Removing noise from audio

A computer-implemented method for removing noise from audio, the method comprising:

• building a sound model that represents noises which result from activations of input controls of a computer device;
• receiving an audio signal produced from a microphone substantially near the computer device;
• identifying, without using the microphone, an activation of at least one input control from among the input controls;
• associating a portion of the audio signal as corresponding to the identified activation;
• and
• applying, from the sound model, a representation of a noise for the identified activation to the associated portion of the audio signal so as to cancel at least part of the noise from the audio signal, wherein:
• the input controls include keys on a keyboard, the activations include physical actuations of the keys on the keyboard, and identifying the activation includes receiving a software event for the activation,
• the noises include audible sounds that result from the physical actuations of the keys,
• building the model comprises obtaining, through the microphone, the audible sounds of the physical actuations of the keys, and
• building the model includes receiving the obtained audible sounds of the physical actuations of the keys at a server system that is remote from the computer device.

One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processing devices, cause a computing system to perform operations, the operations comprising:

• building a sound model that represents noises which result from activations of input controls of a computer device;
• receiving an audio signal produced from a microphone substantially near the computer device;
• identifying, without using the microphone, an activation of at least one input control from among the input controls;
• associating a portion of the audio signal as corresponding to the identified activation;
• and
• applying, from the sound model, a representation of a noise for the identified activation to the associated portion of the audio signal so as to cancel at least part of the noise from the audio signal, wherein
• the input controls include keys on a keyboard, the activations include physical actuations of the keys on the keyboard, and identifying the activation includes receiving a software event for the activation,
• the noises include audible sounds that result from the physical actuations of the keys,
• building the model comprises obtaining, through the microphone, the audible sounds of the physical actuations of the keys,
• obtaining the audible sounds of the physical actuations of the keys occurs as a background operation for training the computer device while one or more other operations are performed that use the keys.

A computer-implemented system for removing noise during a teleconference, the system comprising:

• one or more processing devices;
• one or more non-transitory computer-readable media;
• a sound model, stored by the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media, generated to define noises which result from input controls being activated on a computer device, wherein:
• the input controls include keys on a keyboard of the computing device,
• activation of the input controls includes physical actuation of the keys on the keyboard,
• the noises include audible sounds that result from the physical actuations of the keys,
• the sound model was built by obtaining, through a microphone, the audible sounds of the physical actuations of the keys, and
• the sound model was built by receiving the obtained audible sounds of the physical actuations of the keys at a server system that is remote from the computer device;
• an interface, executable by the one or more processing devices, to receive first data that reflects electrical activation of the input controls and second data that reflects an audio signal received by the microphone in communication with the computer device, wherein at least a portion of the audio signal includes one or more of the noises which result from activation of the input controls on the computer device, wherein receiving the first data that reflects electrical activation includes receiving a software event for the electrical activation;
• and
• a noise cancellation module, executable by the one or more processing devices, programmed to correlate the first data with the second data and to use representations of the one or more noises from the sound model to cancel the one or more noises from the portion of the audio signal received from the microphone.