Here’s How to Clean Up Audio with Expert Methods

Quick Summary

Cleaning up audio is critical for producing polished, professional recordings that captivate listeners. Our guide walks you through expert techniques using our AI tools and manual editing with Audacity.

Learn how to remove filler words, background noise, breaths, echo, and stutters while keeping your voice natural. Whether you’re streamlining a podcast or refining voiceovers, these proven strategies will help you deliver studio-quality sound, fast. Feel free to explore our blog to dive deeper into podcast editing.

Frustrated with Messy Audio? Here’s How to Clean It Up Fast

Audio consumption has surged fivefold in a decade, with podcasts now capturing 20% of that time. This makes clean, professional audio more essential than ever.

But are you still fretting about how to clean up your poor audio?

In this Cleanvoice guide, we’ll walk you through why clean audio matters and show you exactly how to achieve it. But first…

Why Listen to Us?

At Cleanvoice, we’re trusted by over 15,000 podcasters to automatically eliminate filler words, stutters, background noise, mouth and breath sounds—saving hours of editing.

Our AI-driven tools ensure crisp, professional audio, backed by real-world case studies and client success stories.

What It Means to “Clean Up” Audio

Cleaning up audio means removing anything that distracts from the main content. This includes filler words, background noise, breaths, stutters, mouth sounds, and long silences that interrupt the flow.

Clean audio enhances listener focus, making your message stronger and more engaging.

When you use tools like Cleanvoice, cleanup becomes efficient and consistent. Instead of manual editing, you get fast, AI-driven precision, ensuring every podcast recording sounds polished without hours of work.

Why Should You Clean Up Your Audio?

• Professionalism: Crisp, clean audio signals credibility and authority.
• Listener Retention: Reducing distractions keeps your listeners focused and more likely to stay through the entire recording.
• Content Clarity: Removing filler words and background noise makes your message sharp and easy to understand.
• Time Savings: Automated tools like Cleanvoice streamline editing, cutting hours off your podcast workflow.
• Competitive Edge: High-quality audio sets you apart in a crowded market.

How to Clean Up Your Audio to Get Crisp Sound

Method 1: Clean Up Audio Using Cleanvoice

Step 1: Upload Your Audio File

After logging in to your Cleanvoice.ai account, head directly to your dashboard.

You can drag and drop, browse, or import your audio file from the options shown. Cleanvoice accepts industry-standard formats like WAV, MP3, and M4A, which is ideal for maintaining quality across different editing workflows.

For the best results:

• Use high-resolution audio (44.1 kHz/16-bit or better).
• Keep original file names to streamline tracking.
• Upload isolated voice tracks when possible to maximize Cleanvoice’s AI precision.

Larger files may take a few extra minutes, but Cleanvoice is built to handle long-form content without quality loss.

You can also add multiple audio files by either selecting them in the beginning or add them subsequently:

Once you’re done choosing your audio file(s), click on the upload button below:

Step 2: Select Cleanup Options

Once the file uploads, Cleanvoice presents a panel. Here, select the cleanup options that fit your editing goals. You can choose multiple cleanup options, like:

You can also create your own template. Options include filler word removal, stutter deletion, mouth sound reduction, and breath minimization. These are all customizable to fine-tune the output.

For the best results, focus on:

• Filler words (e.g., “umm,” “like”) for clarity.
• Stutters for improved flow.
• Breaths and mouth clicks for polished delivery.
• Background noise if the raw file includes hums or hisses.

Step 3: Run the Cleanup Process

After selecting your settings, start the cleanup by clicking Start Processing.

Cleanvoice’s AI begins analyzing the audio, identifying problem areas based on the criteria you selected.

The processing time depends on file length and complexity, but it typically stays under 10 minutes. You can easily monitor the progress through the dashboard’s status bar.

For efficient processing, batch process episodes to minimize downtime.

Step 4: Review the Edited File

Once processing finishes, Cleanvoice generates a detailed audio timeline.

Play the file back to audit edits. Focus on flow and pacing as small cuts can sometimes shift delivery rhythm.

Use the timeline markers to spot and verify removals like filler words and stutters. Always confirm the final product aligns with your publishing standards.

You can also copy transcription, summary and social media content (newsletter, Twitter thread, LinkedIn post). Our platform automatically generates them while processing your audio file, saving time and speeding up your podcast editing.

Step 5: Download the Cleaned Audio

After review, click download to save your cleaned audio.

For optimal results:

• Save both original and cleaned versions for archival.
• Use descriptive file names to avoid overwriting.

You can also export your audio file in the following DAWs:

Method 2: Clean Up Audio Using Audacity

Step 1: Import Your Audio File

Launch Audacity and navigate to File → Import → Audio.

Select your source file and make sure to stick with uncompressed formats like WAV for minimal quality loss during edits. Audacity immediately loads the waveform for non-destructive editing.

Optimize import settings:

• Verify sample rate (44.1 kHz or 48 kHz) to match your original recording.
• Split stereo tracks if needed for isolated channel work.
• Enable Spectrogram view for precise artifact detection.

Step 2: Noise Reduction

First, isolate a clean noise profile. Highlight a few seconds of background sound. This means no speech, just ambient noise.

Go to Effect → Noise Removal and Repair → Noise Reduction and click Get Noise Profile. This teaches Audacity what to filter.

Apply noise reduction:

• Select the full track.
• Return to Effect → Noise Reduction.
• Set Reduction (12–20 dB), Sensitivity (6.00), and Frequency Smoothing (6 bands) for a balanced cleanup.

Preview the changes before you apply them. Excessive reduction causes artifacts, so aim for silence between speech without affecting vocal warmth. Save a backup project file in case reprocessing becomes necessary.

Step 3: Remove Silences

To streamline pacing, highlight the entire track and navigate to Effect → Special → Truncate Silence.

This tool detects and shortens excessive pauses without manual trimming.

Configure settings:

• Threshold: -40 dB (detects low-level silence).
• Duration: Keep silences longer than 0.5 seconds.
• Truncate to: 0.2–0.3 seconds for natural cadence.

Always preview before applying. Over-aggressive settings can strip intentional pauses which are critical for emphasis.

For conversational content like podcasts, allow slightly longer gaps to maintain listener comfort and prevent the audio from feeling rushed or unnatural.

Step 4: Edit Filler Words and Stutters

Manually locate filler words and stutters by scrubbing through the waveform. Zoom in with Ctrl + 1 (Cmd + 1 on Mac) for precision. Carefully select the region, then press Delete to remove without splicing awkward gaps.

To streamline:

• Use labels (Tracks → Add New → Label Track) to mark frequent fillers.
• Listen at 1.25x speed to catch redundant phrasing quickly.

Balance tight edits with conversational realism because over-editing can sterilize natural speech rhythm and listener engagement.

Step 5: Normalize Volume Levels

Select the full track, then go to Effect → Volume and Compression → Normalize.

Check Remove DC Offset and Normalize peak amplitude to -1.0 dB for consistent, broadcast-quality loudness without clipping.

For better dynamic control:

• Normalize each speaker separately if working with multi-track interviews.
• Apply light compression (2:1 ratio) after normalization to tighten dynamics.

Normalization ensures a uniform listening experience across devices. Avoid pushing the levels too high. It’s better to leave headroom for further mastering if you plan to add music beds or additional post-processing layers later in your production workflow.

Step 6: Remove Mouth Sounds and Breaths

Switch to Spectrogram view, and you’ll see that the mouth clicks and breaths appear as dense, short bursts. Zoom in, highlight, and apply Effect → Volume and Compression → Amplify with negative values (-20 dB) to attenuate rather than delete.

Best practices:

• Target breaths between sentences, not within phrases, to preserve natural delivery.
• Use Click Removal cautiously. Set a low threshold to avoid degrading consonant sharpness.

Manual cleanup here is time-intensive but critical for professional-sounding results. Always balance technical polish with the speaker’s natural rhythm to maintain authentic voice character.

Step 7: Export Your Cleaned File

When you’re satisfied with the edits, go to File → Export Audio and choose a format.

WAV is ideal for archiving; MP3 (320 kbps) works for distribution. Configure metadata like title, artist, and episode number for smooth publishing.

Key export considerations:

• Export at original sample rate (44.1 or 48 kHz) to prevent quality loss.
• Backup project files in Audacity’s .aup3 format for future revisions.
• Double-check loudness standards if targeting broadcast (e.g., -16 LUFS for podcasts).

A clean, properly exported file minimizes rework and ensures your final product is ready for professional use.

You can also export your cleaned up audio from Cleanvoice to Audacity. This allows for further editing and fine-tuning of your existing workflow.

Best Practices for Cleaning Up Your Audio

Monitor Edits on Professional Studio Monitors or Calibrated Headphones

When cleaning up audio, high-fidelity monitoring is critical. Consumer headphones or laptop speakers often mask subtle distortions, artifacts, and dynamic inconsistencies.

Professional studio monitors or well-calibrated headphones reveal what will be audible on diverse playback systems. This includes car stereos to smartphone earbuds.

If you're editing podcasts or voiceovers, neutral headphones like the Sennheiser HD600 or Audio-Technica M50x provide clear mids and highs, allowing precise adjustments. Regularly switching between headphones and monitors can further reveal tonal imbalances and ensure the cleaned audio maintains quality across platforms.

Avoid chasing perfect sound on poor gear, start with the right tools to edit confidently.

Maintain a Non-Destructive Workflow

Professional editors never work on the original file. Always duplicate the master before editing, or apply effects in a non-permanent way. For example, using Audacity’s .aup3 format or DAWs with history recall.

Cleanvoice operates non-destructively by preserving the original file while generating an edited version.

Non-destructive workflows let you backtrack if something goes wrong or if a client requests different edits. Save the versions incrementally (e.g., v1, v2, v3) to avoid losing hours of work due to corrupted files or bad processing chains.

Also, prefer non-destructive plug-ins and real-time effects when possible. This minimizes cumulative audio degradation as each destructive action like normalization, compression, or EQ tweaking can introduce a subtle loss of quality.

Batch Similar Edits

Jumping between tasks, such as noise reduction, filler removal, and normalization, fragments your workflow and increases the risk of inconsistency. Professionals batch similar edits to speed up processing and ensure uniform application of techniques across the entire project.

For instance, start with all background noise removal across every track before moving on to silence trimming. With Cleanvoice, you can batch process multiple files for filler word or stutter removal, ensuring every episode maintains the same quality threshold.

Batching also sharpens your focus. Editing noise issues back-to-back trains your ear for specific flaws, making each adjustment faster and more precise.

Make sure to structure your workflow around task batches because it’s faster, smarter, and improves consistency across multiple recordings.

Reference Your Edits Against Industry Standards

It's easy to get trapped editing in isolation, relying on subjective judgment. Industry loudness and quality standards, like -16 LUFS for podcasts and -24 LUFS for broadcast, exist for a reason. Meeting these benchmarks ensures your audio translates well across platforms without manual user adjustments.

Use a LUFS meter in your DAW or an external analyzer to confirm you're in range. Similarly, check for peak limits (generally -1 dBTP) to avoid hard clipping after compression or normalization.

Referencing your sound against commercial podcasts or professional voiceovers is also valuable. Periodically, A/B your edits against industry-leading content to ensure tonal balance, pacing, and clarity align with listener expectations.

Preserve Vocal Character and Dynamics

Technical cleanup is important, but over-editing can sterilize a recording, stripping it of its natural human texture. Every breath, slight pause, and subtle inflection contributes to listener connection.

If you aggressively remove every mouth sound, breath, or filler, the result can sound robotic and unnatural.

Focus on surgical editing: only remove artifacts that are truly distracting. Leave in some breaths if they fall between phrases and maintain some emotional cadence. Avoid aggressive dynamic compression unless it serves a clear purpose; a flattened waveform often sounds fatiguing over time.

Tools like Cleanvoice allow fine-tuning of removal aggressiveness, letting you preserve key vocal nuances. In manual workflows, zoom in and listen critically before deleting. You can ask yourself whether the edit enhances or diminishes the speaker’s presence.

Listeners respond to content that sounds human, not machine-perfected.

Choose Cleanvoice to Clean Up and Improve Your Audio

Cleaning up audio is essential for producing professional, engaging content.

From removing distractions to maintaining vocal authenticity, mastering the process ensures your work stands out. For a faster, more efficient workflow, Cleanvoice makes advanced audio cleanup accessible to all creators.

Cleanvoice offers AI-driven tools that remove filler words, stutters, and background noise with precision. It’s built for podcasters and audio professionals who want consistent, high-quality results without the tedious manual work.

Join thousands of creators transforming their audio with Cleanvoice — and elevate your sound today.