How to reduce audio noise in DaVinci Resolve Studio

It’s easy to forget that audio is an integral part of a great video. But sometimes, your recorded audio needs some help. Stuck with recorded background noise? Don’t fret. DaVinci Resolve Studio offers an easy solution.

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to reduce audio noise in DaVinci Resolve Studio. With a few clicks, you can dramatically improve your audio quality. You can amplify the sounds you want. And you can eliminate the ones that you don’t. That’s all thanks to the immensely powerful Fairlight module that comes standard with Resolve Studio.

What is Fairlight in DaVinci Resolve?

Fairlight is the audio editing suite contained in DaVinci Resolve Studio. It’s part of why Resolve stands out from other apps. Even though it’s a video editor, it also comes with fully-featured audio tools. These are packaged in the Fairlight module.

Fairlight contains adjustments and tools that help you work with audio quickly and efficiently. Many are part of the Effects panel within Fairlight. Think of these as audio presets that you can apply to tracks. They automatically change and adjust audio settings.

Fairlight is the suite of audio tools included in DaVinci Resolve Studio.

One of the included options is the Noise Reduction effect. Noise Reduction in DaVinci Resolve Studio is really the best of both worlds. It smoothly reduces unwanted noise in your audio tracks inside Resolve.

But it also gives you full creative control! Need to fine-tune your audio adjustments? You can do just that. The Noise Reduction tool includes an array of controls that help you precisely adjust any audio track that you’re working with. And these features are at the heart of our tutorial below.

Why is noise reduction important in DaVinci Resolve Studio?

Clearly, DaVinci Resolve Studio makes it easy to reduce audio noise in any project. But what are the advantages to this? Why is it worth spending the time to reduce noise in your DaVinci Resolve audio?

Noise reduction is a critical edit that you should never skip over. Consider this:

Reducing noise makes your videos more watchable. Unwanted noise is unwelcome! When you have background noise, you’ll distract your audience. They’ll miss the good parts of your audio, put off by noise. When you use noise reduction, video viewers hear only what you want them to.
It enhances professionalism. If you don’t remove background noise, your audio will sound less professional. Think about it. Pro productions always take the time to polish their audio tracks too. You should do the same.
You’ll meet broadcast standards. If you’re planning to broadcast videos, audio noise reduction is almost mandatory. Only the best productions make it to broadcasts. They’re held to high standards for quality and editing.

As you can see, it’s imperative to reduce audio noise in videos. Luckily, that’s easy to do in DaVinci Resolve Studio. Let’s learn how to do it, step by step.

How to work with noise reduction in DaVinci Resolve Studio (step by step)

Working with the Noise Reduction effect in DaVinci Resolve Studio is easy. Let’s walk through the process. You can do this with any audio clip. Most often, the clips will be those that you’ve recorded. With Resolve noise reduction, you can remove background hums, hisses, and more.

Here’s how to do it.

1. Add audio to DaVinci Resolve Studio

Go ahead and open DaVinci Resolve Studio on your computer. When you do, you’ll find yourself on the Project Manager panel. Projects are individual video workspaces in Resolve Studio. On the Project Manager, you can open an existing project. Or, you can choose New Project to create one of your own.

Create a new DaVinci Resolve Studio project on the Project Manager panel.

Here, let’s click New Project. Give it a name, then click Create. Your project is ready to use!

Locate the toolbar menu at the bottom of Resolve Studio. Choose the second button from the left. It’s labeled Cut. Click Cut. In the upper left corner, you’ll see the Media Pool controls. It is here that you can import audio into DaVinci Resolve Studio.

Drag and drop an audio file onto the Media Pool to import it.

Browse to an audio file stored on your computer. Then, drag and drop it onto the Media Pool panel. It’s the area where you see the words No clips in media pool.

With audio in place, right-click on the clip’s thumbnail. At the top of the listed options, choose Create New Timeline Using Selected Clips. On the popup menu, click Create once again.

Right-click and choose Create New Timeline Using Selected Clips. You’ll see the audio appear on your video Timeline below.

Just like that, you’ve imported audio into DaVinci Resolve Studio! Now, let’s use this clip to learn how to work with audio noise reduction.

2. Open the Fairlight audio controls

Next, you’ll need to open the Fairlight audio controls in Resolve Studio. Remember the toolbar where you selected the Cut menu? Look to the right and you’ll see a music note icon button. This is the Fairlight menu toggle.

Click on the music note icon at the bottom of DaVinci Resolve to open the Fairlight audio panel.

Click on the music note, and the Fairlight audio panel will launch. Again, you can think of this as the nerve center for audio editing in Resolve Studio. An incredible number of audio effects and edits can be made right here.

Above is the Fairlight audio workspace open in DaVinci Resolve Studio.

With Fairlight open, spend some time exploring. On the left side, you’ll see dropdown menus for the Toolbox and Audio FX options. In the center, you’ll see audio meters, a timeline with waveforms, and more. On the right is the Mixer panel. It’s there that you’ll work with adjustments like the input, equalizer, and more.

3. Apply the noise reduction effect

To reduce audio noise in Resolve, locate the Audio FX dropdown. It’s found in the upper left corner of the Fairlight panel. Click on Audio FX, and you’ll see the Fairlight FX sidebar appear beside it.

Open the Fairlight FX and find Noise Reduction on the list of options.

On the Fairlight FX sidebar, you’ll see a long list of audio effects. They’re in alphabetical order, so scroll down until you find Noise Reduction. Here’s the tool that you are looking for!

Drag the Noise Reduction effect onto your audio clip.

Click and drag the Noise Reduction effect over to your audio Timeline. Drop it onto the green audio track. You’ve applied noise reduction in DaVinci Resolve! When you add the effect, the Noise Reduction panel opens up. Here, you can refine and fine-tune your audio noise reduction.

4. Fine-tune noise reduction: Choosing the right settings

You’ve applied noise reduction to your DaVinci Resolve Studio audio. But you aren’t finished making adjustments. The beauty of Fairlight is the creative flexibility it allows you. You can refine the noise reduction to best fit your specific audio.

Notice there are several controls on the Noise Reduction panel. Spend some time exploring each of them. There’s no single recipe for success in noise reduction. Much of it is really a trial-and-error process. Try different combinations until you achieve the desired results.

This dropdown lists options for noise reduction settings in DaVinci Resolve Studio.

For example, you can choose different presets. They’re found on the dropdown menu in the upper left corner. There’s a Default option for noise of all kinds. Other choices focus on hiss, rumble, and other unwanted sounds.

Use these knobs to refine your audio noise reduction.

Below are adjustment knobs to control noise reduction parameters and levels. The key controls here are:

Threshold. Think of this as the trigger for noise reduction. It determines the level where reduction effects kick in. Essentially, it sets the baseline for what is considered noise in your audio.
Attack. This controls the speed of reduction when a noise is detected.
Sensitivity. Sensitivity specifies how noise reduction is targeted. Higher values will remove the most background noise. But they also risk removing parts of the audio that you want to keep. Be careful with this one.
Ratio. Ratio works to control how strong the reduction effects are, once the defined Threshold value is reached. The lower the ratio, the more minimal the reductions applied.
Smoothing. Smoothing spreads noise reduction effects over a longer time period. Just as the name implies, it delivers a more natural and authentic sound than sudden adjustments.
Output. Noise reduction effects can alter the overall volume of your tracks. With Output, you can avoid this loss of volume once noise is removed.

When you’re finished, give your audio a final listen. You’ll be impressed with the results. In moments, you’ve removed background noise for a high-quality listening experience.

Top tips for noise reduction in DaVinci Resolve

Above, you learned how to use the powerful Noise Reduction effect in DaVinci Resolve Studio. As you can see, it automatically reduces noise in Resolve. And you can refine the adjustments to precisely adjust your specific audio clips.

1. Be deliberate and plan ahead

The best way to reduce audio noise in DaVinci Resolve Studio is to plan ahead. Don’t apply reduction effects blindly. Instead, listen through your audio ahead of time.

Be sure that you’re fully aware of what the background noises are. Locate them within the clip. This helps you decide exactly how to refine the noise reductions that you apply later.

2. Use other effects to help

Audio effects shouldn’t be considered in a vacuum. Noise reduction is no exception. It often works best when combined with other audio effects!

The EQ tool and others work well to help balance audio noise reduction using DaVinci Resolve Studio.

As mentioned, Fairlight has plenty to choose from. Key edits like the Equalization (EQ) tool help you better balance and reduce audio noise.

3. Aim for a balance

Yes, it’s possible to take noise reduction too far. If you use the effect too much, you’ll end up with audio tracks that sound unnatural. It’s best to strike a balance between quality and reduction.

Sure, remove as much background noise as you can. But remember, in any natural sound, there is a certain amount of background audio. Preserving some of it keeps your audio sounding natural and true-to-life.

Balance your edits to achieve maximum, authentic DaVinci Resolve noise reduction.

Embrace these tips to become more successful at DaVinci Resolve Studio audio noise reduction!

Learn more great tips and tricks for DaVinci Resolve

DaVinci Resolve Studio is loaded with cool features and tools. But it can be daunting to learn how to use the app well. Fortunately, you don’t have to go it alone. Here on Envato Tuts+, we have many tutorials to help you get started.

Here are some trending favorites for 2024! Check these out if you want to upgrade your DaVinci Resolve skills in a flash:

Use noise reduction effects in DaVinci Resolve today

You learned how to reduce audio noise in DaVinci Resolve Studio. It’s handled for you automatically, with the Noise Reduction effect. Accessed on the Fairlight panel, it’s a one-click adjustment to improve audio quality.

Don’t forget to make custom edits with the Noise Reduction panel. Plan your reductions ahead. Know what areas of the clip to target. Then, explore adjustment options to achieve the desired effect. You and your audiences will enjoy the benefits.

Post date June 15, 2024

This content originally appeared on Envato Tuts+ Tutorials and was authored by Andrew Childress

What is Fairlight in DaVinci Resolve?

Why is noise reduction important in DaVinci Resolve Studio?

Noise reduction is a critical edit that you should never skip over. Consider this:

Reducing noise makes your videos more watchable. Unwanted noise is unwelcome! When you have background noise, you’ll distract your audience. They’ll miss the good parts of your audio, put off by noise. When you use noise reduction, video viewers hear only what you want them to.
It enhances professionalism. If you don’t remove background noise, your audio will sound less professional. Think about it. Pro productions always take the time to polish their audio tracks too. You should do the same.
You’ll meet broadcast standards. If you’re planning to broadcast videos, audio noise reduction is almost mandatory. Only the best productions make it to broadcasts. They’re held to high standards for quality and editing.

As you can see, it’s imperative to reduce audio noise in videos. Luckily, that’s easy to do in DaVinci Resolve Studio. Let’s learn how to do it, step by step.