Hello. I’m making a car siren sound effect. Here it is
For some reason, every time it loops, it clicks! Is there any way I can remove this noticeable clicking sound from the audio? I know that equalizers exist, but I’m wondering if there is any other way to remove this click.
The click is coming from when the audio was cut where the signal isn’t even close to 0. Signal strength like that usually ends up resetting to 0 in the sharpest way possible, resulting in the click. In order to mitigate this, fade a small tail in the end. However, the best fix is to edit it “better” by inspecting the signals closely before cutting.
So what’s actually happening here is the sound wave is being cut off at the end of the audio, and not starting back where it left off?
Not exactly. The final point of the signal is not close to 0, making it not smooth whenever it loops. It is possible that you might have ended with ±1 on the signal. That said, a sudden signal of +1 to 0 is a pop or click.
This can also happen in the opposite way as well: In the beginning. Make sure you are transitioning them seamlessly between first and last signal.
Is there any way I can view or edit the signal strength?
This depends on the software you use?
Software does not matter, but you’d still need a reliable tool that can edit the sound. I personally find Audacity a perfect tool for any last minute changes. It works like a charm once you’ve learned its features.
I use audacity, do you know how I could view signal strengths in there?
zoom into the waveform. cut it where it crosses the zero line.
also, can you hear the click in audacity if you loop it? so you can get rid of it before you upload it?
Yes, I do hear it.
Yes…
Zoom in at the sound. You will see lines between dots and they represent the signal. It goes up and down.
You do not need to cut the audio at the exact zero crossing to prevent a click, all you need to do is add a small fade on the beginning and end of the audio track. If you would rather use the method Operatik suggested then you could use edison if you have fl studio as it allows you to cut an audio at the first zero crossing.