Noise of pick hitting the string. . .

T

Trippalot

New member
Hey. I've got a pretty good acoustic guitar sound that I'm satisfied with except for one thing:

I can't get rid of the noise that the pick makes when it hits the strings. I've heard some pretty good recordings that have good guitar sounds with minimal pick and string noise. Is there a specific EQ frequency that can be turned down to eliminate the noise without eliminating the good sound? An effect maybe? Any help would be appreciated.

Thanx.

Trippalot
 
Look around the 1.5 to 2.5Hz.

The freq depends on the strings you are using (type-Gauge), the body of the guitar and of course the pick you are using.

You should be able to find it with no problem.
 
This use to bug the hell out of me (still does on occasion). I can live with quite a bit of the click sound though, it's not really such a bad thing, the pick sound is pretty integral to an acoustic - that is what it sounds like. Micing can emphasis it out of proportion and Mic position can reduce it. As Shailat said, EQ'ing can work great as well to reduce it. A gaping chunk isn't necessary, narrow Q, moderate to extreme reduction whatever is required.

For picks, I like the jim dunlop nylons, the grey ones. Found this reduces the click a bit. Also depends on the song. A certain amount of the pick click can reinforce the rhythm of the drums (if there are any), or just the rhythm in general. In the context of the song it can work well. My 2 cents.
 
Also try Elixer strings, they're a bit quieter, but a little expensive. I like them quite a bit for recording. Also a little less chord change squeek.

They are a little deader sounding when new, but they hold up well over time. I'm not a big fan of really bright sounding strings anyway.
 
For what it's worth...

That "percussive" effect of an acoustic guitar is sometimes a good thing to leave in. The music of the Who is a good example... so many times, Pete Townshend would have an acoustic guitar supply the rhythmic bed for a song. When the other instruments are playing, you can barely hear the acoustic. But it adds so much.
 
Worked For Me

Pick and string noise drove me nuts until I listened to the track with my eyes closed and asked: if I close my eyes and imagine a guitarist, where is he in my aural space? AAAARRRGH, he right in my face, 2 inches from my ear!

So I simply moved the mic (and old AKG CE series with a cardioid capsule) about 4 more inches away from the guitar.

Bingo. Depending on the style of playing, I keep them mic at 6-12 inches. Placement is much less fussy, the sounds get a chance to blend, and the pick and string noise are just the rythmic and realism additives they should be. With just a touch of EQ it still sounds intimate when necessary.

But I still struggle with too much left-hand squeak. Any new potions out there?
 
Re: Worked For Me

12Kevin said:
But I still struggle with too much left-hand squeak. Any new potions out there?
Click to expand...

They have in some shopd some liqued you can use to eliminate squeak.
A different solution but the same idea is to use a drop ( I mean a real drop) of vegetable oil on the strings. Like a small coat.
 
This used to drive me nuts as well, and then I started using the little tiny Jazz III blacks, very heavy... I hold them where there is barely any pick showing at all, and I mean barely... the benefit of this was: less string drag, I could play faster with better accuracy... and, it elimated that flippy sound somewhat, that everyone is complaining about. After years of using Jazz III's, I have much trouble using a standard Dunlop that is the size of a country belt buckle, and just as gaudy. Try em out, but you gotta get used to em... you might never go back.
Paul
 
Pick Choice

Thanks. I mainly use thumbpicks. I play finger-style jazz on a 12-string. I used to get big klutzy picks and hand carve them down to something useful. The breakthrough pick for me now is Fred Kelly's weird design. Now if someone will just build me an electric jazz 12-string I'll be deeply grateful.
Kev
 
Well C7sus,
I haved used Veg oil to a great deal of succsess.
I mentioned only a drop as a very light coating not dose the guitar !!!.
This was a trick I learned from a session player who uses it all the time but is very carefull to clean his guitar afterwards. The same amount you take from your noise ( very original !) you put on your finger tips.

Going back to my original answer. Using a notch filter will not damage your general sound but cut the sqeak quite well.
Whats the piont in moving your mic to aliminate the sqeak ?!?!?
I start off finding a good place for the mic and when I find that sweet spot I will not move the mic to solve a sqeak problem !!!! THAT is more damaging then a notch
filter.
 
Vitalis

I'm old enough to remember rock'n'roll players whose razor-sharp looks required a substance known as Vitalis. A little extra Vitalis above the ears and you'd lube your fingertips as needed by smoothing your cool hair. I think Brilliantine in the UK was the same sort of stuff. Maybe I could put that stuff on my nose, because my nose oil doesn't help at all. I'm probably a SAE 30wt or so.

What about different strings? I've been using the same Dean Markleys for so long I'm not sure what's out there. Does someone market a semi-round wound string of some kind for acoustics?
 
First, I thank the person(s) responsible for deleting my previous messages. Obviously, I'm not worthy of participation in this forum.
Second, I call attention to an article in "MUSICIAN" (april or may) which suggests something interesting.
It suggests feeding a second signal into a compressor which is EQ'd to increase those frequencies that are associated with undesired noises.
The idea seemed good to me. But, I suggest reading the article yourself.
Hellgrammite
 
The Elixers

c7, the Elixirs track beautifully, but be warned that they are very bright sounding strings. On your Martin they shouldn't be as bright as the guitar I recorded with them (a Taylor), but nevertheless, they're still a a pretty bright string. Along with being bright, they're also clean, crisp, and sharp sounding. Great tone. Best of luck on that recording!!

--Tax :D
 
heads up!....if you want to eliminate squeaks/friction from your fret-hand--go to the nearest Army/Navy surplus store (if you're cheap like me) and buy a couple of bags of "Blitz"--it's normally used to polish various metals--i.e. jewelry--but it works great on guitar strings as well...it also has a small amount of tung-oil in it which is very good for yyour fret-board...never use liquid-wrench or any petro-distillate as the long-term health risks are akin to rosin poisoning...long term use of even small amounts of vegatable oil could affect the "hardness" of the fret-board, and is probably not a good idea because it would tend to settle in the tiny pits of the string and ultimately dampen the string's capacity to vibrate--although only nominally....I use "Blitz" because my hands sweat and the moisture becomes sticky and creates drag...used sparingly it will
"polish" away the grime and oxidation leaving the string as smooth and bright as new....the bag contains two cloths--the yellow one has the "blitz" on it and the grey one is for buffing...simply wipe the yellow cloth once or twice up and down the strings, then use the grey cloth to wipe the strings clean of residue...this stuff kinda stinks, but it is safe on the skin and the tung-oil is good for the fret-board....your strings will probably last longer as well...but, the biggest benefit is by far the way it reduces the friction of your "blazing" fingers as you flawlessly hammer out that latest jeff beck cover of "a day in the life" by the beatles--which I recently tabbed and made available to all on various tab-sites throughout cyber-space...why don't some of you check it out. and maybe post back here to give me some advice on the "digitech whammy" settings that YOU think jeff is using--cause I "know" that ain't a floyd-rose....I'm new to the whammy and could use some help...later.
 
Hey toyL, Thanks!
I found Blitz Inc. website, and then found some at Walmart. So far it works like a charm. Blitz packages a "String Care" version for music stores. But I'm betting the only thing different is the package and probably the price. How much do you pay for the cloths? Mine was $3.78
12Kevin
 
pick-noise?...what's that?.....loose the pick, and bang the hell out it until your finger-nails turn blue.....then, turn the volume up a little and play "softer"(so your fingers will quit aching), more deliberately, and with more focus--the way you're "supposed" to play--the way you would make LOVE to a beautiful woman--do YOU need a small peice of plastic to make LOVE to a beautiful woman?
 
hey kev, you're welcome....$2.99 industrial strength for brass, copper, chrome & stainless steel--at the army/navy surplus store.....yea, dept. stores sell it in the jewelry section for way too much depending on what part of town you're in......
 
for left hand squeaks, I remember reading a tip in a guitar magazine a few years back that suggested just softening up your hands by soaking them in water for a few minutes. Probably not great if you're tracking a LOT in a few days, as you might lose your callouses, but...

Yadda yadda... :)
 
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