Noise Gate
Close the gate when the signal drops below the threshold, so hiss and room noise vanish between phrases.
MP3, WAV, M4A, FLAC, OGG, Opus, AIFF, WMA, AMR and the sound of most videos. Files stay on your device.
How it works
- Choose an audio file.
- Set the threshold, attack, hold and release.
- Preview and adjust until the pauses are quiet but words are not clipped.
- Export and download.
How a noise gate works
A noise gate lets sound through when it is loud enough and turns it down when it is not. The gate opens when the level rises above the threshold, stays open for the hold time after the level drops, then closes over the release time. Attack is how fast it opens. The range is how far the sound is turned down while the gate is closed: −90 dB is practically silence, a smaller range such as −15 dB leaves some background and sounds more natural.
Lookahead lets the gate see the sound a few milliseconds before you hear it, so it is already open for the first syllable or note instead of clipping it.
Setting the threshold
The parts where the gate is closed are marked on the waveform and the page tells you how much of the file that is. Adjust the threshold until the pauses are marked and the words are not. The detector follows the peak level, so a threshold a little above the noise floor and well below the quietest word works best. The tool warns when the gate would never close or would be closed almost all the time.
Limits
A gate only removes noise in the pauses: the noise is still there while someone speaks, and a very fast release can make the background pump up and down. For hiss that is present all the time use Noise reduction; for pauses in a spoken recording the Remove silence tool can shorten or cut them instead of muting.
Questions
What is the difference between a noise gate and noise reduction?
A gate mutes or lowers the audio during quiet parts and does nothing while the sound is loud. Noise reduction tries to take the noise out of the loud parts as well.
Why are the starts of words cut off?
The threshold is too high or the attack too slow. Lower the threshold, shorten the attack, or add a few milliseconds of lookahead.
Why does the noise cut in and out abruptly?
The range is large and the release short. Use a smaller range, a longer release and a longer hold time for a smoother sound.
Does it work on stereo files?
Yes. Both channels open and close together, driven by the louder of the two, so the stereo image does not shift.
Is my audio uploaded?
No. Everything runs in your browser and the file never leaves your device.