Help needed due to "Percussive" input micing acoustic guitar

[RogerL.]

I have a problem I'm hoping you guys and gals can help me with. I'm using a Rode NT1-A mic for the record. I was trying to lay down a quiet background rhythm from my acoustic guitar but I keep getting this thumping or drum like sound off the strings. I tried moving away, lowering the gain, at one point I even turned the mic so I was recording from the "back" of the mic. From here I went to putting a wind sock over the mic, nothing seems to help. I'm using the side of my thumb gently to avoid any percussive sounds that I could. I'm at a loss . . . any suggestions?

 

[guitarplayr82]

Sometimes when you can't fix the problem during tracking you have to go in afterwards and "fix it in the mix". Try this: open up an EQ plugin and make a notch filter with a medium-sized Q. Boost it up about 15 dB and sweep it in the 100-400 range. Once you find the frequency the thumping sound is at, pull the gain of the notch down into the negatives until the thumping isn't audible.

Or another way of going about it: take a high pass filter and keep increasing the high pass frequency until the thumping sound goes away.

 

[Armistice]

Can you post a clip?

 

[RogerL.]

I didn't save any of those tracks as I felt they were too bad to use . . .

 

[gecko zzed]

So where is the thump coming from?

Is it a playing style that needs to be modified?

Turning the mike around is going to make what sounds bad even worse.

You might try it further away.

 

[Bobbsy]

...or move the mic up and down the strings. Try every position from the 12th or 14th fret down to the other side of the sound hole. The percussive sound is probably your fingers on the strings so moving the mic with relation to your strumming/plucking could well help.

The other thing to do is to listen critically to what you hear when you play--perhaps your style actually does sound like that.

 

[grimtraveller]

You might try it further away.

If you do this, you can always bring the volume up later on.

So where is the thump coming from ?Is it a playing style that needs to be modified ?

When I listen back to some of my early recorded efforts I notice that my pick would often scrape against the front of the guitar. It's really annoying when you hear it. Fortunately, there was such a racket going on with other elements that it got covered over. But when initially laying down the acoustic guitar take, that wouldn't be apparent so in time, I had to learn to play in a way that minimized bumps and knocks.

 

[Farview]

Try micing at the 12th fret.
Also try to figure out what the thumping is and stop it. If you are stemming very lightly and quietly, you could be creating your own problem because the sound of your fingers on the strings is louder than the vibrating note of the strings.

 

[RogerL.]

I believe that is the major part of the problem, the mic is so sensitive that it is hearing the friction louder then the strumming.

 

[Farview]

That's not a mic problem, that's a technique problem. If the sound of you touching the strings is louder than the music you are trying to play, you are playing the guitar too quietly.

Sometimes it will be somewhat the guitar's fault. Some guitars are just very quiet and don't project, so pick noise and the musicians breathing become a problem but, from your description, it sounds like you are trying to play softer to stop the thumping. You should try to play harder to make the music louder than the thumping.

 

[RogerL.]

You could be right about having to play louder. But I did a track with the guitar plugged in and using a pick that had some slight thumping to it as well so it could also be at technique also. I'm going to take a closer look at trying to make the sound on purpose when a get a spare moment and see whats what

 

[smili]

I had a dreadnaught that I loved to play until I became obsessed with a string buzz I heard on the low E after I recorded it. After that it was all I could hear - and I couldn't make the sound go away. I naturally sometimes hit the low E pretty hard when strumming and finally I gave up and got another another more touch sensitive acoustic (Larivee OM something) that minimized that effect by leading me to play differently.

 

[RogerL.]

I know what you mean it's like hitting your finger with a hammer . . .you'll keep hitting that same finger since you that about it sub consciously. I'll have to work it out as I can't afford a new acoustic . . . besides it was a gift from the wife so I'll have to learn to deal with it.

 

[grimtraveller]

I had a dreadnaught that I loved to play until I became obsessed with a string buzz I heard on the low E after I recorded it. After that it was all I could hear - and I couldn't make the sound go away. I naturally sometimes hit the low E pretty hard

I had a similar problem with this cheapo acoustic fretless bass guitar that I bought in a bed shop, of all places. The strings used to buzz with impunity and the volume fell drastically on the D and G strings. I changed the strings to the smooth ones which helped a tiny bit but what really solved the problem was lowering the action and getting the pick~ups fixed so that I wasn't having to thump two strings, stroke the other two and get my head around those puzzles.
And now it sounds, if not masterful, certainly good enough for me.