N
nizguyk
New member
Is it possible to reduce fret noise through mixing/mastering?
Thanks!
Thanks!
Erockrazor
I mix in (2x) real-time
Yea.
Mute the track, or a low pass filter.
Maybe raise the bridge and try retracking.
Mute the track, or a low pass filter.
Maybe raise the bridge and try retracking.
lpdeluxe
The Precision Bass Guy
Adobe Audition 2.0 (if I remember) offers a tool that allows you to surround fret noises in a track and "clone" the audio around them to hide them. It works OK but I wouldn't use it for critical recording. I don't know of another solution, other than adjustments on the part of the player -- Robbie Basho, if I remember, rubbed his nose to coat his left hand fingers with natural oil to reduce the noise. You may want to try something different.
Mr Fruit
New member
Do you mean actual fret noise, or the noise produced when sliding a finger from position to position on a round wound string?
Fast fret reduces some of the noise, but actually, I quite like the sound of it anyway, it adds to it in my opinion.
Fast fret reduces some of the noise, but actually, I quite like the sound of it anyway, it adds to it in my opinion.
TelePaul
J to the R O C
Do you mean actual fret noise, or the noise produced when sliding a finger from position to position on a round wound string?
Fast fret reduces some of the noise, but actually, I quite like the sound of it anyway, it adds to it in my opinion.
Realistically, neither of these should be a problem - either he has issues with fret buzz (which need to be fixed at source) or finger noise (which is part and parcel of all recordings). Just my take on it.
Mr Fruit
New member
yep, if its fret buzz, youll need to raise your action on the actual guitar.
That can be a ball ache, if you dont know how to do it, but its not that hard.
Depends on what guitar it is really.
That can be a ball ache, if you dont know how to do it, but its not that hard.
Depends on what guitar it is really.
Light
New member
Maybe, but that is FAR from being the only answer to fret buzzes. If that is the problem, you need to have the guitar looked at by a competent guitar repair person.
Light
"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
Mr Fruit
New member
I agree.....not sure the dudes that bothered now though.....doesnt look like he's been back yet!
N
nizguyk
New member
Thanks for the responses.
I am new to this type of activity.
It seems like quite a few of the acoustic guitars on the radio manage to take out the squeaky/scratchy noises of a guitar.
Either with multiple takes, or some type of mastering software.
I don't play the guitar, by the way.
I am new to this type of activity.
It seems like quite a few of the acoustic guitars on the radio manage to take out the squeaky/scratchy noises of a guitar.
Either with multiple takes, or some type of mastering software.
I don't play the guitar, by the way.
Tadpui
Well-known member
Alot of it is technique by the player and the setup of the instrument. It's not very easy (maybe not even possible) to remove those sounds after the take has been committed to a track.
Fixing things in the mix is kind of a fairy tale. There is only so much that you can do to a track without butchering it in some way. It's 10x easier to get things set up correctly before you even hit the record button than to fix something in the mix.
So in this case, make sure that the guitarist can play the piece without excessive amounts of fret noise. If not, it's going to be easier for him to practice getting it right than you having to sit with a wave editor and strip out the noises.
Fixing things in the mix is kind of a fairy tale. There is only so much that you can do to a track without butchering it in some way. It's 10x easier to get things set up correctly before you even hit the record button than to fix something in the mix.
So in this case, make sure that the guitarist can play the piece without excessive amounts of fret noise. If not, it's going to be easier for him to practice getting it right than you having to sit with a wave editor and strip out the noises.
Dogbreath
Im an ex-spurt
A couple of things came to mind...
The dude can retrack it and lift the hand when changing chords.
Different strings...???
Or (pain in the ass way) you can go into the editing, hi-lite and copy the fret noise only, paste it to a new track at the same position as the original noise, flip the phase on the pasted track, bring up your fader til the fret noise is sounding better. You can take it all the way out or leave a little of it in depending on how high you bring your fader for the pasted track up.
I use this when it's a nasty assed fret noise that bugs the shit outta me but is an otherwise good take.
There's probably computer editors or something that do this but I don't use a pooter so I have no ideer.
just some thoughts...
The dude can retrack it and lift the hand when changing chords.
Different strings...???
Or (pain in the ass way) you can go into the editing, hi-lite and copy the fret noise only, paste it to a new track at the same position as the original noise, flip the phase on the pasted track, bring up your fader til the fret noise is sounding better. You can take it all the way out or leave a little of it in depending on how high you bring your fader for the pasted track up.
I use this when it's a nasty assed fret noise that bugs the shit outta me but is an otherwise good take.
There's probably computer editors or something that do this but I don't use a pooter so I have no ideer.
just some thoughts...
Supercreep
Lizard People
One can use fast fret and exercise better fretting technique.
But, to a certain degree it's part of the sound. I also don't like to remove breath sounds from a vocal track. People breathe. Guitar strings squeak.
/shrugs/
But, to a certain degree it's part of the sound. I also don't like to remove breath sounds from a vocal track. People breathe. Guitar strings squeak.
/shrugs/
dkelley
Active member
answer: get the guitarist to be very careful when moving their left hand around the strings. it's the guitarist who is messy. not the recording that is amazing.
BUT...
you can reduce it some by backing the mic off from the guitar, aiming it closer to the sound hole of the guitar (or a great spot is often around the neck join). lots of placement changes may need to be done. and get the guitarist to sit still damnit, moving around makes mic placement move around in the resulting recording. I'm the worst for that (as a guitarist), I move around a lot and have to tell myself to stay still which makes me not play as well. it's taken years to get good at it, as a session musician it's a vital skill I've developed though.
also some string brands show finger/fret noise more than others. squeaks come from the guitarist's playing skill and from the type of strings on the guitar.
cheers
Don
BUT...
you can reduce it some by backing the mic off from the guitar, aiming it closer to the sound hole of the guitar (or a great spot is often around the neck join). lots of placement changes may need to be done. and get the guitarist to sit still damnit, moving around makes mic placement move around in the resulting recording. I'm the worst for that (as a guitarist), I move around a lot and have to tell myself to stay still which makes me not play as well. it's taken years to get good at it, as a session musician it's a vital skill I've developed though.
also some string brands show finger/fret noise more than others. squeaks come from the guitarist's playing skill and from the type of strings on the guitar.
cheers
Don
Tadpui
Well-known member
Yeah, maybe those coated strings like Elixirs would help combat the guitarist's squeaking problem. Or maybe flat-wound strings would be the remedy.
M
mattdee1
Active member
Meh, there may be little things you can do with mic'ing that will help take the edge off but by and large it's a performance issue. If the noise is that objectionable, the player is just going to have to learn to lift his fingers so you can re-record it.
I just can't see how any post-processing trickery would be able to remove such a thing without making the final product sound like total chud.
One thing worth mentioning though, brand new strings tend to be noisier in this regard than broken-in ones.
I just can't see how any post-processing trickery would be able to remove such a thing without making the final product sound like total chud.
One thing worth mentioning though, brand new strings tend to be noisier in this regard than broken-in ones.
muttley600
Banned
In my experience those coated strings increase extraneous noise, YMMV of course but I make no apologies for my dislike of them which I've discussed here before. It is however a personal choice so whatever works for you is good.
I don't often comment on recording techniques as I'm far from an expert but for me I would look at the mic placement and type of mic as the way forward. Sure, technique and instrument have a lot to do with it but for me it's all about getting a balance between being "live" by which I mean picking up every squeak and being true to the sound of the instrument as it's played by whoever. You need to find what works each time as it changes from player to player and from style to style.
Personally I like to hear the mechanics of playing as it adds to the fidelity for me but I'm used to hearing 99% of my guitar music played right there in front of me. I'm just lucky I guess...
TalismanRich
Well-known member
If you are talking fret noise, that's a setup issue. Buzzing frets will be tough to remove without compromising the music.
If you are talking finger squeaks, that's a different issue entirely. The best way to fix it is to avoid it in the first place. Coated strings like Elixers did the trick for me. I don't particularly care for flatwounds on acoustics, they sound a little dull to me, but you don't get any squeaks. Add a little FingerEase to keep things lubricated.
Placement of the mic can minimize the pickup of finger squeaks a bit. If you can use a cardiod pointed away from the head, somewhere around the 12th fret, it will cut the amount of finger noise, but still get some of the string sound. Augment with a the second mic pointed towards the body for fullness.
Besides that, there's always technique.
If you are talking finger squeaks, that's a different issue entirely. The best way to fix it is to avoid it in the first place. Coated strings like Elixers did the trick for me. I don't particularly care for flatwounds on acoustics, they sound a little dull to me, but you don't get any squeaks. Add a little FingerEase to keep things lubricated.
Placement of the mic can minimize the pickup of finger squeaks a bit. If you can use a cardiod pointed away from the head, somewhere around the 12th fret, it will cut the amount of finger noise, but still get some of the string sound. Augment with a the second mic pointed towards the body for fullness.
Besides that, there's always technique.
lpdeluxe
The Precision Bass Guy
Generally, it's not "manage to take out", it's the superior technique of the player. If the player can't minimize the noise, there's not a lot post production can do...even some of the more sophisticated algorithms leave artifacts.
Know what? Playing guitar ain't easy.
Armistice
Son of Yoda
If it's string noise, washing hands very regularly in warm water and soap is how I keep it under control - with nice smooth clean SOFT babies bum fingertips, you'll find you're not grabbing the strings as much...
If that doesn't work.. change the guitarist..
If that doesn't work.. change the guitarist..
DrewPeterson7
Sage of the Order
My experience has been Nanowebs help a little (I haven't used Polywebs in years), but then you're getting into timbral differences as well, and not nearly just string noise as an artifact. I like Elixirs for the convenience; it's great to pull my Martin out of its case and have it still sound pretty fresh, without having to change strings every couple weeks just to get decent tone out of a guitar that only gets played a few times every couple weeks, but even I'll probably switch to something else once I stop demoing and start recording in earnest.
And anyway, they help a little. They don't make it go away, just seem to lessen it a touch.
A lot of it is technique, like anything else you need to practice not brushing your fingers across the strings when you switch chords. However, and in the interest of full disclosure I'm a bit of a sonic anarchist, and get off on stuff like Tom Waits and Porcupine Tree where noise can be just as much a musical element as any actual melodic line, but I LIKE string noise. I like those little elements and relics of humanity that creep through a performance and remind you that you're listening to a guy with a guitar, some strings, and his own two hands. There's a fine line between having it become annoying (poor technique) and having it lead to a more human performance, but as long as it's not too over the top I'm pretty cool with it.