How to remove plosives (pops) from vocals

You know the sound: the singer hits a "p" or a "b" and a low thump punches the mic, a blast of air that overloads the low end for a fraction of a second. Those are plosives, and once they're recorded they're distracting — but unlike a lot of vocal problems, they're both easy to prevent and, mostly, easy to fix. Here's how to remove plosives from vocals, and how to stop recording them in the first place.

Key Takeaways

• Plosives are bursts of low-frequency air from "p" and "b" sounds hitting the mic.
• Fix a recorded plosive with a fast high-pass filter or a volume dip right on the pop.
• The plosive energy is low (below ~150 Hz), so a targeted low cut removes it without thinning the voice.
• Prevention — a pop filter and off-axis mic position — beats every repair.

What a plosive actually is

When you say a "p" or a "b," your lips release a little burst of air. Up close to a microphone, that jet of air hits the capsule directly and produces a short, low-frequency thump — a spike of energy usually below 150 Hz or so. That's why plosives sound like a low pop or thump rather than a bright click: the problem lives at the bottom of the spectrum, which is exactly what makes them removable.

Fixing a recorded plosive

Because the energy is low and brief, you have two clean options:

1. A fast high-pass filter on the pop. The surgical fix: apply a steep high-pass filter (cutting everything below ~100–150 Hz) only during the plosive, using automation or a clip-gain move so the rest of the vocal keeps its full low end. The pop's energy is almost all below that line, so cutting it there removes the thump and barely touches the voice.
2. A quick volume dip. Draw a short, fast dip in the clip gain or volume automation right on the plosive. Because a plosive is over in a fraction of a second, a brief dip is often invisible in the performance but kills the thump. This works well when the pop is isolated on a held note or the start of a word.

Either way, the trick is to act only on the plosive. A permanent high-pass across the whole track to catch a few pops will thin every note — target the moment, not the track.

Where it fits in the cleanup

Plosive repair belongs with the early editing pass, alongside noise reduction and before you shape tone with EQ and compression. Get the mechanical problems — pops, clicks, noise — out of the way first, then move on to de-reverb, de-essing, and the tonal work. The whole order is in how to get a clean, clear vocal.

Prevention beats cure

Plosives are one of the most preventable problems in recording:

• Use a pop filter. The single biggest fix — a mesh or foam screen between mouth and mic breaks up the jet of air before it reaches the capsule. Cheap, and it solves most plosives outright.
• Sing slightly off-axis. Aim past the mic rather than straight into it, so the burst of air misses the capsule. This helps sibilance too.
• Back off a little. More distance gives the air room to disperse before it arrives.

More on capture technique in how to record vocals at home.

The short version

Plosives are low-frequency air bursts from "p" and "b" sounds. Fix a recorded one with a fast high-pass filter or a quick volume dip aimed only at the pop — the energy is below ~150 Hz, so a targeted low cut kills the thump without thinning the voice. Better still, prevent them: a pop filter and a slightly off-axis position stop most plosives before they're ever recorded. It's the mechanical front half of getting a clean, clear vocal.

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