A background voice or music track can enhance your project. But background noise can harm it. Discover what you can do with both to ensure you get clean recordings.

Background voice

Imagine that you’ve created a video tutorial. It all seems fine until you give the intro a closer listen. Behind your voiceover, you can hear some weird noises in the background.

If you notice those noises, your viewers will too.

Background noise can help or harm a video. Unintended sounds can distort a human voice and make the video or audio recording more challenging to hear. However, with the right music and sound effects, you could use background noise to your advantage.

How to get rid of background noise for a voice recording

Let’s start with removing unintended background noise for your YouTube videos or the audio you post to social media. These handy tips ensure you have as little unwanted noise as possible.

Get close to the microphone

The further you are from the microphone, the higher you have to increase the mic’s sensitivity to pick up your own voice. That heightened sensitivity means the mic also picks up unwanted noise. By getting close to your microphone, you can lower the sensitivity and create something similar to a noise cancellation effect.

Use pop filters

A pop filter is a thin fabric membrane you place ahead of your microphone. It helps to block out plosives, which your voice makes when you say certain consonant sounds, such as “p.” A pop filter ensures you get a clear audio file when recording your own voice, making them great for videos and podcasts.

Use software

Video and audio editing software can help you eliminate background noise if it gets picked up during recording. For example, you can use Krisp to eliminate unwanted sounds automatically. If you prefer a more hands-on approach, the noise reduction feature in Audacity lets you get rid of hums, whistles, and similar noises.

Background music - The benefits

A voiceover with no background noise at all can feel lifeless and stagnant. But, of course, you don’t want random noises messing up your recording. That’s where background music comes in.

Excellent background music adds to your voiceover. For example, a hip-hop music background could allow you to create a stylish video when talking about hip-hop artists. Alternatively, a friendly and gentle acoustic guitar track may be a great accompaniment to a video tutorial.

Beyond making your recording sound nicer, an instrumental track offers several benefits to your listeners:

Background music improves cognitive performance and memory

These benefits make background music ideal when creating educational content. You can even use music to add to the content. For example, you can have a track gradually fade out along with your voice to signal that the user is moving onto a new piece of content.

Good music can help to increase your energy levels.

That’s especially important if you have a slightly monotone voiceover. The music gives the voiceover more life, which keeps listeners engaged.

Where can you get background music?

Now you know why background music may be an excellent addition to your project, you have an essential question:

Where can you get it?

There are a few options for finding background music for your video.

Make it yourself

If you have some musical talent, nothing is stopping you from recording your own backing track. You can even have fun with this method by mixing different instruments, such as guitar and synth, to see what works best.

There is a caveat to this technique.

You face the same issues with background noise when recording music as you do when recording your own voice. Make sure you have a clean recording setup and use appropriate software to eliminate unwanted sounds from your musical tracks.

Find royalty-free music sites

Many people aren’t always proficient at playing a musical instrument.

That’s okay because you can use other people’s music for your project. The key is that you find this music from an appropriate source. You can’t simply lift somebody else’s track and add it to your video because you may face copyright issues.

Thankfully, there are plenty of places where you can find royalty-free music. These platforms give you access to music you don’t have to pay for, making them ideal for people on a budget. Try the following to get your hands on some free music:

• YouTube’s audio library
• The Free Music Archive
• Envato Market
• SoundCloud
• Audioblocks

Buy rights to a music track

You may want to add a recognizable music track to your project. Free music usually won’t do the job if that’s the case. Instead, you must buy the rights to a backing track or purchase a license to use it. This approach requires you to follow some steps:

• Identify the song you want to use for your project.
• Research the track to see if it’s subject to copyright.
• Contact the owner of the song, which may be the artist or a company that holds the rights to the artist’s music.
• Enter negotiations to purchase the rights to the music or a license to use it.
• Sign a transfer of rights or a licensing agreement.

Speechify - Create text to speech voiceovers with no background noise

What if you want to create voiceovers without worrying about background noise?

Text to speech software can help.

With Speechify, you can create audio files containing your voiceover without worrying about your recording setup.

The app is simple. Place your text into it and Speechify reads it aloud with no background noise. Better yet, you can choose from a range of voices in over 14 languages, in addition to setting the pitch and speed of the voiceover.

Would you like to learn more?

You can try Speechify for free for three days with no obligation to purchase. Test out its range of voices and you’re sure to find something to suit your needs.

FAQ

How can I record my voice with background music?

You generally need to record the voiceover and music as separate audio files. Then, use audio editing software to combine the files.

Why is my background sound louder than the voices?

You may be recording in a loud environment or have your microphone sensitivity turned up too high.

What is the purpose of a background voice?

A background voice may add flavor to a musical track, create ambiance, or serve as narration over a scene.

What is background voice in audio?

A background voice is any voice that’s added to an audio file. Backing vocals for a music track are a good example.

What type of background music is used in movies?

Movies use many types of background music, including popular tracks and specially-recorded soundtracks.