select an AI model.

Step 2. Adjust the intensity of noise reduction.

Move the Noise Attenuation Limit slider to adjust the level of noise suppression between 0 through 100. The further to the right the slider is, the greater the value, the more noise reduction you'll get. Set to 6-12 for little noise reduction and 18-24 for medium reduction.

Set the Post-Filter Threshold to control how much additional noise is removed after the initial noise suppression process. A lower threshold (0.01-0.02) provides lighter filtering, preserving natural sound for quiet environments, while a higher threshold (0.03-0.05) applies stronger filtering, useful for moderate noise, such as background hum or distant chatter.

Use the Volume Control slider to adjust the value of Gain if the volume is lower than expected after the noise removal.

Step 3. Export the denoised files.

Set the audio codec and quality level according to your needs. Click RUN to process and clean up your audio.

Audio Recording Preparation

While noise reduction tools can improve audio, the best way to ensure clean sound is to prevent background noise during recording. Here are some tips:

• Choose a Quiet Environment: Record in a room with minimal background noise.
• Use a Quality Microphone: Invest in a directional or lavalier microphone to capture clearer sound.
• Soundproof Your Space: Use foam panels or soft materials to absorb ambient noise.
• Monitor Audio Levels: Test and adjust your recording levels to avoid capturing noise.

By following these recording practices, you can significantly reduce background noise before editing even begins. This not only saves time during post-production but also ensures the highest possible audio quality from the start.

Conclusion

That's all about how to remove background noise in Premiere Pro. Background noise can detract from the quality of your video projects, but with the right tools in Premiere Pro, you can achieve professional-sounding audio. Whether you are using the DeNoise effect, Essential Sound Panel, or Enhance Speech Feature, each method offers a way to improve clarity.

If you are looking for a faster, AI-powered alternative, VideoProc Converter AI is a great choice for simplifying the process. By combining these techniques with good recording practices, you'll always have clean, crisp audio.