Acoustic FX enhancing string slide noise?

[NicholasRussell]

Hi All,

Wondering if anyone has tips on how to apply subtle FX (compression, verb) to stereo acoustic guitar track while minimizing the 'slide' sound of steel strings.

Can see some examples of playing here:

http://youtu.be/2t3NoUD6vKo
http://youtu.be/feKhZfDIVkU

I realize technique may be improved by lifting off strings more, or changing to coated strings. In these videos I was using a fresh set of Martins. Maybe mic placement, or the existing compression applied is an issue? Also, tips on editing out this noise would be helpful.

Cheers,

[Doug Young]

Very nice playing, Nicholas! You might be able to use a multi-band compressor to compress just a specific frequency, and something like a de-esser might work (basically a multi-band compressor working on a specific frequency band). But the best tool for the job is one of the spectral editors that can eliminate noises, like iZotope RX. It can easily get rid of the shorter high squeaks in your recording. The longer, low scrapes tend to be pretty hard to eliminate tho.

[Woodstock School Of Music]

You could also try turning down the high end on the reverb so it doesn't enhance the squeak on the tail in conjunction with what Doug said. Nice playing

[KevWind]

Also depending on which DAW you are using, like the multiband comp. that Doug mentioned a multiband EQ with selectable Q (set narrow) can be used to surgically attenuate slightly the specific squeak frequency range. But all these methods are a bit of compromise in that they will bring down the desired tone somewhat along with the offending sound. So keep in mind a general rule of thumb could be said be .... try to lessen the squeak not necessarily eliminate it .

[Doug Young]

Originally Posted by The dman

You could also try turning down the high end on the reverb so it doesn't enhance the squeak on the tail in conjunction with what Doug said. Nice playing

This can be a big help. I don't find the squeaks in your recording all that objectionable, I probably wouldn't have noticed them if you didn't point them out :-) But the do tend to trigger the reverb, making it stand out more. I usually put a de-clicker in the reverb send, before the reverb, just to keep any little clicks or pops from being accented by the reverb. You could also do the same with a multi-band compressor or EQ and be more aggressive with it than you could be on the direct track. You won't really hear the signal degradation after it's gone thru the reverb, as long as you are careful.

[NicholasRussell]

Thanks for the advice, I think I'll have to really experiment with the multi-band comp and reverb settings. I want to be as minimally invasive on the sound of the guitar as possible. I use Digital Performer with MOTU's stock plugin set - it does come with a multi band comp and proverb.

We will see how the next video turns out....

[Doug Young]

I'd say the most transparent thing you can do (aside from not making the squeaks to start with) is to use RX. We just had a long thread about squeaks:

http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...d.php?t=363244

with several demos of RX. Look for the one I posted where I removed a cat's meow from a tail. Not cheap, but very handy for cleaning up unwanted sounds.

[NicholasRussell]

Took a look at RX - a pretty amazing tool and one that I will eventually add to my collection of plug-ins. I had good luck simply switching strings - Elixir's sound decent enough to use on a recording and greatly diminish the impact of the string slide sound. Though I do like the 'body' inherent in other string types.

This is what I recorded when I put the Elixirs on:

Bouree, Bach - http://youtu.be/UPM0AO5SUak
Minuet, Bach - http://youtu.be/iRlA5uPk-h0

These both have much less slide noise than this.

http://youtu.be/7xj7xGoPoX0

Thanks for all the input,

[D. Shelton]

One thing I do is to simply take the waveform in question, and do volume reduction processing at the exact spot of the squeaks . But with my EBow experiments, whch are as much meditations and explorations of sound , I've been embracing the squeak as a viable sonic component . Strange but true....