Irritating pops & cracks in guitar recordings

[stephenb88]

Hi!
Recently I've been getting the problem of really annoying pops and cracks whenever I record guitar tracks. I don't why this has started as it never used to occur.

It doesn't affect microphone recordings - just whenever I have my guitar plugged into my Emu0202.

I've tried to record without any plugins active, and even without the input monitor, but the cracks are still present in the recordings.

For an example of what it sounds like, here is a short audio file (24 secs/291kb) - http://www.sendspace.com/file/4mndeq

Does anyone know how I might be able to help get rid of these?

(I'm using Sony Acid Pro 7)

[Arpatle]

To be honest, I liked those clicks with the effects you used, especially if they were on time.

To answer your question, the clicks are caused by a too small buffer size probably. The buffer size has a direct relation with the latency. Also make sure that you've chosen the best suitable driver. If there is a dedicated ASIO driver for your soundcard, use that one.

[sabianq]

hi there!
welcome to audioforums.com

you have discovered the gremlin.
you pops and crackles are most likely coming from shorts in the connector on your guitar or from your cable. your amp sort of disregards these because of the way it is grounded, you can tell if it is indeed the source by moving the plug around and see if it is causing the issue.

a fix would be (and Bops should chime in here because he is the guitar guru) to either replace the connector or re solder it and tighten up the connector nut or to try a different cable.

on a side note,
you should at the very least be running your guitar through a DI box then into your Emu0202. this will balance and clean up the signal from the guitar.

but the absolutely best way to record your guitar is to put a microphone in front of your amp. this will keep the guitar out of the loop and give you the best sound.

hope this helps
cheers!

[nautama]

I heard the file and yes, definitely those are coming from your guitar, as SabianQ said, a faulty guitar plug is the principal suspect, you can tell it for sure because the pops have delay into them, which wouldn´t occur if the hard drive buffer was the criminal.

[nautama]

My guitar had that problem for a long time, hehe, usually I would simply run the cable through the side and atach it inside the strap loop, that way the weight of the cable doesn't fall directly into the plug and the clicks and pops get diminished, and it helps from accidentally stepping onto the cable and tearing it out in the middle of a performance.