A filter settings generation operation includes sampling colored noise present at the input of a receiver to produce a sampled signal. The sampled signal is spectrally characterized across a frequency band of interest to produce a spectral characterization of the sampled signal. This spectral characterization may not include a signal of interest. The spectral characterization is then modified to produce a modified spectral characterization. Filter settings are then generated based upon the modified spectral characterization. Finally, the input present at the receiver is filtered using the filter settings when the signal of interest is present to whiten colored noise that is present with the signal of interest. In modifying the spectral characterization, pluralities of spectral components of the spectral characterization are independently modified to produce the modified spectral characterization. Modifications to the spectral characterization may be performed in the frequency domain and/or the time domain. Particular modifications include amplifying spectral components, weighting spectral components based upon prior spectral components, and averaging spectral components with prior spectral components.