Topic: "Pops" on recordings?

[bigu2fan]

First off, I'm not sure if this is the right section to post this question in, so please move it if it's not appropriate. I'm having some difficulty troubleshooting an issue with a Black Crowes recording I made using SP-CMC-2 > battery box > Tascam DR-07. I split and normalized the .WAV file and burned the show onto CD. It seems like every so often there is a small "pop" discernable in the recording (not at track splits). I tried burning with different CD-Rs (Memorex and Sony) and different software (Toast and iTunes). All burned at same speed (4x). Same results with both the Memorex and Sony CD-Rs and when burning with Toast and iTunes.

My computer speakers are crappy, and it's not possible to discern whether the "pops" are there when playing the straight .WAV files through my computer.

Any idea what could be causing the "pops"? The Crowes show I recorded (10/6/09 Pompano Beach, FL) was outdoors with a very small amount of wind blowing.

Do you think this "pop" issue a function of my recording gear, which is relatively new and has been used to tape less than 10 shows? I should add that I use fresh batteries in the battery box and DR-07 for each show. Could the "pops" stem from small movements/rotations of the plug at the line in of the recorder and/or the mic plug in on the battery box while I was at the show? Any ideas?

Thanks in advance for any help you can give.

[datbrad]

Do the pops happen at particular times, such as during loud drum beats?

[Scooter123]

Open up the offending track(s) in a wave file and see if they are there, then let me know.

[page]

One channel or both? Do they *generally* occur on a consistant time (once every 8 seconds for example)?

[bigu2fan]

they don't generally occur in regular time intervals, or at particular times, i.e. during loud drum beats.

i will try to find the offending spots in the .WAV files.

maybe i am just being crazy. i suppose it is possible that i am hearing very soft audience claps. it is very frustrating to not know for sure.

if anyone cares to listen (i know it's asking a lot, but who knows maybe someone will), the recording is on DIME and Tradersden. just search by "Black Crowes" or Pompano Beach.

[darktrain]

my guess is, its from the mini jack, try playing back and listening to headphones and move the plug a little, very common to get pops from hitting or moving the mini plug, had it happen with a BB a while back, on the bright side the envelpoe tool on audacity is great for smoothing those out

[cunger]

My guess it's from moving the plugs. I had the same thing when using a Sony D7 DAT. I couldn't figure out how to remove the pops, so I just used audacity, found the spikes, and deleted them. It was only on one song and before the song really started, during stage banter. But I did hear it some more during the song, removing the spikes didn't do so well, I'll probably end up removing the song from the final cut. No biggie for me.
 BUT, I read above that using audacity's envelope icon might smooth it out, I'll give that try sometime.
(FWIW, since the D7 only has a mini plug, the pops were on both channels I believe, it's been a while)

[stevetoney]

I've read somewhere in TS.com in the past about pops and clicks happening in some situations where there is humidity present in the air.  It happens in the mic capsule as the recording is being captured.  Have no clue if this is what's happening here.

I'd first try to use a click/pop filter and see if that works.  Sometimes the filter works well if it's a real distinct click, sometimes not so well if it's a duller thud-like sound.   

If the filter doesn't work, the next option is probably going through and fixing it manually by locating the pops and then isolating them to remove them by either lowering the volume (zoom way in and focus only on the nanosecond that makes up the click) to make the pop less prominent or unnoticeable on the recording, or something similar.

[Brian Skalinder]

Without an audio sample and more specific information, it's very difficult to provide good feedback.  Lots of potential causes, but no indication yet which is most likely based on the limited information.  Probably a good idea to:

• Post a sample WAV of one or more of the pops.  (Pops from different causes sometimes sound different.  Hearing them may help others identify the cause.  Asking someone to download and listen to an entire show to hear pops you only -think- you're hearing is a bit too much to ask, IMO.)
• Answer the following questions (most, but not all, of which were already asked):
• Do the pops exist on the master WAV played back directly from the original media on the original recorder?  (If the pops do not exist on the master WAV played back from the original media on the original recorder, this suggests a transfer or editing problem.)
  
• Did the pops exist prior to any editing you performed, i.e. in the master WAV transferred directly from the original media?  (If not, this suggests a problem in the editing process.)
• Have you found the pops in your WAV editor by zooming in?  If so, please provide a tightly zoomed in screenshot.  (Different causes of pops may result in different looking waveforms.)
• Are the pops located in the exact same place on every burned CDR?  (If in different places, this suggests a burning problem, not a recording or editing problem.)
• Do the pops occur on both channels, or only one?  And if on both, do the pops sound the same across both channels?  (Again, this may help identify the cause of the pops, as different causes sometimes impact one or both channels.)

[bigu2fan]

OK, here are links to short .WAV samples:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=CDNJJFNA
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=NY0E3LG2
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=29TQXWHK

This is in a different recording than the black crowes show. I copied it directly off the master wav. This was at an outdoor show where it was kinda windy, and i didn't have windscreens. Thoughts?

[Scooter123]

I d/l'ed 2 of the three.  The 1st had no discernable pop to me.  The second one was quite minor, and limited to a single channel.  I would suspect a mike connection.  But unless this is happening all the time, I'd just zap the pops in a wave editor and move on.  If its happening all the time, then you need to isolate the problem by changing the gear slightly. 

[page]

I d/l'ed 2 of the three.  The 1st had no discernable pop to me.  The second one was quite minor, and limited to a single channel.  I would suspect a mike connection.  But unless this is happening all the time, I'd just zap the pops in a wave editor and move on.  If its happening all the time, then you need to isolate the problem by changing the gear slightly.

yeah, thats where I was headed. I once pinched a cable and ended up with some static buildup or some shit and it went away mid set (when I moved the cable). Just one channel though.

[bigu2fan]

Scooter123/Page:

Thanks for the help! I think the third sample is the worst of the pops. I think I will try to remove the pops in a wav editor. I am still pretty new to all this, so please excuse the noob question. Is there a standard way that "zapping" these is done? I am pretty much learning this by trial and error. I have read about filters and the like, but if the pops come between songs when there is just clapping or silence is it considered OK to simply cut out/erase the 1/4 second or whatever of pop? Obviously if the "pops" come during the music another approach would need to be used.

One thing that puzzles me is that this has only shown up on the last two shows I have taped. Prior to these two shows, i taped four shows problem free. All the gear was new prior to this.

Is it possible that my battery box/mic connections or something is crapping out after just a half dozen shows? Are "pops" such as this typically associated with the mic plugging into the battery box, or with the battery box being plugged into the line in on the recorder? If fixing this issue is as easy as buying a new battery box, I guess I could spring for that. In the long run that would be quicker, I think, than painstakingly going through wavs after each show.

[Scooter123]

First, test your equipment.  Set it up in front of your stereo and record some music.  And listen.    Then play around with your connections  while recording.  And listen.  If it is still going on, switch out cables and record.  And listen.  Switch out the SD Card and record.  And listen.  Keep doing this until you've isolated the problem.

I think it might be as simple as a bad connector.  This has happened to me a couple of times now, and I routinely tape down EVERYTHING.  So Mike to the preamp--taped.  RCAs out to the recorder--taped.  Line in to the record--you guessed it, taped.  On Off switch--yep, taped.  It makes rigging up in the bathroom a little wierd, with the sound of gaffers tape, but fuck them--I just tell them its my "Depends" adult diapers.

To zap the offending pop, isolate it very close up on your wave editor, so the pop takes up half the screen.  The turn the + into a 0, e.g., mute the offending section.  If it is long, swap the other channel, so for the mili-second, it is mono.

[page]

To zap the offending pop, isolate it very close up on your wave editor, so the pop takes up half the screen.  The turn the + into a 0, e.g., mute the offending section.  If it is long, swap the other channel, so for the mili-second, it is mono.

Thats my prefered method, I find there is less side effects under critical monitoring. If I wasn't going to do this, I'd zero out that sample. Only if I couldn't do either of these would I delete/chop them.

[bigu2fan]

Scooter123/Page:

Thanks for the advice. I will try the taping all plugs/connectors advice and do some testing. Kinda frustrating that these consumer products would require such rigorous preparation/safeguarding to work properly. Got a couple of shows coming up next month, so hopefully I will have things squared away by then. Again, I appreciate your help.