click track...???

  • Thread starter Thread starter fenix
  • Start date Start date
F

fenix

New member
I wanna buy something that generates a click so I can make a click track. What is this device? Where can I get one? How much are they? I would like something that has a cowbell sample for a click. Can you guys recommend me one?
 
They're called "metronomes". The more powerful ones, such as the Dr. Beat, retail for around $100 or more, I believe. They're also autochromatic tuners - they can do lots of stuff.

A simple electronic metronome will cost about $12.

You can get them from any music store - especially one that sells band and orchestra instruments.

You could use almost any computer program to do the same thing, though. Programs such as Cakewalk will let you set the "click" to be any midi instrument you want.
 
It's not a drum machine like that... it really is just a metronome. It clicks in different pitches for different beats (or different subdivisions of beats, if that's what you want), but it's not like you can just call samples up. That's not what it's meant to do.

Think of it as kind of an all-in-one box for a band director or a studio musician. Playing a slow song, want to practice to a metronome and divide the beat into 16th notes? No problem. Want to tune your band to a concert Bb? No problem. Want to tune your orchestra to a concert A? No problem. Plug in your guitar and tune it? No problem. Etc, etc.

If you really want to have the "click" be different instruments, why not just use your computer?
 
Okay, here's what I want. Maybe you can suggest or recommend a piece of equipment.

I want a device that produces a click that sounds decent on tape. I've hooked up metronomes before to the adat and they sounded like crap, I think there was an impedence issue going on because the sound just got lost and retarded in the headphones. What kind of taps does the Roland/Boss DB-88 have? Are they recordable to tape?
 
i wouldnt get a drum machine just for a click track...id use an electronic metronome or Fruity Loops......
 
I downloaded fruity loops on morpheus...yay for me and yay for pirating! It's just what I need.
 
I use hammer head to make my click tracks, I just downloaded the rock drumkit sounds for it so the click sounds a little better when tracking, I still have it muted to the control room all the time.

Hammerhead is a free computer program, I just setup the click I need and loop it back into the inputs on my soundcard and record the click.
 
I've played to click tracks for many years (we used taped horn sections, live, way before MIDI was around) and I want to point out one key issue. A sharp sound (metronome, stick sample, etc.) can cause ear damage (I've lost almost complete hearing in one ear from click tracks) - in particular in a live setting, where you may need to click louder.

These days I prefer tambourine or cabasa sounds which are "smoother " with less impact.

However, although not as significant from a health stand-point - on a practical basis, using a drum machine to create a "groove" (more than one sound) rather than a click, provides a much more user friendly "pattern" to play to.

This way you can play with a groove rather than being controlled by a click.
 
Another vote for hammerhead. Its free and easy. Also, you can save out each measure as a .wav file. So if you have a tempo change, you can just dial in the bpm for each part, save each as a .wav file and loop it in sound forge or another program. Works for me.
 
Back
Top