Recording with a metronome, and without

D

dumbass

New member
First of all, recording to a metronome and playing along with one is awful. Is it possible to record without one if you don't have a drummer or drum-track around? Either way when recording, how do you not get the clicking to not show up on your recording? When I use my headphones for the click track you can hear it perfectly on the recording with the music, would recording another take with the recorded version in my headphones be the easiest way to record without hearing it? Even still the new recorded track might pick up on the more faint(but still audible) click-track that I have in my headphones. I record to my zoom h4n and use the SD card with my USB cable, so I can't just choose to remove the click-track with my editing software.

Suggestions?
 
Closed-back headphones.
Not familiar with the zoom, but can't you put the click track on one track, then listen back to that while recording on a new track?
 
If you are going to record with a metronome (and you should to get the timing perfect) you are going to need a better pair of headphones. That isn't going to be cheap, but it is necessary.
 
aaronaycox said:
If you are going to record with a metronome (and you should to get the timing perfect) you are going to need a better pair of headphones. That isn't going to be cheap, but it is necessary.
Click to expand...

Not necessarily true. Drummers favorites in my studio, are $20 Sony MDR V-150's. Loud as hell, but I never have issues with click bleed. They fit very tight, and basically disposable for the price. And trust me, drummers like to break stuff...
 
I have my drummer use a pair of the classic Koss Pro 4AA headphones.
They are not "isolation" headphones....but they are closed, they sound really good, are not harsh-n-nasty (like I've found some of the Sony models to be), and they stay on tight...a bit on the heavy side, but they won't flop around if you move around. You can lean down to the floor to pick up something, and they don't shift position or fall off.

AFA the Click bleeding....maybe you just have it up real loud.....
 
sixer2007 said:
Earbuds and construction workers' earmuffs! Tracking on a budget :thumbs up:
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Been there, done that. Actually works pretty well. :)

Before I had a separate drum room, I would track drums in the control room, and use that setup to work with mic placement in the same room.
 
jimmys69 said:
Been there, done that. Actually works pretty well. :)

Before I had a separate drum room, I would track drums in the control room, and use that setup to work with mic placement in the same room.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it works well for mic placement for sure. One bother I have with it though is that when using this technique for micing a guitar amp, I always seem to make it too dark sounding. Idk if it's the particular buds I use (usually skull candy because they have good isolation alone) or what..
But on the other hand, it works like a charm for checking phase between too mics on an amp.
 
dumbass said:
First of all, recording to a metronome and playing along with one is awful.
Click to expand...
In what way ? A metronome is only a timing reference. You can double time, half time, skip around, anything you like.
dumbass said:
Is it possible to record without one if you don't have a drummer or drum-track around?
Click to expand...
It is most definitely possible. I used to do it for 20 years. But it is problematic if you are taking other people into account. You might have solid timing but it will still be your timing with little flaws and fluctuations because we are like cassette players ~ we never go exactly the same speed twice. A micro second is still a micro second and many micro seconds make a hard days night......
It can be done but whoever is overdubbing will have to know the piece intimately and recall every nuance. So much easier to use a metronome/click.
There's also no guarantee of course that the presence of one guarantees good timing.
dumbass said:
when recording, how do you not get the clicking to not show up on your recording?
Click to expand...
Don't have the volume up so loud and be judicious where you actually place the mic in relation to your ears.
What are you recording ?
 
I agree with the couple of people who questioned why recording with a metronome is awful. It may be weird for a while. But with practice, it gets easier to do. Keeping a consistent time can save headaches. In a home recording situation where recordings can be nothing but a series of overdubs, it can really help.
 
I am recording an all acoustic album.

Is there a metronome that can accommodate different time signatures, other than the basic 4's? Maybe there's one on the net somewhere but I haven't looked. The ones that I've owned only had 4/4, 3/4 and so on, is there a universal metronome or something like that?
 
dumbass said:
I am recording an all acoustic album.

Is there a metronome that can accommodate different time signatures, other than the basic 4's? Maybe there's one on the net somewhere but I haven't looked. The ones that I've owned only had 4/4, 3/4 and so on, is there a universal metronome or something like that?
Click to expand...

My acoustic clients like when I use a kick drum sample over a click track. Try it. It doesn't seem to bleed as much.
 
dumbass said:
I am recording an all acoustic album.

Is there a metronome that can accommodate different time signatures, other than the basic 4's? Maybe there's one on the net somewhere but I haven't looked. The ones that I've owned only had 4/4, 3/4 and so on, is there a universal metronome or something like that?
Click to expand...

Cakewalk Sonar does that. But I"ve never used it myself, so I can't say how well it does it. I'd google Reaper and see if it does it. You might also be able to find some free loops that do it.
 
dumbass said:
Is there a metronome that can accommodate different time signatures, other than the basic 4's? Maybe there's one on the net somewhere but I haven't looked. The ones that I've owned only had 4/4, 3/4 and so on, is there a universal metronome or something like that?
Click to expand...
In Cubase, you can set lots of different time signatures ~ if they exist. I try ridiculous ones for fun, like 19/7 just to see what they sound like. The metronome corrects it to the nearest existing one.
On one song I did, I wanted to have this esoteric Indianesque section so I set the metronome at something like 17/8 or whatever it was and it was so weird catching the accents. But eventually, I was able to work out the beginnings and endings. What I did was record a 5 minute stretch of the metronome on one track and I played tablas to it. Then I played a different percussive figure {not listening to the tablas, just the click} on something else. I did this 4 times so I had 4 different percussion tracks all playing to this unusual time signature. The random points of meeting created this beautiful swirling pattern and it all fitted. Then taking the initial tablas, I was able to come up with a melody on sitar, a harmony on dilruba and a tampura drone. I thought it sounded pretty neat. By the time I'd finished, it didn't sound like a weird time signature anymore !

If you go here, scroll to the 6th plug in {called "Tempo tap"}. Apparently, it's a click with a few good reports.
I've never used it so if it's rubbish, you never heard this from me.......
 
I use EZDrummer rather than a metronome, only because it is so easy to use (in Reaper).
I pick a simple drum pattern that can be used throughout the song (only as a reference).
Put it in the MIDI EZD track (I use templates ready to go when starting a new song project), and stretch to the song length.
Record a scratch guitar track (usually acoustic, sometimes piano) to this.
Then I go back and decide if the tempo needs to be increased or decreased at any point of the song, i.e. speed up the chorus, slow down the intro, etc. Go into Reaper, change the tempo at those locations (putting markers in the song helps!)
Re-record the scratch track with the tempo changes.
Repeat as necessary.
I'll even do this for an acoustic song that will have no drum track as nice tight timing helps a song rather than timing which goes all over the place (IMO).
 
dumbass said:
Is there a metronome that can accommodate different time signatures, other than the basic 4's? Maybe there's one on the net somewhere but I haven't looked. The ones that I've owned only had 4/4, 3/4 and so on, is there a universal metronome or something like that?
Click to expand...

It's a metronome.....it sets tempo, not time signature.
It's up to you to decide how you want to count it....as 2/4, 4/4, 3/4....and so on. :)

Now, you CAN use a drum-based click that has an alternating accent sound on the up-beat, but the tempo is still the same as it would be with a plain-old metronome that just goes click-click-click....

I like to use a higher pitched woodblock sound that I've had for many years, and it cuts through even at very low volumes...and I don't care for having an accent on the up-beat or wherever...I just like the plain click-click-click, and then I'll just count according to the time signature I am using.
 
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