https://github.com/yashsomalkar/noisegate

Real-time mic noise cancellation for Windows — DeepFilterNet3 in pure Rust, WASAPI low-latency, VB-Cable routing
https://github.com/yashsomalkar/noisegate

audio deepfilternet dsp machine-learning microphone noise-cancellation noise-suppression real-time rust speech-enhancement tract vb-cable voice wasapi windows

Last synced: 1 day ago
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Real-time mic noise cancellation for Windows — DeepFilterNet3 in pure Rust, WASAPI low-latency, VB-Cable routing

Host: GitHub
URL: https://github.com/yashsomalkar/noisegate
Owner: Yashsomalkar
License: other
Created: 2026-04-25T12:35:58.000Z (2 days ago)
Default Branch: main
Last Pushed: 2026-04-25T14:17:54.000Z (1 day ago)
Last Synced: 2026-04-25T14:24:49.243Z (1 day ago)
Topics: audio, deepfilternet, dsp, machine-learning, microphone, noise-cancellation, noise-suppression, real-time, rust, speech-enhancement, tract, vb-cable, voice, wasapi, windows
Language: Rust
Homepage: https://github.com/Yashsomalkar/noisegate
Size: 47.9 KB
Stars: 0
Watchers: 0
Forks: 0
Open Issues: 0
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- License: LICENSE-APACHE

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README

          # NoiseGate

[![License: MIT OR Apache-2.0](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-MIT%20OR%20Apache--2.0-blue.svg)](#license)

[![Platform: Windows](https://img.shields.io/badge/platform-Windows%2010%2F11-0078d4.svg)](#install)

[![Rust](https://img.shields.io/badge/built%20with-Rust-orange.svg)](https://www.rust-lang.org/)

[![Model: RNNoise + ONNX](https://img.shields.io/badge/model-RNNoise%20%2B%20ONNX-purple.svg)](#noise-suppression-model)

[![Latest release](https://img.shields.io/github/v/release/Yashsomalkar/noisegate?include_prereleases&label=download)](https://github.com/Yashsomalkar/noisegate/releases)

Real-time microphone noise cancellation for Windows. Pure-Rust inference, WASAPI low-latency capture/render, system-tray UI. Pipes cleaned audio into VB-Cable so any app (Zoom, Teams, Discord, OBS, browser calls) sees a noise-free mic.

> Status: pre-alpha scaffold. Builds on Windows 10/11 with the MSVC toolchain. Tested on (none yet — you're the first).

## Why

Existing noise-cancellation tools either cost money (Krisp), require an RTX GPU (NVIDIA Broadcast), or are Linux-only (NoiseTorch). NoiseGate is a free, open-source, lightweight alternative for Windows that runs on any CPU, with a swappable model so you can opt into a state-of-the-art network when you want one.

## Stack

- **Audio I/O:** WASAPI shared low-latency, event-driven, MMCSS Pro Audio scheduling.

- **Routing:** VB-Cable (free virtual audio cable, [vb-audio.com](https://vb-audio.com/Cable/)).

- **DSP model:** **RNNoise** by default (via the [`nnnoiseless`](https://github.com/jneem/nnnoiseless) crate — pure-Rust port). Optional **ONNX** path for newer models like DeepFilterNet3 from Hugging Face.

- **UI:** `tray-icon` + `winit` event loop.

- **Lang:** Rust 2021, single static binary, ~10 MB stripped (RNNoise default), ~25 MB with ONNX runtime.

## Architecture

```

physical mic ─► WASAPI capture ─► ring A ─► DSP thread (denoiser) ─► ring B ─► WASAPI render ─► VB-Cable Input

                                                                                                        │

                                                               other apps choose "CABLE Output" as mic ◄┘

```

Three dedicated MMCSS-priority threads. Lock-free SPSC ring buffers (8 frames ≈ 80 ms headroom). 480-sample (10 ms) frames end-to-end — the native frame size for both RNNoise and DeepFilterNet, so no reblocking inside the DSP path.

## Noise suppression model

Two supported backends, both real-time:

| Backend | Default? | Quality | Install size | How |

|---|---|---|---|---|

| **RNNoise** (via `nnnoiseless`) | ✅ | ★★★ Good. Excellent for stationary noise (fans, hum). Older classical-RNN architecture. | +0 MB (model embedded) | Just `cargo build`. |

| **ONNX (DeepFilterNet3 etc.)** | opt-in (`--features onnx`) | ★★★★★ State of the art. | +15 MB (`onnxruntime.dll`) + ~12 MB model file you supply | Build with `--features onnx`, point config at an ONNX file. See below. |

For most users, RNNoise is what shipping software did until ~2022 and is still good enough for clean voice calls. Step up to ONNX/DFN3 when you have non-stationary noise (kids, traffic, music) and the extra CPU is worth it (typically 3-7%).

## Install

### Option A — Download a prebuilt `.exe` (easiest, once releases are cut)

Grab the latest binary from the **[Releases page](https://github.com/Yashsomalkar/noisegate/releases)**, then jump to [Set up audio routing](#set-up-audio-routing) below.

> No releases yet? Build from source (Option B). A GitHub Actions workflow will start producing prebuilt binaries on every tagged release.

### Option B — Build from source

You need three things on your Windows 10/11 machine:

| # | Component | Download | Notes |

|---|---|---|---|

| 1 | **Rust toolchain** | [rustup-init.exe](https://win.rustup.rs/x86_64) — or visit [rustup.rs](https://rustup.rs/) | Pick the default (`stable`, `x86_64-pc-windows-msvc`). |

| 2 | **MSVC C++ build tools** | [Build Tools for Visual Studio 2022](https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/visual-cpp-build-tools/) | In the installer, check **"Desktop development with C++"** (gives you `link.exe` + the Windows SDK). |

| 3 | **VB-Cable virtual audio driver** | [vb-audio.com/Cable](https://vb-audio.com/Cable/) ([direct ZIP](https://download.vb-audio.com/Download_CABLE/VBCABLE_Driver_Pack43.zip)) | Extract, run `VBCABLE_Setup_x64.exe` as Administrator, reboot. |

| 4 | **Git** *(probably already installed)* | [git-scm.com/download/win](https://git-scm.com/download/win) | Used to clone the repo. |

Then in PowerShell:

```powershell

git clone https://github.com/Yashsomalkar/noisegate.git

cd noisegate

cargo build --release

.\target\release\noisegate.exe

```

First build pulls ~300 MB of crates and takes 5-10 minutes. Subsequent builds are seconds.

A tray icon appears in the system tray (bottom-right corner of your taskbar). Right-click it for the menu: **Enable**, **Open log folder**, **Quit**.

### Set up audio routing

Once NoiseGate is running, point your communication apps at VB-Cable instead of your real microphone:

1. Open **Windows Sound Settings** → **Sound** → **Input**.

2. Verify **CABLE Output (VB-Audio Virtual Cable)** is in the device list. If not, the VB-Cable install didn't finish — re-run step 3 above.

3. In Zoom / Teams / Discord / OBS / browser settings, choose **CABLE Output** as the microphone.

NoiseGate captures from your real mic, denoises, and writes the cleaned signal into **CABLE Input**. Apps that listen to **CABLE Output** then receive your noise-free voice.

> **Sanity test**: open the Windows **Voice Recorder** app, set its mic to **CABLE Output**, record 10 seconds with a fan / typing in the background. Toggle NoiseGate's tray Enable off and re-record. The difference should be obvious.

## Picking a specific microphone

By default NoiseGate captures from your **system default mic**. If that's a Bluetooth headset, Windows will switch the headset into **HFP/Hands-Free mode** as soon as we open the mic — that's a Windows-wide behavior, not a NoiseGate bug, and it sounds awful (16 kHz mono, glitchy). Pick your USB or built-in mic instead:

```powershell

# See what's available:

.\noisegate.exe --list-devices

# Run with a specific mic (substring match on the friendly name):

.\noisegate.exe --mic "USB"

.\noisegate.exe --mic "Yeti"

.\noisegate.exe --mic "Realtek"

```

For a permanent choice, copy the device `id` from `--list-devices` into `%APPDATA%\NoiseGate\config.toml`:

```toml

input_device_id = "{0.0.1.00000000}.{...your-id...}"

```

## Configuration

`%APPDATA%\NoiseGate\config.toml` — created on first run:

```toml

input_device_id = ""        # empty = default mic

output_device_id = ""        # empty = auto-detect VB-Cable

enabled = true

attenuation_db = 100.0       # 6.0 = subtle, 100.0 = max

auto_start = false

```

Logs at `%APPDATA%\NoiseGate\logs\noisegate.log`. Tune verbosity with `RUST_LOG=noisegate=debug`.

## Cargo features

| Flag | Default | What it does |

|---|---|---|

| `rnnoise` | ✅ on | RNNoise backend via `nnnoiseless`. Pure-Rust, model embedded, no extra runtime deps. |

| `onnx` | off | Adds ONNX Runtime as a dependency so you can load any raw-audio noise-suppression ONNX model (e.g. DFN3). Needs `onnxruntime.dll` on PATH. |

Build with the ONNX backend in addition to RNNoise:

```powershell

cargo build --release -p noisegate -F onnx

```

To get DeepFilterNet3 quality:

1. Build with `-F onnx`.

2. Download the DFN3 ONNX export from Hugging Face: .

3. Drop `onnxruntime.dll` next to `noisegate.exe` (download from  — pick the `win-x64` zip).

4. Point `model_path` in `config.toml` at the ONNX file.

## License

Code: dual MIT / Apache-2.0 — your choice.

The bundled RNNoise model (via `nnnoiseless`) is BSD-licensed — fine for any use including commercial. If you opt into the ONNX backend with DeepFilterNet3 weights, those are research / non-commercial; for commercial use, retrain on your own data or pick a different ONNX model.

## Cost

$0 for personal use. Every component is free. No driver-signing certs required (we don't ship a driver — VB-Cable does).

## Not included (yet)

- macOS / Linux backends (the audio-io crate is Windows-only; the rest is portable).

- Far-end denoising (cleaning the audio you *hear* from the call — only your mic is cleaned).

- Acoustic echo cancellation (combine with an AEC frontend if needed).

- Auto-update.

## Credits

Built on top of excellent open-source work:

- **[RNNoise](https://gitlab.xiph.org/xiph/rnnoise)** by Jean-Marc Valin / Xiph.Org — the recurrent-network noise-suppression model that powers the default backend.

- **[`nnnoiseless`](https://github.com/jneem/nnnoiseless)** by jneem — pure-Rust port of RNNoise; this is the actual crate doing the work.

- **[DeepFilterNet](https://github.com/Rikorose/DeepFilterNet)** by Hendrik Schröter et al. — the modern speech-enhancement model that the optional ONNX backend can run.

- **[ONNX Runtime](https://onnxruntime.ai/)** + the **[`ort`](https://github.com/pykeio/ort)** Rust bindings — power the optional `onnx` backend.

- **[VB-Cable](https://vb-audio.com/Cable/)** by VB-Audio — the free virtual audio driver every Windows audio-routing app depends on.

- **[`windows`](https://github.com/microsoft/windows-rs)** crate by Microsoft — official Win32 bindings for Rust (WASAPI, MMCSS, COM).

- **[`tray-icon`](https://github.com/tauri-apps/tray-icon)** + **[`winit`](https://github.com/rust-windowing/winit)** — system-tray UI and event loop.

- **[`ringbuf`](https://github.com/agerasev/ringbuf)** — the lock-free SPSC buffers that connect the audio threads.

- Inspired by **[NoiseTorch](https://github.com/noisetorch/NoiseTorch)** (Linux-only equivalent that uses RNNoise).

## Issues & discussion

- Bug reports / feature requests: [open an issue](https://github.com/Yashsomalkar/noisegate/issues).

- Questions, ideas, "is X possible?" — [Discussions](https://github.com/Yashsomalkar/noisegate/discussions).

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