removing fret "click" on bass

[jpgetty2win]

hi
i recorded a bass line that im very pleased with but at a few areas there is an obvious "click" from the frets.... any ideas how to remove these without messing up the top end of the bass line with eq..?

 

[owendolmer]

hi
i recorded a bass line that im very pleased with but at a few areas there is an obvious "click" from the frets.... any ideas how to remove these without messing up the top end of the bass line with eq..?

Do another take! You can't completely eliminate fret sounds but you can reduce em. Switch to the neck pickup or turn down the bridge levels as much as you can. Also reduce the ammount of compression you're using and try using a tube amp. In my experience, all these things should help.
Good Luck!

 

[jpgetty2win]

used a de esser set at the predominant fret noise frequency

 

[LevLove]

Depending on the module your using, try lowering the velocity on the notes that have fret click. Some plugins/modules, the higher the velocity, it simulates the "plucking" of strings real hard, which creates the clicking strings against the frets. Like i said, it may or may not work for u.
LevLove

 

[FenixOZ]

the click is a high frequency, so just use a low pass filter to reduce the amount of high frequencies in your sound, this will help keep your overall mix tidy as well, as it will reduce a few other harmonics higher in the range that your bass creates, leaving more space for other sounds that want to use this area.

 

[MadTiger3000]

Redo it, and mind your technique. Not ****ting on the other replies, but you don't want to kill the highs, and remove the character from the sound.

 

[FenixOZ]

Redo it, and mind your technique. Not ****ting on the other replies, but you don't want to kill the highs, and remove the character from the sound.

you wouldnt kill them, just reduce them a bit.

if you want to be more specifiic you could use a parametric, highlight the click by boosting it with a low Q factor, to find it, then reduce it and widen your Q factor a tad to add subtlety.

me personally, i love a twangy bass. but id still be very selective on what high frequencies id allow through when other instruments are playing, but id automate a filter out when its more prominent.

 

[sleepy]

A de-esser might be the only thing that could help without killing the high end. Of course, as suggested, re-tracking is always better when possible.

 

[Astar]

Depending on the module your using, try lowering the velocity on the notes that have fret click. Some plugins/modules, the higher the velocity, it simulates the "plucking" of strings real hard, which creates the clicking strings against the frets. Like i said, it may or may not work for u.
LevLove

I don't think this solution would apply in this case, as it seems he's recorded a live bass.

What the others said seemed like some good places to start, but also try this (I read it in a Recording mag issue, the article was called "Editing audio"):

View the waveform. Zoom into the troublesome area. Zoom real close. Locate the click. Make a cut at the zero-crossing point and cut out the cilck but make sure you're cut also ends at the zero-crossing point. Then you can either drag it into place (but that may cause issues with timing) OR copy and paste audio from another point in the wavefile that is clean.

If you try this, remember to save the original...
what do others think of this technique?

 

[sleepy]

It's not those type of clicks. Drawing in the waveform would cause more problems than solve.