Noise reduction is a very useful feature that not everyone may know about. The demand for such an option was especially often mentioned during the pandemic. It was then that remote work found many supporters, but it met with many difficulties. One of them was the presence of everyone at home. There were times when the sounds from home could drown out the entire online meeting. For this purpose, background noise suppression functions began to appear. This made talking a little more comfortable.
Why mute background noise?
This question may be rhetorical for people who do not have particularly good conditions in their home for remote work. During online meetings, it can happen that a dog or a child runs into the room. That is why noise suppression is extremely important, because it allows you to make conversations comfortable, when you do not have to worry that the interlocutor hears conversations and noises from our surroundings . Thanks to this, first of all, you will feel comfortable with the idea that no one hears anything, which could be simply embarrassing. Then you can go unprofessional.
Noise reduction in Microsoft Teams
The noise and background noise canceling solution is set automatically by Microsoft’s AI. In this way, it detects such sounds as knocks, rustling, sounds from the street, sounds of computer components and many others. How does it happend? Artificial intelligence analyzes each soundtrack. It then filters out what will be classified as noise. After that, only the user’s voice remains.
To enable background muting in Microsoft Teams:
- Tap the profile icon in the upper right corner.
- Click Settings .
- On the left, select Devices .
- Select Noise Suppression .
- Confirm the Auto option . Then the noise suppression will take place automatically. In situations where there is usually a lot of noise around you, it is recommended to select High . However, then the application will consume much more resources. You can also select Low . Then the sound attenuation will be relatively weak, but if the user does not have big needs, then it should be just right.
Microsoft Teams is getting new features . It is a tool with many possibilities that are constantly expanding.
Mute the background in Google Meet
In the case of Google Meet , the background mute option is currently available to users of the following packages:
- Business Standard
- Business Plus
- Enterprise Essentials
- Enterprise Standard
- Enterprise Plus
- Education Plus
- Frontline
- Teaching and Learning Upgrade
- Version for Workspace Individual users
- Google One subscriptions with at least 2TB of storage
There are a few steps to set up background noise suppression:
- Go to the Google Meet website .
- Select an appointment.
- Before joining, in the upper right corner, tap More options .
- Select Settings .
- Select the Sound section .
- Turn on Noise cancelling .
- Tap Join Now .
Google Meet can also be used through Gmail , which is another convenience and comfort option for users.
Noise reduction in Discord
Discord is a messenger that is especially popular among gamers, but not only. More and more people use it not only during computer games. It also offers background muting and other options that improve the quality of the conversation. You will set it up as follows:
- Select User Settings in the lower left corner.
- From the section on the left, select Voice & Video .
- Go to the very bottom to the Advanced section .
- Turn on Noise suppression .
While staying in the same place, you might also want to consider Echo Cancellation and Auto Gain Control . These options will also significantly improve the quality and comfort of the conversation for both parties.
Mute background noise in Zoom
Another popular online chat application is Zoom Meetings . This service also offers to mute background noises during a call. To set the noise suppression:
- Click on the profile icon in the upper right corner.
- Select Settings .
- Tap the Voice tab .
- Go to the Noise and Background Suppression section.
- Choose attenuation level from:
- Car
- Short
- Mediocre
- High
That’s all. From now on, you can enjoy a much more comfortable and quality conversation.
Noise suppression in applications – summary
Background noise suppression allows services such as Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Discord and Zoom to improve the quality of the meeting. Thanks to this, the conversation will not be drowned out by sounds from the environment. Setting this option is not difficult at all. In any application, this is quite an intuitive activity, so you don’t have to spend too much time on it. Noise reduction is the next step in the development of artificial intelligence, which in this case shows itself on the good side.