Hey everyone! It's been a short while since I was around here, and I've been trying to jog my creativity. So naturally, I went and got They Might Be Giants' latest album and listened through tons o' times. But now I really need to learn-

How can I get an electric guitar track clean? like, what does one do to get stuff sounding uniform and uptight, especially when dealing with lots of rests? 

Thanks!

Can you elaborate a bit more? Do you mean clean as in a "non-polluted" recording, or are you looking for a clean tone (as opposed to distorted)?

Oh, I guess I was quite ambiguous. I'm looking to get it to where pretty much every note lands exactly on the beat perfectly, and then cuts off exactly where it should. Would that just be tons of manual work?

I'm curious as well, Dave.
I'm guessing you are hitting a fairly specific problem.
More often than not, proper technique and methods will take care of it.
Give us as much info as you can, even if it seems vague.
We need a better understanding of the question.

davdud101


I'm looking to get it to where pretty much every note lands exactly on the beat perfectly, and then cuts off exactly where it should. Would that just be tons of manual work?

Well, to an extent, yes. It's a matter of practice, getting in the zone, and feeling the groove.
I can tell when I'm not in the pocket, but when I am, it just feels right.
Sometimes it is hard to describe.
Take, for example, the Grateful Dead(maybe not your cup of tea). They were notorious for what seemed to be very loose, fluid rhythms.
But they were able to pull it off because they were really incredibly tight.
Are you playing a guitar?

Hi again-

I listened to some iTunes samples of They Might be Giants. The main thing as Robert pointed out is technique. Getting good control of string muting with both hands is very important. We have to do it all of the time in all genres of music. That said, not every take is perfect no matter who the player is. There are techniques to clean up your tracks. 

There are lots of videos on using Audio Snap to accomplish this. I haven't personally tried it on guitar, but I have seen it done on YouTube. Just search the forum of YouTube directly. There are a couple of really good vids on Audio Snap.

Another thing you can do is slip edit the beginning and end of any clip. You can cut a take into clips around the notes and shorten them pretty easily. Make sure that you fade them off, so that they don't end too abruptly. You can also slide them left or right manually to adjust timing.

Make sure that you don't make any of them too perfect, or it will end up sounding fake. That's one reason why getting good muting technique will inevitably sound better in the end.

Hope this helps a bit.

Playing well would be the first..... this will involve many hours of practice. 

Using audio snap and other means to manipulate audio is too time consuming to try to fix a poorly recorded track. 

Generally, if you are trying to manipulate start... duration and ending of a note..... it's one hard job you got ahead of you, even with the best of software. Much easier to play it right or have it played right from the start. 

If your skill level is still months or years away from recording a "clean" track.... ask for help. There is a whole bunch of really talented guitar players hanging out here looking for something to do. 

Hi Herb-

How did you know I was looking out the window wondering what to do with myself today?  

I see! I am certainly time and time away from learning much guitar.... I'm not great, I'm more of a keyboardist and trombonist. I think the reason I don't know MUCH is because I have yet to put guitar to any practical use outside of my studio.

In any case, I'll be sure to get in contact with you guys!!

Dave...see, you have keys and bone skills..... swap them for some guitar chops.... 

post your concepts (rough drafts) up in the songs forum and ask for pickers to jump in.....  you never know who will join the fun. As people hear your skills on the 2 instruments you play, you will likely get invites to collab on other stuff.