How To Turn BAD Audio Into Studio Quality (For FREE)
Learn how to turn bad audio into studio quality for free with Adobe Podcast Enhance Speech. See real-world tests and workflow hacks to speed up your editing.
Key Takeaways
Great video content can easily be ruined by subpar audio. Whether your recording suffers from heavy background noise, distracting room echo, or was simply captured using the built-in microphone on your smartphone, poor audio quality is a common hurdle for content creators.
Fortunately, you no longer need expensive plugins or complex audio engineering skills to fix it. There is a completely free tool available that can salvage even the most compromised recordings and turn them into studio-quality audio.
Here is a complete guide on how to enhance your speech recordings, how the tool holds up in challenging environments, and a few workflow hacks to speed up your editing process.
What is Adobe Podcast Enhance Speech?
Adobe Podcast Enhance Speech is a free AI-powered web tool designed specifically to clean up spoken audio. It effectively removes background noise, eliminates room echo, and enhances the vocal frequencies to make it sound as though the audio was recorded in a professional sound studio.
FAQ
Is there a time or file size limit for using Adobe Podcast Enhance Speech?
Yes, currently the free version of Adobe Podcast Enhance Speech allows you to process up to one hour of audio at a time. Additionally, there is a strict 1GB file size limit, which is why extracting the audio from your video files before uploading is highly recommended.
Can I upload video files directly to Adobe's audio enhancement tool?
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Transform bad recordings into studio-quality sound using Adobe Podcast Enhance Speech, a free AI tool that effectively eliminates background noise and heavy room echo.
Avoid using the tool on already high-quality audio (like tracks recorded with a dedicated Rode VideoMic Go II), as the AI can unnaturally alter the original tone of your voice.
Bypass the tool's 1GB file size limit and slow upload speeds by extracting the audio from your video first using Adobe Media Encoder or the free VLC Media Player.
Capture better source audio from the start by upgrading your recording setup using the recommendations in this Budget Studio Gear Spreadsheet.
Currently, the tool allows you to enhance up to one hour of audio at a time, completely for free.
How to Use Adobe Enhance Speech
Using the tool is incredibly straightforward and requires no previous audio editing experience:
Navigate to the Tool: Go to podcast.adobe.com/enhance (or simply Google search "Adobe Enhance Speech").
Upload Your File: Drag and drop your audio or video file directly into the simple web interface.
Adjust the Strength: Once processed, you can listen to the enhanced version. You can toggle the effect on and off to compare it to the original, and use the built-in slider to mix how much of the enhancement effect you actually want applied.
Download: When you are happy with the mix, click the download button. You will receive an enhanced audio file that you can drop directly into your video editor's timeline.
Real-World Tests: Does It Actually Work?
To see how far we can push this free tool, it was tested in various notoriously bad audio environments using only the built-in microphone of a slightly older smartphone (iPhone 12).
Here is how the AI handled different background noises and acoustic challenges with the enhancement strength set to the default 90%:
Environment
Audio Challenge
Enhancement Result
Studio Office
Minimal echo, best-case scenario
Noticeably cleaned up, though the difference is subtle since the source was already okay.
Parking Garage
Heavy reverb and medium background noise
Background noise significantly reduced; voice became highly isolated and easy to hear.
Rooftop
Wind and heavy background noise (no echo)
Background noise heavily reduced. Not flawless, but highly usable.
Empty Stairwell
Extreme reverb (flat surfaces everywhere)
Reverb almost entirely eliminated; voice rendered remarkably clear.
Gym
Heavy echo and ambient noise
Voice strongly enhanced and clarified over the booming echo.
Nature Trail
Birds, wind, and crunchy gravel footsteps
Environmental sounds were virtually eliminated, bringing the vocal track forward.
Effectively cut through the ambient chatter and music.
Living Room
Phone placed 8-10 feet away, noticeable echo
When Not to Use Enhance Speech
While the tool is practically magic for bad audio, it behaves differently with audio that is already high-quality.
When tested with a dedicated shotgun microphone, specifically the Rode VideoMic Go II Microphone boomed overhead, the enhancement tool actually changed the natural tone of the voice. In these cases, the raw output from a good microphone usually sounds better and more natural than the AI-enhanced version.
The takeaway: Adobe Enhance Speech is primarily a salvage tool for bad audio, rather than a necessary step for audio that already sounds great. However, if you struggle with harsh "P" sounds (plosives) or sharp "S" sounds (sibilance), running the audio through the tool does a surprisingly good job of softening those harsh frequencies.
Bonus Tips: How to Speed Up the Process
While Adobe allows you to upload video files directly to the Enhance Speech tool, it comes with limitations. Video files are notoriously large, leading to incredibly slow upload times, and there is a strict 1GB file size limit.
To make this process quick and painless, you should extract the audio from your video first before uploading it. Audio files are a fraction of the size and upload in seconds. Here are two easy ways to do this:
Method 1: Extract Audio with Adobe Media Encoder
If you are already in the Adobe ecosystem and have Creative Cloud:
Drop your video file into Adobe Media Encoder.
Change the output format to Waveform Audio.
Click the green "Start Queue" play button.
Media Encoder will quickly generate a .WAV file right next to your original video file. You can even batch-process multiple files at once and drop them all into the Enhance Speech tool.
Method 2: Extract Audio with VLC Media Player (100% Free)
If you don't use Adobe software, you can extract your audio for free using the open-source VLC Media Player:
Install and open VLC.
Go to the File menu and select Convert/Stream.
Drag your video into the designated box (or use the file chooser).
Under the profile section, select Audio - MP3.
Choose your save destination and click Save.
After a brief moment, you will have a lightweight MP3 file ready for rapid uploading to Adobe Podcast.
Recommended Gear and Resources
While AI tools are incredible for saving poorly recorded audio, the best practice is always to capture the best possible audio at the source.
If you are looking to upgrade your recording setup without breaking the bank, check out this comprehensive Budget Studio Gear Spreadsheet to find the right microphones, lighting, and camera equipment for your specific content creation needs.
You can upload video files directly, but it is not recommended. Video files are typically large, resulting in extremely slow upload times and potentially hitting the 1GB file limit. To speed up the process, you should extract the audio as a .WAV or .MP3 using tools like Adobe Media Encoder or the free VLC Media Player before uploading.
Does Adobe Enhance Speech fix popping sounds or harsh "S" sounds in audio?
Yes. While the tool is primarily designed to remove background noise and room echo, running your audio through it does a surprisingly good job of softening harsh "P" sounds (plosives) and sharp "S" sounds (sibilance) in your vocal recordings.
Should I use AI audio enhancement if I already have a professional microphone?
Generally, no. If you are recording with a high-quality dedicated microphone, like the Rode VideoMic Go II in a quiet room, running it through the AI tool can actually change the natural tone of your voice. Enhance Speech is best used as a salvage tool for poorly recorded audio.
Why does my voice sound unnatural after using the audio enhancement tool?
If your source audio was already of high quality, the AI processing might over-correct and alter your natural vocal tone. You can fix this by using the built-in strength slider on Adobe Podcast Enhance Speech to dial back the enhancement effect until it blends perfectly and sounds natural again.
Distant echo removed, mimicking the sound of a close-proximity microphone.
Busy Intersection
Loud, aggressive traffic noise
Heavily cleaned up, rescuing what would otherwise be an unusable take.
