Hum in the interview. Traffic under the dialogue. A once-in-a-lifetime recording ruined by an air-conditioner you didn’t notice on the day. Professional audio cleanup can rescue far more of it than most people expect — and it’s a remote service, so it doesn’t matter where you are. Upload nothing yet: tell us about the problem below and we’ll match you with a vetted restoration engineer, free.
What can be fixed
- Background noise removal — traffic, air-con, fans, room hiss and crowd noise pulled down or out of dialogue and vocals
- Hum and buzz — electrical hum, ground-loop buzz and lighting interference removed surgically
- Dialogue cleanup for video and podcasts — noisy interviews, echoey rooms and uneven levels made broadcast-ready
- Reverb reduction — dialogue recorded in echoey rooms dried out and brought forward
- Clicks, pops, plosives and mouth noise — de-clicking and de-plosive work on vocals and voiceovers
- Distortion repair — clipped recordings improved (severity matters — see the FAQ)
- Old recording restoration — tape hiss, vinyl crackle and age-related artefacts reduced on archival material
- Vocal / instrumental isolation — separating elements from a mixed recording where the source tracks are gone
DIY first, or send it to a professional?
Honestly: try DIY first if the problem is mild and the stakes are low. Our guides to removing background noise from a podcast, fixing a distorted recording and removing vocals from a song cover the accessible tools, and for routine cleanup they’re often enough.
Professional restoration earns its fee when the material is irreplaceable or commercial: client-facing video, a podcast with a sponsor, a wedding film, an archival recording that can’t be re-taped. The difference isn’t just better software — it’s judgement. Aggressive one-click noise removal leaves the watery, underwater artefacts you’ve heard on badly cleaned audio; an experienced engineer removes less, in more passes, and knows when a problem is better masked than erased. You get back audio that sounds natural, not processed.
How it works
- Describe the problem — what was recorded, what’s wrong with it, and what it’s for. A short sample clip link helps enormously.
- Get an honest assessment — the matched engineer tells you what’s realistically fixable before you commit. Reputable restoration engineers turn down unfixable jobs; that’s a feature.
- Cleanup and review — you receive a treated preview to approve, then final files in the format you need.
Tell us about your audio
Pick “Audio cleanup & restoration” in the form and describe the recording, the problem, how many minutes need treatment and your deadline.
What to expect on price
Cleanup is usually priced per finished minute or per hour of engineering time, and it scales with severity: light noise reduction across a clean interview is quick; rebuilding intelligible dialogue from a clipped, echoey phone recording is forensic work. Short jobs are often surprisingly affordable — which is exactly why it’s worth asking before you re-record, re-shoot or give up on the material.
Audio restoration FAQs
Can everything be fixed?
No — and anyone who says otherwise is selling something. Steady, predictable noise (hum, hiss, air-con) cleans up best. Noise that overlaps dialogue in the same frequencies, hard digital clipping and heavy echo can usually be improved but not always perfected. The honest workflow is assessment first: you’ll know what’s achievable before you spend.
What should I send?
The highest-quality copy of the original you have — ideally the raw file straight from the recorder or camera, not a compressed export or a copy that’s already been processed. Every generation of compression throws away information the engineer could have used.
Is my recording kept confidential?
Yes — files are shared privately with the matched engineer only, and partners will sign an NDA for sensitive material (legal recordings, unreleased music, internal corporate content). Mention it in the form if you need one.
My audio is fine — I just want it to sound better.
Then you want mixing or mastering rather than restoration — head to online mixing & mastering. If you’re not sure which side of the line your audio sits on, describe it in the form and we’ll route it correctly.
No spam, no obligation — we’ll only use your details to connect you with the right partner, and matching is free.