My bass 'clicks' while i record

rusmannx · #1 07-11-2006, 03:23 PM

i haven't noticed this on previous recordings of my band, but a song we did this week seems to show some clicking on my part. it's like when i hit a string with my finger (two finger alternating method) it is hitting the neck or something. anyone else get this? i tried raising the action of the strings but i'm still getting it. think i might be playing to aggressivly?

any thoughts or ideas?
anyone have a clue what i'm talking about?

Jake the Bass · #2 07-11-2006, 05:48 PM

Yeah I get it a bit if I play hard. It used to really annoy me but I learnt to play softer and further towards the bridge or just leave the "clicks" in there and have it part of your tone. One way is to take all the treble out of your tone but I would not recommed it. lol when I first started noticing this I though I only had this "problem" and thought it was my bass and I bought like 3 different basses on the account that they "clicked" less. Then I went to a store and played some higher end type stuff and the higher end basses were less forgiving on this but with the perfect techniques payed off. Then the salesman came over and played a bit and it was evenmore "clicky" than my playing so I just excepted it. Rising the action helps as does thicker guage strings and playing closer to the bridge.

Hope this helps

Peter Squire · #3 07-11-2006, 10:47 PM

Happens to me too - it's a technique issue.

opium89 · #4 07-11-2006, 10:55 PM

I went through a phase some time ago where I was getting a strange "clicking" sound on my attack. It seemed to come and go for no apparent reason. Went on for about 6 months like this, tried 10 different types of strings, sent the bass in to the luthier and NOTHING!.. Wanna know what it turned out to be? .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. ...........MY FRIGGEN FINGERNAILS!

phillys · #5 07-12-2006, 01:10 AM

I suppose it could be a problem with your nails. Make sure that your nails are cut short at all times else clicky sounds will appear. I used to get lots of clicks whenever my nails are long.

Edit: Haha.. beaten by the guy above me.

geoffkhan · #6 07-12-2006, 02:04 AM

Try turning up the volume and playing softer. A lot of times I'll realize that I'm digging in too much because my volume is way down and I'm subconsciously trying to compensate for it. Also, play closer to the bridge.

rusmannx · #7 07-12-2006, 02:35 AM

it's not my fingernails, i know what that sounds like and i always cut my nails short before picking up the bass.

i think it might be because i'm playing to hard. glad to see others have found a way to get around this.
thanks for the help everyone.

floopy · #8 07-12-2006, 05:39 AM

I had the 'clicking' problem a lot when I switched to 'floating thumb', even though I had a medium-to-high action.

In my case it was a lot to do with the angle my fingers were hitting the strings at, especially on the G and D strings.

I changed my finger position so my fingers were more curved, and my fingertips were more perpendicular to the strings, and this helped a lot. It meant I could play with a lower action too, plus I could move my plucking hand further away from the bridge, and get a fuller tone with less effort.

infect · #9 07-12-2006, 05:56 AM

I'm all about some click w/ a little overdrive blended w/ it.. Yum

That sorta attack can add a lot of character when done in the right place.

Jake the Bass · #10 07-12-2006, 06:01 AM

Just listen to Steve Harris of Iron Maiden for some inspiration for making the click sound good

peteroberts · #11 07-12-2006, 08:36 PM

I think Floopy has it right - I used to get that and sit there and try and figure out what it was. I think the angle of the hand has something to do with it.

Could be your neck doens't have relief? I tweaked my truss rod and I don't experience the clicking anymore. Could be coincidental.

freshyk · #12 02-19-2007, 08:35 PM

I've gone through this same problem. Trying to solve it as a stupid noob led me into a lot of messing with bridges & trussrods, etc. which just caused more grief.
The people who've pointed to technique are on the money. Plucking down toward the pickups = more clicking and buzz, especially if you have a low setup. Plucking up toward your chest, parallel with the body of the bass = less clicking (and different, maybe richer tone). I find it a hard change to make, esp. on fast stuff, but worth experimenting with. Also, it is interesting to play with different angles of plucking to experiment with changes in tone.
That said, a too-low setup or wonky neck may cause clicking regardless of technique.
There are a lot of threads on this issue and the tequnique people seem to have the majority -- a couple of current ones are:
String Clicking
That annoying clicking sound

Zappstorius · #13 02-19-2007, 09:06 PM

I have the "clicking" when I'm playing heavy-fast parts and I actually like it.

the_fooj · #14 02-19-2007, 09:18 PM

The people above talking about the technique are right. I just managed to solve thisproblem for myself a few days ago. When you pluck, you want to make sure the string is vibrating parallel to the fretboard, not towards. Thats why the sound isn't really there when you use a pick.

iamlowsound · #15 02-20-2007, 03:50 PM

Crank your volume, it forces you to play softer. Just don't clip your amp.

lowsound