How to Reduce Breath Sounds in AudioDirector
Quiet the in-breaths between phrases so a voice recording sounds cleaner.
Updated Nov. 12, 2026 · 3 min read
In a hurry? Use the breath control quick guide instead.
AudioDirector's Breath Control finds the in-breaths in speech or singing and turns them down. Use it when every breath stands out in a voice-over, podcast, or vocal track. You get a clip with quieter breaths, ready to export as a new file.
- In the Edit room, select your clip and click Breath Control under Restore Audio.
- Select Breath only and click Preview to hear the breaths it finds.
- Set Gain and Sensitivity.
- Preview the Restored result, click Apply, then click OK.
- Click Export, name the file, choose a format, and click Export.
Steps to Reduce Breath Sounds in AudioDirector
Step 1: Open Breath Control
In the Edit room, select your clip in the library. Then click Breath Control under Restore Audio in the Editing Tools panel.
If you don't see Breath Control, choose All from the list at the top right of the panel. The tools the panel shows depend on the tool preset chosen there.
Want to test first? Point to Breath Control, click the i icon that appears next to it, and choose Try with Sample. This example uses that sample, a 10-second clip of speech.
Breath Control works on the whole clip. To fix only part of it, drag across the waveform to select a range before you open the tool.
In the Mix room, select the audio on a track, then open Breath Control the same way. The change applies to the file on that track. When you're done, click Mix to hear it in the mix.
Step 2: Hear the Breaths It Finds
Under Preview, select Breath only and click Preview. You hear only the breaths that Breath Control will turn down, so you can check what it detects.
Step 3: Set Gain and Sensitivity
The dialog starts on the Default preset, with Gain at -15.0 dB and Sensitivity at 75%. Drag the Gain and Sensitivity sliders. When you move one, the Presets list switches from Default to Custom.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Gain | Sets how much quieter the detected breaths get, from -30.0 to 0.0 dB. Drag it left to turn them down more. This example uses -27.9 dB. |
| Sensitivity | Sets how readily Breath Control detects breaths, from 0 to 100%. If you still hear breaths, drag it right. This example raises it to 92% in Step 4. |
| Save as Preset | Saves your settings as a preset in the Presets list. Use it for audio recorded in the same or a similar place. |
Step 4: Preview and Click Apply
This example also raises Sensitivity to 92% to catch more breaths.
Select Restored result and click Preview to hear the clip with the breaths turned down. The button reads Pause while it plays. Select Original audio to compare it with the clip as it was.
When it sounds right, click Apply.
Step 5: Click OK
A message tells you the adjustment is complete. Click OK.
AudioDirector adds the fixed clip to the library as a new item marked with an asterisk, here *Breath Control sample.mp3, below the original. The asterisk marks an edited version that isn't exported yet. Your original file on disk doesn't change.
Step 6: Export the Clip
With the fixed clip selected in the library, click Export at the top of the window. In Export Audio, type a File name and click the ... button next to Location to choose a folder.
Choose a Format: WAV, WMA, MP3, M4A, FLAC, or APE. M4A is the default. Then click Export.
This example exports a WAV file at 48000 Hz and 16 bits. AudioDirector adds it to the library too. It's 10.092 seconds long, the same as the original.
We tested these steps in AudioDirector 365 version 17.0.6908 on Windows.
Don't have AudioDirector yet? Turn down the breaths in a voice-over, podcast, or vocal, and export the clip as a new file.
Download AudioDirector Free →FAQ About Breath Control
It turns down the breaths it detects. In this example, the speech stayed at the same level, and the clip kept its length of 10.092 seconds. To check your own clip, preview Restored result and Original audio before you click Apply.
Select Breath only and click Preview. If it misses some breaths, drag Sensitivity right. If the breaths it finds are still too loud in Restored result, drag Gain left.
No. Clicking Apply adds an edited version to the library, marked with an asterisk, and the file on your disk stays the same. To save the change as a file, click Export, which outputs your adjustments in a new file.
