figured out the pops and clicks...
 

I was using a cheap ART Tube MP Audio as a preamp to go into my GAP Comp-3 compressor, then into my Scarlett 2i2 interface. I bought it like a week ago because I thought the compressor may have a phantom source on it, but it did not. So I kept recording things and hearing small pops. It drove me crazy! I reoptimized and troubleshooted the whole system, thinking it was in my processor, but it wasn't. I still heard the pops in the tracks and during tracking. Then I was recording and the small preamp gave up the ghost already. So I have this PreSonus StudioLive mixer, and I disconnected everything. I went from the 2 mics to the mixer (which had phantom power) and came out of the mon 1 and mon 2 of the mixer into my compressor. Originally I went from the compressor to my Scarlett interface, but in order to use the compressor effectively, you kind of need to drive the gain and it's too much for my interface. So, I put a PreSonus Bluetube V2 in between to control the gain with a Pad. It finally works pop-free and now I have an EQ on the mixer board before I go into the compressor. Nice!!