What sounds are you using for click tracks

[Blast9]

And, drumming brethren... What are you liking for recording and live work... i.e. what really bugs you and what can you put up with, and whats the ultimate!

PLEASE DON'T SAY "COWBELL"!!!!!PLEASE DON'T SAY "COWBELL"!!!!!

[max cooper]

I use the "Rhythm Watch" patch in the Digirack Click but I make the two volumes equal. The offset is too confusing to me. It's the only one that cuts through distorted guitars and cymbals. You gotta be really careful when running it through headphones. Too much vol. will definitely damage your hearing. Sometimes I cut it with a little distortion and I'll also roll off some 2k - 4k.

The cowbell patch is annoying. If I'm tracking a vocalist who's singing at low vol. and for some reason they need a click, like there's a long break in the music, I quantize a track of fairly percussive low frequency synthesizer bass. Generally it's workable and there's a lot less chance it's gonna leak. Make sure it's in the same key as the song (doh!)









Oh, one more thing: "cowbell"

[Jalabodu]

I've been using woodblocks with a higher pitch on the downbeat. It seems I've been able to keep it a little lower in headphones that way.

Live is a different story. We use a hi-hat sound coming thru the drummer's monitor on-stage. Bleed out front isn't really an issue that way. How in the world does he distinguish between the real hats and the click ones you say? He wears ear plugs and claims that they give him the ability to tell where each is coming from specifically.

Another way to handle having a hi-hat sound for a click, live (we haven't needed to do this), is to put the drummers monitor on the opposite site of the hats. Instant separation.

[Blast9]

Aha! Ingenious idea

I'll give the woodblock idea a spin...

I saw a DVD of UK band Muse in the studio with Rich Costey, and it sounded like they were using some old skool drum machine with pitched bleeps and 16th and 32nd notes (ideal for 1/2 time tunes or slower tempi I guess)

[lwr]

hey, can you give me the details on that dvd?

[Blast9]

It was part of a special edition of their latest album (Absolution?)

Well worth getting!

[DeadPoet]

Cubase's LM-7 with 'Percussion' patch, the cowbell.
Annoying sound but cuts through most stuff.


Herwig

[hrn]

rimshot

[Nevelicious]

orchestra hit.......









I kid I kid

[sushiluv]

my clicktrack says "one, two, three, four"

[Blast9]

Are you being serious? How do you EQ the into your voice then?

[sushiluv]

nah, not serious :0)

actually i´m using logics internal "klopfgeist". works good for me

[Blast9]

I'm using Logic 4.8.1...

Forgive my ignorance, but where can I find "klopfgeist"? and how do I use it?

[sushiluv]

mh, i gues it was invented with Logic Pro 6.

i´m sure it wasn´t available in earlier versions, maybe in logic 5.

sort of a virtual instrument , on track 64 by default, enables u to customize your clicktrack.

[Albert]

I'm using my old Kurzweil PRO 1 synth for click. It actually has a patch called "click", which also has a tuning note on A 440.

[Jalabodu]

I'm considering changing my click to just one of these on the drummer's head.

[hrn]

I record my rimshot tracks to track 1 of the project as a wave file from an old Dr Rhythm (DR 660..I think) drum machine.

Love the tranny sound I get on it through the Spectra Sonics pre

Sometimes I use a delay on it to get a special feel.

[C.Lambrechts]

koebel .... yup ... flemish for ... argh ... you know.

[toolskid]

really track dependent but generally I end up going for 1/4 or 1/8th note hard hihats with no dynamics or variance of any kind....YMMV but it rocks my world. Sometimes I'll just play to whats there with no click....

[Blast9]

HahA toolskid... Wait til I tell my poor drummer THAT one!!




KOEBEL... hmm... sounds familiar!

[toolskid]

oh yeah and for live its usually the same deal but with IEMs + a feed of my close kit mics esp. hihats. If its a smaller gig without the facilities to do that I take a few mics and a mackie 1604 and do it myself. Makes a world of difference.

[adamcal]

About 16 years ago, on one of my first ever samplers (may have been a E2 or S900 or S612) I sampled a drummers count in click on his sticks, Ive been using that to this day, bit low bandwith by todays standards but thats part of what makes it work.

In fact each new sampler that came along over the years my first job was to transfer the click sound.

[alphajerk]

dont use click tracks.

[adamcal]

then good luck staying im time to sequenced tracks,

whats that, dont use sequencers?

Then why bother posting.

[jca83]

we used to put a tambourine/shaker combo with gated reverb right in a drummer's cans. oh yeah.

drummers looove that.

[Drumsound]

When I'm playing I like a beat from the drum machine, if I'm using a click at all. When I'm producing/engineering its whatever the band can deal with. I only use if needed on overdubs. I also don't monitor it in the control room. I believe the click is just a guide, so i don;t want to hear the little imperfections that become evident if I'm listening to the click. If it gets really far off, I'll hear it.

I don't use 'em much...

[Chris VAEDA]

I hate to say it...





But I use the Cowbell




The people I work with are used to that sound, and some of the others just don't cut through.

[Jalabodu]

How about an electric jolt? Anybody know how to take a electric fence generator and put it to time? Then you could wire it to the drum throne. (, throne. ROFL)

I don't mean to hijack the thread but this could turn into a discussion of ways to torture the drummer. You know, like some people do with cats.

[toolskid]

you can get concussion thumpers attached to the drum stool - they're usually just triggered from the kick, but theres no reason not to trigger them from a click

[Blast9]

How about an electric jolt? Anybody know how to take a electric fence generator and put it to time? Then you could wire it to the drum throne.

Spot on!

ROTFLMAO