How do I get rid of this sound?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Farno
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Farno

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Ok, so I'm to all this recording stuff and I have a cheap ASIO Driver (Lexicon Alpha). I hooked up the output of my amp and went directly into the driver, recorded it in Cubase LE 4 as a test. I got a nice clean distorted sound.

I have noticed however, a pick scrape sound when I play (recording or just jamming with my amp). Below is an example of what I mean.

Is it my guitar, or my amp or is it something that's always their and can't be removed?

Thanks, heres the link:

http://farno.sitesled.com/Samples/pick_scrape.wav
 
Ohh... maybe, let me see here...

EDIT: Nope. I tried everywhere on the neck and I get a different pitch for the scape sound. Hmm, almost like a pinch harmonic. I also have tried different picks.

By the way, I'm in drop C but I doubt that has anything to do with it. Just trying to give as much info as possible.
 
Are you using a compressor - I find that reduces pick noise somewhat
 
You mean that sound in between your notes?

It sounds almost like the pickup is hearing not only the fretted note and the string hit (like everything from your pick down to your nut) but also the note that's created from your pick to your saddles? Which is like how you do difference pinches; if you know what I mean. Pretty weird.

What guitar are you using? My GF has a jag, and it makes all kinds of weird noises due to the dumb bridge setup (long legths of string between the stop and the saddles for instance); although if you're playing drop C with that much gain I am figuring you're not using a jag haha.

Does it happen when you palm mute the same passage? Try deadening some stuff that might be ringing sympathetically, like the strings AFTER your nut (like at the headstock), they can ring out and cause weirdness.

Also maybe lower your pickups a bit too, might help, cut down a bit on gain, see if that helps, you don't need to record it that distorted for it to sound distorted (that sounds retarded but the hugest of guitar sounds are actually cleaner than you think). I don't think there is anything wrong with your playing style though.

I'm always amazed at how great I think I sound when playing through a big amp and then always amazed at how super messy I actually am when recording. Big reality check haha.
 
slowmotion said:
You mean that sound in between your notes?

It sounds almost like the pickup is hearing not only the fretted note and the string hit (like everything from your pick down to your nut) but also the note that's created from your pick to your saddles? Which is like how you do difference pinches; if you know what I mean. Pretty weird.

What guitar are you using? My GF has a jag, and it makes all kinds of weird noises due to the dumb bridge setup (long legths of string between the stop and the saddles for instance); although if you're playing drop C with that much gain I am figuring you're not using a jag haha.

Does it happen when you palm mute the same passage? Try deadening some stuff that might be ringing sympathetically, like the strings AFTER your nut (like at the headstock), they can ring out and cause weirdness.

Also maybe lower your pickups a bit too, might help, cut down a bit on gain, see if that helps, you don't need to record it that distorted for it to sound distorted (that sounds retarded but the hugest of guitar sounds are actually cleaner than you think). I don't think there is anything wrong with your playing style though.

I'm always amazed at how great I think I sound when playing through a big amp and then always amazed at how super messy I actually am when recording. Big reality check haha.
Click to expand...

pretty much what you said is pretty much the same thing i was thinking.

Farno, just to clarify things, are you micking the cab or are you using a record out feature on your amp?

if you are micking the cab you may want to try positioning the microphone in a different configuration and reduce the gain on your mixer/recording interface.
 
Another thought - it sounds like you are playing with a very hard pick, using a lot of attack in the angle of the leading edge of the pick. If this is true then you might want to flatten out your pick a little and see if that helps mitigate the scraping sound.
 
Okay.

I just realized something.

IDK if you saw my other thread but I broke my whammy out of the guitar by accident (of course). But, I had to unscrew the saddles which screwed the tonality of my guitar.

That is a problem of course that I need to fix. I yet have found a trem block to replace my old one with.

My guitar is an Axl.
 
Farno said:
Okay.

I just realized something.

IDK if you saw my other thread but I broke my whammy out of the guitar by accident (of course). But, I had to unscrew the saddles which screwed the tonality of my guitar.

That is a problem of course that I need to fix. I yet have found a trem block to replace my old one with.

My guitar is an Axl.
Click to expand...
Ah well maybe that's it. Where your saddles sit determine the length of the scale and the intonation, ya?

It COULD be that your intonation is slightly out; and the slight detune is making that ghost note all the more obvious? ... I mean if the intonation was bang on, and assuming this ghost note is a harmonic of the note being played (not a pinch or artificial harmonic...like a sympathetic harmonic or something, not quite sure how to describe it), perhaps it would blend in rather than stick out so much. If that makes sense. You know how slightly out of tune notes sound really awful? That's what I'm thinking.

Still, that's kinda weird.

Get yourself a tuner (just like AP tuner or something), plug your guitar in and intonate it and see if it fixes it. There's plenty of online tutorials, and even if it doesn't fix the problem, you've fixed your intonation!
 
Zaphod B said:
Another thought - it sounds like you are playing with a very hard pick, using a lot of attack in the angle of the leading edge of the pick. If this is true then you might want to flatten out your pick a little and see if that helps mitigate the scraping sound.
Click to expand...

I agree it sounds like you are scraping with the thin edge of the pick at an extreme angle.
 
The reason I didn't fix the tonality is because I can't adjust the saddles far enough (if I'm doing it right).

It gets to loose and wobbles around otherwise. I'm going screw around with it for a while.

My amp is a Line 6 Spider Jam with a built in tuner and thats what I use.
 
I've heard of trem springs vibrating sympathetically and causing all sorts of weird audio anomalies.
 
Corndog said:
I've heard of trem springs vibrating sympathetically and causing all sorts of weird audio anomalies.
Click to expand...

Not like what I'm hearing.

Farno, you are overthinking this. Look to your picking style first.
 
Yer right. I should have listened first but the audio on this tower is pooched.
Sorry, my bad.
 
I've tried more things and still nothing.

I tried pick all different ways but I'm still getting the sound.

So, I just replaced the string, fixed the tonality, tried picking differently and I just don't know.

This could be an excuse for a new guitar. This guitar's is almost 1 year old. It's around this time when I got it, plus it was a pretty cheap starting guitar (around $400).

I really don't know. Could my pickups be to sensitive or something?
 
Farno said:
I've tried more things and still nothing.

I tried pick all different ways but I'm still getting the sound.

So, I just replaced the string, fixed the tonality, tried picking differently and I just don't know.

This could be an excuse for a new guitar. This guitar's is almost 1 year old. It's around this time when I got it, plus it was a pretty cheap starting guitar (around $400).

I really don't know. Could my pickups be to sensitive or something?
Click to expand...

They could be way too close to the strings. Weird things happen when they are.
 
Try recording something without using a pick at all - use the flesh of your thumb, no nails. See what you get.
 
You say it's only one string??? Check the break angle at the nut. If the witness point is not at the front of the nut [i.e. the fingerboard side as opposed to the headstock side you'll get some weird shit goin' on with buzzing notes.
 
I measured from the pickups to the strings.

The 2 pickups to the right (looking down on it) are .6mm's away from the string. The next pickup (single one) is .7(5)mm's from it. And the last one is .9mm's away from it.

I'm not sure if their precise however.

EDIT: No, it's all the strings! And using no pick, I still get the same result.
 
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