To click-track or not to click-track..

Click track or no click track?

  • Yes, keep it locked on the beat please!

    Votes: 100 73.5%

  • No, use your own time to create live energy!

    Votes: 36 26.5%
  • Total voters
    136
technominds

technominds

New member
THAT is the question.

I have recently been recording a band where one of the artists insists that a click track is not the way to go. Of course, every producer and engineer will usually disagree as we all know that you cannot find a metronomic drummer.

So, here is the poll:

Do you use a click track, yes/no and explain why below!
 
technominds said:
THAT is the question.

I have recently been recording a band where one of the artists insists that a click track is not the way to go. Of course, every producer and engineer will usually disagree as we all know that you cannot find a metronomic drummer.

So, here is the poll:

Do you use a click track, yes/no and explain why below!
Click to expand...

Well, IMO, using a click is always the way to go. A good drummer will still groove around the click. But, if you're not such a good drummer playing to a click, I recommend using a drum machine playing a very simple beat as apposed to an actual click. It is much much much easier to keep time and groove around a beat than a straight click.
 
It's up to the artist to make that decision and accept the results. More importantly, it depends on the music. It's not the engineer's call to make. The engineer's job is to explain the pros and cons so the artist can make an informed choice.
 
It's not the engineer's call to make. The engineer's job is to explain the pros and cons so the artist can make an informed choice.
Click to expand...

it is also his job to tell said artist i wont be editing and time adjusting everypart of your "song" that you got off the beat from for free and lots of edits along those lines make the music even more machine like
 
Well there are times to use one and times not to.

Some drummers are excellent at keeping tempo, and a click track will just be
off-putting.

Some bands may play music that needs a little leeway so the tempo can ebb and flow a little.
 
A good drummer can play to a click w/o it sounding stale or sanitized.

I'm actually not using a click much lately. I'm in a drum/guitar duo, and my guitarist makes significant use of the JamMan looping pedal... that's our click.
 
I think there definitely needs to be at least one other option.

" Depends on the song "

and another common option on this board would be something like, " whats a metronome? "


For me, it totally depends on the song. If it's a rock song with no tempo changes ... a straight rock song, might as well use a click. Makes edits easier and can even quantize to beats for drums to make the drummer tighter. There's benefits to recording with and recording without ...

But you would never tell a small ensemble to record to a click track ... they do thinks like accelerando's and decelerando's (sp?) where they speed up and slow down. That would indeed take away a big part of musicality from their compositions.

The drummer who says " playing to a click track makes the drums lose all their feeling," is lying whether he knows it or not. You can play a rhythm loose and still be with a metronome. What they're really trying to say is, " I dont know how to play to a click track. " This isn't saying theyre a bad drummer by any means but it usually is saying that they never learned to play to a robotic pulse.

To click track or not to click track? It's a question I will ask myself for each song, not for the rest of my recording career.:)

Eric
 
"What they're really trying to say is, " I dont know how to play to a click track. " This isn't saying theyre a bad drummer by any means but it usually is saying that they never learned to play to a robotic pulse."

i disagree a drummer who can't play to a click is a bad drummer. you can be a drummer who prefers to not play to a click, but every good drummer should be able to play with a click.
 
Well - I completely disagree that a song has to be at a 100% consistent tempo. Subtle changes in tempo can add an extra dynamic to certain compositions. Danny Carey didn't use a click on Tool's last album for this very reason.
 
You can map out the click so that it changes tempo (even if it is only slightly) for each different part. The difference is whether you are doing it on purpose or on accident.

As far as the click goes, it depends on the band. Some guys can play to a click and some can't. Forcing people who aren't used to playing to a click to do so will only waste time and wil never feel right. The studio is no place to learn how to play your song to a metronome.

I happen to think that anything can and possibly should be played to a metronome. If the tempo needs to ebb and flow, set up the click to do that.

But the band has to do their homework and learn how to play to a click, otherwise there is no point.
 
I agree that it depends....

Certain genres will benefit, while others wont.

I will say that unless you are doing a live band session a click track for the drums almost always helps.

Solid drums usually produce excellent results. IMO all other instruments have more liberty.
 
it tightened up my playing, and found usually latter in the song I was slowing down a lot!

another poster did some drum tracks and it was a real noticeable difference.

just playing with yourself to get a idea down is one thing....

having a tight rythm for all the other tracks to lock on to is another brother.
 
For me...click.

But it's just easier for me. Click...scratch guitar then drums and bass. Helps me to keep my shit together. :D


But I've tracked my bro without, and he's got a nice easy sway to his stuff that just takes you with him. Very cool.

So I guess...either way is good as long as the end product is good.

Besides....Beethoven used a click.
:D
 
I do a lot of midi instruments mixed with live instruments. Its difficult to keep the two together without some form of tempo reference. However, I use something more musical than a standard click. I usually produce a midi track of piano, or guitar to use as a tempo reference. Then, all the other instruments are recorded in tempo with the reference track.
 
AudioGeekOnline said:
Well - I completely disagree that a song has to be at a 100% consistent tempo. Subtle changes in tempo can add an extra dynamic to certain compositions. Danny Carey didn't use a click on Tool's last album for this very reason.
Click to expand...

Then apparently Danny Carey doesn't know that you can create tempo maps that have tempo changes in them, which is kinda hard to beleive considering he's spent more than his fair share of time in studios! Using a click track does NOT mean confining yourself to a simple strict constant tempo for the entire song.. A mechanical metronome, yes. Any modern DAW, no.

I didn't use clicks until recently, now I can't imagine how I ever lived without em.. Quantizing midi and copy/pasting perfect length bars and measures sure makes mixing a helluva lot easier.
 
I'm well aware of tempo maps and how to use them - but in using them you are still applying a rigid frame within which a drummer must stay, instead of allowing him to judge those changes as he is playing.
Allowing a drummer to control the tempo, and using a tempo map are nowhere near the same thing.
As I mentioned in my first post there is a time to use a click, which happens to be most of the time, but I maintain that there are a few instances when it should be avoided like the plague..
 
AudioGeekOnline said:
there is a time to use a click, which happens to be most of the time, but I maintain that there are a few instances when it should be avoided like the plague.
Click to expand...
I don't understand what the big debate - or this thread - is all about. It's as simple as:

If you don't have a musician who can keep proper time to set the foundation for the song, use a click track - even if the drummer does not like it. Otherwise, use the musician.

G.
 
I've never worked with a good drummer who had issues with playing to a click track. I find the biggest benefits to be in the editting arena and in using time based effects.

The musicians I've worked with who deplored playing to a click have had horrible meter issues. I always considered their position was just to defend their limitations as musicians.

I can see cases where tempo changes are not handled well with a click track and should be led by a drummer, but IMO, that's the exceptional case.

Call me judgemental.
 
In my opinion the only way to get a real professional sound is to record to a click. There are rare moments that depend on the material being recorded that can sound great without a click giving the sound a real raw/live feel.

But again if you're going to be putting any type of midi to a song, it's a million times easier if the other instruments are recorded in sync with a click.....

I play with two specific drummers, one is all about using a click and one is not. But the two are both incredible drummers. I can rely on both of them to produce great tracks...
 
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