Click track, What do you use.

[timboZ]

What H/W or S/W do you use for your click track?
Do you use just a click or drum samples?
Do you use the came click for the whole song or do you use different clicks for the different parts of the song?

 

[danny.guitar]

I hate click tracks. Takes my attention off the performance and makes me constantly think of trying to play on time.

I've used one a few times, though. I would usually make a basic 4/4 beat in EZDrummer so at least it would sound realistic. I guess I'm one of those that can't play to a metronome...

 

[rory]

I use a few different things. If they're good musicians, I patch Digital Performer's metronome through their headphone mix. Sometimes I have the accent on, sometimes off. If they need a little help, I'll patch in a keyboard with a simple drum beat to make it less "metronomy". If that doesn't work, I say fuck it and just let them go all over the place (and tell them to fuck off when they want heavy edits)

 

[MadAudio]

I made a custom click track with Acid Pro and my Alesis SR-16. Cowbell on quarter notes, shaker on eighths. If I'm using Acid for the recording, I simply change the tempo to whatever I need. If I'm using Vegas, I set it to the desired tempo, render it as a new file and loop it within Vegas.

 

[HangDawg]

If that doesn't work, I say fuck it and just let them go all over the place (and tell them to fuck off when they want heavy edits)

Ahmen to that.

 

[jdier]

What H/W or S/W do you use for your click track?
Do you use just a click or drum samples?
Do you use the came click for the whole song or do you use different clicks for the different parts of the song?

I use a woodblock patch on a midi track hitting on quarter notes. Cowbell was too distracting to me.

 

[gcapel]

If the click is for a guitar player a simple click usuall seems to work. I do like a simple kick for this.

If its a drummer, most of the time i find you have to make the click similar to what he is doing on the drums. Otherwise it can get confusing. Depending on the complexity of the track, making a click could be a time consuming event.

 

[Dogman]

I hate click tracks. Takes my attention off the performance and makes me constantly think of trying to play on time.

I've used one a few times, though. I would usually make a basic 4/4 beat in EZDrummer so at least it would sound realistic. I guess I'm one of those that can't play to a metronome...

Same here. I rey and come up with a decent rhythm pattern, and some simple fills, and play to that. Seems easier to me....but I suck....

 

[mikeh]

If I know the person recording can work with a click, then I simply have something playing 1/4 notes. I find woodblock or cowbell sounds to be too sharp (a good way to waste some hearing - in particular with headphones) - so I use tambourine or shaker sounds (maybe a tambourine on the 1 and shaker on 2,3,4).

If I'm recording someone who can't play to a click effectively, I try to set up an actual percussion groove using several sounds - which alows the player to play with the groove rather than play to the click.

I use Band-In-A-Box often to start a song - that way there is some kind of band groove to follow (I then simply replace the BIAB parts - one by one.

 

[LeeRosario]

"I got a feva, and the only cure is more cowbell!"

 

[fraserhutch]

I hate click tracks. Takes my attention off the performance and makes me constantly think of trying to play on time.

Isn't that the point???? They take getting used to, just like playing to a metronome.


I usually use my Cubase click track routed to a drum machine playing hit-hats, casabas, or wood-blocks.

 

[Ford Van]

I always use 1/8 notes, and use two different pitches of a percussion instrument. Usually something like a bongo doesn't mess up the drummer much. I don't use anything like a click, or cymbal sounding thing because drummers usually can't hear it.

I won't use 1/4 notes because it is IMPOSSIBLE to "groove" with a 1/4 note click track!

 

[RezN8]

Do you know why I think the "click" became standard? I stumbled on the answer one day when I sent the click track to a spectrum analyzer.

The click was completely flat across the entire spectrum! So if you're tracking bass, you'll still hear the higher freqs; if you're playing guitar you'll still hear the lower freqs, etc.

Anyway, I thought that was pretty interesting. I also think it's due to the fact that the click's attack is very quick, the sustain is short and there's little or no decay. it gets in, nails the "one" and gets out of the way.

I was just subbing with a band who used a washy hi-hat pattern as a click and the band was all over the place. The attack was slow so they heard it "late", then it got lost under all of the other instruments. It was a trainwreck.

Typically I prefer a woodblock or cowbell when tracking drums. Something solid like that, b/c a click can be pretty sterile and unpleasant when it's blaring in your headphones.

 

[dolod44]

I usually record a click track off my rhythm box, then record the acoustic piece for reference.Then I will record another serious track.No problems with a click track here...

 

[scrubs]

If I'm feeling lazy, I just use the Cubase click, although it is really annoying. Otherwise, I program a midi click with a "sidestick" sound.

 

[travelin travis]

I use the reaper click source most of the time. Just grab it and pull it out to the number of bars you want. Easier than snapping your fingers.

 

[RAMI]

There's a shitty sort of drum machine that comes with my TASCAM 2488. I always program a simple drum beat (kik on 1 and3, snare on 2 and 4) and play to that.

 

[travelin travis]

There's a shitty sort of drum machine that comes with my TASCAM 2488. I always program a simple drum beat (kik on 1 and3, snare on 2 and 4) and play to that.

So that's your secret to those tight drum tracks then.

 

[RAMI]

So that's your secret to those tight drum tracks then.

Hehe....I blast them so loud through the headphones, I don't even have to listen for it...But I'm going deaf.

(You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to TravisinFlorida again.)

 

[Nick98338]

The metronome in CUbase, but I use what I guess you would call 1/8 notes. Basically double the number of clicks that most people would use. Except if I'm doing 3/4 time, then I do 1/4 notes.