recording with a metronome?

[bogart24]

I play guitar, drums, bass, etc... and I have recorded with a click track and i have to say that it always sounds too robotic for me. I have used a drum machine to program a song, and then gone over it with real drums, but it still sounds sterile. Not to say that I have perfect timing (believe me I don't) but I think that it sounds more natural and more "rock" without a click track. I just want to avoid Sterile. I think a lot of home studio stuff has no balls to it because everyone is worried about it sounding "perfect".

 

[peopleperson]

Yeah, sometimes putting a click track to a band doing basic tracks can take all the fire out of the performance. I personally really dig using a click, cause when I do, I'm locked to a tempo grid in my host and editing parts are a lot easier if needed and besides that, the majority of drummers I've dealt with really really need the tempo help.

 

[BrentDomann]

I think the best option, though also the most time-consuming one, is to have everyone learn to play the song on their own at a particular tempo using a metronome, and then (if possible) track everyone together without a click track.

The advantages of this are:

A) Each individual will improve as a player in his/her own right.
B) Though few if any people have perfect rhythm, the more players you have with good rhythm the less likely it will be that everyone screws up if they are listening to eachother.
C) Not using a click track allows some breathing room, while using a click track often sucks the "feel" out of a performance.

On one more note, nothing beats hours upon hours of practice. Even if things speed up and slow down a reasonable bit, getiing the band tight is of utmost importance. A good solid "hit" from every instrument isn't effective if everybody flubs into it at a different time. The point: playing together is often far more important that having perfect timing overall.

 

[HangDawg]

The thing I always bitch to the drummers about is when the get excited, not only do they speed up, but they tend to start bashing shit. This doesn't happen as much if they play with a click because they are more tuned in to what they are doing. Fucken drummers anyway. I think at the gig saturday night, somewhere in the middle of a song I'm just going to crank my amp up so it drowns eveyone else out. I'll make sure my cab is pointed right at the drummers head. When he mentions it, I just tell him he doesn't know what he is talking about. It's the same volume that I started with.

I may also end the 120bpm punk song at around 80bpm with the same stupid remark.

 

[HangDawg]

while using a click track often sucks the "feel" out of a performance.

The key word here being SUCK! Most people who make this comment CANT play to a click because they have no FEEL to begin with. If they did, they could FEEL the click track and play with it.

 

[BrentDomann]

Most people who make this comment CANT play to a click because they have no FEEL to begin with. If they did, they could FEEL the click track and play with it.

I suppose that I might have been more accurate by saying "Often the player who is in need of a click track will sound sterile while using one." This, while implying my understanding of "sucking the feel out of a tune", also allows for your understanding, which seems to be that any decent musician will be able to "feel" a rhythm--even from a click track.

And I agree--but are we really talking in those terms? I mean, the guys good enough to pull "feel" out of a click track are likely the guys who don't need one to begin with. And, since we are talking about people who really seem to need a click track, is it not possible that they also lack the finesse (no offense, anyone) to utilize that click the same way they would a human performance?

 

[breeeeza]

I dealt with this last weekend. If a drummer insists that he is a human metronome and does not need a click, punch that drummer in the face and inform him/her that they are sadly mistaken.

exactly!!!!!

 

[Cyrokk]

First off... if you're not very used to playing with a click it can do way more harm to the feel than good... and it takes a couple/tree years to get comfortable playing with a click.

While true, learning to play against a click may be challenging at first, that doesn't excuse any serious musican from not at least using a click to play against in practice. If you can play your parts against a consistent click, then when you apply your part to real musicians you will be able to focus more on the feel instead of whether you are competent enough to handle the part you are playing. Practice with a click when you are home alone. Watch the drummer when you are playing in a band.

IMO, I don't think it takes two to three years learning how to play with a click. Kids in orchestra learn how to play against a metronome within roughly the first school year. If you can't keep up with the click, then that means you need to take the tempo down a notch or two.

There is also a compromise that can be made between the metronome and feel: by reducing the clicks per measure-for example having it click on the half note instead of every quarter note-you can stretch the time in between the clicks.