Playground

Sound Cleaning formats, limits and credits

The formats the Sound Cleaning page accepts, every limit with the message it shows, what a cleanup costs in credits and when the credits are taken.

This page is the lookup table for the Sound Cleaning page: the formats it takes and the one it gives back, every limit with the message you see when a file crosses it, the price of a cleanup in credits and the moment it is charged, and what the page shows when the workspace balance cannot cover a file. The steps are on Clean a recording.

Formats

Direction Formats
Input, by file extension MP3, WAV, FLAC, OGG/Opus (.ogg or .opus)
Input, by contents The file must contain audio. A file with the right extension but other contents is refused after upload.
Output WAV, always. The download is named cleaned_ followed by your original file name without its extension, and .wav, so call.mp3 is saved as cleaned_call.wav.

M4A, AAC and WEBM are accepted by the Speech to Text page and not here; export such a recording as MP3 or WAV first. The Cleaned card shows the cleaned file's loudness in LUFS; the peak level, sample rate and bit depth are not shown, so read them from the file in your audio tool.

Cleaning settings

Four presets in a row under the drop area, and eight values in the Advanced panel, grouped as Low cut, Loudness and Dynamics. A preset is a set of values; Studio Master sends none and leaves every value at its default.

Preset Values it sets
Studio Master Nothing; every default below
Heavy AC & Wind Rumble & hum cutoff 120 Hz, Target volume -16 LUFS, Maximum peak level -1 dBFS
Radio voice Rumble & hum cutoff 90 Hz, Loud spikes trigger -6 dBFS, Volume smoothing 5, Target volume -14 LUFS
Deep Voice Rumble & hum cutoff 70 Hz, Target volume -16 LUFS
Slider Default Range What it does
Rumble & hum cutoff 90 Hz 20 to 300 Hz Cuts low sounds: air conditioning, mic bumps, hum. Raise for wind or rumble; lower for deep voices
Filter smoothness 0.707 0.1 to 5 How gradual that low cut is. Rarely needs a change
Target volume -16 LUFS -30 to -6 LUFS Overall loudness. -16 for podcasts and video, -14 for music platforms, -18 for background speech
Maximum peak level -1 dBFS -6 to 0 dBFS The loudest the file may reach. Keeps playback free of crackle
Loud spikes trigger -3.8 dBFS -30 to 0 dBFS Where loud peaks start being tamed. Lower for wild swings, raise for dynamic speech
Volume smoothing 4 1 to 20 How strongly peaks are reined in. 2 gentle, 4 broadcast, 6 aggressive
Reaction speed 5 ms 0.1 to 100 ms How fast a loud syllable is tamed
Recovery speed 50 ms 1 to 1000 ms How fast volume returns to normal

A value outside its range is refused before upload. The values used are kept with the cleanup, and its preset name shows on the Cleaned card (Custom when the values match no preset).

Limits

Limit Value Applies to Message when crossed
Audio length 1 hour Every file, checked in the browser before upload That clip is longer than 1 hour. Split it and try again.
Audio length 1 hour Every file, checked again after upload on the decoded audio Audio exceeds the 1-hour limit.
File size 150 MB Every file, checked before upload That file is over 150 MB. Trim it or export a smaller version.
File size 150 MB Every file, checked again after upload Audio file exceeds the 150MB limit. or File too large
Format MP3, WAV, FLAC, OGG/Opus Every file, by extension, before upload That file type is not supported. Use MP3, WAV, FLAC or OGG/Opus.
File type Must contain audio Every file, after upload Unsupported file type: … Please upload an audio file.
Format match The file's type matches its extension Every file, after upload Unsupported audio format. Sound cleaning accepts MP3, WAV, FLAC or OGG/Opus.
Readable file The browser must be able to decode it Every file, before upload We could not read that file
Readable length The server must be able to decode it Every file, after upload Could not read the audio length. Try another file.
Files at a time One The drop area takes one file per drop No message
Cleaning time 10 minutes Every run, from the moment the file is accepted Sound cleaning is temporarily unavailable. Please try again.
Cleaned files The newest 8 The list on the Sound Cleaning page No message

Every message appears in the status line under the box, in red. After a check before upload, nothing was sent, so drop another file. After a message that arrived after upload, a Try again button appears beside Clean and sends the same file again, and the message is also shown as a notice titled Error.

Everyone in the workspace can use the page.

Credits

Fact Value
Rate 1,000 credits per minute of audio, charged per second.
What is measured The length of the audio as the server decodes it, not as the file's header claims, including any fraction of a second. A file whose length cannot be measured is refused with Could not read the audio length. Try another file.
Rounding Per second, with a minimum of 1 second. The charge is rounded to a whole credit, at least 1.
When it is taken After the file is received and passes the checks after upload, before cleaning starts.
Refunds The whole charge is refunded if the run stops for any reason, including the 10-minute limit. A run that stops leaves nothing in Cleaned files.
Adjustment None. The charge is computed from the length before cleaning and does not change when the cleaned file arrives.
Replay and download Free. Playing or downloading a cleanup any number of times is not charged.
Where you see it The credit counter in the sidebar, shown as used out of total with the label Used, refreshes when the cleaned file arrives. Credits remaining in the user menu shows the same balance. The page itself shows no price.

The rate is set by hand and can change; a cleanup is priced at the rate in force when it runs. The rates for every service are on Credits.

Worked examples

At today's rates:

Audio Charged
A 30-second voice note 500 credits
A 5-minute call 5,000 credits
A 12-minute interview 12,000 credits
A 1-hour file, the longest allowed 60,000 credits

Every second costs the same; nothing is rounded up to a minute.

When the balance cannot cover a file

The charge is checked against the workspace balance before cleaning starts. If the balance is short, nothing is cleaned and nothing is charged. You see the message twice: as a notice titled Error, and in the status line under the box with a Try again button.

Message Meaning What to do
Insufficient subscription balance Your credit balance is less than the charge for this file. Open Subscription & billing from the user menu and add credits, or clean a shorter file.
Subscription has expired No paid plan and no extra credits left. Basic limits apply, with no plan credits. Choose a plan or add credits under Subscription & billing.

Try again sends the same file again. Press it only after the balance has changed; the check runs again and fails the same way otherwise.

FAQ

What does a short clip cost?

Its seconds at 1,000 credits a minute: a 3-second clip costs 50 credits.

Is a refused file charged?

No. Every check before and after upload runs before the charge is taken. A file refused in the browser never leaves your computer.

Is a run that stops charged?

No. The charge is taken when the file is accepted and refunded when the run stops, including when it passes the 10-minute limit.

Where can I see what one cleanup cost?

The page does not show a per-file price. Work it out from the length at 1,000 credits per minute, or watch the sidebar counter before and after.

Can I get MP3 back instead of WAV?

No. Every cleaned file is WAV. Download it and convert it with a tool of your choice; the conversion costs nothing.

Can I raise the 1-hour limit?

No. Split the recording and clean each part. Each part is charged by its own length, so the total is the same.