What are the best techniques for removing pops and clicks from a podcast?

1 Check your microphone

The first step to avoid pops and clicks is to use a good quality microphone that suits your voice and recording environment. You should also adjust the microphone position, angle, and distance to avoid plosives, sibilance, and breath noises. Plosives are the bursts of air that occur when you pronounce consonants like P, B, and T. Sibilance is the hissing sound that occurs when you pronounce consonants like S, Z, and SH. Breath noises are the sounds of inhaling and exhaling that can be picked up by the microphone. To prevent these noises, you can use a pop filter, a windscreen, or a foam cover for your microphone. You can also speak slightly off-axis or at an angle to the microphone, rather than directly into it.

3 Edit your audio

The third step to remove pops and clicks is to edit your audio using a software program or an app that can perform audio enhancement and restoration. There are many options available, such as Audacity, GarageBand, Adobe Audition, or iZotope RX. You can use these tools to apply filters, effects, and plugins that can reduce or remove pops and clicks from your audio. For example, you can use a noise reduction or a noise gate filter to remove background noise or silence parts of the audio that are not needed. You can use a de-esser or a de-plosive effect to remove sibilance or plosives from your voice. You can use a de-click or a de-crackle plugin to remove clicks or crackles from your audio. You can also use a spectral editor or a waveform editor to visually identify and remove pops and clicks from your audio.

4 Review your audio

The fourth step to remove pops and clicks is to review your audio after you have edited it. You should listen to your audio carefully and critically, using headphones or speakers, to check for any remaining noises or errors. You should also compare your audio with other podcasts or audio sources that have similar content and quality, to see if your audio meets the standards and expectations of your audience. You should also ask for feedback from someone else, such as a friend, a colleague, or a professional, to get a different perspective and opinion on your audio. If you find any issues or problems with your audio, you should go back to the editing step and make the necessary adjustments or corrections.

5 Learn from your mistakes

The fifth step to remove pops and clicks is to learn from your mistakes and improve your skills and techniques. You should keep track of the pops and clicks that you encounter in your podcast recordings, and analyze the causes and solutions for them. You should also research and experiment with different microphone types, settings, and positions, to find the best fit for your voice and recording environment. You should also practice and train your voice and speech, to avoid mouth noises, plosives, sibilance, and breath noises. You should also update and upgrade your equipment and software, to ensure that you have the best quality and performance for your podcast recordings.

6 Enjoy your podcast

The sixth and final step to remove pops and clicks is to enjoy your podcast and share it with your audience. You should be proud of your work and confident in your audio quality and clarity. You should also appreciate the feedback and support that you receive from your listeners and fans. You should also keep learning and improving your podcasting skills and techniques, to make your podcast even better and more engaging. You should also have fun and express yourself creatively and authentically, to make your podcast unique and memorable.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?