Click-Track...?

[VampiricYouth]

About click tracks, are they basically just rough drum tracks that act as mentrenome until the final drums are recorded over them? When I compose, I usually always do the final drums first (in Fruity Loops) and then record everything else over them, removing the drum patterns when I don't want there to be beat...Is this not a very good method?

 

[Rokket]

Whatever gets the job done... there are no set rules about tracking that I've found (except to get it right when you do, so you don't have to "fix it in the mix".

But no, a click track is a metronome track, normally. It's what the drummer plays to to keep on time, not a drum track itself usually (unless you don't have a metronome that you can pipe to him/her when they are tracking).

Hope I didn't confuse you.

 

[blackdiscoball]

I record live drums so for a click track I program a rough drum beat in a free drum beat program like windrum or HammerHead thats similar to what Ill play and then record over that. I have trouble playing to just a metronome so thats why I make something that flows with the beat of the song. Jst my 2 cents though.

 

[thediscoking]

For 4/4 tunes, I usually put a really bright hi-hatish sound on eigths or sixteenths. Throw a snareish sound in there (half time, double time, etc). I don't always use a kick sound, but sometimes I throw it on 1 or 1 & 3.

They sound like the drum beats on the 80's Casio keyboards for kids

 

[Todzilla]

I find it is very confusing for drummers, if the click track contains samples of real drums, hi-hats, etc... They can't tell if they're ahead of the click or behind it.

I usually use a click that has a groove to it, but uses some Latin percussion, something that's distinctly different from the drum sounds the drummer uses.

 

[Farview]

I usually use a click that has a groove to it, .

What do you mean? How can a click have a groove? A groove is caused by the interaction of different instruments. eighth notes on a single instrument can't groove.

 

[Rokket]

What do you mean? How can a click have a groove? A groove is caused by the interaction of different instruments. eighth notes on a single instrument can't groove.

I have to agree, that's not a click track... a click is simply a metronome...

 

[chadsxe]

I use a Cow-Bell.....it is easy to hear over the rest of the drums.....

 

[MadAudio]

I made my click track with my SR16 and Acid Pro. It's a cowbell on 1/4 notes and a shaker on 1/8ths.

 

[Rokket]

I made my click track with my SR16 and Acid Pro. It's a cowbell on 1/4 notes and a shaker on 1/8ths.

The click track on the MR-8 sounds like a small wood block. You can hear it over the rest of the instruments just fine (the volume is adjustable). I don't use it, though, since my drums are drum machine tracks...

 

[mikeh]

I have found that a click track that grooves (say a couple of percussion sounds) can be much easier for a drummer to follow than a standard 1/8 note click. It does not get buried in the mix as easy (thus you dn't need the volume too high (whcih can be very damaging in headphones - in particular if it's a sharp sound like woodblock, etc) and more importantly, it feels more "musical".

 

[Rokket]

I have found that a click track that grooves (say a couple of percussion sounds) can be much easier for a drummer to follow than a standard 1/8 note click. It does not get buried in the mix as easy (thus you dn't need the volume too high (whcih can be very damaging in headphones - in particular if it's a sharp sound like woodblock, etc) and more importantly, it feels more "musical".

When I asked MadAudio to put the drum tracks on one of my songs, I left the drum machine track on there, but lowered the volume down so that it sounded like a tamborine track. If I'd have had the time, I would have edited it to keep in in there, but I couldn't get it to sit right with the real drums...