Quick answer: Pygame mixer producing a pop or click when resuming after pause? Audio buffer discontinuity - fade in volume over 50ms after unpause to mask.

Player pauses, resumes. Audible 'pop' on resume. Same audio file plays clean from a fresh start.

Fade volume on resume

ch.set_volume(0)
ch.unpause()
# tween volume to target over 50ms

Hides the discontinuity. 50ms is below perception threshold.

Or use fadeout on pause

Fade out before pause too. Both transitions smooth; no popping in either direction.

Check the mixer init

Larger buffer size (4096) reduces pop frequency at the cost of latency. Tune for your use case.

“Audio buffers don't pause cleanly. Software has to mask.”

Audio polish is invisible when right. When wrong, it's the first thing players notice. Budget time for the fades.

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