[ScottLevi]

Hey,

I've been convincing a friend to write and record a song with me for a while. I've been teaching him what little I know of guitar and he's been using my steel-string Epiphone.

Whilst the recordings using my nylon without a pick come out quite reasonably, all I'm getting from the steel-string & pic is chugging noise.

It's a shame because he's put quite a nice song together and when he plays it it sounds great, but not sure what to do when the recordings are coming out like this...

https://soundcloud.com/namelessmc/chuggy-guitar

I've tried just chugging at the strings and isolating that noise for audacity's noise removal, and also messing with the EQ to try and remove the problem frequencies, but to no avail.

I presume this is a common issue? Is there a trick post-recording to reduce the chuggyness or do I need to find a better way of recording?

Any advice much appreciated.

Cheers,
Scott.

[Boydie]

It sounds like a steel string acoustic played with a pick to me   

I am only listening on iPad speakers but I am not sure what you mean by a chugging sound?

I would avoid any noise removal tools and just use EQ to shape the sound

[ScottLevi]

Haha Boydie, are you saying it's just my ears being used to the soft sound of nylon classical, and with a bit of EQ and accompaniment there's not a major issue here?

Cheers,
Scott.

[Boydie]

Based on what I am hearing on my iPad...yes

I think it is a passable recorded acoustic sound without any particular "issues"

It is, of course, possible to get a much "better" recorded sound and it could be that you have a sound in your head from hearing the guitar directly (don't forget that the "ears" for your recorded tone is the microphone and pre-amp)

[The S]

Well I can only offer the obvious response because I've been forced a number of times to do this myself, re-record it the way you want it to sound. The easiest way to solve the problem. I'm a natural hard hitter, unfortunately, that goes for every instrument I play, and I constantly have to remind myself not to play with power and force.

So the obvious answer is what you already know, if you do want a softer sound with the steel string, more like the nylon (or just record the nylon?) , you will have to re-record it, whilst playing softer. There's no way around it. Sure, you can modify it and make it softer to the ears, with EQ, comp and even a transient designer, but you won't fully be able to take away the chugging, because you or your friend, whoever it is playing, probably is doing just that, chugging.

But I'm in the same boat, I can spend days trying to make an instrument into something it isn't only to realise way too late I should just re-record it the way I want it and be done with it. Usually only takes 15 minutes to get it properly recorded. Then of course I go through the very same process on the next song...  

With that said though, it doesn't sound bad in my ears, a little attitude is always a good thing! Hehe, just to make it easier for ya!!!  

Cheers,

S

[Viscount Cramer & His Orchestra]

I understand your frustration.

I was always a picker especially doing a lot of busking where I wanted PROJECTION but find now that I always play with my fingers which has its own difficulties but one of them isn't pick noise.

Any guitar I've recorded has been fingered not plecked but then again I'm not really the best person to give you any advice on recording guitar!

You'll get there!

[ScottLevi]

Cheers for the advice guys.

We don't get much together to re-record but re' the comments that there's nothing particularly wrong with the recording (just preference to chuggyness levels) thought I'd give the EQ another go.

Also added a little reverb, think it's came out a lot cleaner. Not perfect and not sure if we'll have to re-record anyway, but was a good learning curve and I've saved the settings for future tinkering.

I do love a good finger-pick for thumb-strum myself but he love's the steel and pick

Thanks again for the help.

Scott.

[MartynRich]

Scoot, I actually think the first recording has a much more natural sound to it than the 2nd (sorry). There doesn´t sound anything wrong with the first at all, it simply sounds like a natural acoustic strummed with a pick. You could try struming with your hands or a softer pick for more feel but to me it sounds fine as it is. Obviously it will also depend on the other instruments you use and the final mix as to how it comes out, but I would love to get a sound like that from time to time.

[ScottLevi]

Scoot, I actually think the first recording has a much more natural sound to it than the 2nd (sorry).

Aha cheers Martyn, I'd rather know I've dug a  whole in the wrong place before I've dug too far

Not sure exactly what my issue is with it, just sounds a little off to me (but then my new version is a little bland).

Back to the drawing board, I'm thinking less aggressive EQ to not reduce the range as much and a tad of compression (Maybe it's the valume spikes that are throwing me off)

I'll give him one of my softer picks next time also xD

Thanks,
Scott.

[MartynRich]

I would EQ it when you have everything else in place. You may find it doesn't need much tweaking.