If you’ve ever wondered, “For heaven’s sake, how do I get rid of these pesky mouth noises?”, well then, this is the blog post for you! Yes, all those irritating clicks and smacks that make you want to claw your ears off in the edit.
Not just those, sometimes it’s habitual lip and tongue smacks related to how you speak and breath. Aren’t bodies weird?! Let’s dive into the mouth noises and clicks you might want to elimiate:
- Habitual noises can be managed by being more aware. If your lips are constantly smacking together, check you’re not closing your mouth and breathing in through your nose. Just keep your lips open and mouth breathe instead. If you need to breathe through your nose while recording, simply use some good old Vaseline on your lips to prevent them from closing too firmly.
- Are you a lip licker? If so, chances are you’re probably doing it to give yourself time to think, and holding your breath when do it. Instead of licking your lips to buy your braining thinking time, try breathing out instead. It’s a more useful habit
One of the main culprits of mouth noises is (drumroll please) saliva clicks! They win the award for the noise that makes most people want to claw their ears off. You get saliva clicks because your saliva is either too sticky or too plentiful!
The answer? An oldie, but a goodie. Hydration. Yes, it’s as simple as that.
- Be mindful of what and when you’re drinking
- Steer clear of alcohol which can dry you out
- Keep a food diary to note when you get clicky.
And finally, you may not even know about this one. It’s the nasal fart A weird pop or snort that feels like it comes from behind your nose. These tend to happen after or before nasal consonants like ‘n’ and ‘m’ or on the soft palate consonants.
So, here’s your eliminating mouth noises game plan:
- Identify the type of mouth noise you’re dealing with.
- Hydrate!
- Isolate any physical patterns and behaviours that might be worsening the noise.
- Hydrate some more, seriously, do it!
- Use a plugin when editing (I’m a tad technologically challenged, but Isotope rx-9 mouth De-clicker Plugin comes highly recommended).
- Finally, embrace your quirks! Let’s normalise noise.
Remember, for more voice tips, check out my book On The Mic. Choc full of exercises for learning how to improve your breath and voice for the next time you hit the mic – including more on the delightful nasal fart!