How to reduce strumming noise on acoustic guitar?!?

A

audeoninja

New member
So I'm trying to record a rhythm part on my acoustic/electric guitar, but the picking sound overpowers the rest of the sound and gives it a muddy/distorted sound. It almost sounds like clipping but it's not. I am using the line out on my guitar into my small mixer, which is then plugged into my computer. I have tried thin and thick picks, different strumming techniques, different pick angles, and various settings for the compressor in my recording program, but it all sounds pretty much the same. The EQ helps a little, but the noise is still there unless I completely destroy the track. The picking sound isn't that bad just listening to the guitar, but in the recording it sounds terrible. Is there anything else I can try? Are there any effects that could help other than compression and EQ? I don't understand how people get such clean acoustic sounds on recordings. I do have a dynamic mic, but I've tried a few placements of that and It didn't sound much different than the line out of the guitar. Any help would be appreciated.

Another note, I can play something picking individual notes and it will sound fine, it's just when I'm strumming chords that the picking noise is really loud.
 
audeoninja said:
I have tried thin and thick picks, different strumming techniques, different pick angles, and various settings for the compressor in my recording program, but it all sounds pretty much the same..
Click to expand...

Seeing as you mentioned it's an ELECTRIC acoustic guitar, I'm assuming you're using pickups?

Unless that guitar is close to the $1,000+ range, I wouldn't doubt the issue is just shoddy gear. I'm sure someone on here will say how they've got great sound out of their $500 Ibanez acoustic or something, but my point is you get what you pay for.

You did mention towards the end you've tried a few placements with a dynamic mic. What mic are you using and what kind of placements are you using?
 
It's an $400 Ibanez, so I'm using whatever pickups are in it. The mic I have is just one from radioshack, but it seems to work pretty good for vocals and I've used it to record piano, so it's decent. I've tried placing the mic right over the hole and at the bottom of the body. I would really like to be able to use the pickups though so that I can use the mic for singing. And again, it sounds fine through the pickups when playing individual notes, but not chords. Would a bad pickup cause that?
 
The price of a guitar doesn't dictate the quality of the recording. :rolleyes:

Are you currently using compressionon the guitar track? You mentioned it but didn't say if indeed you were using it. From your description, I'd say you're using way too much compression.

The piezo pickup used in most acoustic guitars aren't very good for recording. Common wisdom is to use a mic whenever possible. Instead of putting the mic near the sound hole, put it up close to the 12th fret about 6 inches away from the fretboard and angled slightly towards the sound hole. Experiment with placement.

Put up a clip if you can.

Welcome to the site.
 
I have tried it with and without compression and it doesn't seem to make a difference. I don't have a physical compressor, just the one in my DAW. Ill try some different mic placements and then post a clip.
 
Radio Shack mic, mixer .... Are you by chance using the built-in soundcard in your computer?
If you can't get a different sound from a mic compared to the piezo pickup in the guitar, than something in your signal chain is causing the problem.
 
I have a Behringer Mixer which is plugged in through USB. Putting the mic further up the neck helped, and I should be able to make it sound ok with some compression and whatnot with the mic there. How do you post audio clips on this forum? do you have to upload them somewhere else and then just put a link?
 
It's all context but when I hear 'I don't understand how people get such clean acoustic sounds on recordings' I think strings too light and/or low? If in that case you could see it as getting the string tone level up, sounding clearer (more dynamic) and pic click' noises become proportionally less of the sound.

..there's also a thing a guy from Fishman said re the standard piezo's tend to 'clip' but presumably that would only apply to hard picking and strumming
 
audeoninja said:
I have a Behringer Mixer which is plugged in through USB. Putting the mic further up the neck helped, and I should be able to make it sound ok with some compression and whatnot with the mic there. How do you post audio clips on this forum? do you have to upload them somewhere else and then just put a link?
Click to expand...

You need 10 posts to be able to put links in your posts. Soundcloud is the easist place to load your files so others can listen without having to download.

I find that I get a nice clean acoustic sound by micing about 12" away from the 12th fret with a 57 clone (my Perception 220 produces the same tone from the same distance, but also picks up more room sound). It all depends on your room and guitar, of course. I will sometimes also record the piezo on a separate track and mix it in at a lower volume for some clarity without the fizzz you get of all-piezo. Sometimes I wonder if I should go with a 'less bright' acoustic sound - it seems to be prevalent on much indie music these days.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top