Here’s the issue — trying to listen to audio, but the background music is so loud that the voices are drowned out. Is there a way to isolate the vocals or reduce the background noise? Every time you try to reduce noise, it seems to mute the voices, too. What’s the solution?

The answer is specialized separation software, and we’ve got the tools for you.

How to Isolate Voice From Background Noise Online 

LALAL.AI

If you need a fast way to clean up your audio, LALAL.AI Voice Cleaner is a solid option. It’s a browser-based tool, so no need to install anything. It works both as a vocal separator and cleaner, so let’s focus on removing background noise, which will bring out the vocals.

1. Head over to the LALAL.AI Voice Cleaner website.
2. Click Select Files to upload your audio file. It supports all the common formats like MP3, OGG, WAV, FLAC, AIFF, and AAC.
3. Wait just a few seconds while the tool processes the audio.
4. Hit the play button next to the Voice preview to hear a portion of the vocal cleaned up from the background noise.
5. If you feel the preview sounds a little too compressed or you hear some noise sneaking back in, adjust the Noise Canceling Level. You’ll find this option to the left of the preview section. Once you’re happy with the sound, click Create New Previews to hear the fresh result.
6. To clean up the entire track, pick either the Starter (Free) or one of the paid packs.
7. Sign up and hit Split in Full.
8. When it’s done, click the download icon next to the Vocal [Full] section to grab the file.

Your download will be in the same format as the original file unless you’ve chosen a different one. Plus, the download link will be sent to your email for easy access later.

ElevenLabs

There’s also another online tool called ElevenLabs Voice Isolator that works similarly.

1. Go to the ElevenLabs Voice Isolator.
2. Upload your recording. It can handle files up to 500MB or an hour long.
3. Start the voice isolation and let the AI do its thing.
4. Once it’s finished, download your new .mp3 file with just the isolated voice.

If you need to work with longer recordings, the Voice Isolator API can help, too.

How AI Knows the Difference Between Voice and Background Noise

AI separates voice from background noise by analyzing the audio in a few key ways. It looks at things like pitch, frequency, and volume.

The AI uses algorithms trained on lots of examples of both clean and noisy audio to learn how to tell them apart. It knows that voices usually have changing frequencies and rhythms, and background noise tends to stay the same or be less predictable. Once the AI spots these differences, it can separate the voice and remove or reduce the noise.

How to Isolate Voice From Background Noise in Audacity

If you’re using Audacity, you’ve got some solid tools at your disposal to handle background noise. 

Noise Reduction

This is great for tackling constant background noise like buzzing, humming, or the sound of a fan. Here’s how you can use it:

1. Start by finding a section of your track that’s just background noise — ideally just a few seconds.
2. Select that part, then go to Effects > Noise Reduction and click the Get Noise Profile button.
3. Highlight the rest of the audio you want to clean up.
4. Go back to Effects > Noise Reduction and adjust the settings to your liking. Use the Residue toggle to hear exactly what’s being removed.
5. Once you’re satisfied, hit OK to apply it.

Noise Gate

This effect helps you reduce quieter background noise without affecting louder sounds:

1. Select a part of your track that’s pure background noise.
2. Head to Effects > Noise Gate and click Analyze Noise Level. Audacity will show you the noise level and suggest a threshold.
3. Highlight the audio you want to work on.
4. Go back to Effects > Noise Gate, choose Gate, and input the threshold you got earlier.
5. Tweak the other settings to get it just right, then hit OK.

Apply the Noise Gate after using Noise Reduction to keep the noise reduction settings less aggressive and get a cleaner final product.

Notch Filter

For eliminating hums or whistles at specific frequencies, this tool is your go-to:

1. Select the part of the audio with the unwanted hum or whistle.
2. Go to Effects > Notch Filter.
3. Enter the frequency you want to remove, and adjust the Q-value (higher numbers focus on fewer frequencies).
4. Hit OK, and you’re all set!

Why Does Background Noise Sometimes Seem Louder Than Voices?

There are a few reasons this might happen. If the mic is too far away or not positioned right, it’ll pick up more of the surrounding noise. The room can play a role, too — hard surfaces can reflect sound and make background noise more noticeable. 

Sometimes, if the mic gain is too high or if there’s audio compression, you unintentionally boost unwanted sounds. Also, if the speaker’s voice is soft or the mic isn’t great, it can get buried under the noise.

How to Isolate Voice From Background Noise in Premiere Pro

In Adobe Premiere Pro, you can work with background noise using the DeNoise effect or the Essential Sound panel.

1. Start by opening your project in Premiere Pro and select the clip you want to edit.
2. Go to Window > Effects, search for DeNoise, and drag the effect onto your audio clip.
3. In the Effect Controls panel, find the DeNoise effect and click Edit. Use the Amount slider to adjust how much noise reduction you want. If the audio becomes quieter, you can boost the volume using the Gain control.
4. For more control, open the Essential Sound panel (Window > Essential Sound). Choose the Dialogue tag for your clip.
5. In the Repair section, use the sliders to reduce noise:

• Reduce Noise (overall background noise)
• Reduce Rumble ( low-frequency noise like mic rumbles)
• DeHum (hums from electrical interference)
• DeEss (harsh “s” sounds)
• Reduce Reverb (echo)

6. If the voice sounds off, go to the Clarity tab. Here, you can tweak the EQ to enhance or reduce specific frequencies. You can also use the Enhance Speech option to adjust the tone.
7. Once you’ve applied the noise reduction and fine-tuned the sound, your audio should be much cleaner.

Fun Fact: Do You Hear Voices in Background Noise?

This is known as auditory pareidolia, but it’s more about pattern recognition than anything else. Basically, your brain is trying to make sense of the sounds it’s hearing, so it fills in the blanks with a familiar noise. But don’t worry — we’ll remove that noise, no matter what it sounds like.

How to Separate Voice From Background Noise on Android

To isolate the voice from background noise on WavePad Audio Editor, follow these steps:

1. Tap on the Menu (three horizontal lines) in the top-left corner and select Open.
2. Choose the audio file you want to edit from your device’s storage and tap on the Effects tab at the bottom of the screen. In the list of available effects, tap on Noise Reduction.
3. Tap on Get Noise Profile.
4. Highlight a section of your audio that only contains background noise (ideally 2-5 seconds of silence with background sounds) and tap Select.
5. After the noise profile is captured, go back to the Noise Reduction menu. 
6. Use the Noise Reduction Level slider to adjust how much noise you want to remove. You can also adjust the Sensitivity slider to control how sensitive the tool is to different frequencies.
7. Tap Apply to process the noise reduction on your entire audio. Go back to the Noise Reduction effect and tweak the sliders if needed.
8. Once you’re satisfied with the result, tap the Menu icon again and select Save As.

How to Isolate Voice From Background Noise on iPhone

If you’re looking to isolate vocals on your iPhone or iPad, GarageBand is a solid option. Keep in mind, though, that the level of manipulation you can do on mobile is very limited compared to the desktop version. But for basic tasks, it can still get the job done:

1. Open GarageBand and load the project with the vocals you want to adjust. 
2. To mute the track, click the Mute button (the speaker icon with a line through it). This keeps the track in your project but silences it during playback and export.
3. If you want to completely remove it, tap on the track and hit Delete.
4. To isolate the vocals, just click the headphones icon next to the Mute button. This will highlight just the vocal.

If you want to export just the isolated vocals, you need to mute the other tracks and make sure the vocals are the only one left active. Then, you can export the project, and it will only export the active track(s).

Is There a Microphone That Cancels Background Noise?

Of course, it’s always better to start with the best possible recording instead of relying on noise removal. A cardioid microphone is a good option since it focuses on sound from the front and reduces noise from the sides and back. Also, consider using soundproofing and adding pop filters to improve the recording quality.

Using a quality microphone like the Shure SM7B or Rode NT1-A, placed in a quiet environment, will make a huge difference in capturing clear, crisp sound. However, if you do end up with background noise in your recording, tools like the ones we’ve discussed here will still help clean it up effectively.