Getting rid of Picking sound

[Aviel]

Hey
I am new here,
I wanted to know if anybody has any idea how to get rid of the picking sound when recording a guitar, well not get rid of them completly, but at least silence them a bit, cuz otherwise its hard ot hear what you play.
I tried in the EQ, but couldnt find the right freq

Any Ideas?

[scrubs]

Originally Posted by Aviel

Hey
I am new here,
I wanted to know if anybody has any idea how to get rid of the picking sound when recording a guitar, well not get rid of them completly, but at least silence them a bit, cuz otherwise its hard ot hear what you play.
I tried in the EQ, but couldnt find the right freq

Any Ideas?

The main thing is to minimize it when you are tracking. Angle the mic(s) so it is not pointing directly at the pick. Also, using a thicker pick can help for plucked passages. Depending on the pick, you may need to make EQ cuts in the 9000Hz-13000Hz range. If you cut too much, it will kill the tone of your guitar, though.

[Halion]

A limiter might helpt you alot. The picking noise is a transient: a very fast, very loud part of the signal at the very beginning of each tone. If you use a hard limiter when a very fast attack, you can catch the transient and attenuate it, while leaving the actual "tone" part alone. If you then turn the signal up (look for something called make-up gain or just an output level) you should have a much nicer sound.

[Dani Pace]

You might try not only a thicker pick but a smaller one as well. The less a pick protrudes from your thumb/finger the less "slap" there is on the strings which is mostly what pick noise is anyway.

[dgatwood]

Originally Posted by Aviel

I wanted to know if anybody has any idea how to get rid of the picking sound when recording a guitar....

Please, step away from the mic. No, seriously, step back. The pick noise should be less exaggerated from a distance.

[Aviel]

Originally Posted by dgatwood

Please, step away from the mic. No, seriously, step back. The pick noise should be less exaggerated from a distance.

I am recording an electrig guitar, i am recording my amp, and the mic is pointed toward the amp

[Aviel]

Originally Posted by Halion

A limiter might helpt you alot. The picking noise is a transient: a very fast, very loud part of the signal at the very beginning of each tone. If you use a hard limiter when a very fast attack, you can catch the transient and attenuate it, while leaving the actual "tone" part alone. If you then turn the signal up (look for something called make-up gain or just an output level) you should have a much nicer sound.

Thanks,
Though my limiter got only input out put and relase, and i've tried playing with it, it doesnt seems to help.
(i am using WAves ultramaximzer-in cubase. do you know another one?)

[giraffe]

yea, heavier pick. and i think in dist the pick sound is from 1-4K but be careful, you can end up dooing more harm than good.
also, try truning the mids down on your amp (maby) less gain????? (maby)

it's a problem you should try and solve at the amp first.

(don't over look a mic change, one that won't hear thoes freq as much)

[Enzo Polotso]

if you're getting a lot of bad pick noise from an amp (distorted, i assume?), you probably need to work on your picking technique

[dgatwood]

Originally Posted by Enzo Polotso

if you're getting a lot of bad pick noise from an amp (distorted, i assume?), you probably need to work on your picking technique

Don't pick so close to the pickups?

[Enzo Polotso]

no, but sloppy playing makes a mess of sound, if you can play it tight, you'll hear the part and not the "pick" sounds, or the "string" sounds or "whatever. there's always gonnna be something of course, just play around it or do something to avoid it.

[Halion]

It largely depends on the guitar aswell. A strat or tele will have far more picking transients than for instance, a Les Paul. That is just the natural sound of the guitar, and you would have to mod the crap out of your strat to get rid of that picking noise (and at the same time killing the entire idea behind that kind of guitar).

Maybe you could borrow a guitar from somebody and see if it sounds better?

[mjareo]

Play piano.







Just kidding - I don't play electric much, but as far as playing acoustic, I have usually found that a lighter pick increases the noise I get because of the pick snapping down on the next string. I agree with giraffe to try a slightly heavier pick. Beyond that, I don't know what to do (I was going to suggest moving back from the mic to, but then I read that you are mic'ing your amp....oh well, it was a thought!).