Removing guitar squeak in recordings

[Jen12345678]

Does anyone know if there is a plugin that can help with squeaky guitar sounds? I tried to record a little guitar song that is very fragile and it needs to be played very quietly but I'm something of a novice guitarist. So yes I could practise guitar more (good idea!) but I wondered if there might be something that could help post record?

https://voca.ro/1kvGLwJVeEAB

[The Elf]

Izotope RX would do the job, but it is eye-wateringly expensive.

More cost-effective options are de-esser, a dynamic EQ (multi-band compressor), and manual editing. The latter can be as effective as any other method, as long as you're not averse to putting in the effort.

[Jen12345678]

Thanks so much! I'll look into those options!

[Jen12345678]

.....maybe I could even send the file to a studio/engineer to help me with it, might be cheaper than buying the software which I prob. won't use much.... (I will eventually train my fingers).

[The Elf]

Happy to discuss. Send me a PM if you're interested. I do this kind of work all the time.

[Jen12345678]

Great thanks, I'll drop you a PM later! Huge thanks.

[Wonks]

However, if you are going to do many similar recordings in the near future, using people like the Elf also becomes eye-wateringly expensive over time.

So you might want to think about looking at Isotope at some point. I have it and whilst not cheap, I don't think my eyes watered. There are normally ways to get it a lot cheaper than full price, so keep an eye out at the standard software sale times or discounts for owning the cut-down versions first.

[amanise]

That's a good point. IIRC I got my RX Elements for free with a promotion they did with something else a couple of years ago. They often do things like that. I use it all the time for getting bass guitar fret buzz out of things.

[The Elf]

IIRC the automatic fret squeak tool is only in the full version of RX?

It's still a great tool, despite the price.

[Drew Stephenson]

The Elf's fixes* notwithstanding, the other thing to consider would be changing your strings to some D'Addario Flat Tops. More expensive than standard strings and can be difficult to get hold of in some places but they can make a huge difference to finger squeaks.

* For something like this I think I'd start with trying some manual fixes. You can spend an awful lot of time trying to automate a dynamic EQ or multiband compressor just so when it would often have been quicker to do it manually.

[Matt Houghton]

...and before changing strings, maybe try talcum powder on your fingertips.

[Random Guitarist]

After minmising at source maybe a modest investment in a multiband comp like Tone Boosters MBC ($40) would be worthwhile?

I've found it very quick and effective for a lot of problem sounds, including squeaks. To be fair it reduces rather than eliminates squeaks, but I've found it satisfactory.

[James Perrett]

That's a good point. IIRC I got my RX Elements for free with a promotion they did with something else a couple of years ago. They often do things like that. I use it all the time for getting bass guitar fret buzz out of things.

Unfortunately RX Elements no longer includes the spectral editor.

Acon Acoustica is a more affordable way of getting into spectral editing compared to RX standard. Reaper also has a spectral view but I don't find it very easy to use compared to others.

[amanise]

That's a good point. IIRC I got my RX Elements for free with a promotion they did with something else a couple of years ago. They often do things like that. I use it all the time for getting bass guitar fret buzz out of things.

Unfortunately RX Elements no longer includes the spectral editor.

Acon Acoustica is a more affordable way of getting into spectral editing compared to RX standard. Reaper also has a spectral view but I don't find it very easy to use compared to others.

Gaaa!! Thanks for the heads up! No more upgrades for me!

[ef37a]

I don't know because I have not so far managed to load a file in it! But would the now free Sadie 6 not have something that could help?

But the problem is one of technique* I am told by my son. He spent most of lockdown playing for hours on his classical guitar to eliminate squeaks and other faults.

*Might a guitar setup help? Wonks, Andy?

Dave.

[Hugh Robjohns]

I don't know because I have not so far managed to load a file in it! But would the now free Sadie 6 not have something that could help?

SADiE is an editor, not a salvage processor!

And I explained how to load an audio file in the SADiE thread.

But regarding guitar squeaks, it is obviously better to hone playing technique, rather than spending enormous amounts of time and money on trying to fix faults later.

[James Perrett]

I don't know because I have not so far managed to load a file in it! But would the now free Sadie 6 not have something that could help?

Sadie was designed to work with Cedar's restoration tools - and you are very unlikely to find those going for free!

Although I think they may have come down in price slightly recently.

[Wonks]

Unlikley a set-up would improve matters much, though almost any guitar will benefit from a set-up if it has never had one since it was bought. My guitars all have low actions but they still make squeaking noises when I move my hands.

Coated strings will help reduce the noise (they are much slipperier) and Sam's of Flat Tops strings suggestion will probably reduce it further, though at the cost of losing some brightness. But it is almost impossible to not get it if you are sliding chord shapes up and down the fretboard.

Technique improvement can minimise is, but never get rid of it completely. You'd need to stop sliding and take your fingers off and then reposition them up/down the fretboard, (which some people do), but sometimes you want the slide to be heard as part of the music. So the odd string squeak is a natural part of playing. Only worry about it if they are really getting in the way of the guitar sound.

[ef37a]

I don't know because I have not so far managed to load a file in it! But would the now free Sadie 6 not have something that could help?

SADiE is an editor, not a salvage processor!

And I explained how to load an audio file in the SADiE thread.

But regarding guitar squeaks, it is obviously better to hone playing technique, rather than spending enormous amounts of time and money on trying to fix faults later.

All right! Just a suggestion! Cor blimey! Yes, I am missing something, must get back to it. Any chance you might write a "Sadie for Dummies"?

Dave.

[Hugh Robjohns]

No.

There is an excellent user manual already. I linked to it in the other thread.

[Jen12345678]

Thanks everyone, these are amazing tips; new strings and talcum is worth a try! And a set up. I am only a beginner guitarist but I will get better hopefully. Thanks for everyone's replies, much appreciated.

[The Elf]

You can apply all the fixes to gear and techniques you want, but even the best need a little help with string squeaks (trust me on this one... ). I'd rather have a fabulous performance with a few squeaks to fix than a performance compromised by trying to avoid them.

As I mentioned, I'm happy to help out, and the first one is free anyway.

[Hugh Robjohns]

Sadie was designed to work with Cedar's restoration tools - and you are very unlikely to find those going for free!

I think it was the other way around, James

CEDAR developed Retouch to work within SADiE (along with a few other processing tools like DeThump, DeClick, DeCrackle and DeNoise. It was done primarily for the mastering market, although I don't think they were big sellers — most mastering houses I visited seemed to have full CEDAR systems alongside their SADiEs!

I don't think the free SADiE can license the original CEDAR plugins, anyway, so it's a bit moot!

SADiE can run third party VST plugs for sound restoration if required, though, (including some of iZotope's).

[Hugh Robjohns]

You can apply all the fixes to gear and techniques you want, but even the best need a little help with string squeaks (trust me on this one... ).

Absolutely true, and some mechanical noises are a vital and inherent part of the instrument. A recording can sound quite artificial if they are all removed!

But there are squeaks and squeaks...

[The Elf]

You can apply all the fixes to gear and techniques you want, but even the best need a little help with string squeaks (trust me on this one... ).

Absolutely true, and some mechanical noises are a vital and inherent part of the instrument. A recording can sound quite artificial if they are all removed!

That's something I never do - they are *part* of the performance (IMHO). The trick is to reduce them to a point where they do not *distract* from the performance.