Trying to remove the pop when muting and unmuting the mic while recording

[BelGarion]

So.

Windows 10
Audacity 2.3.2

So. I recorded a video with Fraps and every time I muted the mic to cough or something it created a loud POP! on both the mute and unmute events. Trying to remove those pops and having not much luck. The "Click removal" effect pops up "Algorithm not effective on this audio. Nothing changed' when I try to preview it. Anyone have a 'For dummies' newbie guide to doing this? Thanks!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/l5ajsa9tue69r ... e.wav?dl=0

[steve]

I think the "correct" answer is to use a better mic - one that doesn't pop when you switch it on / off. Other than that, I think it's a case of editing them out one at a time.

[BelGarion]

I think the "correct" answer is to use a better mic - one that doesn't pop when you switch it on / off. Other than that, I think it's a case of editing them out one at a time.

Agree on the mic part, the problem is this lapel mic doesn't have a mute switch inline and so when I have to sneeze or something I have to unplug it and plug it back in again. >.< Only one experience with a desk mic, the Blue Snowball, and, same issue, no mute switch and it picks up more of the ambient noises, like the tv in the other room, my fan blowing on me, etc that the lapel mic doesn't pick up. So, how do I edit out these pops with out affecting the background music?

[steve]

There is a common assumption held by many people before they acquire experience recording, that any space can become a recording studio by putting a microphone in it. Experience quickly proves that this assumption is false. To make studio quality recordings, you need a recording space that is extremely quiet, and substantially free of echoes - anything else is a "field recording" and you have to accept compromises in sound quality.

The way that a professional media company would record the show, would be to record the game, then record the voice separately in a studio, then edit the two recordings together. Nobody, other than professional producers, want to do that, because it is too much trouble. That's why the vast majority of game videos have poor sound quality.

[BelGarion]

There is a common assumption held by many people before they acquire experience recording, that any space can become a recording studio by putting a microphone in it. Experience quickly proves that this assumption is false. To make studio quality recordings, you need a recording space that is extremely quiet, and substantially free of echoes - anything else is a "field recording" and you have to accept compromises in sound quality.

The way that a professional media company would record the show, would be to record the game, then record the voice separately in a studio, then edit the two recordings together. Nobody, other than professional producers, want to do that, because it is too much trouble. That's why the vast majority of game videos have poor sound quality.

Again, agreed, but I am not a pro by any stretch of the imagination. And my space is very limited, no spare room I could hang dampening cloths in and my room is a working bedroom so... Anyway, not really getting paid for this, just doing this for fun, but I also don't want my audience to get their ears popped by the loud POP! that's in this recording and future recordings. So I need to, at a wild guess, make this stay on an even keel and not max out at some fempto second peak that threatens to blow out your speakers and ears.

[Trebor]

So. I recorded a video with Fraps and every time I muted the mic to cough or something it created a loud POP! on both the mute and unmute events. Trying to remove those pops and having not much luck...

If all the pops are louder than your voice ever gets,
then the PopMute plugin can detect & silence them all.

[steve]

a working bedroom

Love the concept:
"What are you doing Steve?"
"I'm working.. zzzz"

If all the pops are louder than your voice ever gets,
then the PopMute plugin can detect & silence them all.

"PopMute" is a "Nyquist Plug-in". Installation instructions are here: https://manual.audacityteam.org/man/ins ... st_install
As Trebor wrote, this is only an option if the amplitude of the pops are greater than the voice.

[BelGarion]

So. I recorded a video with Fraps and every time I muted the mic to cough or something it created a loud POP! on both the mute and unmute events. Trying to remove those pops and having not much luck...

If all the pops are louder than your voice ever gets,
then the PopMute plugin can detect & silence them all.

That worked, after a fashion. Pop is still there but it's no longer RIP headphone users and RIP speaker. Just I have to select just the pops or my voice cuts out at spots. But if I select just the pops I can be more aggressive with it. Cool! Thank you Trebor.

[DVDdoug]

You can get a cough switch. But, it's designed to work with a pro microphone (low-impedance balanced XLR connection.) Muting a "computer mic" is harder because the signal wire also powers the mic and if you switch the microphone power on & off you're going to get a "pop". (Studio condenser mics use something similar called "phantom power" and it would be tricky to deal with that too, but I'm sure there are professional solutions.)

If you have a microphone preamp (or mixer) you can more-easily mute the output of the preamp. But, it's still a little more complicated than a "simple switch". You need some resistors to keep the input from "floating" when the switch is off.

[kozikowski]

In all the cases you supplied so far, the microphone is electronic and getting power from the interface or the computer. So you are not only muting the sound, you are also unplugging the power and plugging it back in. That's what's causing the pops. You might actually have better luck with another technique of clapping when you need to cough or sneeze so you can find it easily later and edit the actual content rather than trying to mess with the hardware.

When you do fluff, repeat the next even sentence or phrase. Do not try to edit out a word or two. That will drive you nuts.

Koz