Click tracks

Spicy Lauren

myself and the lads are currently in pre-production working on an album.
we got a producer on board and he's as excited as we are.

We've been advised to start practicing with a click track - well at least the drummer - so that the live recording will be easier to edit if we're to add beats to it and whatnot.

what model click track machine is advisable to get for my drummer? I'm looking for something quite sturdy and reliable, and not overly expensive.

Thoughts?

Lauren

Spicy Lauren

hmm, i was more thinking along the lines of an actual click track machine... My drummer doesnt have a laptop to bring to practice...

Spicy Lauren

Do you reckon I'm better off posting this thread in the 'instruments' section? I wasnt sure...

dav nagle

Spicy Lauren wrote: »

Do you reckon I'm better off posting this thread in the 'instruments' section? I wasnt sure...

http://www.metronomes.net/Intelli_IMT-301_Metronome_Tuner.htm

krd

I don't know how come this is - but does anyone use substitution beats instead of click tracks?

A substitution beat, being a looped drum beat that musicans can play to - then gets replaced when the real drummer is brought in.

but if the guy doesn't have a laptop - someone just needs to copy a click track to an mp3 and then he can listen to it on his I-pod, or whatever.

eoin5

krd wrote: »

I don't know how come this is - but does anyone use substitution beats instead of click tracks?

A substitution beat, being a looped drum beat that musicans can play to - then gets replaced when the real drummer is brought in.

but if the guy doesn't have a laptop - someone just needs to copy a click track to an mp3 and then he can listen to it on his I-pod, or whatever.

I've tried both and found the music sounds more natural when the instruments are played to the real drums in place.

kfoltman

Spicy Lauren wrote: »

what model click track machine is advisable to get for my drummer? I'm looking for something quite sturdy and reliable, and not overly expensive

Some guitar multi effect boxes (Zoom G2 is one of them) have a rhythm/metronome function. The default setting on the G2 is a cheesy drum pattern, but there is a metronome "pattern" too. Pattern 38 is 4/4 , 37 is 3/4, 40 is just plain click-click-click without accenting the first beat.

The "real" drum loops are more fun to play to than a click track, but they won't give you the ability to play to a click track (which may be useful when recording). I believe it *should* be possible to keep a groove despite the click track and yet not to get out of sync with it.

A bit off-topic: anyone can recommend some metronome exercises? The only ones that worked for me were based on subdividing the beat - I mean, trying to play 2, 3, 4 or 6 notes per one metronome "click", or off-beat quavers etc. And even that doesn't help a lot.

novarock

http://www.thomann.de/ie/tama_rw105_metronom.htm

Drummers metronome of choice, even comes with a bracket to clamp it to a kit. This one is good because if you have a loud drummer, this is designed to be heard clearly.

i57dwun4yb1pt8

lauren

1/ you all need to practise to the click - not just the drummer.
no point in him being on time and you all being out of it - it take a few weeks of practise to get used to the clicks authority - and also to learn how to play / blend with it - you will find you keep trying to catch up to it ( so to speak ) for the first few times. try to treat it as a member of the band playing percussion .

you DO NOT have to record with the click, but its is best if you at least rehearse with it all the time.

2/ tama rythm watch is a good one to get

3/ or else have someone make up some mp3s in cubase / reaper or protools and put them on an mp3 player. ( download reaper and do it yourself - its easy )
4/ either put the click thru the rehearsal pa or put it in in ear phones to the drummer.

petermaher

Iphone has a heap of free metronome apps:)

PaulBrewer

Spicy Lauren wrote: »

myself and the lads are currently in pre-production working on an album.
we got a producer on board and he's as excited as we are.

We've been advised to start practicing with a click track - well at least the drummer - so that the live recording will be easier to edit if we're to add beats to it and whatnot.

what model click track machine is advisable to get for my drummer? I'm looking for something quite sturdy and reliable, and not overly expensive.

Thoughts?

Lauren

Best of Luck with the project.

What's the band and who's the producer ?

Boss make a range of affordable metronomes.

Spicy Lauren

thanks PaulB.
Band is myself with backing band, i'm a solo artist. Link in signature.
Producer is Stephen Shannon (www.myspace.com/stephenshannon) from Experimental Audio (www.myspace.com/experimentalaudio)

PaulBrewer

I see you're Dublin based ....

Send the drummist into any of the city music shops and I'm sure you'll get sorted.

bedbugs

Hey Lauren. Any of the products mentioned above would do the trick. But talk to Stephen about it too. Ask him about stuff he'd recommend. He's a great guy and an incredible producer. A really exciting talent to have on board.

And tell him I said hi.