I'm a new podcaster with no vocal editing experience. I edit every episode to remove breaths, "uuuhhh"s, repeated words, stutters, etc. (Using select-and-cut on the waveform.)
This often leads to a popping sound because the wave form drastically changes position. How do I remove the bad signal and cleanly join the two ends?
We're at episode 6 and it is starting to bug me...
Use volume automation rather than cuts. That way you can pull the annoying noises to the background without creating audible gaps.
If you cut, then the remaining ends ought to be faded to "0" by using fade-ins/fade-outs, otherwise they'll pop.
Crossfade it. That's the only way to prevent snaps. Occams Razor ;)
Zoom way in on the waveform and cut at the "zero crossing," where the waveform crosses from the positive part of the wave to the negative through the horizontal line that runs through the middle of the display. Not to be too zen about it, but you want the waveform to pass through the edit point as if nothing happened. Then, as stavrosound said, add a very short crossfade to smooth out the edit.
You may also want to consider a "Noise Gate" plugin. They are sometimes included in compressors. What are you recording in? They will actually automate the drop when silence occurs.
