VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

TC · Posted: Fri May 18, 2007 10:52 am Post subject: Clicks Between Edits

I've been using Pro Tools for about a year now, but I've only recently begun doing some serious editing in it as I create audiobook tracks. Something that has begun to plague and frustrate me is the occurrence of some rather arbitrary soft clicks or pops at the points where I make edits in the silent parts of the regions -- in the spaces between the beginnings and endings of sentences or during other pauses. It doesn't always happen, and sometimes I can trim around these clicks to remove them, but it can get pretty maddening at times. It's one thing to have to finesse an edit that involves putting two sounds together. I understand that. But this always happens to me when I'm butting two moments of silence up against each other. Why would two moments of silence create a click?

Is anyone familiar with this phenomenon? Is it specific to Pro Tools? Are there solutions other than trimming that will help me get rid of the clicks -- perhaps some sort of EQ setting, a la the pop-remover that Deirdre posted a few days back? I sometimes end up cutting too much silence out, and then I have to go back and start over because I've ruined the timing of the break.

I can post an example of what this sounds like if you want to hear it. It's subtle but definitely noticeable.

sdelgo · Posted: Fri May 18, 2007 11:32 am Post subject:

Those(edits) are tough to keep clean... 1 thing to check is make sure your DC Offset is enabled. This will hell align up the waveform so that it starts on the "0".

Try to make the edit points as close to the zero line as possible.

Steve
_________________
you'll always have something on your plate... if you keep your bearings straight.

www.steviedproductions.com

BenWils · Posted: Fri May 18, 2007 11:51 am Post subject:

Tony,

Try adding a quick fade-in and out to the clips butted together and see if that helps. This occurance happens too when sampling and looping.....it is fixed with a cross fade from one clip to another or from the beginning of the loop to the end.

Think of actual tape back years ago that needed to be spliced with old school razor and greese pencil edits...thos edits were always done with a cross fade or a diagonal splice and tapped backed together. The same holds true in the digital realm in many cases.
_________________
Ben

"To be really good at voiceover, you need to improve your footwork and hip snap."

vic44139 · Guest

As Sdelgo said, the first thing you should do right after recording is run DC Offset. Then run your Strip Silence. This will cut down on almost all those kind of clicks. Then do your edits. Compress, then EQ, then effects, then normalize up to
-3....well you get the picture....lololol. Bitchin

TC · Posted: Fri May 18, 2007 4:26 pm Post subject:

Ben: Your tape analogy makes perfect sense. I'll try doing some fades and see if that helps. Thanks.

Vic and Steve: Thanks for the tip. But how do I run DC Offset? I have one plugin that does DC Offset Removal, but that sounds like the opposite of what you're telling me to do.

BenWils · Posted: Fri May 18, 2007 4:37 pm Post subject:

Yeah Tony, the issue is more than likely an edit when the signal is not at zero crossing point in the wave form. The fades should help. It works for me when I get a pop from something like what you described.
_________________
Ben

"To be really good at voiceover, you need to improve your footwork and hip snap."

bobsouer · Posted: Fri May 18, 2007 9:06 pm Post subject:

Tony,

Rather than going to the trouble of putting fades on each piece, just do a short cross fade on the edit. Just move your cursor to the bottom of the edit point until you see the crossfade tool (assuming you're in Triple Tool editing mode), click and drag a little ways. Clicks-r-gone.

Pro Tools isn't alone in being sensitive to minute level changes in areas that look like silence to the naked eye, but it is very sensitive to them.
_________________
Be well,
Bob Souer (just think of lemons)
The second nicest guy in voiceover.
+1-724-613-2749
Source Connect, phone patch, pony express

TC · Posted: Fri May 18, 2007 10:43 pm Post subject:

Clicks-r-gone!

I'm going to think of that every time I do that for the rest of my life, Bob. My mind is like a steel trap that holds onto to little reminders like that.

Thanks for the help, everyone.

ronharpervoice · Club 300 Joined: 23 Jan 2007 Posts: 347 Location: Ohio

bobbinbeamo · Posted: Sat May 19, 2007 7:38 pm Post subject:

What an excellent tip. I never thought of the cross fade for the edits.

Also found "DC offset removal" under audio suite/other. But how do you ENABLE DC Offset or is it a default setting?
_________________
Bobbin Beam
www.bobbinbeam.com
blog.bobbinbeam.com

BenWils · Posted: Sat May 19, 2007 7:50 pm Post subject:

Tom Greenlee · Posted: Sat May 19, 2007 8:05 pm Post subject:

You got me curious about crossfading for edits.....I use AA2 I just looked around for some kind of setting. I found it.....it is under
Edit > Preferences > Data....there is a checkbox that says "Smooth all edit boundaries by crossfading" and then there is a place for you to specify how many milliseconds...default is 5. I had that option checked and didn't realise it.
_________________
TG2

"Communication without intelligence is noise; Intelligence without communication is irrelevant."

Gen. Alfred. M. Gray, USMC
Former Commandant of the Marine Corps

ronharpervoice · Club 300 Joined: 23 Jan 2007 Posts: 347 Location: Ohio

kitstern · Posted: Mon May 21, 2007 10:11 am Post subject:

A tip for ProTools is to click in the edited track, CtrlA to select all, then Ctrl F. That adds cross fades to the whole track across all edit points, really handy for long narrations.

I'm also curious about using DC offset removal and strip silence. Would someone (anyone) like to comment on using these for long-form stuff?

Thanks, and Happy Monday!
_________________
Enjoy life, this is not a rehearsal.

http://www.kitziestern.com/

sdelgo · Posted: Mon May 21, 2007 10:44 am Post subject: