Who runs a click? What do you run?

niangelo · 08-01-2009, 12:50 AM

Is there a programmable, preset driven click available?

Like, I want to have my drummer be able to set all the songs before hand, then just call up the click with one button. Does that exist?

What do you guys run?

**Rainer.** · 08-01-2009, 12:53 AM

A metronome with the BPMs of each tune... old school?

**tenwatt** · 08-01-2009, 08:30 AM

We don't use one...we're blessed with a drummer who has impeccable timing.

niangelo · 08-01-2009, 09:09 AM

We have great timing too. My band is very experienced, but we're getting an in-ear system, and if I have a choice between "great" timing and "flawless" timing, I know which one I'm going to choose.

**Gustin** · 08-01-2009, 09:11 AM

I take it you're talking about live use right? We don't use one live, but I know of a band who has one set up on his laptop where he programs in the tempos for every song in the set, and he can hit a key and move to the next tempo hne he's done with the current version. Not sure what the program is, but it sounds like what you're looking for is out there....

Ableton Live can do it too, but that's a lot of program for just a metronome...

niangelo · 08-01-2009, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rainer.

A metronome with the BPMs of each tune... old school?

United runs a click. So does Mutemath. The drummer for DCB runs Ableton live, and I think they use a click. Is it really oldschool?

**Gustin** · 08-01-2009, 09:16 AM

FWIW, they all have loops and backing tracks they play with though... Without a click, those can end up pretty destroyed.

1/2-Fast Player · 08-01-2009, 09:36 AM

We occasionally run a click track when we need instrumentation beyond what we have. If a song requires extra percussion, brass, banjo, or something oddball, our leader will usually set up a few tracks (I think he's using Garage Band on his Mac) and then mix it down to a stereo mp3. Click will be in one side, instruments in the other.

We'll usually just run it off his laptop on Sunday morning. Both click and instruments go into the board, and both come down to our Avioms for our in-ear mixes.

A few suggestions if you're going to use a click for live performance:

- Anyone receiving click needs to be on in-ear monitors. If it's in a wedge, it will be heard in the house. The click sound needs to be pretty bright/crisp to cut through the other instruments.

- If the drummer is counting off the song, it can work well to give click to your drummer only and have everyone else follow him. In fact, I prefer this, but it won't work well for songs that have a long intro without drums.

- Be sure your sound person is savy enough to know if you get off the click for some reason. In that case, he should just fade the track instruments out of the house and kill the click, and the band will just follow the drummer. For this reason, until you're good at playing this way, it's best not to have anything essential to the song on the track.

LWatford · 08-01-2009, 09:42 AM

The Tama Rhythm Watch has 20 presets.

The Boss Dr. Beat (DB90 version) has 50 presets, and a footswitch jack to advance through them. It also has a MIDI in and will sync to MIDI clock (so the click will follow ableton or reason (including stop/start) instead of the other way around).

niangelo · 08-01-2009, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LWatford

The Tama Rhythm Watch has 20 presets.

The Boss Dr. Beat (DB90 version) has 50 presets, and a footswitch jack to advance through them. It also has a MIDI in and will sync to MIDI clock (so the click will follow ableton or reason (including stop/start) instead of the other way around).

Now THAT's the reply I was looking for. Thanks.

niangelo · 08-01-2009, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gustin

FWIW, they all have loops and backing tracks they play with though... Without a click, those can end up pretty destroyed.

We sequence and sample quite a bit. We have lots of dynamic changes and different instrumentation as well, so it's preferable that the whole band runs click even when it's just a piano part, or synth intro, or guitar bass/drum breakdown, or whatever.

And playing with a click is just going to make everyone tighter and tighter... even good bands slow down with a drop in dynamic, or speed up with a jump in dynamic now and again.

**Rainer.** · 08-01-2009, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by niangelo

United runs a click. So does Mutemath. The drummer for DCB runs Ableton live, and I think they use a click. Is it really oldschool?

I meant I just use the $5 metronomes from the mom and pop store, and stick in the BPMs. A presettable click track seems kind of involved compared to one of these:

Though I have ceased being helpful, sorry.

**Gustin** · 08-01-2009, 12:50 PM

If you're already sequencing things, whatever you're using should have a built in click...

niangelo · 08-01-2009, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gustin

If you're already sequencing things, whatever you're using should have a built in click...

That wouldn't really work - I want the loop in the mains but the click in the in-ears.

**Gustin** · 08-01-2009, 03:24 PM

It doesn't have multiple outputs? Even a stereo jack will do... you should have no problem bussing the click track out the right side and the loop out the left... then letting the sound guy mix it correctly...