How to Enhance Audio in 5 Simple Steps

Quick Summary

This guide covers five essential techniques for enhancing audio quality in podcasts, videos, and virtual meetings. By reducing background noise, adjusting EQ, applying compression, using enhancement software like Cleanvoice, and mastering your final output, you can create professional-grade audio that engages listeners across any platform or device.

Need Help with Audio Enhancement?

High-quality audio is essential for effective communication. Whether you're podcasting, creating videos, or hosting virtual meetings, poor sound quality can break your content's impact.

Common issues like background noise, uneven volume, and muffled sound make content feel unprofessional. But with the right audio enhancement techniques, you can transform your recordings.

This Cleanvoice guide shares five practical tips to help you create clear, engaging, and professional audio content.

But first…

Why Listen to Us?

At Cleanvoice, we’ve helped podcasters, content creators, and educators improve their audio quality by removing unwanted sounds like background noise, mouth clicks, and dead air. Our advanced AI-powered tools have processed thousands of hours of audio, delivering cleaner, more professional results for over 15,000 users.

With our extensive experience in helping creators produce top-tier audio, we understand how crucial high-quality sound is for boosting audience engagement and driving content success.

5 Tips to Significantly Improve Your Audio Quality

1. Reduce Background Noise

Background noise affects the professionalism and clarity of your recordings, distracting listeners and reducing overall quality. To avoid this, you need to make sure you’re recording in a noise-free environment.

Here are some tips for making this happen:

  • Soundproof your environment: Use foam panels, carpets, and curtains to minimize external noise and absorb sound.
  • Select the right equipment: A dynamic microphone is less sensitive to background noise, helping you capture cleaner audio.
  • Monitor in real-time: Use headphones to listen while recording, so you can catch any intrusive sounds early.

If unwanted noise remains, Cleanvoice can help during post-production by automatically removing background sounds like traffic, wind, or AC hums.

2. Adjust Equalization (EQ)

Equalization shapes the tonal balance of your audio. It can ensure your audio sounds polished and pleasant… or muffled, piercing, distorted, etc.  Every voice and instrument has specific frequency ranges that contribute to its sound.

To make your podcasts sound great, here's how to adjust EQ effectively:

  • Cut low-end frequencies: Reduce frequencies below 80 Hz to eliminate rumble and background thuds. This cleans up the low end of your audio.
  • Boost midrange frequencies: Enhance the midrange (around 1–3 kHz) to make spoken words more prominent. This improves clarity, especially for dialogue-heavy content.
  • Tweak high frequencies: Adjust high frequencies (above 8 kHz) to add brightness and clarity, making audio sound more open.

This is a finicky process. To make sure you’re actually improving your audio, follow these tips:

  • Make small adjustments and listen carefully before making more small adjustments
  • Avoid making audio too bass-heavy (boomy) or sharp (tinny)
  • Aim for natural sound that translates well across different devices
  • Fine-tune EQ settings during editing for best results

3. Use Compression

Compression manages dynamic range by keeping volume levels consistent throughout your recording. It smooths out loud peaks and amplifies softer sounds, so listeners don't need to adjust their volume settings to hear every word (and avoid going deaf when your outro plays).

Here's how to use it effectively:

  • Start with a Moderate Ratio: Begin with a compression ratio of 4:1. This balances control and natural sound. Adjust based on content—higher ratios for narration with large volume swings, lower ratios for subtle adjustments.
  • Adjust the Threshold: The threshold determines when compression begins. Lower thresholds capture more audio for compression, while higher thresholds affect only the loudest parts.
  • Tweak the Attack Settings: Attack controls how quickly the compressor responds to loud sounds. Fast attack controls sudden volume spikes, while slower attack preserves natural dynamics.
  • Manage Release Settings: Release controls how quickly compression disengages. Slower release creates smoother transitions between compressed and uncompressed audio, avoiding unnatural pumping effects.

There are a few important considerations to keep in mind as you start playing around with compression:

  • Avoid over-compressing—it can make audio sound flat or robotic
  • Use makeup gain to compensate for overall volume reduction
  • Aim for subtle control rather than obvious compression

4. Use Audio Enhancement Software

Audio enhancement software streamlines post-production—especially when you’re handling large amounts of content. Cleanvoice's AI-powered tools automate the cleanup process with a lineup of features that includes:

Here's how to enhance your audio using Cleanvoice:

Step 1: Sign Up for Cleanvoice

Create an account to access our suite of enhancement tools.

Step 2: Upload Your Audio File

Drag and drop your file into the dashboard or select it from your device. We support all standard audio formats.

Step 3: Select the Desired Audio Enhancements

Choose which improvements you want. Our AI processes everything automatically—no manual tweaking required.

Step 4: Review and Download Your Enhanced Audio

Listen to the enhanced audio directly on the platform. Download if you're satisfied, or adjust and reprocess if needed.

5. Master Your Audio

Mastering is the final polish that ensures your audio sounds consistent across all playback environments—from high-end studio monitors to basic earbuds.

Here's what to focus on:

  • Balancing Levels: Make sure all elements—dialogue, music, sound effects—maintain consistent volume. This creates a cohesive listening experience.
  • Equalization: Fine-tune the overall tonal balance. Reduce any overpowering frequencies and enhance clarity where needed.
  • Dynamic Range Control: Apply mastering compression to ensure consistent volume across the entire track. This differs from mixing compression by focusing on the overall sound rather than individual elements.
  • Stereo Imaging: Adjust the balance between left and right channels to create depth. Good stereo imaging makes your audio more engaging and immersive.
  • Volume Normalization: Set optimal loudness levels without introducing distortion. This ensures your content sounds professional on any device.

Transform Your Audio with Cleanvoice

To achieve high-quality audio, it's essential to focus on reducing background noise, adjusting equalization, using compression, and mastering your recordings. When executed properly, these steps can transform your audio into a polished and clear masterpiece.

Cleanvoice streamlines the audio editing process with its automated solutions for removing background noise, filler words, stutters, and awkward silences. Designed to save you time while enhancing the quality of your recordings, Cleanvoice is the ideal tool for content creators, podcasters, and professionals seeking to optimize their workflow.

Ready to improve your audio? Sign up for Cleanvoice today.