Remove plosives and mic pops
P and B sounds thump on the mic? fix.fm finds each pop and turns down only its deep thump, so the word stays. Free, in your browser, nothing uploaded.
UPDATED
Never uploaded. Everything runs in your browser.
In short
Plosives, or mic pops, are the deep thumps a P or B makes when its puff of air hits the mic. fix.fm finds each pop by its short burst of rumble under 150 Hz and turns down only that rumble, only near the pop, so the word keeps its P. On our popped sample the check went from 18 pops a minute to 0.
What's happening
A plosive is the puff of air behind a P or a B. Close to the mic it lands as a deep thump at the start of the word, like a finger tapping the mic. It lasts a tenth of a second or less, but on headphones it is hard to miss, and a few a minute make a voice sound amateur.
fix.fm listens for short bursts of deep rumble that jump in at the start of a word and are gone a moment later, and counts them. Its warnings start at 3 pops a minute; it calls them severe at 25. The fix turns down only the thump under about 150 Hz, and only near each pop. The P or B itself stays, and the rest comes back exactly as it was. Steady rumble from wind is left for the wind fix.
How far the pop fix goes
With 18 pops a minute the check read moderate and after the fix fine, while the change to the words above 300 Hz sat 53.1 dB under the words themselves. A voice right on the mic went from 30 pops a minute to 0, and steady wind rumble was left alone. Measured on with the samples described in how we test.
The pop fix looks for one thing: a short burst of deep rumble that jumps in at the start of a word and is gone a tenth of a second later. The three cases below are the same clean reading with low sound added in software, so we know what was there and can measure how close the fixer gets back to it.
One clean reading with pops or wind added in software, then run through this page's fixer at full amount. Every clip is matched to -23 LUFS so only the low end differs.
Clean reading
The reference. A voice and nothing else.
Pops, 18 a minute
A deep thump on some word starts, peaking 6 dB under the voice. Easiest to hear on headphones.
Pops, after the fix
The thumps are gone. The words that had them still start with the same sound.
Right on the mic, 30 a minute
More pops and as loud as the voice itself, like talking straight into a mic with no pop filter.
Right on the mic, after the fix
No more thumps. Listen to the word starts: the voice runs through them as before.
Wind rumble, 18 dB under
A low, gusty rumble the whole way through. It sits in the same deep range as a pop but never stops.
Wind rumble, after the pop fix
Identical to the recording. Steady rumble is not a pop, so the pop fix leaves it for the wind fix.
Public-domain LibriVox voice. The pops are short low thumps and the wind is filtered gusty noise, added in software rather than recorded off a real mic. So the clean version really is what was there before.
| Case | The check | Distance from clean | Words above 300 Hz moved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clean reading | 0/min, fine | none | none |
| Popped P and B sounds | 18/min moderate to 0/min fine | -13.6 dB to -29.1 dB | -53.1 dB |
| Right on the mic | 30/min severe to 0/min fine | -5.4 dB to -25.3 dB | -45.8 dB |
| Wind rumble | 0/min fine to 0/min fine | -16.7 dB to -16.7 dB | none |
The popped reading is the case the fixer is for. The check counts 18 pops a minute, moderate; after the fix it counts 0, and the file is 15.5 dB closer to the clean reading. What the fixer changed in the words above 300 Hz sits 53.1 dB under the words themselves, far below anything you could hear. The P and B sounds keep their bite; only the thump under them is gone.
Right on the mic, the pops are as loud as the voice and come 30 times a minute: severe. The fix takes the count to 0 and moves the file 19.9 dB closer to clean. The cut has to go deeper here, so the change in the words is larger, 45.8 dB under them, and still too small to hear. A tiny bit of each thump is left, which is why the file doesn't land right on the clean reading.
The wind rumble sits in the same deep range as a pop, but it never stops. The pop check reads 0 a minute and the fixer returns the file unchanged, -16.7 dB from clean just as it went in. That rumble is the wind fix's job, and the full fixer runs both when it hears both.
What this does not prove: a real pop is not a thump added in software. Air hitting a real mic can also distort it, a lav on the chest picks up breath as well as pops, and some pops are so loud they clip. The numbers above say what the fixer does to the thumps it looks for; recording a clear voice covers stopping pops at the mic, and how we test has the pass marks behind the check.
How it works here
- 01
Finds each pop
It looks for short bursts of deep rumble that jump in at the start of a word and are gone a tenth of a second later. Steady rumble from wind or traffic doesn't count.
- 02
Turns down only the thump
Near each pop, the sound under about 150 Hz comes down by as much as the thump stands out, then lets go. The P or B and the rest of the voice are left alone.
- 03
Stays on your computer
Your file is never uploaded. The pop fix runs in this browser tab.
Questions
What causes plosives?
A P or a B pushes a puff of air out of your mouth. When the mic is close and in its path, the puff hits the capsule and records as a low thump. Lav mics on the chest and mics without a pop filter catch the most.
Will it change my voice?
Very little. It only touches the deep end under about 150 Hz, and only in the moment around each pop. On our popped sample the change to the words above 300 Hz was more than 50 dB under the words themselves, far too small to hear.
Why didn't it change my recording?
Because the check found no pops. fix.fm only fixes what it measures, so a clean recording comes back exactly as it went in. A steady rumble the whole way through is wind or background noise, not plosives; try the wind or noise fix for that.
Is it the same as removing clicks?
No. A click is a sharp tick a few thousandths of a second long. A plosive is a deep thump about a tenth of a second long. Each fixer looks for its own kind, so use the click fix for ticks and crackle.
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 plosives next time?
Use a pop filter or foam cover, and speak across the mic rather than straight into it. Moving the mic a little to the side of your mouth, or a few centimetres further away, stops most pops before they start.