Guitar string/pick clicks

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punkin

punkin

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I've been working on an acoustic guitar piece. Placing a mic a few (4-6) inches from the sound hole. Something really annoying... I can't seem to mix or filter out is the pick clicks on the strings. Even when strumming full chords, I can still hear the pick raking the strings.

I've tried moving the mic a bit more but then, there seems to be compromise or balance of tonal quality vs. pick noise vs. background sounds (hands & finger/fretting sounds).

Any suggestions?

Forgot to mention...I'm using a Sure SM-81 mic. Perhaps a more dirctional mic would be preferred?
 
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Use a heavier pick next time... I usually find the 'pick click' thing happens most often when using light picks.

If you're already using a relatively heavy pick... try a new mic placement that gets the full tone of the instrument, but not the click of the pick.

Best of luck with it.
 
Mic closer to the neck and stay away from the soundhole. That is usually the worse place to put the mic.
 
TexRoadkill said:
Mic closer to the neck and stay away from the soundhole. That is usually the worse place to put the mic.
Click to expand...


TexRoadkill said:
Mic closer to the neck and stay away from the soundhole. That is usually the worse place to put the mic.
Click to expand...

I'm gonna have to re-read, and print out the "Big Mic" thread again. I know for sure that Harvey talked about this, but on my first mp3 post ever in the clinic here today, I pointed an x/y set up RIGHT AT the sound hole.

Reading the post, and putting into practice, it seems, are 2 different things. *shakes head*

lol

Punkin, if you haven't read it yet, hop over to the Mic forum, and check it out. It's long, but it's worth it. Harvey even drew some pictures for people like me that need their hand held all the way.
 
Thanks all...I've given a quick try on a couple of the suggestions. I've switch to a nice hard pick and moved the mic up the neck a bit. I can see that the tone really shines a bit more up there. But I'm still getting quite a bit of pick tick....

I'm quite suprised that no one has bashed my mic yet. I suppose this is to say that my mic should be good for this application. I've used quite a bit for other instruments such as brass and violin,...even a few vocals. Any thoughts on the mic?


sjl
 
The SM-81 is an excellent guitar mic, I doubt anyone will bash it. Here's a weird one for you.- Try using a de-esser, if you have one. Pick noise can often fall into the same frequency ranges as sibilance.-Richie
 
just a thought...

Is the pick noise REALLY that offensive? I mean, with a real live acoustic guitar performance, you'll get that. Think of it as authenticity. ;)

Chris
 
Well, I agree...I guess I'm getting sucked into it. When I first started this it was rather bad. I've made a few adjustments and things have improved quite a bit. I'm starting to think that now that I'm sensitive to it I can't seem to stop focusing on it while making my mixes.

I'll put this little project away for awhile and come back to in a day or two. The repositioning of the mic further up the neck and switching to a harder pick really seemed to help.
 
i could not get the click out for a while, and just through mic placement i've been able to get rid of a lot...but i sorta like having a little of it there. it adds a good amount of attack and overall the sound is less processesed and more natural. for my ears it's more pleasing. too much sounds aweful, but i'll sacrifice a little pick click for the best tone.
 
I usually use the rubbery nylon picks and they make very little noise.
 
TexRoadkill said:
Usually the sweet spots for close micing acoustic guitar are between the 4-12th frets and 6"+ above the bridge.
Click to expand...

Another one is about 3 to 6 inches under the bridge, about 6 inches to a foot off the instrument, looking up at the soundhole...

punkin said:
Any thoughts on the mic?
Click to expand...

Depending on the tone/texture you're trying to achieve... it may very easily indeed be the best tool for the task... the important thing is what you think of the tone.
 
to get a good guitar sound i have two methods...both require decent mics and pres (as do most things in recording).

1) x/y - 120 degrees for a wider stereo spread - using matched set of NT5's into an RNP

2) NTK into UA610 straight out from sound hole with the capsule at a 45 degree angle to the body of the guitar, and an sm57 in 'the sweet spot' somewhere between the 12th-14th fret, or aimed at 45 degrees toward the neck joint. this method incorportates both the spots fletcher talked about in the last post.

number 1 gives less pick noise and it's smoother (more what most people usually want), number 2 is fatter and gives a more classic sound (like old cat stevens or van morisson guitars) which i like a lot.
 
FWIW the "T.H.E. KP-6M 'test and measurement' microphone is the best thing I've used on an acoustic guitar in a long time... considering that they go for $325 USD... I don't think it's out of the reach of too many participants in this forum
 
I seem to have found the "sweet spot" minimized string sounds but still a nice full tone. I moved a bit further up the neck still about 6" away. This is acceptable. After settling on this, I went back and listend to my previous recording...it seems that the first two out of five were terrible but now spending a few days away from it, the remaining 3 weren't all that bad. I guess my ears were focused on the clicks which weren't as bad as I was making them out to be...In the end, the best results were had moving up the neck a bit, playing the string up a little further as well seemed to help considerably.

Thanks all! Some really good info.. I appreciate your comments.


sjl
 
Finger picking....nope....not gonna go there. Not up to that...never studied it...tried it...don't like it. Put it simply, I suck at it.

Good idea though.
 
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