CHOOSE THE RIGHT KIND OF REPAIR
Remove echo from audio: what denoising cannot do.
DenoiseKit does not remove echo or reverb. Its RNNoise engine targets background noise in speech, not delayed copies of your voice or the lingering sound of a room.
Noise, echo and reverb are different
Noise is an unwanted sound such as fan hiss or hum. Echo is a recognizable delayed repeat of the original sound. Reverb is a dense tail of room reflections. Reducing a noise floor is not the same as undoing those reflections.
For an existing echo-heavy recording
Keep the original and test a dedicated dereverberation tool in an audio editor on a copy. Compare short speech segments for metallic artifacts and intelligibility. Severe reflections may not be recoverable; re-recording can be more reliable.
For your next recording
Move the microphone closer without overloading it. Choose a softer-furnished room and avoid bare walls. In calls, use headphones to prevent speaker audio feeding back into the microphone; that problem is different from a reverberant room.
When DenoiseKit is still useful
If a reverberant voice recording also contains fan noise, test the free denoiser for that noise only. Do not expect the room tail to disappear. Keep separate copies and compare the voice after each repair rather than stacking effects blindly.
Questions about echo and denoising
Does RNNoise remove echo or reverb?
No. DenoiseKit does not provide echo cancellation or dereverberation. RNNoise is used here for speech noise reduction; reducing fan noise should not be mistaken for removing room reflections.
Why does my voice still sound distant after denoising?
A distant microphone captures more room reflections relative to direct speech. Lowering background hiss does not change that balance. A closer microphone or a dedicated dereverb workflow addresses a different problem.
Can I try denoising just the background hiss?
Yes, if you also have unwanted background noise. The free tool processes 3 files per local calendar day, up to 5 minutes each, entirely in your browser. Compare previews and keep your original.