We are all familiar with the situation when during a call the interlocutors complain about extraneous sounds and poor connection quality. The noise reduction function will help solve the problem – we tell you how to set it up in Windows 10 and 11
How to set up a microphone
First, make sure you have everything prepared for recording audio.
- Update your OS to the latest version and download the latest drivers for your microphone;
- Clean the microphone from dirt and dust;
- Before conferences, streams or important calls, test your microphone.
How to update sound drivers
- In “Start” open “Device Manager”;
- Click on the “Audio Inputs and Outputs” section and double click on it;
- Select Driver and Update.
How to Enable Noise Reduction in Windows 10 and 11
Noise reduction settings vary little between versions of Microsoft’s operating system.
First option
- Go to the “Sound” section, which is located in “Settings” (called by the combination Windows + I);
- In Sound, find Additional Sound Options;
- A list of devices will appear in front of you – double-click on the desired microphone;
- Click on the Enhance option;
- Check the boxes for “Urgent Mode”, as well as “Noise Reduction”, “DC Removal” and “Echo Suppression”;
- Click “OK”.
What to do if there is no “Improvement” in the settings:
- Download sound drivers for your motherboard (or laptop) from the manufacturer’s official website;
- Or download the Realtek Audio Control utility from the Microsoft Store .
Second option
- Type “Control Panel” in the search;
- Click on “Hardware and Sound”;
- Next, go to “Realtek HD Manager”;
Source: CQ.ru / Noise reduction settings in Windows 11
- In the window that appears, select your microphone;
- Click on the “Microphone Effect” section;
- In it, select “Noise Reduction” and “Echo Reduction”;
- Click OK.
What to do if you have sound problems
If you have enabled noise reduction, but the sound quality still leaves much to be desired, there are several ways to solve the problem using Windows.
Disabling software digital audio gain
Procedure:
- Go to the “Sound” section, which is located in “Settings” (called by the combination Windows + I);
- In Sound, find Additional Sound Options;
- A list of devices will appear in front of you – double-click on the desired microphone;
- Click on the Levels option and move the Gain slider to 0.
Troubleshooting function
If you still notice problems with the microphone, Windows has a function of the same name that will automatically check your system for errors.
- Go to “Options”;
- Click “Troubleshooting”;
- Under “Other troubleshooting”, select “Sound”;
- Follow the instructions and wait for verification.Source: CQ.ru / Troubleshooting in Windows 11
Third-party noise reduction programs
Want more advanced features? Then you’ll need programs from other developers.
The most popular apps with noise reduction feature:
- Krisp;
- NoiseGator;
- OBS Studio;
- AnyMP4 Video Converter Ultimate;
- Voicemeeter;
- Lalal.ai (browser-based);
- RTX Voice;
- SoliCall;
- Cup Cut;
- Andrea PC Audio Software.
Each program has its own unique capabilities, but as an example, let’s look at RTX Voice.
- Download and install the application (for RTX and GTX );
- Select the microphone and speaker you will use;
- Turn on background noise reduction for your microphone and/or speakers