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Gear / Technical Help => Post-Processing, Computer / Streaming / Internet Devices & Related Activity => Topic started by: twoodruff on January 26, 2015, 02:47:29 PM

Title: Removing Pops from a wav file on a mac
Post by: twoodruff on January 26, 2015, 02:47:29 PM
While I try to nail down what part of my equipment caused the random pops in one channel, can some advise how to remove them? Can I just copy the area where the pop exists from the good channel and paste it into the bad? Thanks for the help
Title: Re: Removing Pops from a wav file on a mac
Post by: Life In Rewind on January 26, 2015, 03:19:08 PM
You might try zooming in on the spike and cut it out (on both channels - even if it the pop on just one)

Depending on how many pops there are in a given passage - it might not be obvious musically.

Not terribly practical if there is a lot of pops, though.
Title: Re: Removing Pops from a wav file on a mac
Post by: bombdiggity on January 26, 2015, 05:20:57 PM
Copy and paste may work or may not depending on the alignment and the content. 

If it is just a couple very short sudden ones some editing work may do it. 

Izotope Rx is pretty good for longer events though may not get rid of them completely.  Audition has a repair function that can do something though Izotope is better. 
Title: Re: Removing Pops from a wav file on a mac
Post by: twoodruff on January 26, 2015, 06:29:16 PM
Copy and paste may work or may not depending on the alignment and the content. 

If it is just a couple very short sudden ones some editing work may do it. 

Izotope Rx is pretty good for longer events though may not get rid of them completely.  Audition has a repair function that can do something though Izotope is better.

it is just a few short sudden ones. I have Audiofile's Wave Editor, how should I go about editing these pops out? Izotope seems a bit out of my price range, which is anything below $1
Title: Re: Removing Pops from a wav file on a mac
Post by: bombdiggity on January 27, 2015, 03:08:57 PM
LOL. 

I don't know that program. 

You'll need to zoom really close then:

The choices are either to:

* Attentuate them (this is usually what a software repair function does).  Essentially find the start and end of the pop and reduce the levels of it to a point where it is in the background (or gone). 

* Patch them (copy from the good channel over to the bad).  Some software will attempt to do something like this by interpolating what might logically have been in that spot absent the noise it is removing.  This may be the most difficult option depending on how closely the content of the two channels match each other.  If not much variation between channels and you can align at zero crossings or similar points you can try that.  The transition to mono can be noticeable but this is often the only way to deal with large or long patches. 

* Edit them out (trim out just the pop) which will throw timing off by some milliseconds if you do this to both channels (this assumes they are very brief or will not work too well)... 

How you do any of those is a function of the specifics of the editing program.  Which works best is a judgment call that varies based on the specific material.  You can try the ones that are feasible and decide which you like best.