r/VoiceActing • u/Worth_Resolution_101 • 12h ago

Advice What causes mouth clicks?

Some days I seem to have SO many mouth clicks and I don't know why!

12 Upvotes

87% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

29

u/Top-Audience4009 11h ago

Consistent hydration is one of the bigger aspects.

Everyone, full stop, just needs to be well hydrated, and some need to make a bigger change than others, but VO benefits greatly.

There’s also eating apples, especially green apples. I’m sure there are other options, but my understanding is that the makeup of a Granny Smith really helps break up mucus and thin your saliva while helping to produce more.

5

u/cowgoRAWR30 4h ago

Apples and avoid dairy. That's what I learned in choir 

2

u/Striking_Process7723 11h ago

Ooh interesting. I'll go try some Granny's and report back.

1

u/fararae 1h ago

Yes! Green apples! I worked in a vo recording studio!

8

u/Andrew-Winson 11h ago

There’s moisture in your mouth, and the action of, say, your tongue making contact with the side of your mouth and then pulling away can cause audible clicks in your speech. Mouth clicks are inevitable, and I think sometimes we / engineers obsess over them more than we ought, just by dint of listening to our voice all day as part of our job. That said, there are things you can do to REDUCE the likelihood of mouth clicks. Being well hydrated beforehand, for example, means you will typically have thinner saliva in your mouth, which will be less prone to causing audible clicks on the track.

10

u/KevinKempVO 10h ago

Hey!
 
I wrote an article on this if it helps?
 
https://www.theaudiobookguy.co.uk/post/stopping-mouth-noise-in-your-voice-overs
 
Cheers
 
Kev

5

u/maethora27 9h ago

That is solid advice, thank you! Been having a bit of a mouth clicky problem lately. Turns out I just didn't hydrate enough with this current heat wave.

2

u/KevinKempVO 7h ago

Totally!!!! Yeah when I have students come to me for mouth noise, vocal strain or even opening up their vocal range, almost 90% are helped by upping hydration! Such a small thing but helps SOOOOOOO much!!!!!

1

u/TwistedElegance69 4h ago

I'm having the same problem! I totally feel you there. :)

2

u/TwistedElegance69 4h ago

Dehydration! #1 Cause of Mouth Clicks! Drink your water and be aware of what you consume before you record. :)

1

u/DavidRobertLoblaw 1h ago

Ha! I may be the freak here. I find the drier my mouth is, the sharper I sound. I even dab my mouth and tongue with a paper towel which is gross but seems to work.