Why Does My Audiobook Have Random Clicks, Pops, or Glitches?

You finish recording your audiobook. Everything sounds fine.

Then you listen back—or worse, upload to ACX—and suddenly:

• There are clicks you never noticed

• Strange pops appear between words

• Random glitches show up in the audio

What happened?

These Problems Often Don’t Happen During Recording

Most people assume clicks and pops come from:

• Mouth noise

• Bad mic technique

• Background noise

Sometimes they do.

But just as often, these issues are introduced after the recording is done.

The Most Common Causes

1. File Conversion Problems

One of the biggest culprits is converting files—especially:

• MP3 → WAV

• Low-quality exports → higher-quality formats

This can introduce:

• Tiny clicks

• Digital artifacts

• Harsh transitions

And they’re often subtle enough that you won’t notice them until later.

2. Editing Cuts That Are Too Tight

When you remove breaths or pauses, it’s easy to cut too close to the waveform.

That creates:

• Hard edges in the audio

• Tiny pops between words

• Audible “jumps” in the sound

These are especially noticeable in narration, where the listener expects a smooth flow.

3. Inconsistent Room Tone

Silence isn’t actually silent.

If your background noise changes—even slightly—between edits, you can end up with:

• Flickering noise floors

• Tiny clicks between phrases

• Distracting shifts in the audio

This is one of the biggest reasons audiobook editing takes longer than people expect.

4. Software or Plugin Artifacts

Noise reduction, de-clicking, and compression tools can help—but they can also introduce problems if pushed too far.

Common issues:

• Warbling or “digital” sound

• Sudden artifacts in quiet sections

• Glitches at edit points

5. You Just Didn’t Hear Them the First Time

This is more common than people think.

When you’re recording, your brain is focused on:

• Performance

• Reading the text

• Staying consistent

You’re not listening like an editor.

So small issues slip through—until you listen back later with fresh ears.

Why ACX (and Other Platforms) Catch These

Platforms like ACX run automated checks that are extremely sensitive.

They can flag:

• Very short noises

• Peak inconsistencies

• Artifacts you might barely notice

So even if your audio sounds “fine,” it may still fail quality control.

How to Fix It

1. Zoom In on Your Edits

If you’re editing your own audio, don’t just cut by ear—look at the waveform.

• Avoid cutting right at sharp peaks

• Leave tiny natural transitions

• Use fades when needed

2. Use Room Tone Properly

Instead of pure silence, fill gaps with consistent background tone.

This keeps everything smooth and natural. When searching for clean room tone I turn the gain up to over 1K to detect even the slightest bits of noise.

3. Be Careful with Processing

More isn’t always better.

Light, controlled use of:

• De-click

• Noise reduction

• Compression

…is far safer than aggressive settings. Alway compare your processed audio to the raw recording to make check if the noise was created by using a noise reducing plugin.

4. Always Do a Final Listen Pass

Preferably:

• On headphones

• In a quiet space

• When you’re not tired

This is where most of these issues get caught.

If your audiobook has clicks or glitches, it doesn’t mean you did something wrong—it means you’re doing a high-detail task that takes time to master.

Audiobook listeners are incredibly sensitive to small sounds—especially in quiet, spoken-word recordings.

The difference between “good enough” and “professional” often comes down to catching and fixing these tiny details.

Need Help?

If you’re hearing issues you can’t quite track down—or you just don’t want to spend hours chasing tiny glitches—I offer editing and cleanup services, as well as feedback on test files.