Background Noise: Features Not Bugs

Real-World Audio Conditions

Production voice AI encounters:

• Coffee shop ambient noise and conversations
• Traffic noise during mobile calls
• Home environments with TV, children, pets
• Call center background with other agents speaking
• Industrial environments with machinery
• Outdoor environments with wind and weather

Acoustic Challenges

Echo and reverb: Large rooms creating sound reflections Multiple speakers: Overlapping speech in shared spaces Device quality: Speakerphone vs handset vs Bluetooth headset differences Network artifacts: VoIP compression and packet loss Environmental interference: HVAC systems, electronics, appliances

Why "Perfect Audio" Training Fails

Models trained on studio recordings:

• Expect single speaker with no background
• Assume consistent microphone distance and quality
• Require clean frequency response without compression
• Cannot handle real-world audio degradation

Solution: Train on actual call recordings with natural noise profiles.