Remove clicks and pops from audio
Ticks, pops or digital clicks in a recording? fix.fm finds each one and rebuilds those few milliseconds from the sound around it. Free, nothing uploaded.
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In short
Clicks are bursts of sound a few thousandths of a second long that don't belong to the voice, from a loose cable, a dropped buffer or mouth noise. fix.fm finds each one and rebuilds those few milliseconds from the sound on either side, leaving the rest of the file untouched. On our ticks sample the check went from 60 clicks a minute to 0.
What's happening
A click is a tiny burst of sound that doesn't belong to the voice: a tick from a loose cable, a pop when the computer drops a buffer, a crackle from a worn lead, or a wet mouth sound. Each one lasts a few thousandths of a second, but your ear catches every one, and a few a minute is enough to make a recording sound broken.
fix.fm listens for moments the voice around them can't explain and counts them. Its warnings start at 8 clicks a minute; it calls clicks severe at 150. The fix rebuilds those few milliseconds from the sound on either side and leaves everything else exactly as it was. Where a rebuild would miss the voice by more than the click, the click is left, so a very busy crackle comes out much quieter but not always spotless.
How far the click fix goes
On the ticks sample, clicks went from 60 a minute to 0 while the fix touched 0.2% of the samples. Heavy crackle fell from 318 to 24 a minute, and long pops are not clicks and are left alone. Measured on with the samples described in how we test.
The click fix looks for one thing: a moment a millisecond or two long that the voice around it can't explain. The three cases below are the same clean reading with different bursts added in software, so we know what was there and can measure how close the fixer gets back to it.
One clean reading with three kinds of clicks added in software, then run through this page's fixer at full amount. Every clip is matched to -23 LUFS so only the clicks differ.
Clean reading
The reference. A voice and nothing else.
Ticks, 6 dB under
A loose cable or a dropped buffer: a sharp tick about once a second, on words and in pauses alike.
Ticks, after the fix
The ticks are gone. Listen at the spots they were: the words run through as if nothing happened.
Crackle, 18 dB under
A worn lead or an old record: lots of small, quick clicks, like frying in the background.
Crackle, after the fix
Much quieter. A few small clicks are left on the loudest words, where rebuilding them would have cost more than it saved.
Long pops, 4 of them
Bursts of noise too long to be a click, more like a bump on the mic or a burst of static.
Long pops, after the fix
Identical to the recording. The check counts clicks a few milliseconds long, and these are not.
Public-domain LibriVox voice. The clicks and pops are short bursts of fast-decaying noise added in software, not recorded from a real cable or turntable. So the clean version really is what was there before.
| Case | The check | Distance from clean | Samples changed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clean reading | 0/min, fine | none | 0% |
| Ticks | 60/min moderate to 0/min fine | -25.7 dB to -42.3 dB | 0.2% |
| Crackle | 318/min severe to 24/min mild | -33.7 dB to -39.3 dB | 0.5% |
| Long pops | 0/min fine to 0/min fine | -20.1 dB to -20.1 dB | 0% |
The ticks are the case the fixer is for. The check counts 60 a minute, moderate; after the fix it counts 0, and the file is 16.6 dB closer to the clean reading. The fixer touched 0.2% of the samples to do it. Every other sample is the one you recorded.
The crackle is harder: about 6 small clicks a second, many of them landing on loud words. The check goes from 318 a minute, severe, to 24, mild, and the file moves 5.6 dB closer to clean. The ones left are clicks where a rebuild would have missed the voice by more than the click itself. Rebuilding them anyway made the file further from clean in our tests, so the fixer keeps the click instead.
The long pops are 12 ms bursts, several times longer than a click. The check reads 0 a minute and the fixer returns the file unchanged. A gap that long can't be rebuilt from the voice around it without guessing whole sounds. For thumps from a P or B, the plosives fixer turns the thump down, and a pop filter stops it next time. Crackle from distortion is a different problem, and the declipper is the tool for that.
What this does not prove: real clicks are not noise bursts added in software. A dropped buffer can leave a jump with no burst at all, vinyl crackle comes with hiss, and mouth clicks have a shape of their own. The numbers above say what the fixer does to the bursts it looks for; how we test has the pass marks behind the check.
How it works here
- 01
Finds each click
It predicts every sample from the ones just before it. A click is the moment that prediction suddenly fails for a millisecond or two.
- 02
Rebuilds the gap
Those few milliseconds are filled in from the voice on either side. Everything between the clicks stays exactly as it was.
- 03
Stays on your computer
Your file is never uploaded. The fix runs in this browser tab.
Questions
What causes clicks and pops in a recording?
Most often a loose or worn cable, a computer that can't keep up and drops a little audio, a USB mic on a busy hub, or mouth noise close to the mic. Vinyl and tape transfers crackle for their own reasons.
Will it change the rest of my audio?
No. Only the few milliseconds around each click are rebuilt. On our ticks sample that was 0.2% of the file; every other sample is returned exactly as it came in.
Does it remove every click?
Not always. When a click sits on a loud, fast-moving part of a word, rebuilding it can miss the voice by more than the click itself, so fix.fm leaves it. Heavy crackle comes out much quieter with a few small clicks left.
Does it fix plosives or long pops?
No. A P or B thump, or a pop that lasts longer than a few milliseconds, is not a click to this check, and the fixer leaves it unchanged. For thumping P and B sounds, use the fix.fm plosives fixer instead.
Is my audio uploaded anywhere?
No. The file is read and fixed inside this browser tab and never leaves your computer.
How do I stop clicks next time?
Swap the cable first, then plug the mic straight into the computer rather than a hub. If clicks come with a busy computer, raise the buffer size in your recording app and close other programs.