What exactly causes clicks and pops on vinyl?

The above comments pretty much explain why you hear clicks and pops and sometimes a continuous "swish" when you play a record. But it is wrong to attribute it all to careless manufacture and sloppy user practices. The origin of the problem really lies in the technology itself. Recording of sound by mechanical grooves engraved in wax (by Edison) or vinyl today requires incredible precision, and the result is fragile and subject to contamination. Any technology which is so dependent on perfect execution is undesirable. Good technology works well even when you abuse it.

The clicks and pops were never an issue when records were played with acoustic gramaphones (those things with big horns) or early electronic players. The sonic quality was so bad for other reasons, that the clicks and pops were the least of the worries. Today the playback equipment has vastly improved, and every little defect in the groove is faithfully reproduced. Also our expectations regarding sonic quality are much higher. We have taken Edison's invention to its ultimate limits, and the defects which reamain are inherent to the technology.

An analogy might be the typewriter. Over more than a hundred years typewriter machines were vastly improved, perhaps culminating in the IBM Selectric with the type ball instead of levers. Typewriters could go no further. Then came word processing on the computer. The old mechanical character striking device was obsolete in a decade.

Sic transit gloria.
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As an addendum to all the truths above, if an LP has occasional, RANDOM clicks or pops then a wet cleaning/vacuuming that includes an enzyme soak step will usually remove most of them.

The enzyme solution from AIVS is very effective. MoFi has a new one in beta testing and my early results seem good. The older Buggtussel Vinyl-Zyme solution is effective, but less so.

Hi Eldartford, Was that Scotty or Spock that said:

"Any technology which is so dependent on perfect execution is undesirable. Good technology works well even when you abuse it."

):

Bob

Amazing with all the above descriptions the simplest one was skipped... Static
Static control is one of the biggest factors, no doubt I agree that the particles on the surface or welded into place from debree is just as much an issue, normally once cleaned and stored correctly 95% of this disappears in my experience.

If you have a lot of LOUD pops its most likely static, little surface noise and clicks is normally Debree which is only sticking to the surface due to Static holding it there in the first place.

So I guess containing your turntable cartridge in a low static environment, treating the vinyl storage with care, humidity, and possible little tricks like the Milty Zerostat guns etc... Sometimes will come into play for some peoples situations.

"When about to play LP, swipe it with an Audioquest Carbon fibre brush to remove static and stray debris." I'd almost say create static instead of remove it. How do you make a balloon stick to the wall? Those brushes create less static but not zero static. Seriously, try playing the record first then rub it to find out what it is doing. If you've never played a record without using the carbon brush, you really should try it. I'm sure I'll get a response about using it properly as to be grounded, etc. but it is very much like using a broom without a dust pan. Also, by the edge we mean not touching the surface at all, not picking up the LP with your finger and thumb. I think an earlier poster did not grasp the concept of the "edge".