Getting rid of string noise in quiet bits? (Sample provided)

DLC86 said:
PT/Steven Wilson is my favourite band/artist along with pink floyd, so that was an easy guess for me :)

Anyway, back in topic.. You could try to lower string noise level by reducing with a peq the frequency in which it's more evident.
Reducing compression in your chain could work too.
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I love PT a lot more than Wilson's solo stuff, but his new album I'm very interested in. I loved the pop elements of PT more than anything else (Favourite album is probably Lightbulb Sun, but Deadwing gets close...) so his new album sounds right up my alley!

The compressor I'm using is a Keeley 4 Knob. I love the tone of it, but I wish it had a mix knob. Rather, I wish their new pedal had the proper attack knob rather than a switch...
 
H13 said:
I like my strings the way I like my women. Bright and Alive. I used to rock D'Addarios which sound great at first, but go dull after a few hours and then kinda suck. Ernie Balls to me sound artificial and kinda scooped almost? Coated strings to me sound like there's...well I wouldn't say a blanket but maybe a really thick veil over the speaker and once the coating's worn off, the string itself sounds bollocks. Dunlops are fine. They sound like a string for better or worse.
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For me, I've been using Ernie Ball Super Slinky's for nearly 40 years. They seem to be genetically matched to me, as I can leave them on for months and my skin chemistry doesn't make them deteriorate. Once the initial brightness has died out after the first couple of hours of playing, there's very little change for the longest time. Virtually every time I've deviated and tried a different brand, I've been disappointed. D'Addario, Dean Markley, GHS, Fender Bullets or anything else don't last. Even the Ernie Ball all nickel and cobalt strings last a good long time.

I know it's just me. My nephew was over months ago and played two or three of my guitars. I noticed a week or so later the strings were corroded to hell on those guitars. He's going to be over again in another couple of weeks - I'm planning on insisting a strict regimen of hand washing before touching any of my guitars. It probably won't help though, it's all body chemistry.
 
StickMan said:
For me, I've been using Ernie Ball Super Slinky's for nearly 40 years. They seem to be genetically matched to me, as I can leave them on for months and my skin chemistry doesn't make them deteriorate. Once the initial brightness has died out after the first couple of hours of playing, there's very little change for the longest time. Virtually every time I've deviated and tried a different brand, I've been disappointed. D'Addario, Dean Markley, GHS, Fender Bullets or anything else don't last. Even the Ernie Ball all nickel and cobalt strings last a good long time.

I know it's just me. My nephew was over months ago and played two or three of my guitars. I noticed a week or so later the strings were corroded to hell on those guitars. He's going to be over again in another couple of weeks - I'm planning on insisting a strict regimen of hand washing before touching any of my guitars. It probably won't help though, it's all body chemistry.
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I'm the same with Ernie Ball strings. They last forever for me. The sound just doesn't change for a really long time. I'm a sucker for their RPS strings. Only broke one in years of using them and I leave them on for quite a while.
 
Yeah, I know EBs are some of the most popular strings by a long stretch.

They last fine, they just don't sound great to me. They've never sounded natural, but I guess "natural" is gonna depend on what you're used to a fair bit.
 
H13 said:
Yeah, I know EBs are some of the most popular strings by a long stretch.

They last fine, they just don't sound great to me. They've never sounded natural, but I guess "natural" is gonna depend on what you're used to a fair bit.
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I think that's bang on. Most of my experience lately with other brands has been with new guitars. It seems like 90% of new guitars come with D'Addario's on them. I usually last about 10 minutes with them before I break and crack open a pack of Super Slinky's. Ernie Ball's just sound right to me, and I expect that's been baked into my brain over the past 40 years.

I've also heard, but I'm not sure how true it is, that there are just 4 factories world-wide making strings. That might make some of these arguments a little moot, but I imagine that even coming from the same factory, there could still be significant differences between materials, techniques and quality control between brands.
 
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brianv4 said:
I was a tester for Elixir's new Optiweb web strings (I don't work for them so I have no stake in whether you do or don't). They really do have the feel of an uncoated string and they are plenty bright and crisp for weeks, maybe months depending on your DNA. Anyway, it'd be worth a try before discounting them.
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I'm using these now. I prefer them to the nanowebs
 
Yea there's only a few string factories. I forget who makes what, but basically it boils down to DR vs everyone else.
 
Musikron said:
Yea there's only a few string factories. I forget who makes what, but basically it boils down to DR vs everyone else.
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Mapes is the wire co. that made all the wire for US firms back in the day. You can by Mapes strings direct from the factory at a really good price. Or you can pay twice as much for rebranded Mapes strings ;)
 
H13 said:
Hey all!

So I'm being...anal. But if you have an AFX I think we're all a bit anal.

I'm liking my clean patch, but I'm getting a fair bit of string noise (string against fretboard, string...disturbances? String noise. Noise from strings that aren't notes). For the most part they're fairly inconsequential, except for when I have a compressor and 28 litres of delay and reverb.

Here's a sample. Please let me know if I'm being too anal. (10 points for anybody who can name the song)



I suspect my guitar is due for a setup which will probably help, but any suggestion for getting rid of that patch-wise would be helpful.
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Yeah that string squeal is annoying especially when a delay grabs it and throws it in your face haha. Try going into the amp block GEQ and lowering the last far right sliders about -2.50db each. That will kill certain high pitch frequencies that tend to clean things up. Try it
 
H13 said:
I'm liking my clean patch, but I'm getting a fair bit of string noise (string against fretboard, string...disturbances? String noise. Noise from strings that aren't notes). For the most part they're fairly inconsequential, except for when I have a compressor and 28 litres of delay and reverb.

Here's a sample. Please let me know if I'm being too anal. (10 points for anybody who can name the song).
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That string noise is a natural part of playing guitar. Plug into any amp, and you'll get the same thing. Crank the delay up until the delay level matches the dry guitar, add enough feedback to give audible multiple repeats, and the effect will be exaggerated—as you heard.

You can't EQ it out without affecting your tone. The string noise occupies frequencies that your notes use to cut through the mix.
 
String noise is part of playing, just like hearing the hammers, dampeners etc when playing a piano. To me its what makes a real physical instrument a physical instrument, opposed to just using a sampler (though a lot of sample sets have things like finger noise etc for realism these days lol)

One can always switch to flat or semi-flat wound strings to cut out noise, but then the tone changes....

More than anything it comes down to technique, and its why different people sound a bit different, some guys are very clean and great at muting strings etc, other guys can have sound random strings ring out, lots of squeaks as they move their fingers up and down the fretboard etc.

String noises are just a part of playing guitar with round wound strings and can be tamed, but not eliminated through a clean technique
 
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