Click Tracks!

Like a lot of people here I've used just about every Multi-track Recording Software under the sun. I've always sworn by Adobe, but lately there is something that is bugging me. I have started to work on some very complex projects that requires lots of timing changes within one song. Before hand I would just have the metronome running and everything was fine since the time signature and tempo stayed the same. Even at that point I never understood why Adobe just had a stand alone metronome rather than something like pro-tools or cubase has where you can start and stop a click anywhere in the multi-track. Anyways, the bandaid solution is to loop the metronome back into my i/o and record it at different BPM's for each song and then peice that together in the multi-track. My question is why? Why do I have to do this? There HAS to be an easier way!
Any insight? Thanks.

Positivelyerik wrote:
Even at that point I never understood why Adobe just had a stand alone metronome rather than something like pro-tools or cubase has where you can start and stop a click anywhere in the multi-track. Anyways, the bandaid solution is to loop the metronome back into my i/o and record it at different BPM's for each song and then peice that together in the multi-track. My question is why? Why do I have to do this?
Any insight? Thanks.
Insight? Yeah, we can do that. This is historical, of course, and has everything to do with the original conception of CEP/Audition, which was that it was fundamentally an editor, and after that it grew into a digital take on an analog multitrack recorder - albeit with a few tricks up its sleeve...
And as a consequence it never did MIDI. And as a consequence of that, I suppose, it was never regarded as being a technical music production program - and neither was it intended to be, as it had no sequencer of any description. Consequently the tempo system was essentially basic - more like what you'd get from a real metronome. Even if Syntrillium had tried to introduce music-making facilities into CEP at the outset, they would have been late-comers to the game - the predecessor to Cubase had been around for a while then purely as a MIDI sequencer on the Atari ST. And, it appeared that the majority of users weren't interested in doing music anyway; they were using the package to produce radio packages, and for that it was damn near perfect as it was - certainly compared to music-making software, on which you couldn't edit effectively to save your life.
So Adobe has wisely played to the software's strengths, and not its weaknesses. Well mostly - it does have one weakness in this particular area - and that is that it now has a very basic MIDI sequencer in it - to the detriment of other features on which the effort could have been better expended. As I have mentioned before, the only good thing about the MIDI sequencer is that in normal use, it's hidden completely.
So what musical applications is it good for, you might ask? And the answer has to be that if you are recording purely acoustic musicians, and editing the results, then it's absolutely fine (that's primarily what I do with it these days). It's just the sequenced stuff it's not suitable for, with one exception...
There HAS to be an easier way!
Any insight? Thanks.
Loopology is your friend. All you need is one or two bars of the sequencer at all the different speeds you want to use, timed accurately and turned into a loop file. You dump the clips where you want them. You can slide them around, and expand and contract as necessary. Poof! Problem all gone... (within the limitations of a non-music editing system, of course!)

Similar Messages

Creating a click track to match an imported audio file?

I used to do this on earlier versions of Logic, but have forgotten HOW I did it. I want to import a piece of audio with a bit of a wavering tempo. I want to create a click track to match that wavering tempo, so I can add further orchestrations quickly, and not have to worry about a perfect, tempo wise, performance.
I can't remember what the 'tap'? process is called, or where best to look for it in the Logic 8 Manual.
All ears,
Ben

thanks Ben.. you may be interested in this discussion:
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=3887918#3887918
which includes a long 'blah blah blah' about my preferred beat mapping method.
( It is something of a pet obsession.. especially good for transcribing and extracting parts from audio you like.. CD tracks etc)
Also type beat mapping into the 'Search Discussions' Q on the Forum
all best
MS
Message was edited by: musicspirit

Does Mainstage 2.2 fix the bug when using Ultrabeat as your click track / metronome?

There was a bug where the Ultrabeat sequencer would run, but no sound would come through the channel strip. It's pretty annoying to have to pay $30 for a bug fix, but I might do it, if it would indeed fix the bug.
Does anyone know? Thanks

I'm currently using UB as my click track. I created a custom template in UB and imported my click samples. I do not set up UB at concert level but instead set up UB at each one of my SETS level. I set the tempo and time signature under each SET.
I then map a button to ACTIONS>PLAY/STOP not to CLICK(name of channel strip)>ULTRABEAT (Drum Synth)>SEQUENCER PLAY/STOP. This allows me to stop and start the click track and for the drummer to count the song off whenever he feels like.
I then use PLAYBACK to play my backing tracks in time with the click. I map a button for PLAYBACK to NAME OF PLAYBACK TRACK>PLAYBACK>TRANSPORT>PLAY/STOP (From Start).
Under my PLAYBACK options I set SNAP TO>BEAT and PLAY FROM>CURRENT POSITION.
The only problem I've found with this is that if you start the PLAYBACK before the UB click it will turn on the UB click. Other than that it has been working well for me.
Also, add a button mapped to PANIC somewhere in your setup so you can cease any/all midi/tracks at anytime.
Devin

Click Track

Hi all. Do any of you make click tracks for your recordings? If so, what sound do you like to use to create the click? Just curious!

As a drummer something not to harsh, cause after a while it can really break your ears. I prefer a medium cowbell.

Click track bleed through on electric guitar parts

Hello, I have been getting bleed from the click track onto my live guitar tracks. Probably something simple that I need to adjust.
Any ideas?
Thanks

Hi
Plug your electric guitar into an amp. Turn it up. Sing directly at the guitar top (where a pickup is).
See Jónsi of Sigur Ros fame do this on stage here ... http://tinyurl.com/29jkbag
If the click track is playing loud enough to hear over the music, then a guitar pickup will pick it up. Especially a hollow body electric.
Cheers

MIDI CLICK TRACK?

hey guys
I notice the MIDI CLICK at the bottom of my track list, how can i activate it?
Pretty much, i want an audible MIDI/Metronome click for this project. Im trying to make a backing track. Left channel will be a click with the backing tracks, right will be simply the backing tracks
Anyone? I can get MIDI data in, but all it does is give me piano sounds
thanks in advance!

BuckB,
THus far, i cant make sense of that midi click track thats there by default. Would be really nice if you could just place any MIDI data in there and itd just give a 1 2 3 4 reguardless of data
BUT
A workaround that was given to me by the kind people at harmony central
Use an Audio Instrument Track, and set the instrument to Klopfgiest..just make sure your MIDI data is on every whole note of whatever you like. At first it just makes tone noises, but if you tweak alittle, you can make that sharp metronome sound.
Not my idea of easiest, but im writting my backing tracks in guitar pro, so it takes 2 seconds to create a new track, put 4 counts, then duplicate til end of song, and just have logic click to that. I tried the copy/paste and id ALWAYS get some offtime beats
hope that helps

Any tips for using a click track with a sample pad?

My band and I just purchased a Roland SPD-S and we are using it for some techno oriented samples in our songs. We are trying to run a click track with the samples track to our drummer's headphones so we can stay in time with the samples (as they are all on one timed track and are not constantly playing).
Does anyone know of a good way of doing this? Is there some way to match the tempo perfectly and trigger the metronome at the same time as the pad?
Any tips are greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Alex

You should create a click track that aligns with the song's measures and adjust the tempo via the Master Track's automation curve!

Video with stereo track and click track for live performance

Hello,
I have a video that was created in FCP sync'd with a stereo sound track and a click track. I need to play this video live (using projection) with the stereo track routed to the main outs and the click routed to the in-ear monitors for a performer to sync with. I have not done this before and am trying to wrap my brain around it. I'm also hoping to come up with the easiest and most reliable solution. As I understand it, this video will not be able to play back from a burned DVD, but rather will need to play back in Logic with 2 audio tracks (L/R) for the sound track and then 1 track for the click. These 3 tracks can then be routed to their required destinations from a soundcard or mixer.
Does this seem to be the best and most reliable method? I've only burned audio to video (never using a click) in FCP before and have always played back from a DVD. Now I have this live player/syncing component and am not sure of the best way to do it. I have some experience with Logic, but limited.
I really appreciate any suggestions/tips any one might have.
Thanks.

I've opened the movie (with stereo track) in QT Pro and then added the click - and now the 2 audio files are there, sync'd up.
When you say you opened the movie in QT Pro, I assume you mean the QT Pro version of Quicktime Player 7. So let's say you have the movie open in Quicktime Player 7, and you press ⌘J (Window > Show Movie Properties). And in the window that appears, hopefully you see several items listed, including Sound Track 1 and Sound Track 2. These are your two audio files, that are now part of the movie file. One of those files is your stereo soundtrack, and the other is your click. So let's assume that this is a total of 3 channels of sound (because I understand your click is mono).
Select Sound Track 1, and select the tab Audio Settings. Let's assume this is the stereo soundtrack. In the scrolling area at the bottom right of the window, under the heading Assignment, you should see Left and Right. Let's leave it that way.
Now select Sound Track 2. Under Assignment, there should be just one item listed (that is, there is only one channel in this Sound Track, if the click is mono). Under Assignment, it probably says Mono. Change that to Center.
Save the movie. We're done with Quicktime Player for now. Launch Audio MIDI Setup. It's here:
Macintosh HD/Applications/Utilities/Audio MIDI Setup
I assume you have an audio interface connected that supports at least 3 channels. In AMS, find the window (or tab, depending on your OS version) for Audio Devices. Select your audio interface. Select the Output tab, and press the button Configure Speakers. In the window that appears, select Multichannel, and change the menu selection from Stereo to 5.1 Surround.
You will probably see that "left front," "right front," and "center" are assigned to outputs 1, 2 and 3, respectively, of your audio interface. If not, make it so, and press the button Apply.
Now when you play your movie, the stereo soundtrack will appear at outputs 1 and 2 of your audio interface, and the click will appear at output 3. Now you can cable your stereo mains to 1/2 and your in-ear monitors to 3.

Recording audio without simultaneously recording click track?

I don't have an external mixing board. I want to record an audio track (coming in through a small M-Audio Fast Track Pro unit) ... while listening to a click track (KlopfGeist), without recording the KlopfGeist.
Is there a way within Logic 8 to route this?
All ears,
Ben

Hi,
Just playback the click, it will not come back in via the inputs of your audio interface.
Cheers

Audio Generator Plug in: Click Track?

Anyone know of either an audio generator plug-in that will generate a click track, or alternatively, something that will place a series of markers in clips at specified intervals?

Well, OK, but I need the flexibility to adjust the click periodicity.
What you're suggesting is fine, so thanks Michael; but it's not going to have the adjustability I need. For each new music track I do, I have to do all the work again at a slightly different periodicity.

Click track - any other alternatives than logic?

Hi.
I and others that i record with (in particular drummers) want more timing features witha click for example 4/8 or more tones etc. I find that logics click doesnt have this feature and is limited in some areas. Can anyone suggest any other click tracks that can replace logics own?
Any advice?
Thanks, Ben

You can get Logic's metronome to trigger midi gear too. So if the sound isn't right you could use an old (or a new!) drum machine, sound module etc.
I'm not sure but I suspect there is way of playing with the metronome in the environment too. perhaps you can trigger an exs sample or two that way.
All these methods mean you can use the standard key commands to switch off the click of course.
I'm not sure about any plugin is available. I can't really imagine what it would do that you can't already do with a bit of tweaking in Logic. A plugin would still need an audio track to "live in".
What sort of timing features are you after? Logic's will do bar + beat + division. If you need some sort of swing to the click I suspect you'll need to look at sample loops or your to own drum programming.
I can't say I've ever had issues with the click in logic.
Just to go off topic a bit regarding drumming and clicks. As a drum teacher I used to teach "playing to a click". From experience and study I found the automatic assumption made by both drummers and "those providing the click" to have the click loud with all beats + divisions wasn't the best way to get a good drum performance. I would encourage my students to play to a very sparse click - just the bar clicks and at a low volume too. At least for practise purposes, the level would be such that the drummer would only hear the click if he was out of time.
This way encourages the drummer to relax and "feel" the tempo leading to a much better performance. I believe loud clicks can improve confidence but can have an adverse affect on other aspects of playing (apart from the annoying headphone spill when recording).
For any drummers out there who haven't tried this approach, I strongly suggest you give this a go. It can feel disconcerting at first but its worth the effort I think.

Recording click track??

Hi, I have been trying unsuccesfully to record a click track onto my arrangements in Logic (panned to the left so that only I can hear it, other tracks panned to the right to go through p.a.) to use in Mainstage - cannot manage to record a click - have resorted to making my own through a percussion or similar instrument in Logic, which sort of works. But wondered if there is a way of simply recording a click...?
Thanks in advance.

Several ways to do this:
1. In logic, create a new software instrument track and use Ultrabeat. I like a hi-hat sound from ultrabeat but you can select whatever fits your purpose. You can then create a midi region and insert the notes yourself. Or you can use the Ultrabeat sequencer to do it.
2.When I use Mainstage, I have created a track at the concert level. There, I put an instance of Ultrabeat. On the ultrabeat sequencer I create a simple step sequence on the 1 2 3 and 4 (as I said previously, you can choose whatever sound fits your purpose). Then, I have a button on my keyboard mapped to the "play" on the Ultrabeat sequencer and I can turn it on or off as I please. Better, the speed changes as I pass from patch to patch because it's at concert level. Just make sure to change the bpm for each patch under the attributes tab.
Hope that helps,

New click track wanted

I'm wanting to create a custom "click Track" in lieu of the metronome sound. I'm looking to get a kind of "boom chuck" drum effect. how might I go about doing this in Logic Pro X?

Logic also hs a MIDI metronome that you can wire to the exs24 in the environment. You can have separate MIDI note numbers and velocities for each click.

Click track with MIDI playback

Hey Everyone, I was jsut wondering if anyone knows how to get a click track to play out of only one speaker or to split the sound to sync a click track with midi. As i am playing drums aong with some recording but am having a hard time keeping time.

Tenknave wrote:
how to get a click track to play out of only one speaker
pan the track, fully, left or right.

Making click track for drums, help needed!

Hello, newbie here. I don't have that much experience with Logic and am using Logic 8. Our band is making a backing track with midi bass panned one way and metronome click the other for our drummer. My keyboardist managed to programme the metronome to change because we have lots of time signature changes mid song. We've got all that working fine but our drummer is struggling to hear the click tone. I could make an audio track with a cowbell sound but it would take ages and we've got the metronome doing what we want it to. So...would ideally like the metronome click to be changed to a cowbell. I've managed to change it from Klopfgeist to garage band drum kit but it only does a tinkly bell sound and then a whistle. There doesn't seem to be an interface for it where I can change to a different drum percussion sound. I've got Battery 3 and libraries. I've tried loading this in the box below I/O but i then lose the metronome click altogether on playback. Any ideas? I've attached a couple of screenshots...
Cheers

you could also just not use the metronome at all. My default is an instrument track with hihats. If you load an intrument (like maybe ultra beat, or an EXS drumkit) then use the pencil tool to creat a region on a MIDI track, you could double-click the region and draw the notes on whatever beats, with whatever instruments. If you want to preview sounds, just hit your keyboard controller until you find what you like. The transport will show what note it is. Or the little keyboard on the left side in the editor. Edit the MIDI region to taste.
Or... if you're not comfortable with the editing, just load an instrument, find the sounds you like, then record a couple of bars of how you want your click, then quantize to the smallest note value you have in your click. (usually 8th, sometimes 16th depending on the complexity of the click you've created.)

Dynamic Click Tracking Without clickTag

I've got an unusual circumstance where I'm not loading my
flash file from within a webpage. Normally I use getURL() with
clickTag to set my destination URL and tracking URL in the html,
but in this case I am setting all of my variables using
SetVariable() to support Player 7.
My question is: how can I set a button to open a destination
URL and call the tracking URL dynamically using SetVariable()?
The current logic looks like this:
1. flash file loads
2. Using the watch() method, the flash file populates as
variables are passed in using SetVariable()
I've figured out how to do simple things like change the
text, but I'm not sure how to set a button URL and a tracking URL
for when that button is clicked.
Ideas? Thank you!

noynek,
> in this case I am setting all of my variables using
SetVariable()
> to support Player 7.
The only reason for using SetVariables(), which is a
JavaScript function
specific to Flash, is in cases where you want to update a
variable *after*
the SWF has already loaded (such as, for example, to change
it from a
default value at some later time). If the variable only needs
to be set
once, when the SWF is requested by the HTML, then FlashVars
or a query
string on the SWF's file name itself is all you need.
> My question is: how can I set a button to open a
destination URL
> and call the tracking URL dynamically using
SetVariable()?
There are quite a few ways to define variables in a SWF
(variables are
nothing more than special containers to hold data). In a
keyframe of any
timeline, for example, you can do something like this:
var destination:Sring = "
http://www.domain.com/";
Of course, that "bakes" the variable into the SWF itself. It
is set and
may be referenced by that SWF. If you want to set such a
variable from
*outside* the SWF, such as from the HTML document, then it
can be attached
as a querty string to the name of the SWF file itself ...
<param name="movie"
value="myMovie.swf?destination=http://www.domain.com/"
/>
... or passed in via a FlashVars attribute ...
<param name="FlashVars"
value="destination=http://www.domain.com/" />
... or, as you've indicated, with the SetVariable() function
// JavaScript
swfFileReferenct.SetVariable("destination", "
http://www.domain.com/");
In any of the above cases, a variable named destination
(just an
arbitrary, descriptive name) is created in the main timeline
(assuming the
first example, with "var", was typed in a keyframe of the
main timeline).
At any point in the SWF, the variable destination can be
referenced, and its
value will be (in this case)
http://www.domain.com/, unless
it is changed to
something else later.
> The current logic looks like this:
> 1. flash file loads
Does this mean it is requested by the HTML document, or
you're using a
main SWF file to load another SWF file?
> 2. Using the watch() method, the flash file populates as
> variables are passed in using SetVariable()
I'm curious why you're using Object.watch(). Not saying
you're
necessarily wrong to do so, but maybe it would help to show
your code?
> I've figured out how to do simple things like change the
text,
> but I'm not sure how to set a button URL and a tracking
URL
> for when that button is clicked.
Your button would presumably call getURL() (or maybe a
LoadVars
instance?) in response to a mouse click. The first parameter
of getURL() is
a URL, which would be the name of whatever variable contains
the value you
want to reach.
David Stiller
Co-author, Foundation Flash CS3 for Designers
http://tinyurl.com/2k29mj
"Luck is the residue of good design."

Click Tracks!

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