Voice-overs: How to *automatically* remove breaths, clicks; improve voice?

Question

Hi, i edit voice-overs for tutorials (not commercials) in Audition CC 2014. I know how to manually edit out
- breathing, inhalation (just ahead of a new sentence)
- clicks
I've read some and tried some, but still don't know how to
- edit out breathing *automatically*
- edit out clicks automatically
- do "fade out – almost silence – fade in" automatically
- give more substance to my voice with a filter
When editing out breathing manually, usually i replace breathing by "silence" (don't simply cut it away). But sometimes i would like to replace breathing by "fade out – almost silence – fade in", which sounds more natural. I can do this manually (and assigned keys F1, F2, F3 to the three commands); but can i do "fade out – almost silence – fade in" automatically?
My initial recording is not too bad, but i want to give my voice a little more "substance". I tried the recommended "Broadcast" filter, but it sounds to flashy and aggressive. There is another filter called "Male Voice" (or some such), but it seems not to change anything.
I also wonder: If i
- use a filter
- edit clicks and breathing manually,
should i apply the filter before the manual editing? I think i should, because breathing and clicks sound different after filter and shoul be judged with filter applied. But then – if i decide to remove the filter, it would be better to apply it at last.
So here are my questions:
- Is there a controlled way to remove breathing and clicks automatically?
- Which filter gives my male voice more substance without "blasting"?
- How to "fade out – almost silence – fade in" automatically?
Thanks!

Answer 1

Steve, thanks for more good advice including positioning of the mic!
I am just an amateur - a text writer who was forced by ruthless customers to not just produce manuscripts, but also video tutorials, w/out knowing how to, but wishing not to sound as "garage" and "panting" as many others on YouTube (apart from "verbose"). So for my "productions", i write, speak and edit all in one.
The microphone is a USB Blue Yeti, which looks roughly like a tabletop lamp. It seems popular. I set it to one-directional recording (only front direction.) I have tried about ten different mics, including even more expensive headsets, but i get the rather most consistent results with the Yeti. I also use a windshield (got better recordings after starting to use it) and for recording, i build some kind of tent with woollen blankets on top of a table (so that i can stand upright and talk in a "muted" space). Before and while talking, i will drink buckets of warm water or herbal tea perhaps with fresh lemon, nothing cold, no coffee/black tea/dairies; i've experienced this helps. I've still to understand how to harrumph best.
On the laptop used for audio recording i can't run Audition, but i record with the freeware Audacity (is that audacious?), save as .flac and edit on a different PC in Audition.
On the expensive headset microphones i tried, i heard more breathing and – to my surprise – more up and down in volume. I have some, but less, variations in volume also with the Blue Yeti files; so sometimes in Audition i have to change a single sentence by 1,5 or 2,5 dB. I wish that could be done automatically, but perhaps it can?
Previously you also said that breathing is natural and should stay in the audio. I don't want to fully keep the breathing in – that might be ok for some emotional music or movie, but not for tutorials. But i'd prefer to lower rather than fully suppress breaths; that's why i asked for automatic "fade out – almost silence – fade in". I can do this by selecting three different bits of audio and then select three different commands (now by keyboard shortcuts). But it's too much clicking and i might simply glue silence over most of the exhaust sound.
I've also tried to wear a headphone during voice recording, closed as well as open headphones. It confused me no end, i was literally speechless (very unpro i guess). But i connect external speakers to the recording laptop and check on results immediately (and keep an eye on the volume levels in Audacity).
I will print your instructions for microphone positioning and try to follow them exactly next time. But i wasn't much off anyway.
Thanks again!