Back to alphabetical overview – click here
Noise Reduction – Definition
Noise reduction is the process of removing unwanted background noise from an audio recording while preserving the desired musical signal. It helps produce cleaner, clearer recordings.
What is Noise Reduction?
Noise reduction software identifies unwanted sounds such as hiss, hum, electrical noise, or background ambience and reduces their level without affecting the musical performance more than necessary. Modern digital tools can also reduce room noise and other recording artifacts.
Applying too much noise reduction can introduce unwanted audio artifacts and make a recording sound unnatural.
Why is Noise Reduction useful for pianists?
Digital pianos usually produce clean audio signals, so noise reduction is rarely needed. However, recordings of acoustic pianos may contain background noise from the room, pedals, microphones, or the surrounding environment.
Good recording practice always begins by reducing unwanted noise at the source before relying on software processing during mixing.