Noise Cancellation in Speech Signal Processing-A Review

Abstract: Acoustic problems in the environment have gained attention due to the tremendous growth of technology that has led to noisy engines, heavy machinery, pumps, high speed wind buffeting and a myriad other noise sources. Exposure to high decibels of sound proves damaging to humans from both a physical and a psychological aspect. The problem of controlling the noise level in the environment has been the focus of a tremendous amount of research over the years. This paper describes a study of techniques for noise cancellation which can be applied at the input to standard receivers trained on noise-free speech. Such methods have been used in various applications, including communication systems, biomedical engineering, and industrial applications. In this review, we have classified the existing noise cancellation schemes and comprehensively explore various suggestions in each category as to demonstrate limitations of the existent techniques as well as effective contributions.

Keywords: Noise Cancellation, Noise reduction, Digital Signal processing, speech signal, Adaptive filters, Soft computing, speech analysis, Acoustic problem.