Click tracks

T

ThePhoenix

New member
this is probably the dumbest quesiton ever. A click track is just having someone play to the metrenome, rright? for example, in cakewalk when i "record using the metrenome" thats what a click track is, right?

what is the best order to record in? lately i have been doing drums, then guitar. then bass and vocals. is that wrong?

sometimes i have trouble playing with a metreome when recording. no matter how on beat i sound there is always a bit of silence there in between clips, sometimes i think it's cakewalk not me, but it probably is my fault. if i use drums i'm usually okay.
 
I usually do the drum machine, scratch guitar, bass, real guitars, vocals.

If your rhythm is good don't worry 'bout the click. Unless you want to move and copy-n-paste parts of the song to different sections. Then it's important to be consistent.
 
A lot of the problem people have with playing to a "click" is that the mind interprets rhythm and tempo based on a lot of things not just a repetitive rigid click. A click, especially one without accents is often times very difficult to follow because your mind is used to listening to "steady" rhythm of instruments that accent certain notes differently, play in smaller than quarter note increments, and have a "groove." If you have the means, make a scratch MIDI drum track, real simple but still capturing the groove of the music. This will be MUCH easier to follow.

The order you listed is pretty popular, don't be afraid to record throw away "stratch" tracks alone the way to make other parts easier to play.
 
drummers talk about "playing to the click"

some hate it and others just see it as part of the process and dont mind if theyre asked to do it

if you program drums and record them first then you dont need to consider it at all
 
sometimes if the drummer im recording just cant nail the click track after numerous tries, ill have the guitarist go direct and record his track to the click..then the drummer will play back to the scratch guitar track through some headphones.
 
ThePhoenix said:
sometimes i have trouble playing with a metreome when recording. no matter how on beat i sound there is always a bit of silence there in between clips, sometimes i think it's cakewalk not me, but it probably is my fault. if i use drums i'm usually okay.
Click to expand...
That is most likely a latency problem. It takes time for the computer to play the click, it travels to the headphones, you play to it, the drum sounds travel through the mics and back into the computer. If you are steady with the click, you can just take your drum tracks and slide them so they line up with the grid. If you are not steady, practice some more, you will get it.
 
Playing to a click track is indeed playing to a metronome or some pre established "beat" - the click in Cakewalk does serve that purpose.

While many musicians have trouble playing "to a click" the key to learn how to do this is to learn how to play "with the click" vs. "to the click". Don't be a slave and feel every hit has to be on the click. Think of it as a guideline to work around rather then a mandate to follow.

However, if you fell you are playing on the beat and there is some type of delay on playback, then I agree it may be a latency issue. Whichcan possibly be adjusted by parameters in your system. In thoery the latency will be consistant, so if the drums are off by x amount, each track you record against the click with have the same feel.

I prefer to record a rhythem instrument such as a rhythem guitar or keybaord pads (whatever is the primary rhythem part) "with" the click first and then play the drums with the clcik & that rhythem part.
 
I find the best way to play "to the click" or "with the click" is to try not and listen to it. And if you can't hear it, then you know your on beat. But if you can hear it, then your likely playing off time.

...But don't ignore it completely :D
 
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