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Originally Posted by Lou Judson I'm not a guitar player, I'm a recording engineer. I feel squeaks from a guitar a symptom of poor playing, as it always distracts me from the music itself - like sqealing tires is evidence of bad driving. (...or a dramatic special effect!). Just because people gte used to it doesn't mean it is supposed to be there...
DSser or editing or auromation can all fix it, but it reminds me of an email sig line:
"Can you fix that in Protools?"
"Sure, if you can't play it right..."
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Squeaks are part of playing a guitar. If you want to take all human/natural elements out of a performance so that it matches the current trend of manufactured/soul-less sounding recordings on the radio, then go ahead. But it's not natural. Especially on quiet music is when I find it crucial to have those human elements there to create an intimate sound with some character and emotional weight.
From a technical side, there are of course things that can add more string squeak. New strings, for one, definitely create more noise than old ones (and many people tend to put new strings on right before going into the studio, which has both plus and minuses). Over compression is another. And obviously, poorly placed EQ can increase the effect.
I feel the tire analogy is off. String noise is a lot closer to breaths on a vocal track, or tom or snare ring on a drum kit. It is something that happens naturally with the best players. Are these things that engineers have tried to "fix" for decades? Sure. I just like the way it sounds better with them there, and I know I am not alone. Some of my favorite records indicate to me that there are other engineers out there that don't mind audible breaths from a vocalist, ring from a drum set and string noise from even some of the best musicians.
It's two different opinions, but just because you can remove it, doesn't mean you should.
-Jp