Eliminating Picking/finger sounds

[Tallicaman1979]

I have just started playing again after a few years off due to injuries. (shoulder/wrist and elbow)

i used to play with a pick and have now found i am playing with both pick and finger style. mainly finger style when my wrist can't bear to even hold a pick while playing.

the question is i have been trying to get some decent recordings through a Behringer USB interface to my PC. i can't sem to eliminate the picking sounds or finger sounds on the strings.

any tricks of the trade that will help get a professional sound on home recordings.

 

[Snarf]

Sounds like you might be doing the "piano hammer" style of playing bass, which is going to give you a lot of fret noise and bad-sounding crap. Work on your technique.

If you actually do have good technique, then you are looking to do the impossible, because you can not eliminate finger or pick sounds. I mean, that's how you have to get sound from the instrument.

Sounds like this is not a gear issue, it's a pebkac issue.

 

[seamonkey]

Try it in a mix, all finger string noise may just fall to the noise floor.

Have you tried a thumb pick? When I need to mute with the edge of my hand I tend to use a thumb pick so I don't have some awkward grip. I usually file the picks down quite a bit so just a little pick edge is left. It allow upstrokes also.

 

[SLaPiNFuNK]

You could try effects like Dessers and play with compression to kind of control the attack of the instrument more.

 

[jpTron]

On recordings the best way is to cut out the highs and some of the mids. It will leave just a really bassy tone.

 

[uhdinator]

Flatwounds........... You get more fundamental note and less ring, overtones and string squeaks.

 

[sonic assassin]

Try it in a mix, all finger string noise may just fall to the noise floor.

this. worry less. let it be.

 

[pacojas]

put some grease on your finger tips. just a TINY smidge. (even nose grease will work)

 

[Massimo636]

Are you listening to the bass track soloed and picking it apart? I bet if you finish your mix and play the whole thing together you won't even be able to hear those noises. If you still can try to EQ a bit out of anything above like 1.5khz or so. Or listen for the particular offending frequencies and do a narrower notch right at that spot, I'm guessing maybe 4k or so? Unless they are super loud though once the track is filled with guitars, drums, singing, keys, or whatever else is in there they'll probably disappear.

 

[bobrossbass]

I had the same issue when I switched to Rotosounds after using D'Addario half-rounds for a long spell. I found the combination of a cut at 1K and 4K along with a *tiny* dab of hand moisturizer did the trick.