Teams Noise Suppression Generates Clear Audio Feeds for Teams Meetings
Office 365 Notification MC224751 announces the introduction of AI-based noise suppression in Teams meetings. According to Microsoft 365 roadmap item 68694, the feature will “automatically remove unwelcome background noise during your meetings. AI-based noise suppression works by analyzing an individual’s audio feed and using specially trained deep neural networks to filter out the noise and retain only the speech signal. This is an update to the existing noise suppression. Users will now have control over how much noise suppression they want. The “High” setting is new and will suppress more background noise.”
The feature rolled out for Teams for Windows clients in late 2020. On April 23, 2021, Microsoft posted message center notification MC252330 to announce that noise suppression for Teams meetings will be available for the Teams desktop client for Mac with a deployment starting in late April. The deployment will finish in August. This is Microsoft 365 roadmap item 82826.
Windows PCs must support Advanced Vector Extensions 2 (AVX2) to allow suppression to work. This is the original requirement that used to exist for background blur in meetings; Microsoft downgraded the requirement to AVX earlier this year. Given that most modern workstations support AVX2, this shouldn’t be a big problem.
AI-Based Noise Suppression
Microsoft began demonstrating AI-based noise suppression for Stream video playback at the Ignite 2019 conference and shipped the feature in June 2020. A Microsoft Technical Community post explains how deep neural networks are used to identify background noise in an individual’s audio feed and filter out everything but the person’s voice in the feed passed to a Teams meeting. Other meeting participants only hear what someone says rather than noise occurring in the background.
Noise suppression is automatically applied to recordings of Teams meetings stored in the Stream Azure-based service or OneDrive for Business, so the suppression applied by the Teams client is disabled when a meeting is recording.
The Teams client also disables suppression when live captions are used during meetings, possibly due to the processing needed to capture and recognize speech which is then transformed into captions.
Device Settings
Users can update the device settings in their profile (Figure 1) to choose the level of suppression in meetings. The choices are:
Auto: Teams monitors the degree of audible background noise in a meeting and tunes suppression up or down to removes non-voice sounds like barking dogs or the rustling of papers.
Low: Persistent background noise is suppressed, such as a computer or ceiling fan or air conditioner. Microsoft suggests that you use this setting when music is playing in the background.
High: Suppresses all background noise that Teams considers not to be speech.
Off: Noise suppression is disabled. Maybe you’re lucky enough to conduct meetings in low noise environments and can use this option.
Figure 1: Noise Suppression Settings in the Teams profile
Noise suppression applies to the sound generated by the microphone used for a meeting, not the audio feeds for other meeting participants. The idea is that you know about potentially distracting noises in your local environment and can therefore decide what level of suppression is needed. If everyone enables noise suppression, the meeting audio should be clear and distinct.
In most cases, it’s best to leave the option at Auto unless you have a reason to choose a different option. The AI might be better at detecting background noise than you are.
Enabling noise suppression consumes computer resources to analyze the sound captured by the microphone and remove unwanted noise. Higher levels of suppression consume more resources, so if a workstation begins to run hot or is resource constrained, you can disable noise suppression or select the Low option to see if this helps.
Teams-Certified Devices
Noise suppression during a Teams meeting does not remove the goodness to be had by using a Teams-certified device (headsets, speakerphones, desk phones, etc.) during calls. These devices deliver noise canceling and better audio quality for what you hear as well as better microphone performance. Noise suppression is all about making the audio feed from your workstation as clear as possible; devices designed for Teams focus on making what you hear as well as what you say as clear as possible.
During a Meeting
The noise suppression option set in your profile becomes the default for all meetings. If you need to change because specific conditions exist for a meeting, the same controls are available in Device settings when a meeting is active.
Need more information about how to deploy and manage Teams in an Office 365 tenant? The Office 365 for IT Pros eBook is packed full of useful and practical knowledge covering all aspects of a deployment. And best of all, it’s updated monthly.
Thanks Tony… the setting appears in our “general” Device Settings for Teams, but not yet within an active meeting… and thus does not suppress noise yet. We’re checking for updates daily… guess patience is a virtue!
Loading...
I have updated teams, but still not able to see this option, what does tenant means, and how do I get this for my tenant.
Loading...
It’s a client-side feature, so the problem is linked to the hardware you’re running Teams on.
I have set the Noise Suppression level to LOW and tested crunching a bag at this level and all other levels, and none is able to suppress noise, and my test attendees still hear the background noise. I used the laptop Mic and Speakers in this test. Any ideas..?
No idea. I don’t work for Microsoft so I don’t know what noises they tested. But it’s unlikely that many people will crunch a bag up during a meeting, so it’s entirely possible that this kind of noise interference is not catered for. Nor is dropping a concrete block on your foot and the outburst thereafter.
We have set up a Lenovo HUB 500 Teams Rooms console in our auditorium to simplify running Live Events, but I would like to reduce the noise suppression to get a more “rich” audio that includes response from the auditorium audience, how do I adjust this in Teams Rooms??
{"id":null,"mode":"button","open_style":"in_modal","currency_code":"EUR","currency_symbol":"\u20ac","currency_type":"decimal","blank_flag_url":"https:\/\/office365itpros.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/tip-jar-wp\/\/assets\/images\/flags\/blank.gif","flag_sprite_url":"https:\/\/office365itpros.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/tip-jar-wp\/\/assets\/images\/flags\/flags.png","default_amount":100,"top_media_type":"featured_image","featured_image_url":"https:\/\/office365itpros.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/cover-141x200.jpg","featured_embed":"","header_media":null,"file_download_attachment_data":null,"recurring_options_enabled":true,"recurring_options":{"never":{"selected":true,"after_output":"One time only"},"weekly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every week"},"monthly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every month"},"yearly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every year"}},"strings":{"current_user_email":"","current_user_name":"","link_text":"Virtual Tip Jar","complete_payment_button_error_text":"Check info and try again","payment_verb":"Pay","payment_request_label":"Office 365 for IT Pros","form_has_an_error":"Please check and fix the errors above","general_server_error":"Something isn't working right at the moment. Please try again.","form_title":"Office 365 for IT Pros","form_subtitle":null,"currency_search_text":"Country or Currency here","other_payment_option":"Other payment option","manage_payments_button_text":"Manage your payments","thank_you_message":"Thank you for supporting the work of Office 365 for IT Pros!","payment_confirmation_title":"Office 365 for IT Pros","receipt_title":"Your Receipt","print_receipt":"Print Receipt","email_receipt":"Email Receipt","email_receipt_sending":"Sending receipt...","email_receipt_success":"Email receipt successfully sent","email_receipt_failed":"Email receipt failed to send. Please try again.","receipt_payee":"Paid to","receipt_statement_descriptor":"This will show up on your statement as","receipt_date":"Date","receipt_transaction_id":"Transaction ID","receipt_transaction_amount":"Amount","refund_payer":"Refund from","login":"Log in to manage your payments","manage_payments":"Manage Payments","transactions_title":"Your Transactions","transaction_title":"Transaction Receipt","transaction_period":"Plan Period","arrangements_title":"Your Plans","arrangement_title":"Manage Plan","arrangement_details":"Plan Details","arrangement_id_title":"Plan ID","arrangement_payment_method_title":"Payment Method","arrangement_amount_title":"Plan Amount","arrangement_renewal_title":"Next renewal date","arrangement_action_cancel":"Cancel Plan","arrangement_action_cant_cancel":"Cancelling is currently not available.","arrangement_action_cancel_double":"Are you sure you'd like to cancel?","arrangement_cancelling":"Cancelling Plan...","arrangement_cancelled":"Plan Cancelled","arrangement_failed_to_cancel":"Failed to cancel plan","back_to_plans":"\u2190 Back to Plans","update_payment_method_verb":"Update","sca_auth_description":"Your have a pending renewal payment which requires authorization.","sca_auth_verb":"Authorize renewal payment","sca_authing_verb":"Authorizing payment","sca_authed_verb":"Payment successfully authorized!","sca_auth_failed":"Unable to authorize! Please try again.","login_button_text":"Log in","login_form_has_an_error":"Please check and fix the errors above","uppercase_search":"Search","lowercase_search":"search","uppercase_page":"Page","lowercase_page":"page","uppercase_items":"Items","lowercase_items":"items","uppercase_per":"Per","lowercase_per":"per","uppercase_of":"Of","lowercase_of":"of","back":"Back to plans","zip_code_placeholder":"Zip\/Postal Code","download_file_button_text":"Download File","input_field_instructions":{"tip_amount":{"placeholder_text":"How much would you like to tip?","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"How much would you like to tip? Choose any currency."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"How much would you like to tip? Choose any currency."},"invalid_curency":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Please choose a valid currency."}},"recurring":{"placeholder_text":"Recurring","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"How often would you like to give this?"},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"How often would you like to give this?"},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"How often would you like to give this?"}},"name":{"placeholder_text":"Name on Credit Card","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter the name on your card."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter the name on your card."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Please enter the name on your card."}},"privacy_policy":{"terms_title":"Terms and conditions","terms_body":null,"terms_show_text":"View Terms","terms_hide_text":"Hide Terms","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"I agree to the terms."},"unchecked":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Please agree to the terms."},"checked":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"I agree to the terms."}},"email":{"placeholder_text":"Your email address","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"not_an_email_address":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Make sure you have entered a valid email address"}},"note_with_tip":{"placeholder_text":"Your note here...","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"empty":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"not_empty_initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"saving":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Saving note..."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Note successfully saved!"},"error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Unable to save note note at this time. Please try again."}},"email_for_login_code":{"placeholder_text":"Your email address","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."}},"login_code":{"initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."}},"stripe_all_in_one":{"initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"success":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"invalid_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is not a valid credit card number."},"invalid_expiry_month":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration month is invalid."},"invalid_expiry_year":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration year is invalid."},"invalid_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is invalid."},"incorrect_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is incorrect."},"incomplete_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is incomplete."},"incomplete_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is incomplete."},"incomplete_expiry":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration date is incomplete."},"incomplete_zip":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's zip code is incomplete."},"expired_card":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card has expired."},"incorrect_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is incorrect."},"incorrect_zip":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's zip code failed validation."},"invalid_expiry_year_past":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration year is in the past"},"card_declined":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card was declined."},"missing":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"There is no card on a customer that is being charged."},"processing_error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"An error occurred while processing the card."},"invalid_request_error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Unable to process this payment, please try again or use alternative method."},"invalid_sofort_country":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The billing country is not accepted by SOFORT. Please try another country."}}}},"fetched_oembed_html":false}
I do not see this options in my device settings —
Probably because the feature hasn’t landed in your tenant yet or you haven’t updated the Teams desktop client.
Thanks Tony… the setting appears in our “general” Device Settings for Teams, but not yet within an active meeting… and thus does not suppress noise yet. We’re checking for updates daily… guess patience is a virtue!
I have updated teams, but still not able to see this option, what does tenant means, and how do I get this for my tenant.
It’s a client-side feature, so the problem is linked to the hardware you’re running Teams on.
I have set the Noise Suppression level to LOW and tested crunching a bag at this level and all other levels, and none is able to suppress noise, and my test attendees still hear the background noise. I used the laptop Mic and Speakers in this test. Any ideas..?
No idea. I don’t work for Microsoft so I don’t know what noises they tested. But it’s unlikely that many people will crunch a bag up during a meeting, so it’s entirely possible that this kind of noise interference is not catered for. Nor is dropping a concrete block on your foot and the outburst thereafter.
Does the noise suppression feature work on ipad pro?
No. It’s a Windows feature.
We have set up a Lenovo HUB 500 Teams Rooms console in our auditorium to simplify running Live Events, but I would like to reduce the noise suppression to get a more “rich” audio that includes response from the auditorium audience, how do I adjust this in Teams Rooms??