Guitar String Squeak. How to Filter?

Ron Randall · Post by **Ron Randall** » 19 Sep 2003 2:51 pm

During recording of spanish style acoustic 6 string, is there a recipe for dialing out the string squeak. You know, when you slide your fingers along the wound strings?

I know how to de-ess a vocal, so I am guessing there is a similar way for squeaky strings.

Ron

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 19 Sep 2003 9:20 pm

A bit of squeak is acceptable and makes the track sound like a real guitar. If you have too much squeak then try a set of the Elixer strings. They are coated with some kind of plastic coating that helps out with the squeak thing. Some classical players soak their fretting fingers in water before the session to soften them up a bit to eliminate some fret noise.

Work on lifting your fingers as you make certain moves on the acoustic such as playing bar chords and moving up or down several frets. Those are usually the loudest squeaks.

SCOTT TYLER · Post by **SCOTT TYLER** » 19 Sep 2003 9:52 pm

Try a little squirt of Fingerease from the spray can and that should break down some of the finger friction. I've done this before and you can buy it at any good music store. Good luck.

Dave Boothroyd · Post by **Dave Boothroyd** » 20 Sep 2003 12:11 am

Meanwhile, back in the Midi studio, people are spending hours triggering finger squeak samples to make the Midi guitar sound real.
Funny old world, isn't it?
Cheers
Dave

Bill Crook · Post by **Bill Crook** » 20 Sep 2003 5:57 am

When I played 6 string, I always used "Flatwrap" strings. I don't mean that flatwrap is a brand of the strings but a discription of them. Instead of the wrap being round like on a piano string core,it is flat and dosen't have them little valleys between each wrap like regular strings. If you play regualarly, your fingers should have callouses on them. This noise/squeaks is produced by the callouses moveing in and out of the grooves of the regular woud strings.

Now flatwraps are (sometimes) hard to find and a tad more pricy than regular strings.
I've never tried(or had the need to)use them on the pedal steel.

Believe me, the flatwraps are quite !!

Bill[This message was edited by Bill Crook on 20 September 2003 at 06:58 AM.]

C Dixon · Post by **C Dixon** » 20 Sep 2003 6:18 am

Dave,

Interesting that you should mention this anamoly. I will digress to another field and show you just how far man will go to try to accentuate things that otherwise are objectionable.

Some years ago, somebody in the TV broadcast industry got the "brite" idea to allow the listener to hear the player's feet more clearly as their basketball shoes "squeeked" across the court.

So they came up with a flat "mic" that was then taped down (using duct tape) to various places on and around the circumference of the floor.

As if the audience was just dying to hear this noise, they even went a step (actually many steps) further; and turned the gain way up on these flat mics during the TV broadcasts.

What hath man wrought?

carl

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 20 Sep 2003 6:51 am

There is a product called "Fast Fret" or "Fret Fast", I always forget. But there is an applicator that you rub on the strings and it makes them "slicker". I like to use it on my steel as it also cleans the strings and makes the bar slide over them better. It certainly should help with the squeaking problem.
Erv

Michael Johnstone · Post by **Michael Johnstone** » 20 Sep 2003 2:09 pm

Better guitar players don't squeak as much, especially ones that specialize on steel string acoustic - it's a matter of technique. Still you can't get away from it entirely - as stated above and like dobro clatter,it's part of the sound. Flatwound strings are good for electric basses and jazz boxes and they do away with string zip but they also do away with the crisp top end zing of a brand new set of roundwounds on a Martin. Compromises are "groundwounds" which are half-round/half-flat and Elixer teflon coated strings which sound pretty good and last a long time as well. What I always do when making a record is use a great player w/great technique playing a great sounding ax with brand new roundwounds and just "let it squeak". Then when I'm mixing,if a few particular squeaks start bugging me as I hear the tune over and over,I'll go in and erase them manually.You'll find that a squeak always happens when a player is shifting hand positions and almost never during a note or chord so they are easy to get out without erasing stuff you want to keep.
-MJ-

Ron Randall · Post by **Ron Randall** » 20 Sep 2003 6:50 pm

Thank you folks. Your ideas are most helpful.
I am wondering about what freq these occur at and how to cut that freq using EQ during recording or mixdown.

As an example the sibilant SSS sound in our language is exaggerated sometimes when recording. There is a technique called de-essing that is very effective. I wonder if such a technique exists to reduce the string squeaks?

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 20 Sep 2003 7:43 pm

Some years ago, somebody in the TV broadcast industry got the "brite" idea to allow the listener to hear the player's feet more clearly as their basketball shoes "squeeked" across the court.

As a follow-up to Carl's post on this subject, it's interesting to note that on the newer basketball video games ("NBA Somethingorother"), they've made the soundtrack of the game such that you clearly hear all the sneaker squeeks! LOL!

LARRY COLE · Post by **LARRY COLE** » 21 Sep 2003 4:32 am

ELIXER STRINGS. They have a flexable plastic like coating that makes them last a long time and it takes the squeek out too. The coating is super thin and they have a good tone and are bright and crisp for a long time. There is too kinds, Poly and Nano. One has a thinner coating. That is all I use on acoustic guitar. They cost a little more but you save money in the long run.

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Playing For JESUS,LC. WILLIAMS U12, SHO-BUD PRO1,CARVIN TL60

Ron Randall · Post by **Ron Randall** » 21 Sep 2003 10:38 am

Jim,
You are so right about the squeaky sneakers on the video game. My son plays that game and I hear the crowd noise and the sneaker squeaks!
Dave,
Yep. One man's junk is another man's treasure.

My topic is more about recording/mixing techniques. Michael Johnstone's comments about erasing parts that get annoying makes sense because, most squeaks occur as the player is changing positions. I would never have thought about that. I will read the manual on how to do this. Thanks Michael.

I just want everyone to know that I never have a squeaky sound on my six string. It is my band buddies that make all that noise.

When we record, I am the designated 'engineer'. So I gotta fix it.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. So it will be Elixirs, and Fast Fret for everybody.

edited for spelling[This message was edited by Ron Randall on 21 September 2003 at 11:45 AM.]