Krisp

Overview

Krisp offers artificial intelligence-driven audio technology focused on enhancing sound quality by removing unwanted noise, voice, and echo from real-time communication. The platform provides two primary offerings: the Krisp App, a desktop application for end-users, and an AI Noise, Voice & Echo Cancellation SDK for developers to integrate audio processing capabilities directly into their own applications. Founded in 2017, Krisp positions its technology for use cases ranging from virtual meetings and contact centers to streaming and content creation, where clear audio is critical for effective communication and production quality.

The core functionality of Krisp's technology involves processing audio streams to isolate and enhance human speech while suppressing background distractions. This is achieved through machine learning models trained on diverse datasets of sound and speech. For developers, the JavaScript SDK allows for embedding these capabilities into web-based applications, enabling features like real-time noise suppression directly within a browser environment. This can be relevant for platforms building communication tools, online collaboration suites, or live event applications that require robust audio fidelity even in noisy environments. The company emphasizes compliance with data privacy standards such as GDPR, CCPA, and SOC 2 Type II, addressing concerns for enterprise adoption.

Krisp's SDK is designed for deployment into various application architectures. For instance, in a video conferencing application, the SDK could process audio input from a user's microphone before it is transmitted, ensuring that only the user's voice reaches other participants. Similarly, it can be applied to outgoing audio streams to remove noise from incoming feeds. The technology is distinct from traditional signal processing methods as it leverages deep learning to differentiate between human speech and other sounds, adapting to varying acoustic conditions and types of noise dynamically. This approach aims to provide more effective and less artifact-prone noise reduction compared to static filters.

Beyond API integration, Krisp provides the Krisp App for individual users. This application runs locally on a user's device, intercepting audio input and output from other applications to apply noise cancellation. This provides a user-facing option for improving audio quality across various communication platforms without requiring direct integration by the application developers themselves. This dual offering strategy — a direct-to-consumer application and a developer-focused SDK — allows Krisp to address both individual user needs and broader platform integration requirements for audio enhancement.

Key features

• AI Noise Cancellation: Suppresses various types of background noise, including keyboard clicks, dog barking, and ambient sounds, to isolate and enhance human speech during calls and recordings.
• Voice Cancellation: Filters out other human voices in the background, focusing on the primary speaker's voice to improve clarity in multi-speaker environments.
• Echo Cancellation: Reduces acoustic echo, particularly in speakerphone or conference room scenarios, to prevent feedback and improve call dynamics.
• JavaScript SDK: Provides a JavaScript API for real-time integration of audio processing capabilities directly into web applications, enabling browser-based noise cancellation.
• Real-time Processing: Algorithms are optimized for low-latency operation, making them suitable for live communication and streaming applications.
• Krisp App: A standalone desktop application for macOS and Windows that applies noise cancellation to any communication app on the user's device.
• Speaker Isolation: Focuses on the designated speaker's voice, reducing interference from other nearby conversations.
• Compliance Standards: Adheres to GDPR, CCPA, and SOC 2 Type II for data privacy and security.

Pricing

Krisp offers a free tier for its standalone application and a subscription model for advanced features, while the SDK operates on a custom enterprise pricing structure.

Common integrations

• WebRTC Applications: Developers can integrate the JavaScript SDK into WebRTC pipelines for real-time audio processing in web browsers.
• CRM Systems (for contact centers): Improve agent and customer call quality within contact center platforms by filtering out background noise.
• Video Conferencing Platforms: Enhance audio clarity for participants in virtual meeting environments like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet, either via the Krisp App or direct SDK integration.
• Streaming and Podcasting Software: Content creators can use Krisp to clean up audio input for live streams, podcasts, and video recordings.
• Custom Communication Tools: Any application requiring clear voice transmission, such as specialized VoIP solutions or gaming communication, can embed Krisp's SDK. The Krisp documentation provides integration guides.

Alternatives

• NVIDIA Maxine: A GPU-accelerated SDK providing AI effects for video, audio, and augmented reality, including noise removal and echo cancellation.
• Dolby.io Media Processing: Offers a suite of APIs for enhancing audio and video content, including noise reduction, loudness normalization, and spatial audio.
• Agora Audio AI Suite: Provides AI-powered audio enhancement features, such as noise suppression and acoustic echo cancellation, designed for real-time engagement platforms.

Getting started

To begin using the Krisp JavaScript SDK, you would typically include the Krisp library in your web application and then initialize it within your audio processing pipeline. The following example demonstrates a basic setup for integrating Krisp's noise cancellation into a web application, assuming you have an audio stream (e.g., from a microphone) to process. This snippet illustrates how to load the Krisp SDK and activate noise cancellation.

// First, ensure the Krisp SDK is loaded, for example, via a script tag in your HTML:
// <script src="https://cdn.krisp.ai/krisp-sdk.js"></script>

async function initializeKrispNoiseCancellation() {
  if (!window.KrispSDK) {
    console.error("Krisp SDK not loaded.");
    return;
  }

  try {
    // Request microphone access
    const stream = await navigator.mediaDevices.getUserMedia({ audio: true });
    console.log("Microphone access granted.");

    // Initialize Krisp with your audio stream
    // Replace 'YOUR_API_KEY' with your actual Krisp SDK API key
    const krisp = new window.KrispSDK("YOUR_API_KEY");

    // Start Krisp processing on the input stream
    // This will return a new MediaStream with noise cancellation applied
    const processedStream = await krisp.processStream(stream);

    console.log("Krisp processing started. Noise cancellation active.");

    // Now you can use 'processedStream' in your WebRTC calls or for recording
    // For example, to play it back (for testing):
    const audioOutput = new Audio();
    audioOutput.srcObject = processedStream;
    audioOutput.play();

    // To stop processing later:
    // await krisp.stopProcessing();
    // stream.getTracks().forEach(track => track.stop());

  } catch (error) {
    console.error("Error initializing Krisp or accessing microphone:", error);
  }
}

// Call the initialization function when your application is ready
initializeKrispNoiseCancellation();

This code snippet assumes the Krisp SDK is available globally as window.KrispSDK after being loaded. It first requests microphone access, then initializes the Krisp SDK with an API key, and finally processes the microphone's audio stream to apply noise cancellation. The processedStream can then be utilized as an input for other audio-consuming components, such as WebRTC connections for video calls. Further details on setup and advanced configurations are available in the Krisp SDK documentation.