19 replies to this topic

[gasbag]

Sometimes the most simple melody is the most beautiful.
I feel that way about Pink Floyd's "Is There Anybody Out There".
Not quite so beautiful when I play it but what the heck.

http://www.soundclic...d=11791665&q=hi

However, something is bugging me. There is an odd echo/feedback/gremlin that occurs in a very short passage.
I have played this 87.5 million times and it is always there, sometimes more, sometimes less.
It comes right out of my guitar, it is not a recording artifact.
Does anyone here have any idea what it may be? It's driving me nuts. Or nutser in my case.
I know it's hard to tell on a recording. I was just hoping someone else makes weird sounds like this.
We could form a band...........become famous.

It happens also on my el cheapo Fender and my beautiful beloved Breedlove.
Personally I think it may be caused by my fingering technique. If I made my fingering crisper
it would clean it up. It is an awkward short passage for me to play.

For what it's worth, I am playing my Ovation, using a condensor mic positioned at 12" out 12" up and straight into Audacity.

It is at the end of this short edited mp3

http://www.soundclic...d=11791666&q=hi

[carol m]

Hey gasbag, nice move - it made me listen twice - is this a cunning ploy so you will get some extra clicks at soundclick?

As far as your gremlin goes, what gremlin? It sounded fine to me, but I'm famous for my cloth ears.

You're using a condenser mic, which means you have a soundcard interface between your mic and your computer - which one, and could that be the source of your problem as you hear it?

Also have you tried to EQ the recording? Maybe you could do some DIY on the sound digitally. Or maybe you already did, and that is the source of your problem?

[gasbag]

Hi Carol,

Nope, no ploy. As a matter of fact I am going to remove the short edit soon as it really doesn't belong on Soundclick. It was just the only way I could think of to let people hear it.

As for the soundcard, I am using an Alesis i02 Express interface. It is a very simple one but very clean. I have never heard any artifacts caused by it. The recording has no EQ done to it. Just little ol' me and the guitar.

HOWEVER........I can hear this mystery sound everytime I play it no matter what guitar I am using. It is almost exactly what I hear on the recording. I still think it is a problem with my fingering technique. Or maybe I am just hearing things.

As another side note, I have stopped doing any editing on my recordings at all. It became an obsession to get things exact and it was more important than the actual playing of the song. In other words I was getting stupid about it.
Besides, one lonely guitar sounds quite lovely I think. Even mine at rare moments.

Thanks for responding. I know it was kind of a dumb question about something that is hard to describe and hear but it has been bugging me for a while now.

[mset3]

Gasbag,

At first I thought it may be harmonics, but like Carol I didn't hear it.

Mike

[eddiez152]

Gasbag,

Nicely done. I did not hear anything either.

[gasbag]

Ok, this is silly. I am going to WalMart tomorrow and buy some new ears.

If you 3 can't hear it then I am not going to worry about it. (Although I still hear it)

Thanks for listening. I am going to delete the short edit from soundclick and leave the original
since I can't edit my post in here.
I think simple little melodies like this one can be very beautiful and I especially like this one.
( I am a rabid Pink Floyd fan)

[Andy S]

Sorry Gasbag, make that 4 of us that can't hear it! And a +1 on the nicely done!

[micky mac]

beautifully played gasbag i did'nt hear anything wrong with your playing at all

[sheraton]

How'do Gasbag,

guitar sounds great, and played well

the edited mp3 is gone, so i listened to the first one, i heard a wee something from 0.25 to 0.28, but it doesn't sound like a playing issue, it sounds more like a digital recording glitch, the sound seems to modulate a wee bit like chorus or vibrato effect, maybe a sample rate issue?
have you tried recording with a different set-up?

Paul.........

[gasbag]

sheraton, on 17 August 2012 - 10:22 AM, said:

How'do Gasbag,

guitar sounds great, and played well

the edited mp3 is gone, so i listened to the first one, i heard a wee something from 0.25 to 0.28, but it doesn't sound like a playing issue, it sounds more like a digital recording glitch, the sound seems to modulate a wee bit like chorus or vibrato effect, maybe a sample rate issue?
have you tried recording with a different set-up?

Paul.........

That is exactly where it is. Oh thank goodness someone else heard it. I am not crazy after all....well, maybe.

I also figured it out, finally. It is sloppy fingering. Those eight notes in that one measure are a bit awkward for me and I am lifting my fingers a bit when moving to the next note which creates that sound---almost like when you do a pull-off. As that short phrase works down the scale that sound goes with it. Practice practice practice I guess.
I knew it wasn't an echo or an artifact because I hear the same darn thing playing any of my guitars without recording.

Thanks for the responses foks, I appreciate it. Little things like this bug the heck out of me so I figured it was an excellent opportunity to irritate others with my problem...........

[sheraton]

Hey Gasbag,
that section doesn't sound bad, or like sloppy playing, but i understand wee things like this can be frustrating....lol......we are our own worst critics (which is good for progression)
i remember hearing somewhere that Gilmour played this, but wasn't happy with it - so they had a classical guitarist play on the recording. i'm not sure if that's true or not, but it gives us all hope if it is.....lol

you could try playing that section in a different position and change the fingering to suit your playing style

i'm not sure this is the correct notes, but here's where i would play that section (according to my ears)
not sure how to write tab in text, so i wrote it down and took a photo........if it's helpful

 2012-08-19 15.00.12.jpg   443.79K   0 downloads

also i hear 9 notes in that section with a slide up to the first note, but don't take that to be correct....it's just how i hear it


Paul..........

[gasbag]

Hi Sheraton,

Thanks again for the response.
Here are the notes----------------------- http://i744.photobuc...ing/Capture.jpg---------------------It is standard tuning.
For some reason they are just awkward for me but then again I haven't been playing that long either.
I tune down one full step and then capo the 2nd fret. It makes it easier on old fingers.

I have been messing about with changing that measure with somewhat ok results.
I will also try your suggestion of changing positions. I am really not aware that I actually have a playing style
unless "stumbling through songs the best I can" can be considered a playing style.

As for Gilmour...........I first heard him in college and I was amazed. His talent and style of playing has had me
hooked for over 40 years.

Thanks for the help. I wasn't intending on making such a fuss about it but a little thing like this is like having a
sliver in your finger you can't get out. Drives me nuts. Or nutser............

[mset3]

Gasbag,

I would change the first E note from the open E string and play it on the second string fifth fret and walk it down to the nut from there. I played it using my third and second (a, m) fingers until I got to the C and changed to my index (i) finger. You don't have to jump over the B string if you don't play the E as an open string. Just my thoughts.

Mike

[gasbag]

Mike,

Ok, quit showing off...................
That works quite nicely thank you. No noise either.

But this is why I ask these questions even though they spotlight my lack of experience.
My knowledge is a bit limited and I don't see these solutions. Now that I have seen it I feel like an idiot for not figuring it out.

Thank you sir and don't go too far. I have a 500 gig hard drive full of questions just waiting to be answered.....

Question #1. What is life?

[carol m]

A bowl of cherries.

Next?

[carol m]

Now that you say it's at 0.28 I hear it too, between the second to last and the last note of that downward run - a sort of grrrr.... or maybe it's a whrrrr? but it sounds like recording audio distortion that I can get...quite often. I must admit, i would call this normal for me.

It's very different to the much more unpleasant ieieien distortion you can get on higher notes.

[mset3]

Gasbag,

I don't know if I can answer all of your questions, but I will jump in where I can.

Life is good! Have a great day!


Mike

[sheraton]

lol..........think i need my ears checked, i'm an octave above, and a semi-tone (or two) out here and there
glad you got it sounding better Gasbag.......i'd say maybe add a C before the first E on that section (g string 5th fret) i still hear nine notes in my head, but again don't take that to be right...lol

i might actually go and listen to this song and try to learn it myself, it is a nice wee piece of music


Paul...........

[sheraton]

gasbag, on 19 August 2012 - 06:46 PM, said:

I have a 500 gig hard drive full of questions just waiting to be answered.....

Question #1. What is life?

the road to hell - or heaven for the optimists.....lol





"Joe DiBlasi" played the guitar part for the recording of this song

[gasbag]

carol m, on 20 August 2012 - 01:22 AM, said:

A bowl of cherries.

Next?

That's weird. I thought Life was a breakfast cereal.