cutting down on amp buzz

[checkthepennies]

ok i dont have alot of money so i kinda did this the cheapest way i could. I got my guitar and my bass and recorded tracks onto a vesta fire four track and then using this capture card thingy w/ the rca red and white cables i put it on my comp. so are there any programs to get rid of the amp buzz?

 

[Jon X]

There are plugins that work with applications like Sound Forge to remove noise, but the demos I've used didn't really impress me that much. Since you said money is an issue (when is it not when talking home recording? ), I don't think those would really be worth it anyway. Maybe someone else can suggest some software they found useful.

Honestly, I would try to reduce the noise to begin with before you record. Not always easy to do, but definitely the cheaper way to go. Mic placement, how the guitar pickups are faced in relation to the amp, loose stuff in the room vibrating if you are playing really loud, cables and how they are run about the room, and recording levels set too low are just some things to start out checking to determine what gives you the most noise-free sound.

 

[MarkL]

gate

I don't know of any programs, but when you are tracking if you use a gate (there are cheap ones) you will minimize the noise you record.

Mark

 

[John Sayers]

A trick I use is to attach a wire to the bridge of the bass and tape the other end to your skin - It gets rid of the hum you get when you lift your fingers off the strings. Alternatively you can solder the other end to a printed circuit plate and put your bare foot on it.

Cheers
John

 

[Ginzoo]

Why didn't I think of that?!?

John,I never thought there was an easy way to eliminate that anoying hum.I've gotta try it.Then I will be more relaxed while playing instead of keeping at least one part of my body touching something metal on my guitars.
Ginzoo

 

[JC Lives]

I have that same problem with my acoustic. I have rapped a wire around the plug and then held the other in my mouth(what a pain). I like the circuit board option, but that can probably be anything metal. Good suggestion John.