bass guitar noise when recording

[The Keeper]

I play keys and guitar, and now bass, I recorded live bass on the album i just finished, it sounds better than midi. However, when I listen to the bass on it's own in the recording, i seem to have a lot of buzzing, fret noise and clicks. is this normal, and needs to be gated, or do i need to practice more(heaven forbid)

[willi001]

Could be the action of the Bass is too low..Are you downtuned? This could cause a buzzing sound if the strings are too loose..Does the bass have active or passive pick ups? A low battery on active pick ups could create some noise...Even sitting near a flourescent light while playing can create humming or buzzing. Active pick ups are way more sensitive and will catch the pick hitting them on a recording....Just some things I could think of..

[axeman]

You could try running the bass guitar through a compressor unit, (your amp may have one built in). Then, if you happen to pluck a string too hard, which can cause an ugly click/twang on the recording, the compressor will catch it and smooth out the sound. This will also help boost quiet parts of the recording, when you didn't pluck the string with enough power.

[The Keeper]

all good advice, and i think i've got the problem, i'm not using an amp, just straight into the computer. this probably doesn't help, eh, might have to hire an amp!

[arschgeige]

yeah amp would be good :-)

[The Keeper]

damn expensive business setting up a totally self contained studio!

[willi001]

It can be expensive yes...We have a computer that is only used in the studio. All we use it for is recording.Then all the peripheral gear..It can cost loads of megabucks:)

[SeamyD]

Dude sometimes noise is good think Steve Harris or Cliff Burton. It could be an impedance problem, fix it with a di or some sort of pre amp. If it sits well in the mix don't worry about it nobody will notice.

Cheers

Seamy

[Bruce Bedwell]

If the buzzing is fret related then the bass might need to be set up or adjusted, or you might need to pay more attention to how you're playing. If it's electronic noise, be sure you're not getting interference from computer monitors or the like.
Also it's a good idea to use some sort of DI if you're plugging straight into a computer or a mixer for that matter. Impedance matching is important especially if the bass is not active.

[theARTiSAN]

That's such a pain in the ass Merlin...
I get that on occasion too.
I run thru a Tubeworks unit because I like a touch of Tube sound - but we all know what tube generates....
'Positioning' usually does the trick for me - I've got decent length cables (now), and I try to space everything away from everything else. If I'm too close to my PC, my Rack, my monitor, my guitar, my children or anyone with a strong Slavic accent, I get buzzing and garbage.

I try to keep all my levels on my equipment at an even level too - I try to keep my Boss rack and Soundcard at a middle level, and eek up or down with my mixer.
Flourescent lights, monitors and being to close to other field-producing objects will often give crummy sound.
Sounds like you need something to curb up the input level a little bit... You might try a small mixing board before you get an amp.
The more electronics and or wattage you add, the more of a chance you could end up maing the problem worse.

Alternating current is another problem on occasion. 120v (here anyway) is never exactly 120V at any given time... Sometimes it's high, sometimes it's low... This contributes a lot of times to those "bad equipment days" we seem to have.
There are voltage regulators and polarity plugs you can get to even out the current, and get rid of bad polarity that can cause buzz and hum. Having voltage regulated to a constant will give you a constant sound.

[maxcatto]

I like bass players when make noise! :-)
think noise a kind of "human" sign... and don't cut it completely, use an EQ to quiet it.

Max

[The Keeper]

thnx Art. maxcatto, never thought of it like that.

[yuks]

Hei wat about buzzing sound while playing?? I've tried my bass on many amps, they have the same problem!! It's some kind like static sound... Something electronice and i dunno wat's that about! Is it that my guitar's got problem?

[jay_omega]

The buzzing might be noise generated from sitting too close to the computer monitor. Try moving away from the monitor.

[Lam0r]

that could probably be your guitar pick hitting the string, which causes a noise, I tried record a song on a comp mic (lol) and Cool Edit Pro. IT doesnt work well.