Click in control room monitors during tracking: Yes or no?

[mixerguy]

this is the norm.

[emfrank72]

Why should we have to suffer a click?

[octatonic]

Originally Posted by AlexLakis

Lately, while tracking to a click, I've been pumping the click only into the headphone feeds, and muting it in the control room monitors. I've been finding that I can get a better feel if the drummer is grooving or not without it, and afterall, it's not going to be there in the final product...Do many people do this?

It depends.

If the drummer can groove on the click (most can't) then I leave it there all the time and only tuen it off after all the tracking is done.

If the drummer can't groove on the click and there is no sequencing then I don't use one- which means I have to do all drum edits manually- which is a pain, but much better than trying to make a track conform to something mechanical.

Unless I'm doing really aggressive metal- then I almost always have to use it.

Oh, if I am doing the guitar playing- and everything was tracked to a click but the drummer can groove- then I turn it off and react to the drummer.

As I said- it depends.

[seaneldon]

i'll unmute the click in the control room for a few bars every once in a while just to see how the drummer's "doing". if you're using a HF "click" or hihat kinda sound, i'd recommend rolling off the high end a little so your ears don't freak out after extended click listening...

[-Noodles-]

I was reading an article about Danny Carey from Tool...
(this isn't 100% on topic but..)

When dealing with complex time sigs & timings etc he just finds the groove, and doesn't really "count" out the beat.

Usually, if the drummer can do this - and the song doesn't require a strict regiment, I'd attempt to steer clear of a click. [or have one present, in case of emergency!]

[luctellier]

I always keep the click but at a low volume.

[willerichey]

I have found that the click can be both salvation and a death sentence.

Played/worked on recordings that were so dead on the click that it took all the feel out of the song and sounded sterile but other sessions where the drummer couldn't play to a click or stay on time to save his life and it showed.

The guys I play with now record to the click, but we aren't concerned if the drummer goes alittle off the click during his fills just as long as they fit and he comes back in on the one. Sometimes we can bury it and forget that its even there.

I would use the click as a reference in the control room here and there to make sure the take isn't too off tempo, but I wouldn't sweat it if it wanders as long as the drummer knows where the one is. A good drummer should be able to play ahead, on top of and behind of the click sometimes all in the same song.

[melodic_disaster]

usually start with the clik, sometimes you nead to hear it as not all drummers know what type of clik they respond to well. though i don't know anyone who would actually want to listen to it for fun, but its a matter of good production to hear how they respond to it.

once that's determined..please make it go away!