Picking noise is loud on Dream

[joechip123]

When I use clean tones on this pedal with my strat, the picking noise (the thump of the pick plucking the string) is really loud. I've never noticed this recording with real amps and I'm not a particularly heavy picker, so this is a bit perplexing. Does anyone else have this issue? I've tried using different picks and playing as lightly as possible, neither of which has made a big difference. Any ideas of how to adjust the pedal to reduce this?

Thanks!

 

[LesBrown]

I've tried using different picks and playing as lightly as possible, neither of which has made a big difference.

Maybe turn down the guitar?

 

[klasaine]

Do you have a compressor somewhere in your signal chain? Pedalboard, daw, console - ?
What are your settings on the Dream (including speaker model and boost)?

 

[joechip123]

Thanks both of you for your replies!

I tried turning down my guitar, as well as every combination of speaker and boost setting. Some of the combos make the picking noise more focused in the the mids-highs, some in the low mids, but it's still there in every setting. It does seem to reduce if I boost the volume once it starts distorting, but I want a clean tone, so that doesn't really help.

I did manage to tame it a fair bit by using two compressors at the same time (a JHS Orange Crush and a MXR Studio Compressor). While I like this tone, it is annoying that I have to sacrifice so much dynamic range to get rid of the thumps.

 

[Eric Dahlberg]

A real Deluxe Reverb compresses. Turn up the Volume control to the point where it's compressing and not yet distorting.