Google Inc. has acquired Swedish sound company Limes Audio AB to improve the quality of sound in its G Suite of products.

Founded in 2007, Limes Audio offers professional audio signal processing for speech enhancement with technology that it claims makes speakerphones sound better by removing disturbing echoes and noise. The company was founded on academic research in the field of acoustic echo cancellation and noise reduction with technology that reduces the effects of poor acoustics from physical spaces.

Limes Audio’s range of products includes the TrueVoice full-duplex audio-conferencing software, which applies full-duplex acoustic echo cancellation to ensure high-quality audio performance. In a post on the Google Products blog, Google Cloud Director of Product Management Serge Lachapelle said that as more people use G Suite video conferencing tools, including both Google Hangouts and Chromebox for Meetings, there is a clear need to improve the audio in those meetings.

“One of the biggest challenges to a great video meeting is the audio quality,” Lachapelle explained. “Conference rooms today come in all shapes and sizes and that can provide a challenge for acoustics. Additionally, a poor Internet connection can hamper voice quality in video conference calls. Limes Audio has been building solutions that remove the distracting noise, distortion and echoes that can affect online video and telephony meetings, improving the overall online conference experience.”

Google has thus far not stated when it intends to integrate Limes Audio into its product range but it’s likely we’ll hear more about the technology later in the year. Coming into the acquisition, Limes Audio had raised a single round of $2.4 million from an undisclosed investor. The purchase price was not disclosed.

Image courtesy of Limes Audio