Click tracks...anyone here use them?

barhrecords said:
The bottom line is, if the musicians don't have good "time" skills, then trying to use a click live is probably going to be worse.
Ironically, it takes really good timing to stay with a click, let alone swing the groove to a click. A musician that can do that, most likely can play in great time without a click track anyway.
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+1
 
Periphery plays their entire show to a click in their IEM's and they are locked. the. fuck. on. They have to be. All their Axe-FX patch changes are run by a MIDI track and there are a lot of them. Matt Halpern is an insane drummer and he's smart enough to want the click. I say do it.
 
vinnyburns said:
In my experience, the only person who needs the click is the drummer and everyone just follows him.
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If you want to be tight and I mean really tight, a click or a small strobe. Following the drummer induces that 443m/s lag. It's inevitable.
 
I suggest asking the drummer to practice with the click at home for a while. Until he can stay on-click with all types of songs (different tempos, energy levels, volume, dynamics) don't let him waste your time with the whole band. Unless he's a really solid drummer, if he's never played to click before, it will be a train wreck at first.
 
warlockII said:
he brings it back to the speed he "likes".
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lol

We had a drummer where we'd make eye contact, "song ending... 4... 3... 2... 1..." ...and he'd keep going on and on. Jazz odyssey.

We used click tracks when I programmed all the drums. A "volunteer" programmed the lights to the click. It all worked well. To keep things fresh, I'd insert text-to-voice lead-ins on the click track. Either a sexy lady or some aggro dude or something foreign. Sort of an inside joke just for the band. Like, the Queen of England reminded us of the song title and counted us in to Aint Talkin Bout Love.

With a human drummer, we don't use a click. Would be nice, though. Because the lights could then go to the click rather than the fuzzy logic of the built in clapper circuit.
 
Creating a tempo map in a sequencer for your click track will let you recreate all of the tempo variations that maintain the feel. But the musicians must be able to play to it and not get lost. I've known some that just can't do it; others can do it effortlessly.

A band I used to be in used a computer/DAW with separate click tracks for each member, and only sent the click to any member who needed it at any particular moment in the song. We used clicks even for songs that had no tracked parts, just to automate the audio processors and lights.

Another alternative is to search for an old Russian Dragon, but that won't provide the feel of a tempo map.

Certain styles and formats aren't appropriate for click tracks. If you don't need backing tracks or automation, replacing the drummer is a long-term option worth considering if the tempo consistently sucks.
 


Click won't guarantee anyone can be as locked in as Kevin Murphy, but it should start the process ;)
 
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I really enjoy when even a solid as hell drummer is on a click anyway. The whole band feels tighter. I'll even put a small bit in my ears, as well, depending on the song. Can be great to have it come up during breakdowns so the drummer doesn't have to do hat clicks or similar. Playing to the right click (I spent hours getting the right sound for my use) can lead to the click becoming just another rhythmic part of the song and can actually be pretty pleasant if mixed right.

Now, of course, as noted above, your mind will play tricks on you live from time to time. 170 bpm feels right in the rehearsal space, but when the adrenaline is pumping onstage it may surprise you every once in a while by feeling way too damn slow. Or vice versa. But once you're "on rails," that's where you have to play. Period.

FWIW, if your drummer is resistant to suggestion and responds better to peer pressure, you can tell him that 99/100 pro bands are on them almost 100% of the show ;)
 
We used a click track during live performances and in the studio. Made syncing studio recordings to live footage a snap.

It takes discipline (it's not as easy as some think), but the benefits far outweigh any negatives in my opinion. It does take away some of that spontaneity, but if you like to plan your shows (lighting, effects, etc), it's the way to go.
 
steadystate said:
Creating a tempo map in a sequencer for your click track will let you recreate all of the tempo variations that maintain the feel. But the musicians must be able to play to it and not get lost. I've known some that just can't do it; others can do it effortlessly.
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I've experimented with creating tempo maps in Pro Tools using Beat Detective.

I would take an original studio recording and make a tempo map and click from that. It does work and is a bit less stiff than a metronome.

But ultimately too much time / work for the results. It's easier just to find people with good tempo and play.
 
Admin M@ said:
Give JUST the drummer the click. Let everyone else follow the drummer.
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+1

I am blessed in that my drummer uses a click track, and we all follow him. My playing uses a lot of tempo-based delays (like dotted-eights, etc.) and it is a must for me to have the song on tempo. Before this drummer, I had a dedicated IA on my floor controller for tap tempo, so that I would continuously adjust the tempo to match what we were actually playing at. Since the drummer who uses click tracks joined us, it's been heaven. Sometimes, the band "goes off tempo" a bit (typically accelerating) and he has to "fight" to bring us back. He frequently stops and restarts the click, to get realigned when we drifted (hearing an off-beat click, even if on tempo, must be really annoying!), but he gladly does it as part of his drummer job, and he's really good at it.

Recently, this drummer had a repetitive strain injury and he completely stopped playing for a couple of months to give himself time to heal. During that time, we practiced with a stand-in drummer (who doesn't use a click track) and it was a nightmare! I wouldn't go back to that. If ever we have to audition drummers again, the use of a click track will be a mandatory prerequisite before they can even show up at the audition.

One final note: I've never found that it made our songs sound stiff - that's probably because only the drummer hears the click, and he reels us back in when we drift. It sounds much more natural than when the whole band is stiffly sticking to a click.
 
It's a good practice (no pun intended) to maintain the ability to use them or not. Playing against a click or metronome can help you lock in your sense of time back in. I swear, it has an almost palette cleansing effect if you've been playing with people who play off tempo. Puts your mind right. One thing is for sure... if you're out of the pocket, a click or metronome will show it!

We have one song in the night (a cover of Pick Up The Pieces) that we have an extra sequenced track going. It's fun to play against that locked in track because it is so on time. I wouldn't want to do it all gig long, having done it in the past with a drum machine, but it is good to be able to when it works.

Point to the OP... if he can play with a click, try it. His sense of time can adjust and improve, as he is apparently hearing a tempo he thinks is right. If he can't, move along... you can't play all over the place and ever sound good.
 
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barhrecords said:
I've experimented with creating tempo maps in Pro Tools using Beat Detective.

I would take an original studio recording and make a tempo map and click from that. It does work and is a bit less stiff than a metronome.

But ultimately too much time / work for the results.
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That's how I do it, referencing the original recordings. I always found it well worth the time.

barhrecords said:
It's easier just to find people with good tempo and play.
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Then the pool of talent from which you draw bandmates is an ocean removed from mine.
 
Yes, I do something similar with beat detector by mapping out all our songs and placing the recorded BPM on our set list. Keeps our drummer relatively in check.
 
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