Another Question o' the Week: Audible Click Revisited

[Tim Nelson <tcn62@ici.net>]

Several months ago in a thread about the Akai Headrush, we talked about an
audible click when stepping on the switches. This is sort of related to
that...

What I'm wondering is: When looping/recording acoustic instruments using a
microphone, what are you guys doing to keep the mic from picking up the
noise created by the switches? I'm not talking about a noise that's
generated by the electronics, but rather the actual sound of the switch
clicking. Most of my effects have (relatively) silent switches, but a few
(my Headrush and all my old EH and EH-like things) have old-style
"clickers" on 'em.

I've tried muffling the switches with towels, but then it's hard to know
what you're stepping on and you can still hear it anyway. Last week's
contact mic thread may be something to try, or maybe a mic with a very
tight unidirectional pattern, but I really like the sound I'm getting using
a PZM (except for the clicking!), and I'm not in a po$ition to $pring for a
$uper-directional mic right now. I really don't feel like modifying the
switches on the gear either...

Any ideas?

Tim