How to Reduce Mouth Sounds When Recording Podcasts

You have a high-end microphone for your audio recording needs.

The environment is also sound-proof so the background noise does not interfere with the sound quality.

Your microphone too works just fine.

But still, the audio clarity isn’t ideal because the annoying mouth noises keep impeding it.

Argh!

So, how do you reduce mouth sounds when recording?

How can you simply get rid of those lip-smacking sounds, breathing noises, dry mouth sounds, mouth clicks, and tons of other mouth noises that keep obstructing the quality of your voiceovers and audio recordings?

There exists an antidote for every misery. So stop fretting and keep reading. In this read, you will find the desired answer to your never-ending struggle: how to stop mouth sounds when recording.

I’ll be discussing different types of mouth noises along with their viable solutions. Let’s begin our journey.

How to Reduce Mouth Sounds When Recording

Plosives and Their Solution

Plosive is the notorious mouth noise you hear when you say words starting mostly with letters ‘p’, ‘b’ or ‘t’, and sometimes with words beginning with ‘d’, ‘g’ and ‘k.’

These popping sounds basically occur when a big volume of air rushes from your mouth to the mic from a small distance. Think of it like your lips holding in the air, and then suddenly releasing it right to hit the microphone. The burst of air hitting the mic’s head creates the ‘plosive’ sound.

To better understand it, say this sentence: ‘Patty Petters picked up some pansies.’ You are likely to hear little popping sounds when you speak the words beginning with ‘p.’

Now these plosives may not seem too worrisome to you in your routine speech. However, they present a big problem when you are speaking in front of a microphone with good sensitivity. It will pick up the sound and magnify it which obviously affects your audio quality.

So how to reduce mouth noise due to plosives?

How to Get Rid of This Mouth Noise

A pop filter is the best remedy to fix this mouth noise.

Pop filters are fabric-covered devices that you can attach to microphones. A pop filter stays fixed and stagnant in its position so doesn’t create any movement that may produce any unwanted noise. Secondly, it is positioned as such that it is marginally apart from the microphone’s head.

Creating a physical barrier that disperses air from the plosive-creating words, pop filters are indeed quite effective in reducing the mouth noises generated from plosives.

A pop filter not only works best in removing the plosive sounds but is a very helpful tool in managing other mouth noises such as breathing sounds, lip clicks, lip smacking, and sibilance. It is also effective to reduce background noise including wind noise and sounds from electronic gadgets. So investing in a good quality pop filter is always a good idea.

When you do consider buying a pop filter, make sure to check its reviews so you get one that gives you a good bang for your buck.

Sibilance and How to Manage it in Voice Overs

Another frustrating mouse noise that often stirs up in audio recording especially voice overs is ‘sibilance.’ It is the sharp or hissing sound of high-frequency that generally occurs when you utter words beginning from or containing ‘s’, ‘z’, ‘sh’, ‘ch’ and ‘zh.’

Possessing high-frequency energy, these sounds usually lie in 2 kHz to 10 kHz range. Sibilance is quite natural in routine, spoken language. It does, however, become quite troublesome in audio recordings when you release strong air bursts when pronouncing the sibilance consonants.

Mostly, this creates sharp, high-frequency spikes in your audio which keeps it from sounding warm, smooth and clear. Excessive sibilance tends to produce unwanted sounds that give a rather unpleasant and irritating listening experience. Since you don’t want your listeners and audience to suffer from that, and lose interest in your content, it is best to manage these mouth noises and work on noise reduction in your audio.

How to Get Rid of The Sibilance Mouth Noises

Take a look at some effective remedies to reduce sibilance from your voiceovers and other audio recordings.

Add a pop filter to your mouth filter to diffuse the airflow which will significantly minimize the sibilance sounds.
To reduce mouth noise due to sibilance, position your microphone slightly off-axis from your mouth so it doesn’t capture many sibilant sounds directly.
De-users are special audio processors created to get rid of sibilance. They detect and attenuate the specific frequencies of sibilant sounds. You can apply a good quality de-esser to your recording during post-production editing to reduce the sibilance in it.
Also, try using microphones that are less sensitive to sibilant sounds such as ribbon and dynamic microphones. A ribbon mic has a smooth, high-frequency response which makes it less prone to picking up the harsh sibilant noises. A dynamic microphone has a limited frequency response as compared to a condenser microphone which results in controlled capturing of sibilance resulting in better audio quality.
Moreover, modify your pronunciation a bit and avoid placing extra emphasis on the sibilant sounds. This gentle articulation plays a good role in reducing the harshness of sibilant sounds. If there are other speakers in the recording, ask them to do the same.

In addition, make sure your recording environment is controlled and as sound-proof as possible. This minimizes the background noise reflections which ultimately decreases sibilance issues.

Plus, you need to invest in a good quality microphone because a cheap mic only amplifies the mouth noises.

Smacking Sounds, Mouth Clicks, Saliva Noises and Their Solution

Smacking or lip sounds are usually due to the movement and contact of lips, primarily due to moisture or saliva. Usually, when you are dehydrated, there is comparatively less saliva in your mouth. It also becomes more viscous (sticky) which ultimately results in saliva noise and more clicks in your speech known as saliva clicks.

The mention of dehydration may make you think that drinking more water is the best way to fix this problem. This measure, however, creates a lot of moisture that once again creates a series of irritating mouth noises including saliva noises.

So how can you stop these mouth sounds when recording?

Remedies to Minimize Mouth Clicks and Smacking Sounds

Here are some tried and tested tips to get rid of mouth clicks, dry mouth sounds, saliva sounds and lip smacking noises from your voice recording.

Make sure to stay hydrated throughout the day. Drinking 8 to 10 glasses of water is recommended. Remember to drink water throughout the day, and not guzzle glass after glass right before your recording. Consuming a lot of liquid prior to your recording or voiceover creates more saliva in your mouth which again creates lip and saliva sounds.
Keep a glass of water with you during your recording and take a tiny sip if your mouth feels too dry. Take a few deep breaths to calm yourself down, and to give your mouth some time to dry up, and then resume your voice recording.
Experiment a little with the mic placement. Position your microphone around till you find a good angle that reduces direct contact with your lip. Never position your mic too close to your mouth as it exaggerates the mouth clicks. This tip works well for removing mouth noises of all sorts be it hissing, breathing, plosive, clicking or other mouth noises.
Add a windscreen or pop filter on your microphone to gently disperse the airflow while you speak which can be very helpful in removing mouth noises.
Try some speaking techniques to control your excessive lip movement. Speaking articulately promotes cleaner voice recordings.
You can also use a good audio editing software to eliminate any leftover mouth sounds in your recording. Probably, you’ll need to make some volume adjustments and try audio editing tools to get clean, crisp recording.
If your mouth gets too dry, take breaks in between your recording, drink water (tiny sips please) and then record.
Chew gum before your audio recording to warm up your jaw and keep your mouth moist, especially if you struggle with a dry mouth. This also helps to remove saliva noises. Make sure to throw it away when you start recording otherwise the gum popping sound will impede your audio recording.

Try one trick first, and record something. If you hear mouth clicks, move to the next measure. Typically, a combination of these methods proves to eliminate mouth noise and helps you get professional-grade audio devoid of background noise.

You may have to experiment a little to find the perfect balance for your vocal characteristics and recording setup.

Breathing Sounds and Their Antidotes

Breathing is a natural, involuntary process. You need to breathe to stay alive. As important as breathing is, the truth is breathing sounds tend to be quite noticeable, distracting, and honestly even frustrating when recording.

Breathing sounds naturally and inherently occur when you speak. The problem majorly arises when you are recording using a sensitive microphone. The mic tends to over-emphasize your breath which creates an annoying background noise in your vocal recordings.

What’s the Solution?

For excellent noise reduction in your recording, here’s how you can control the breathing sounds in your vocal recordings.

Try some controlled breathing techniques to manage your breathing. One effective technique is to take deep, long breaths prior to your recording. Inhale through your nose to a count of 4, and exhale through your mouth to a longer count of 5 or 6. Practice this 3 to 4 times before recording. Also, make a habit of doing this exercise 2 to 3 times during the day. Soon, you’ll notice a marked improvement in your breathing style, and won’t be taking short, rapid breaths that create breathing sounds during the recording process.
Also, be more mindful of how you breathe. When you are doing nothing, pay attention to your breath. If you take shallow and rapid breaths, it is likely you are often stressed out or anxious. Try to stay as calm as possible. Go on a nice walk outdoors, drink a soothing beverage, watch a funny video, talk to a friend or do anything else that helps you relax. You may not realize this now, but when you start staying calmer, you will find your breathing becoming more relaxed too. As a result, your voice will sound composed in the recording, and the breathing noises too will reduce significantly.
Practice meditation 3 to 5 times during the week. Meditation is primarily about staying in the moment allowing your mind to relax. Sit or lie down in any way you feel relaxed and close your eyes. Inhale through your nose and exhale via your mouth. When you exhale, utter the word ‘OM’ and create an extended bass-tone of it. It is a good practice to unwind your mind, and relax your mouth which also minimizes the mouth noise due to rapid breathing. Meditating in your recording studio is also believed to create an aura of peace in the studio that helps you record better.

Take some time to work on these practices. Trust me, just 5 minutes of working on these exercises not only improves your sound quality, but also helps you stay calmer and happier. Naturally when you are more composed, you will record better.

Tongue Clicks and How to Best Manage Them

Every time your tongue touches your mouth’s roof, or makes contact with your teeth while you speak, you are likely to hear a slight clicking sound aka tongue click.

Once again, tongue clicks are quite natural and normal in routine spoken language. But yes, the problem does stir up when recording voiceovers, or doing recording for your podcasting, gaming, live streaming, or some other type of content creation.

Usually, tongue clicks happen due to excessive movement of your tongue or dryness. They become quite noticeable when you are doing close-miked vocals.

If you are tired of your tongue clicks hampering the quality of your recordings, i have quite a workable solution for you.

Tried and Tested Hacks to Reduce Noises by Tongue Movement

Here are some potent strategies to control the unnecessary tongue clicking sounds and keep your audio crystal clear.

You need to keep your mouth moist as much as possible. Drink a glass of water 30 minutes prior to your recording to reduce tongue and mouth dryness. When your mouth is nicely moist, the tongue clicks automatically reduce.
Try minimizing excessive tongue movement when speaking or singing during your recording. Keep your tongue movements deliberate and the tongue clicks will slow down.
Tongue exercises also enhance your control over your tongue when speaking. Move your tongue in slow circular motions, first clockwise about 5 times and then anticlockwise 5 times too. Do it once daily, and your tongue clicks will start to diminish
Secondly, touch your tongue to specific points and angles in your mouth a few times. First, you can touch it on the mouth’s roof, then on the inside of your cheek, then along the jaw and then on your teeth. This exercise and the one mentioned above improve the tongue control and dexterity which ultimately cuts down tongue clicks in your audio recording.
Also, work on controlling your speech rate. If you speak too quickly, you will create forceful and rushed tongue movements which increases the occurrence of tongue clicks. Take a speaking speed test online to find your speech rate. A moderate and comfortable speech or speaking rate is 150 to 160 words per minute (wpm.) If your wpm is more than that, you need to slow down a bit. Practice speaking slowly and calmly in front of a mirror to manage this issue.

In addition to these hacks, work on controlling your breathing and make meditation a must-do in your routine. Both these practices make you more mindful of your tongue movements and also promote relaxation in the body which leads to better voice recordings.

Throats Noises and Strategies to Control Them

Throat noises, primarily characterized by throat-clearing sounds or gurgling are another set of mouth noises that create quite a hindrance in your audio recording.

Typically created by the saliva movement, throat mucus and/or airflow, throat sound is a kind of mouth noise that affects your recording quality to a great extent.

Gurgling sounds often arise due to excessive moisture in your throat. Sometimes, they also occur when you swallow something, or gulp down your saliva to avoid it from affecting your speech. Throat -clearing sounds happen when you try to remove phlegm from your throat, or get irritated by it.

As perturbing as this mouth noise is, you can easily mitigate it too.

Proven Ways to Mitigate Throat Sounds

Mic placement, controlled breathing, pop filters and using a good quality microphone that isn’t too sensitive are some great ways to control the throat noises that obstruct your audio recording.

In addition, I am sharing with you some more strategies that focus specifically on managing the throat noises I discussed above.

Avoid drinking beverages that increase the mucus production in your throat. Such beverages include caffeinated and dairy drinks. Drinking water instead of these beverages is recommended.
If you are struggling with a dry or sore throat, do gargles with lukewarm water twice a day, and specifically 20 minutes before your recording session.
Sip lukewarm honey water throughout the day. Honey mixed in water keeps your throat moist and warm. Also, honey is rich in nutrients that flush out toxins from your body, and also reduce the phlegm production. You can also mix a bit of lemon juice in the honey water to enhance its toxin-fighting ability.
Use throat sprays and throat lozenges sparingly. Both of these are over-the-counter medicines that do offer temporary relief from throat irritation, and decrease the likelihood of throat-clearing sounds in your recording. It is best to get lozenges that aren’t excessively flavored as the too flavorful ones can affect your voice.
If you have a recording planned, do not consume any throat-irritating food or beverage an hour before it. Such foods and beverages include alcoholic drinks, scalding coffee or tea, spicy foods, fried foods, tomato-based foods and dips, carbonated drinks and dairy-based beverages and foods.
Minimize your exposure to allergens as allergies are notorious for excessive mucus production and throat irritation. If you are prone to dust, pollen or any other type of allergies, steer clear of the triggers that may set off your allergies. Also, take preventive medicines timely.

Taking care of your throat is extremely important to manage the throat sounds, and also improve your vocal clarity. Remember a healthy throat leads to a smooth, warm and natural sounding voice.

In addition to these tips and strategies, you can also use a good audio editing software to improve your voice quality.

Take the Assistance of a Voice Enhancement Software

There are lots of audio editing tools in the market, readily available online that can do wonders to your audio quality. They are also quite efficient in reducing mouth noises when recording. Audacity is one such free audio editing software that is a massive help in enhancing the quality of your recordings.

Here are some practices you can carry out with an audio tool to get rid of mouth noises and get top-notch recording sound.

Noise Reduction: Noise reduction is one of the most helpful features in audio enhancement applications. You have the option of selecting a quiet part of your recording in the sound profile. In this feature, everything else goes on mute with the entire focus on the background noise in your dialogue edits or other type of audio recording. This helps you understand the volume, intensity and type of background noise. The noise filter of the tool then sets that background noise as its precedent and removes that and similar noise from your entire recording. This often helps get rid of all the extra sounds and any annoying mouth noise from the recording too.
Normalize Sound: The ‘normalize’ effect uses a compressed signal from the audio and raises the gain (volume) back to its original level before compressing it. You can also apply a limiter aka noise gate to place an upper limit on the audio’s volume. In case you use a limiter, normalize the audio again to re-balance its volume. This too, is an effective practice to remove mouth sounds.
Equalization: EQ adjustments help increase the bass to get a more natural, warmer voice. Adding a bit of EQ to the mid-range of the audio improves the quality. If high-frequencies are needed, you can also add them. Make sure to fine-tune the final recording. Try EQ with your audio recordings, and you’re likely to see magic happen to the audio especially when you don’t hear any mouth noise in it. You can also apply parametric equalization (EQ) to attenuate the frequencies typically associated with the sibilance mouth noise. Remember not to overdo that as excessive EQ modifications tend to adversely impact the sound quality.

Start looking up some free audio enhancement tools online, and tinker with a few. Once you find one that suits you best, use it to get professional-grade audio quality. But make sure to also work on all the methods taught to you to reduce and remove mouth sounds when recording.

Wrapping Up

Professional-sounding and sophisticated audio quality is one dream all content creators share. When unwanted sounds including mouth noises sneak into your recordings, they certainly affect their quality.

I have shared with you some of the most amazing and powerful tips and hacks to reduce mouth sounds when recording. Now it’s important to start exercising them to get the most of those remedies.

Happy recording!

Frequently Asked Questions

To get rid of mouth clicking sounds from your recording, stay hydrated. Drinking water keeps your mouth noise and reduces clicking. Moreover, experiment with the mic position so it is not right in front of your mouth. A mic positioned correctly also effectively reduces mouth clicks. Plus, use a thick windscreen on the mic so it doesn’t allow the mic to pick the sound clicks.

A pop filter is a screen attached to a microphone so it serves as a barrier between your mouth and the mic. It filters out the unwanted sounds from your recording which definitely helps in minimizing the mouth noises in your audio.

Sharoon Shahid

Hi! I’m Sharoon Shahid, founder of Audiblearray. With a decade of experience in using mics, I’m here to guide you on your audio journey and save you from gear pitfalls!

How to Reduce Mouth Sounds When Recording