recording pick sound

[JTC111]

I often hear acoustic guitar tracks where the sound of the pick going across the strings is more prominent than the strings themselves. I'm curious as to how this is done... mic technique? some kind of eq magic? I don't think it's hand muting because it's a completely different sound.

If anyone has had any experience recording tracks like this, I'd love to know how it's done.

Thanks.

 

[MessianicDreams]

I often hear acoustic guitar tracks where the sound of the pick going across the strings is more prominent than the strings themselves. I'm curious as to how this is done... mic technique? some kind of eq magic? I don't think it's hand muting because it's a completely different sound.

If anyone has had any experience recording tracks like this, I'd love to know how it's done.

Thanks.

I'd venture a guess at a combination of mic technique and compression to bring out the attack..

 

[Cosmonaut]

I'd venture a guess at a combination of mic technique and compression to bring out the attack..

pretty much

 

[Dani Pace]

pretty much

And use a heavy pick, a very stiff one works best for this. Hold the pick a little bit loosely so it will slap against the strings more. A second mic, clocer to the bridge will help pick up the sound of the pick striking the strings more then a single mic clocer to the neck.

 

[michaelst]

Huh...

I have done this 'emphasis the ching' trick, but I used a very thin pick. I guess it would depend on the type of music. If your picking strings, I would think the heavy pick is best, but for strumming, I found the thin pick is louder.

Oh well.. try it both ways.

 

[JTC111]

Huh...

I have done this 'emphasis the ching' trick, but I used a very thin pick. I guess it would depend on the type of music. If your picking strings, I would think the heavy pick is best, but for strumming, I found the thin pick is louder.

Oh well.. try it both ways.

My hunch is that the thin pick is probably right because I can hear the sound I'm looking for with a thin pick. What I don't know is if I should mic the instrument differently to emphasis that sound or is there some way to process the track that does it. How did you mic the guitar when you did it? And did you use compression and/or eq to isolate that sound even further?

 

[Harvey Gerst]

We usta set up another mic for just the sound of the pick, up close, between the bridge and the sound hole. On electrics, same spot. A thin pick seemed to work best. Roll off the bottom end and boost the highs if needed. You then blended that sound with the main guitar track.

If you wanted that sound with only one mic, start with a SDC located below and behind the bridge (neat the bottom bout), about 4" to 6" out, aimed at the bridge. Move the mic slowly towards the sound hole till you get the desired balance.

 

[cnix]

I play acoustic guitar, and have poor technique in the method in which I hold my pick, and creates a lot of pick sound. It does not present itself when playing live through the sound system or amp, but recording with a close mic, the sound of the pic is sometimes greater than the sound of the guitar. I hold the pick loose in such a way that it sorta flops up and down in 3 fingers as opposed to holding with 1 finger and thumb and moving my wrist. It is hard to describe my lousy method, but you will get pick sound if you want it. The difficult thing for me is to hold the pick properly while recording and playing correct to eliminate the pick sound.

Charlie

 

[JTC111]

Excellent. Harvey, thanks very much!

We usta set up another mic for just the sound of the pick, up close, between the bridge and the sound hole. On electrics, same spot. A thin pick seemed to work best. Roll off the bottom end and boost the highs if needed. You then blended that sound with the main guitar track.

If you wanted that sound with only one mic, start with a SDC located below and behind the bridge (neat the bottom bout), about 4" to 6" out, aimed at the bridge. Move the mic slowly towards the sound hole till you get the desired balance.

 

[Cosmonaut]

I would think that a thin pick would actually give the pick sound more than a heavy pick because the pick would slap around

 

[Dani Pace]

It's obvious we have different opinions reguarding pick thickness, probably pick shape too. I lean towards heavier picks, not super heavy but pretty stiff nylon. I also use a larger size, not the big triangles but a rounded triangle shape. Getting more pick sound for me seems to come mostly from holding the pick somewhat loosely so it "slaps" the string more. I know a lot of bluegrass players and some of them really have the technique down to an art, I'll try to talk to some over the weekend and see if I can get a few tips to pass on. With any luck at all, I might learn something usefull too.

 

[johnreelsound]

There is some pretty good stuff on the video tracks here.
http://www.recording-microphones.co.uk/recording-Acoustic-Guitars.shtml

John

 

[David Katauskas]

Another trick is to record another track(s) using an electric guitar. You mic the electric guitar (unplugged) the same way that you mic your acoustic. Mix to taste.

Also works well for strumming.

 

[Dani Pace]

I finally got around to dropping this question on a few bluegrass players, the general consensus was..... Start with fairly heavy strings, and use a larger pick (held to expose more pick surface) and as one guy put it, "Play the shit out of it!" None of these guys were using thin picks, in fact i was surprised to find they were all using picks much thicker than i use. One point I need to clarify is this was for live settings where everyone wanted to get as much punch out of their guitars as possible. Another thing I noticed (may or may not be a factor to consider) was the ones with the most pick slap sound were all playing large body guitars. One guitar in particular, early 60s Gibson Jumbo had so much pick sound that it was hard to play it without getting some pick sound. I don't know if any of this helps but I sure had a good time jamming with people playing a style that I'm not used to, and picking their brains for a few tips on getting the sounds they do.

 

[elly-d]

someone posted this link on another topic. it might answer this question, it may not but it is an interesting read.

http://emusician.com/tutorials/emusi...ectric_guitar/

 

[guitar zero]

I often hear acoustic guitar tracks where the sound of the pick going across the strings is more prominent than the strings themselves. I'm curious as to how this is done... mic technique? some kind of eq magic? I don't think it's hand muting because it's a completely different sound.

If anyone has had any experience recording tracks like this, I'd love to know how it's done.

Thanks.

Have you thought about this little unit from Niant?

 

[mrface2112]

I finally got around to dropping this question on a few bluegrass players

i'm 99% sure this is a different sound than the one JTC111 is looking for.

go listen to Bob Seger's "Night Moves". that's what i think of when i hear "i want more pick sound when strumming".

....to get that sound, do what Harvey suggests in his first paragraph.


cheers,
wade

PS--if i were to give that sound to most bluegrass guys i know, i wouldn't be doing much bluegrass anymore.

 

[Dani Pace]

Mrface has brought up a good point, pick sound means different things in different styles of music. This thread has got me listening more clocely and noticing everything from very subtile little "tics" to full blown percussive slap licks, and everything in between.

 

[TimN]

I use thick, triangular picks (the middle size, not the monster ones that are as big as a Dorito chip). If I hit the strings too hard on the acoustic, they buzz, and this does not sound good to me, though I've heard this exact sound on professional records. The 12-string player with our group finally settled on "Dorito-size" triangles, thin gauge. He gets a fair amount of "clicking," though with a six string it seems to be worse. I use thin triangles for straight strumming, and thicker ones for picking melodies, though lately I always use the thins for everything--the "buzzing" or ringing mentioned above is driving me nuts when I hear it on recordings I thought were done. Its actually has more to do with the way the guitar is set up, and my heavy-handed technique.
Cnix, experiment with different sizes and thicknesses of picks--and try backing off the mic, or even try a dynamic mic.

 

[NYMorningstar]

If I hit the strings too hard on the acoustic, they buzz, and this does not sound good to me, though I've heard this exact sound on professional records.

Do the open strings buzz or just the ones you're holding down on frets?