What do people use as a click track with analogue set ups?

Mr Fruit

Mr Fruit

New member
Finally got my set up working! woohoo!

Managed to record 2 tracks last night, after a lot of random button pushing and slider sliding.

So.....now its time for a bit of order...

What do peeps use as a click track? theres no inbuilt feature on my R8, Im presuming I'm gonna record a track with clicks on it, what have people used?

My current option is taking an out from cbase which has a click, but I was wondering what you guys did?:)
 
You should be able to record an out from Cubase or just about any type of metronome. It doesnt even have to be perfect in quality. As long as you can hear it ok. But remember not to record the click too loud or you might get bleed into another adjacent track...
 
Another option, especially if you're doing a cover, would be to record the original onto one of the tracks and play along with it. Not a click track per se but something to follow and keep time.
 
call Dr. Beat!

Any metronome should do though, they should all have an 1/8" output for headphones. Earbuds (not too loud) under the main cans work well.
 
Mr Fruit said:
Finally got my set up working! woohoo!

Managed to record 2 tracks last night, after a lot of random button pushing and slider sliding.

So.....now its time for a bit of order...

What do peeps use as a click track? theres no inbuilt feature on my R8, Im presuming I'm gonna record a track with clicks on it, what have people used?

My current option is taking an out from cbase which has a click, but I was wondering what you guys did?:)
Click to expand...

I create an appropriate pattern on an old Oberheim DMX and send it to whatever device used to record - analog or digital.
 
It's varied over my entire home-recording career.

~ I started out doing a lot of tracking to the original recorded tracks as a guide. (covers)

~ I did a lot of programming of a TR-606 drum machine, with breaks & fills & the whole lot thru the song. This was the most involving and difficult of the bunch.

~ I've done the "simple" or kick/snare/hihat generic drum machine beat that's not heavily programmed thru the song. Just 1 or 2 measures that repeat. I've gotten lazy and for the most part have forgotten how to program "songs" on the TR-606. Thank goodness for the TR-606 cheat card I've kept around! (I should look at it someday!)

~ I've done the basic "click" off the drum machine, & that's bare bones for sure.

~ Currently, I'm most inclined to record a hand percussion track as a rhythm guide with a maraca (mini-shaker/egg shaker) and tambourine. Fake "click" track, if you will. Simple as that & it's the most "human" sounding click track of 'em all!:eek:;)

...

ONE THING I've noticed, is that my TR-606 seems to "lag" the beat a little on battery power, presumably as the batteries discharge. I don't know if it's me or the machine, or maybe I'm just trippin'. However, my TR-606's AC adapter socket is non-functional, so until I take the unit apart & fix it, it's limited to battery power only.

I ALSO HAVE the Yamaha DD-50 drum machine that has pads you can play with sticks, plus an internal recording function and click/metronome, but I've not learned to record or program this unit, nor have I read the manual thoroughly. I've featured the DD-50 on a couple recordings that I just played on it with sticks.

BOTTOM LINE: Currently I'm most partial to the simple hand percussion track laid down as a "click" or guide track. PLUS, it's a "musical" part (track) that stays in the mix at final mixdown, not something that has to be deleted or minimized.

In 27+ years of home recording I've covered a lot of ground, technically. Currently, a "keep it simple" mentality permeates e'thing I do.:eek:;)

GOOD MORNING!:eek:;)
 
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Ps:...

PS:... As often as throwing down hand percussion (or click) first, I've been inclined to go sans click/rhythm guide track by throwing down a rhythm guitar track as the primary basis of the recording. (HINT: "rhythm" is in the name).

AT LEAST ONCE I've recorded myself playing a full drum kit as the first foundational track to a song. There's a lot to keeping track of breaks & such in your head while you play. It can be challenging.

ALTERNATELY,... I've thrown down guitar/bass & vocal tracks live-to-tape with a drummer who can hold his own. That can be a keen solution, or the flipside being with two people it can double the rate of mistakes! YMMV.:eek:;)
 
Some good suggestions there, thanks guys.

I could probably hold my own with a rhythm guitar track, but its the count in thats the most problematic initially. I have a kit set up, so i may try a hi hat click, and see how steady a rhythm i can keep.

Thanks again chaps.:)
 
A drummer friend showed me a metronome headphone he uses. All it does is produce a click that is of course time adjustable.

It’s kind of weird on your head but it gives you a solid time reference.

For count-ins on rhythm guitar tracks I just scrape the strings on the beats then voice a one bar count in.

Good question as I always wondered how groups like the Beatles did it. Did they play to a click?
 
I've done some via MIDI, with the MIDI machine slaved to SMPTE time code on a Tascam 388 or now to MIDI clock from a Yamaha AW1600. More commonly, and for a long time before either of those, I used my TR-606, until it went insane a few years ago. I miss that machine more and more, so fixing that machine's problem has now risen about to the top of my "to do" list. Having studied the schematic and based on what does and doesn't function, I actually suspect a single capacitor has gone bad, so the fix may not be too bad.

Cheers,

Otto
 
Manslick said:
Good question as I always wondered how groups like the Beatles did it. Did they play to a click?
Click to expand...


No, I don't think anyone really did until the 80s.

I usually use a drum machine when I use one. Of course it doesn't stay there long when you've only got so many tracks!
 
I wonder if George Martin simply conducted them to get the basic rhythm track and form there they just played along to that?

I find it really hard and unnatural to play along with a click track. I prefer a simple kick snare high hat.
 
Manslick said:
I wonder if George Martin simply conducted them to get the basic rhythm track and form there they just played along to that?

I find it really hard and unnatural to play along with a click track. I prefer a simple kick snare high hat.
Click to expand...


Pretty much through the whole span they would do the backing tracks live several times until they had the best take, drums, guitars, bass,piano then they'd do their overdubs, like vocals, guitar, whatever else, in no same order. By Sgt Pepper Paul was overdubbing his bass to the backing tracks as well.
 
Back in the old days,...

they just put all their confidence and faith in reliability of the human performers. Some people can keep rhythm & beats down very well, as case in point, Ringo's beat is as solid as a rock. No gimmickry necessary.

Playing to a click just gained popularity as drum machines matured and gained their predominance in music, to the point that now people think you need a programmed click and can't do without it. In many cases a programmed drum beat has replaced a live drummer altogether, tho' I'm not sure if that's an evolutionary improvement in music or not.:eek:;)

I'll admit that playing a solid beat as the basis of the recording can help tighten it up overall as the tracks are built up, but I'll take the human rhythm track over the mechanistic beat any day. YMMV.:eek:;)

Admittedly, nobody's perfect, but often a drum machine or programmed beat is "too perfect",... like it's unnatural. Likewise for many of the programmed breaks, fills and rolls I've heard,... they sound totally mechanistic. That brings up the point that there's a skill and art to programming a realistic drum track, but that's another post!:eek:;)
 
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