Glossary → Audio fundamentals
Audio fundamentals

Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)

Signal-to-noise ratio compares desired audio to background noise, in decibels — higher SNR means cleaner recordings and measurably better transcription accuracy.

SNR is the audio-side variable that dominates real-world ASR performance: the same model that nails a quiet room degrades on café recordings. Close miking is the cheapest SNR upgrade there is.

Related terms

Noise floorThe noise floor is the constant background level present in a recording when nobody is speaking — room tone, e… Word error rate (WER)Word error rate (WER) is the standard accuracy metric for speech recognition: the number of word substitutions… Proximity effectProximity effect is the bass boost directional microphones add as the source gets close — the 'radio voice' of…

Frequently asked

What is Signal-to-noise ratio?

Signal-to-noise ratio compares desired audio to background noise, in decibels — higher SNR means cleaner recordings and measurably better transcription accuracy.

Why does Signal-to-noise ratio matter?

SNR is the audio-side variable that dominates real-world ASR performance: the same model that nails a quiet room degrades on café recordings. Close miking is the cheapest SNR upgrade there is.

What terms are related to Signal-to-noise ratio?

Closely related concepts: Noise floor, Word error rate (WER), Proximity effect — each has its own entry in this glossary.