Slidenoise present on recordings

[eholst]

Hi

Perhaps I'm just being too much of a perfectionist, but does anyone on this forum have some advice how to reduce the slidenoise when recording....? Or should this just be as it is...?

I have heard other recordings, and it seems there's less slidenoise on those, not that there's no noise at all, but when I record it does seem a little too dominant....

I record on a Tascam 2488neo home recorder, and I use a Shure Beta58A or a SM57....and I have the mic very close to the guitar (edge of cone)....the mic preamp is set pretty high otherwise the recording level would be too low.

The SM57 does in fact pick up less slidenoise than the Beta58A, properbly because of the less presence in the mic, but still.....

Any advice is appreciated...

Best wishes

Eholst

[honeyboy]

Hi Eholst,

1. Most of the slide noise is high frequency sound, so when you are editing your recordings, use a 5 or 8 band EQ on your channel strip and roll off the high frequencies to taste. This will take away a large proportion of the noise.

2. If you can use two mics to record, with the second further from the guitar to capture a different apsect of the sound, this will capture less slide noise. When you come to mix, blending the two sources can help preserve the dynamics of the sound. If you can only record with one mic, then use two copies of your recording blended together, one with a hard roll off of high frequencies, and one with a gentler roll off to produce a fuller sound.

3. Use a special type of slide - I noticed that Michael was using a tribotone (or similar) like poly plastic coated slide during part of his concert at the UK Slidefest earlier in the year. Michael hardly produces any slide noise with any type of slide, but I believe this type of slide would help in reducing noise for mere mortals like you and me. (obviously this only works playing lap style - if you play bottleneck, perhaps a glass slide would go some way to reduce slide noise?)

4. The type of strings used is also a contributor, as is string tension. I'd guess that strings like newtones which tune to pitch with less tension than ordinary strings should be less liable to string noise, but I have no concrete evidence to back this up, (since I only use newtone strings).

I guess that anything that reduces friction between the slide and the strings will reduce the noise, that includes having a zen like relaxation to the sliding arm.. I know it is easier said than done - I can do it for about 15 seconds currently (usually when the microphone is off)..

Hope this helps...

[eholst]

Hi honeyboy

Thanks for your adivces....yes, the noise is high frequency, I could try to reduce it on one channel and less reduction on another channel, and mix it...I will try this....unfortunately I only have a 3 band eq, but the middel is sweepable, so that could be helpful and do the trick...

I can record with two mics at the same time....and I also use newtone strings, as my Sidewalk reso is set up from Robin in standard setup (15-56 strings), and I use an Ultimate slide from Diamond Bottlenecks....so this should be the best....I have used both Open D and Open G, both give the same noise level....

I will experiment with this...

If anyone else has other advices I will greatly appreciate it..... :-)

Best wishes

Eholst

[eholst]

Hi again

THe middle eq would not help on this, as you say that it's high freqency, so I would have to use the high level to reduce it.....sometimes writing comes before thinking... :-)

[honeyboy]

Hi eholst,

Don't do it during recording - do it when you EDIT the recordings on your computer.

You will get much more control over your sound. Just move the wave files onto your PC and use Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) software to edit AFTER recording. You can then fiddle about with the EQ curve in a way that would be impossible during recording (especially where you are also the artist! ).

Try something like Reaper to get started. It is free to download and evaluate, and installing it won't screw up your computer, since it is small, compact and well designed.

And you get this kind of surgical EQ control built in on each track..



and

[percythewonderant]

Hi H,
Thanks for the nod toward reaper looks like a good un!
Cheers P

[honeyboy]

Percy,

Just think of it as 'The tape recorder at the end of the universe'...

[Michael Messer]

Everything Honeyboy has said is correct about reducing slide-string-noise with mic techniques and EQs. Thank you Honeyboy for your kind words.

I would add to that by saying that the SM57 Beta is not a good in this respect as the regular 57 (in other words the Beta 57 is too high fidelity). Also that I would never mic my guitars very close to the cone. I only ever use one mic to record my guitars, but I have been doing it for a long time and have been through the experimentation stuff. So these days I know what I want.

This is not meant to be a criticism, or a 'put down', but the best way to reduce slide-string-noise is to work on your playing techniques. Dampening and smoothness of movement are the main points to look at.

Another consideration is not to record with brand new strings. Unless of course you want that 'brand new strings sound'.

Choice of slide is also part of it - green glass, blue glass, steel, brass, etc... all give different amounts of string noise.

eholst, I think what is also happening here is that recording your playing is making you more aware of your strengths and weaknesses. I know it does when I record my playing.

I hope some of what I have said is helpful.

Honeyboy is right....


Shine On
Michael.

[Michael Messer]

One more point that is not meant to be a negative comment, purely an observation.

The technology that we have at our fingertips these days is only part of what you need. For example, owning PhotoShop CS3 or 4 does give you a complete graphic design & typography studio in your PC, but it does not turn you into a graphic designer. To be a graphic designer you still have to learn and understand the basic rules of design, typography etc...
It is the same with recording software; owning Logic Studio or Pro Tools does not turn you into a recording engineer. I am not a recording engineer, but I have spent 30 years in studios and have learnt a lot about it.

That is not to say don't do it, but I am saying that maybe a study of recording techniques would be as useful as a study of slide guitar techniques.

Good luck and...once again....


Shine On
Michael.

[Deleted]

have just started using Reaper myself after only hearing about it a week or so ago. Seems like a much nicer entry level DAW than the only other I've tried, Sonar LE, which scared me back to Audacity almost as soon as I started attempting to use it

[eholst]

Hi Michael and Honeyboy

Thanks a lot for your help and suggestions...

Michael, I do use a regular SM57, and you're right, the beta 58A is too high fidelity to do it right...so now I primarily use the SM57....about putting it close to the cone, I have tried several "locations" , but today I just put it close to the edge of the cone, trying to reduce the slidenoise....but still it catched it....also your suggestion about new/old strings - you're right there also.....new strings will noise more I guess....

About sliding technique, you're right that this is where the start is...if you do this at your best, you have a good source...then there's the mic and then you get, as Honeyboy says, the possibility to EQ the track on reaper program (I don't know this, but I will download it), and see if I can optimize the track.

And yes Michael, having Pro tools and a big 64 channel mixer does not mean that you're an expert in using it....!!!! :-) :-)

Honeyboy, to use this reaper, I will have to export the guitar track from my Tascam recorder, it can be exported to PC as a single track in WAV format, can you import this into reaper ? My friend can do this in another program which he has downloaded from the internet....

Well, I just have to get started on this reaper....

Thanks a lot Michael and honeyboy....you have given very useful advices to go further..very nice that this kind of forums exist to help us getting more "educated" in this field.....

Best wishes

Eholst

[eholst]

Hi again

Just looked at this reaper, it says that it can import any audio, so then it should be able to import my exported WAV guitar track.... :-)

Best wishes

Eholst

[honeyboy]

Eholst,

There is a detailed user guide for reaper which can be downloaded here. It is both a manual for the software and a primer into basic recording and sound processing techniques. At 400 pages plus, if it all looks too daunting to you, there is an alternative to consider.

If you are not experienced in the technical aspects of sound recording, then an alternative route is to use a less complicated editor to adjust the sound of your recording.

Audacity is a much simpler editor than Reaper. Think of it just as a two track tape recorder, and the wav file is like the 'tape'.

You can load your .wav file into audacity, play it and edit it in a simpler way with less of a 'learning curve' than Reaper - (which has much more power, but many more concepts to grasp for a beginner).

You can download Audacity here. It is free software, and of quite high quality.

The documentation relating to EQ'ing your recording is here.

If you know what you want, you can draw an EQ curve using this tool



Or more simply use this multiband EQ to reduce the higher frequencies by dragging the sliders down and listening to the effect produced.



Good luck - and always make sure you edit a COPY of your file, not the only original. That way, if something unexpected happens, you can always take another COPY of the original file and start the edit again!

[Michael Messer]

That is excellent. Thanks Honeyboy, your explanation for eholst is very good.

Shine On
Michael.

[garrysmith]

If you have a parametric eq like the one pictured from Reaper you can select a frequency band and boost it. Now, using your mouse, slide it along and find the point at which it makes the unwanted noise worse. Then, just cut as required in that frequency area.

You should also be able to adjust a thing called Q which broadens or narrows the selected band