drummers preferred type ofclick track?

midge

New member
Hi

Just wondering what type of click track drummers prefer to use live when they are playing along with sequences?

- what sounds (hi-hat, beeps, sticks...)
- how long an intro
- what accents make it easier to play

Thanks!

Midge
 
I've always set my click tracks up as a closed hihat sound, accent on the first beat in the bar. I also take time with tempo changes to make sure they are actually how I play them. Next time I'm going to try a beep sound, because unless you have the headphones up pretty high the click can blend in with the actual hihat.
 
Generally... loud and deafening. Something like metal on metal, "DINK!". Drummers don't like to have hearing after the intro is up.
 
Is a click track anything more than a metronome? How about a simple "boom! smack!" (Bass, snare)? Maybe some cymbal crashes to mark out verses or cycles?

I'm planning on laying down scratch and click tracks in Cakewalk, transfering them to 8-track cassette tape, tracking my drummer at his place, then dumping those tracks back into my PC.

The click track I was working on includes bass drum, snare, toms and cymbals. The rhythym pattern is simple but I want to make sure my drummer knows where he is in the song.
 
I prefer a sound that is different than anything in my kit. I like to use wooden claves or a tone block or something unique enough to not get lost among the noise.

If I have a song where it is tough to stay with the click track, then I ask the engineer to double or quadruple the tempo. I find it easier to stay with it if it is double time. It produces better results than just “turning it up”.
 
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