clicking sound/noise when editing

[euser1]

So, I got 2 audio tracks. I edit the first one and add a bit from 2nd and then some clicking noise shows up. It is exactly at the moment when these 2 tracks "meet" (so to speak on the "boarder" where 1st clip ends and 2nd starts) - the rest of the clip is fine. How I get it out? It seems that this clicking sound is constant when 2 sound clips meet, no matter what's the file, where I'm cutting it , etc. It is also present when I save the file in MP3 , Wav , etc. I tried also with previous Audacity version but it's the same. It's not like the noise is very huge but noticable... I hope I explained it well enough. Thanks already.

[kozikowski]

Chances are the middles of the two clips don't match.

http://www.kozco.com/tech/audacity/pix/DCOffset.jpg

This can happen when you have a slight technical unbalance in the original music files.

Before you edit, apply Effect > Normalize > Remove DC... > OK to each clip. Then they should cut together with no problem. Don't let Normalize do anything else.

Effect > Amplify each clip temporarily and look at their baseline blue waves (best at a silence point) you may be able to find out which one of them doesn't settle at zero. You only need to normalize repair the broken ones, the ones either too high or too low.

I have one USB digitizer that makes that error every time I record music with it.

Koz

[euser1]

Problem really could be that middles doesn't match but Normalizing (remove any DC offset) is not helping at the moment (still that clicking sound). Also, strange thing when editing is that sometimes black, sometimes red vertical line shows up in the place where I edited...

[euser1]

I used amplify and it seems the problem really is in the middle , because I edited it a bit and the noise became even more noticable. So, there should be a way how to remove it also....

[Gale Andrews]

When you select a region you want to paste somewhere else, do Edit > Find Zero Crossings (or just type Z) to adjust the edges of the selection so they lie on silence. Click where you want to paste then do Z again so you move the cursor to a silent point. Then paste.

This doesn't always guarantee no clicks at the join. To ensure that you have to have the part you want to paste on a separate track, make space on the track above or below, then "cross-fade" the two joins thus:
http://audacityteam.org/manual-1.2/tuto ... nner4.html

That is, drag a selection corresponding to the last two-thirds of the overlapping audio that is coming to an end and Effect > Fade Out; then drag a selection corresponding to the first two-thirds of the overlapping audio that is beginning and Effect > Fade In.

While DC offset can cause clicks, it will only do so if offset is there in the first place.

Assuming you still have the project open, the easiest way to remove the clicks at the join is by using Edit > Undo, then use Z or cross-fade as above.


Gale

[kozikowski]

This is a bad and good edit between two different tones.

http://www.kozco.com/tech/audacity/pix/ ... odEdit.jpg

It's the abrupt break in the graceful, up and down wave that causes problems.

It's not as likely to be heard as that DC thing, but that should be avoided, too. You will get a click or pop at the first edit, but not the second.

This is where you get really good at the magnify tools to get the view down that far.

Koz

[Gale Andrews]

This is a bad and good edit between two different tones.

http://www.kozco.com/tech/audacity/pix/ ... odEdit.jpg

It's the abrupt break in the graceful, up and down wave that causes problems.

If you use Z for both the cut and the paste, you should not be able to produce that bad edit.


Gale

[euser1]

Thanks for responses! It didn't worked with Zero crossings for some reason but worked with Fade Out and the clicking noise is gone.

Update: Too soon to claim victory. While the clicking itself is not present, there still is some "noise", ah, it's easier to record another track instead of editing.

Update 2: I somehow managed to get it right with fade in/out and now it's acceptable, no clicking or other noises. Thanks!