Unwanted noises when voice recording?

Question

I have a very top quality microphone and portable recording studio (with sound absorption foam), and voice quality sounds quite good but for one problem: sometimes when speaking on recording, there will be sounds like tiny "clicks" from the mouth.

One cannot hear this sound except on playback of the recording, not really during speaking so much. But on playback it sounds very bad, and I do not hear such sounds when listening to recorded audio books. How to remove such sounds? Is there was to prevent speaking them in first place? I also have software for editing, so I can remove, but perhaps there is a better solution.

I have a pop filter and am using this as well.

Thank you.

Answer 1

I'm not sure exactly what you're trying to record, and where. Also, I don't know if this is a "one-time" fix, or if this is something you need to continually fix on a regular basis.



How adverse are your recording conditions? If you're trying to follow people around like a reporter would (it doesn't sound like you are) that's one thing. I have little experience in that type of recording.



But, if you're working in a controlled environment (you mention 'portable studio' so it sounds like you are) I might make some suggestions.



Unless you only need a one time 'fix', attacking the source of the problem rather than trying to "fix it in the mix" will pay off in the long run. Try moving the microphone a little further away from the voice- about 10-12" back. Use your screen filter placed equal distance between the mic and the voice (5-6").



If you're making digital recordings (as opposed to tape recordings) don't hit the 'red' zone on the recorder. Keep recording levels at least 3dB under that considered to be the 0 db level. If you're already doing that go further - try recording another 3 dB under what you consider to be 3 dB down (6 dB total). Try turning the padding down on the preamp, if it's available and adjustable.



Although it really does sound like more of a mic problem there may be a compatability issue between the mic and recorder. Experiment with different mics. There ARE some bad mics out there.



Finally, if you really can't figure out the source of the problem, or if you just have one recording to fix you CAN fix it digitally afterwards. Ten years ago I used to use a program called Popfix. I don't know what programs you have availble. Modern recording software offers more built-in "fixes" these days.



Good luck!

Answer 2

You can remove these in software if the noise is being made at a time when the person is not speaking - even a fraction of a second before or after the word is still easy to remove in software.



You will need to "zoom in" on the noise and just highlight it and delete it. Keep in mind that if you plan to do this for a long recording with lots of clicks, this will take a lot of time.

Answer 3

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