I have an acoustic rhythm guitar track with some distracting clicking sounds in it. Sounds like the guitar pick clicking against the pick guard. Any tips for minimizing this?
Re-track and don't do it again.
Other than trying hard not to do it, mic position is probably the first thing to look at.
How you mix is going to make a difference. If you're having to boost high end that's not going to help, and compression generally brings these things out too.
Yes, that would be nice, but I need to work with what I have. A friend was only in town for an afternoon and we recorded ourselves picking some old folk tunes. We were more focused on having a good time than getting the perfect recording setup. I'm not seeking perfection; just trying to get these recordings as nice as they can sound because I think my buddy would enjoy hearing how good he is when he plays banjo. Problem is I'm too damn clumsy and all I can hear when I listen is the click-clack of my pick against the guitar.
If it isn't a serious recording for release, I really wouldn't worry about it. It's a document if a fun time you had with your friend. Why try to turn it into a big production?
If it isn't a serious recording for release, I really wouldn't worry about it. It's a document if a fun time you had with your friend. Why try to turn it into a big production?
Okay, something to try. Create a parallel track. Set a parametric eq to the narrowest Q you can. Crank that up. Sweep the freq until you hear the click loud as it gets. Run the CV out to the compressor on the original track as it's control. When the click sounds, the compressor clamps and effectively lowers the volume of the click, and only the click, like side chaining to de-ess vocals.
There are also some software that can be useful here. De-Clicker in Wavelab can help. Send me the track and I can see if I can help ya out.
Whoa, this is the kind of creative solution I was seeking. It's a bit beyond the capabilities of my Audacity software, but you explain it well enough that I understand the process quite well. Very cool. Thanks for the tip!
Actually, I just downloaded the track and tried it. The pick click is so strong that I find nothing I could do to help it. Sometimes it is even on the initial attack of the guitar track, so cutting it out is going to make things even more unusable/listenable. I feel you are just stuck with that as the performance, or redo the track. Sorry man, I tried.