Do you sometimes wish you could get rid of annoying background noise during an important call? No matter what type of call it is – sales call, team catch-up meeting, webinar, online class or just any form of online conversation, having a clear audio is really important.
Every home has its fair share of noisy distractions. It could be sound of TV playing in the background, children playing and shouting, gossiping neighbours, crying baby, birds chirping, dog barking, or any unexpected sounds that is beyond your control can become a distraction.
To some, this might look unprofessional, especially if it’s a client meeting and it’s related to a job that requires a quiet space for a clear communication then this can definitely be a problem.
Fortunately, thanks to the advancement in technology. You can now take that important call without worrying too much on background noise. With the introduction of noise-cancelling technologies such as software based noise-cancelling apps and hardware based noise-cancelling technologies such as headphones and mic adapter, you will be able to communicate online without any distractions. Not to mention you can also use this technology for audio recordings if you are doing podcasts, or just want to create a video with crystal clear audio, then this can be a perfect solution for your use case.
Most of the time headphones with noise-cancelling capabilities is not enough to get rid of the annoying background noises. You still need to use a second app or hardware to completely eliminate the noise. Here are the 2 most effective solutions that I have tested and proven to eliminate noise.
Krisp AI-Powered Noise Cancelling App
Krisp is an AI-powered desktop application that you can use to eliminate background noise real time. Installing this app is pretty straight forward, you just need to download the app and sign up for a free account using this link.
With free account, you will be able to use it for 120 mins per week, but if you need more. You can subscribe to their monthly plan starting at $8/month billed monthly or $5 billed annually.
Once you have created your free account, you can just need to login your account credentials and select Krisp microphone and speaker from your audio settings, instead of using the default audio configurations.
Krisp works with your favorite communication app. I have tried it on Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Skype, Vectera, Google Meet and it works perfectly. According to their website, it supports 600+ communication apps at this point of writing.
Sad to say that Krisp only supports Windows 10 operating system and Mac. So if you are using previous version of Windows such as Windows 7 or 8, then it won’t work. The other good thing about this software – It has also an iOS app that you can use to filter noise while you are on the move. I’m still hoping that they will create an android version of the app.
Based from experience, software based noise-cancelling technology such as Krisp can’t block 100% of the background noise. There are instances that some noise were heard by the person I’m talking to, but in a scale of 1 to 10. I’ll give this a score of 8 as majority of the background noises were filtered out by this technology.
ASUS AI Noise-Canceling Mic Adapter
If you are looking for a hardware based noise-cancelling solution, then you might want to check Asus latest noise-cancelling technology. This is the world’s first USB type C to 3.5mm adapter with integrated AI Noise Cancelling Microphone (AI Mic) technology.
Under the hood, It comes with a built-in 96 KHz / 24-bit digital-to-analogue converter (DAC) with ASUS Hyper Grounding technology that prevents electromagnetic interference so that you can enjoy a superb audio quality.
Unlike Krisp which only supports Windows, Mac and iOs devices, the ASUS AI Mic adapter supports a broad range of devices from notebooks, desktop PCs, smartphones, tablets and gaming consoles. It also comes with a USB 2.0 adapter that you can use if your device don’t have USB type C port.
You can buy the ASUS Noise Cancelling Mic Adapter for $39.99 using this link – ASUS Ai Noise-Canceling Mic Adapter | Built-in Artificial Intelligence Isolates Background Noise, Enhance Voice Clarity | Improve Quality of Conference Calls, Music | Supports USB-C & USB 2.0-3.5 mm
Here is a partial list of smartphones displayed on ASUS website that is currently supported by this device. If you are planning to order this device, be sure to contact ASUS support.
Wrap Up
These are the best noise-cancelling apps and device that you can try to eliminate distractions during important calls.
If you know other devices or software that can help reduce background noise, just comment down below so that I can update the list above.
