Best AI Audio Cleanup Software for Every Use

Podcasting is getting real, and to be authentic is good advice for podcasters new and old. In fact, there’s even a podcast about it, The Art of Authenticity.

Authenticity means getting out and about, recording your podcast with real people in real places. But real places can sometimes be too noisy and real people aren’t always used to being asked questions and being recorded while they answer.

Authenticity can mean a lot of background noise like traffic, people ordering their iced frappuccino in a cafe, interview subjects umming and ahhing, and speaking indistinctly. Even the best quality recording equipment can’t always get you a clear recording, and it can even make things worse by picking up every little noise in the background.

Here we’ll talk about how AI audio cleanup with a software tool like Cleanvoice can save the day by removing all those little extras and making sure the authenticity is all in your spoken podcast content, not in the background noise.

What is an AI Audio Cleanup?

AI audio cleanup is the process of background noise reduction and the removal of any unwanted sounds on your recordings. The AI is trained to recognize clear spoken words from any other noises that might appear on your audio files by exposing it to many hours of spoken word recordings and teaching it what’s good and what’s bad.

The AI then applies that knowledge to your audio files and removes anything it identifies as unwanted, within the parameters you set. Parameters can include noises that are not recognizable speech, gaps in the conversation known as “dead air” and background noises, hums, etc.

Because a good AI is continuously being upgraded and given more examples to learn from, the process only gets better over time.

Who Should Use AI Audio Cleanup Tools?

Anyone who regularly records audio files nowadays should consider using AI to clean them up and get the best possible quality. It just makes sense to use the technology that’s out there, especially as the cost of using AI decreases. An AI is a useful tool for:

  • Podcasters
  • Video editors
  • Content Creators
  • Musicians
  • Voice actors
  • Journalists
  • Filmmakers
  • Interviewers
  • Sound Engineers
  • Transcribers
  • Conference or event organizers
  • Radio broadcasters
  • Call center operators

Criteria to Consider When Choosing an AI Audio Cleanup Tool

Technical Requirements

Unlike editing, where software packages can have a steep learning curve, most AI audio cleanup is automatic. Some require pre-recorded audio files to be uploaded, some work with files recorded in-app, and others even work in the background. Either way, you should be able to get professional-level audio cleanup from an AI without the need for too much technical knowledge.

Budget

Many AI audio cleanup tools come in a scaled budget depending on the number of users, if they include recording tools or the number of files you can upload. Most have a free trial or a free-to-use version with limited users or features. Either way, you should be able to find something that suits your budget.

Support

Even using the most straightforward software tools like AI audio cleanup you’re likely to hit the odd roadblock, perhaps regarding upload speeds, audio formats, or needing advice on further editing once the files have been cleaned. Most AI service providers are, understandably, going to use an AI chatbot for customer service. Check to see if yours goes further and allows you to contact a real person, or if it has a forum on Discord or a similar platform.

Best AI Audio Cleanup Tools

Which are the best tools that beginner and experienced podcast producers can use to clean up audio files? Here we’ll look at some of the most popular to help you decide which one works best for your setup.

#1 CleanVoice

CleanVoice takes pre-recorded audio files and uses an AI to clean up background noise and unwanted spoken sounds such as ums and ahs, lip-smacking, stuttering, and other noises. Files are then exported in a timeline in case any further editing in a preferred editing software is necessary.

Its target customers are podcasters but the tech works on any spoken word recording so can also be used for meeting recordings, making them cleaner prior to transcription. The AI can work in English, French, and German and can recognize English accents including Australian and British.

Source: https://cleanvoice.ai/ 

Relevant Features

Source: https://cleanvoice.ai/ 

Pricing

Source: https://cleanvoice.ai/pricing/ 

#2 Krisp.ai

Krisp is an AI audio cleanup tool that targets the videoconferencing market. It does cleanup on your device at the time of recording so audio files don’t need to go online. Many people who started working remotely during the pandemic quickly discovered there can be a lot of unexpected household noises that crop up during meetings. Noises that were taken for granted until the home became a place of business.

Krisp helps remove background noises like children, pets, traffic, and more. It can also transcribe meeting notes, post-cleanup, so written records are cleaner and easier to understand.

Source: https://krisp.ai/ 

Relevant Features

Source: https://krisp.ai/ 

Pricing

Source: https://krisp.ai/pricing/ 

Pros and Cons

#3 Podcastle

Podcastle is an online, audio and video recording studio software with a built-in AI noise filtering tool called Magic Dust. Although the studio interface is online, audio is recorded to your device and backed up to their cloud servers. The suite can record a host plus up to 10 guests on separate tracks and produces a recording transcription. A built-in tool converts audio files between 8 formats, including MP3, WAV, and AIFF and ReVoice uses AI to generate a digital copy of the host’s voice which can then read text aloud.

Podcastle is marketed as requiring no technical skills and boasts that it democratizes broadcast storytelling.

Source: https://podcastle.ai/tools/remove-background-noise-from-audio 

Relevant Features

Source: https://podcastle.ai/tools 

Pricing

Source: https://podcastle.ai/pricing 

Pros and Cons

#4 Alitu

Alitu aims itself at the beginner podcaster market as a simple tool that takes the complexity out of producing a podcast. It takes a drag-and-drop, block approach to editing in the timeline and automates everything else including audio cleanup and file formats.

Recording and editing are done online with a web browser, and like Podcastle, can handle up to 10 guests on a single recording. The advantage of being browser-based is that guests don’t need to download any new software, the downside is if anyone has a poor internet connection.

Audio cleanup is done automatically along with audio balancing which should solve the problem of soft-spoken guests or poor-quality microphones. In case of problems, Alitu has a community forum.

Source: https://alitu.com/feature/audio-cleanup 

Relevant Features

Source: https://alitu.com/feature/audio-cleanup 

Pricing

Source: https://alitu.com/pricing 

Pros and Cons

#5 Kapwing

Kapwing is a team-focused, video editing suite that can also be used to record podcasts, both audio and video. AI audio cleanup is limited to the removal of background noises and editing out dead-air gaps in the timeline. Background noise removal is done post-recording by uploading a finished audio file.

As with Alitu, it's a beginner's tool, without the steep learning curve of the more professional recording tools like Adobe Audition. Kapwing’s video editing tools let teams of creators pull together a finished video with captions, graphics, intros, and extros in a single, simplified, online platform.

Source: https://www.kapwing.com/tools/audio-editor 

Relevant Features

Source: https://www.kapwing.com/tools/audio-editor 

Pricing

Source: https://www.kapwing.com/pricing 

Pros and Cons

Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/180041/Kapwing/reviews/ 

Stop wasting hours editing your podcast. Cleanvoice is an artificial intelligence that removes filler sounds, stuttering, and mouth sounds from your podcast or audio recording. Cleanvoice works in multiple languages like German or French and exports markers so you can see where edits were made.

Conclusion

Creating the engaging and original podcast material that you need to get yourself noticed these days means getting out of your comfort zone and out of your comfortable recording studio. Sometimes the location is key to your story and sometimes your guests are stuck in a noisy location. Either way, an audio cleanup AI is a very handy tool to have in your back pocket to make sure you get clear, spoken content and keep background noise to a minimum.

The point of using an AI is to automate a task that can be difficult, fiddly, and consequently time-consuming. Audio cleanup is an ideal task for AI as annoying unwanted sounds can vary from lasting barely a second to a hum in the background throughout an entire interview. Both scenarios are time-consuming to fix manually - time better spent coming up with ideas for your next episode. Thankfully AI assistants for audio cleanup are now affordable, efficient, and don’t require technical knowledge.

There are a lot of noise-canceling AIs out there. Some are aimed at specific industries like podcasters or video conferencing, while others are more general. Cleanvoice AI is designed to clean up pre-recorded podcast audio files. Start using it today with a free 30-minute try-out.