Monkey Allen
Fork and spoon operator
Hi, I've searched a lot for a solution but can't really even find anything online that matches what I'm getting so...
DI bass...Fender P bass (made in Mexico about 3 years old in great shape) into my RME Fireface...sounds great but in certain situations (especially when playing lines or runs that go from the D string to the G string - the smallest 2 strings on the bass and especially runs that are above about the 6th fret or so) I get these sharp, electronic sounding little clicking sounds particularly on the attack of the pluck/ played string. It's impossible to record like this because they just kill everything. They do record onto the track and when I hear them that's it for the take. If you're playing a song that uses a lot of D and G strings from mid to high on the fret board it's more often than not you get these clicks. Not on every single hit...and I can't reproduce them consistently. They appear to just click when they want. If you know what I mean.
My electric guitars don't do this when I record DI with them. Only the bass.
What it's not:
- it's not high pickups on the bass
- it's not the strings touching the pickups
- it's not because I'm playing too hard
- it's not the pick or my fingers coming into contact with the pickups
- it's not because I'm using a pick...it happens fingerstyle too
- I'm not clipping the inputs...not even close
- the RME input is not faulty
- the string action is not too low
- it's not sample rate issues, latency or anything like that
- it's not having my hand resting (or not resting) on the strings while I play. I've tried both ways. The same sharp electronic clicks still occur.
- it's not a lot of things
More accurately what it sounds like...it's almost like that kind of sound you might get when you've been walking over carpet and you touch a metal door handle or something and you get that little zap. Only it's a higher, sharper pitch than a zap. It's highly annoying. Sometimes its a single little sharp electronic sounding click. Sometimes you get a little series of them on top of each other. But I can not reproduce them. There's no pattern I can determine. I can play a couple of bars and not get any clicks. Then I can play that exact couple of bars and I'll get the clicks.
What I think might be causing it:
- Bad, non existent, shoddy shielding in the cavity of the guitar.
- Something about the grounding
- A dodgy connection somewhere along the line
- Cheap crap pickups (these are the ones that came with the bass)
- The devil
I've searched this online but I've never found an answer. If you have any suggestions let me know, thanks.
I'm going to open her up and have a look inside soon. I think I've read that Fender skimps on proper shielding etc. They still charge $1000 Australian for these MiM basses. In fact I think they are closer to $1300 these days. So, you know, you'd think they could put together a bass that doesn't click my brain to pieces.
Cheers
DI bass...Fender P bass (made in Mexico about 3 years old in great shape) into my RME Fireface...sounds great but in certain situations (especially when playing lines or runs that go from the D string to the G string - the smallest 2 strings on the bass and especially runs that are above about the 6th fret or so) I get these sharp, electronic sounding little clicking sounds particularly on the attack of the pluck/ played string. It's impossible to record like this because they just kill everything. They do record onto the track and when I hear them that's it for the take. If you're playing a song that uses a lot of D and G strings from mid to high on the fret board it's more often than not you get these clicks. Not on every single hit...and I can't reproduce them consistently. They appear to just click when they want. If you know what I mean.
My electric guitars don't do this when I record DI with them. Only the bass.
What it's not:
- it's not high pickups on the bass
- it's not the strings touching the pickups
- it's not because I'm playing too hard
- it's not the pick or my fingers coming into contact with the pickups
- it's not because I'm using a pick...it happens fingerstyle too
- I'm not clipping the inputs...not even close
- the RME input is not faulty
- the string action is not too low
- it's not sample rate issues, latency or anything like that
- it's not having my hand resting (or not resting) on the strings while I play. I've tried both ways. The same sharp electronic clicks still occur.
- it's not a lot of things
More accurately what it sounds like...it's almost like that kind of sound you might get when you've been walking over carpet and you touch a metal door handle or something and you get that little zap. Only it's a higher, sharper pitch than a zap. It's highly annoying. Sometimes its a single little sharp electronic sounding click. Sometimes you get a little series of them on top of each other. But I can not reproduce them. There's no pattern I can determine. I can play a couple of bars and not get any clicks. Then I can play that exact couple of bars and I'll get the clicks.
What I think might be causing it:
- Bad, non existent, shoddy shielding in the cavity of the guitar.
- Something about the grounding
- A dodgy connection somewhere along the line
- Cheap crap pickups (these are the ones that came with the bass)
- The devil
I've searched this online but I've never found an answer. If you have any suggestions let me know, thanks.
I'm going to open her up and have a look inside soon. I think I've read that Fender skimps on proper shielding etc. They still charge $1000 Australian for these MiM basses. In fact I think they are closer to $1300 these days. So, you know, you'd think they could put together a bass that doesn't click my brain to pieces.
Cheers