My drummer and I (I'm the lead singer/guitarist) have been experimenting with practicing with clicks lately, and we were concerned about the click getting annoying or not being able to hear it well enough in our ears. But we've come to the conclusion that when you're playing right on top of it, it sort of disappears into the music. So it's not annoying at all, and if you can really "hear" the click, that means you're not in time! Lol
@@CatinthehackmatrixNo it's a good thing broh, also just think about it, it makes sense that If you're just playing a straight 4/4 beat for example the click just sounds like extra attack on the kick and snare hits if you're 100% dead on top of it. But the thing about that is, nobody can play 100% dead on top of it for an entire song. You can maybe for a measure or two, but then it starts to drift, and when it does there's some cognitive dissonance, kinda like when you have your blinker on in your car and it syncs up with the radio for a measure or so, it's REALLY satisfying then when it starts to drift iout of sync it gets really bothersome, same thing when you're playing with one. That discomfort you feel when it starts to drift out of sync with your playing will subconsciously keep you on top of it because it feels really extra satisfying when you successfully play with it. Also I've noticed playing with one that EVERY drummer rushes the fills. So keep that in mind when you're practicing with it, if ever you're going to get off, it'll probably be because you rushed a fill.
This actually makes sense, i always Made a mistake on the tempo when i use click track (i was the drummer) just because i barely hear the click when i actually played in right tempo. When i can hear it, my friend interupted me like "bro your tempo is changing". It took my confidence away 😭
Hey Nick, you are one of only a handful of professionals I know who combine raw talent with a natural ability to explain the concepts. You also have a terrific speaking style with great intonation and energy...thanks and way to go!!
keep in mind a click track does not have to to a single click sound. using Percussion tracks with shakers, Claps, congas and sub kicks tone samples help drive the groove. also they can be played thru the PA live to enhance your bands performance.
"Claps, congas and sub kicks tone samples help drive the groove. also they can be played thru the PA live to enhance your bands performance." Precisely why I don't like it. I prefer a true live performance.
Another great instructional video from Sweetwater. As a professional player I learn something every time I dial up one of these. Thanks Nick, You bring a lot of great energy and knowledge to these! It’s one thing to talk about it it’s another thing to be able to talk about it so fluently and turn around and demonstrate it. Thank you!
Great video. Nick is a pro and explains everything well. I like how he references real life situations and makes it all relevant. Always very articulate which makes it all easy to understand and relate to.
I used to be dead set against the click track but becoming a professional drummer it is essential that your timing is perfect.It' is also about attitude.One must be willing to be open to tools to help drummers & all musicians alike become their best.
Those drums are tuned so lovely! It must be awesome to just kick back and get lost in that sound! Love your videos Nick! Very informative man, thank you!
Well that was very informative. Ever since I saw Breaking Benjamin live I wondered what they meant by they didn't use click tracks. Now I have no opinion on using it but when I saw Shinedown I'm pretty sure they may have used them. Their show was amazing but I did notice that Breaking Benjamin's show was different in sound I guess is the way to put it.
Hi Nick, Great video. I’m the drummer in my band and we are about to drop our new album and my job is to bring the backing tracks to the stage as a lot of the time, the studio musicians who played the extras can’t come or fit them on a particular stage. The issue is(apart from me being at the beginning stage of this technical journey) is some of the songs where not recorded to a click track so what are some of your suggestions in bringing the backing tracks to a live situation. They will be played from an SOD-SX. Cheers
having trouble recording with a click track because i am not used to it. it feels like there is not a lot there for me to lock on to. i went to a guitar store and played for one of the guys there and i thought i was with the click but i was actually playing faster than the click. i try to practice, but how am I supposed to know if I am matching the click track or not? so i am watching as many of these vids as i can. any 2 cents from a more seasoned musician is highly welcomed and desperately needed :)
Every drummer should practice to a metronome a significant amount of their practice time. Keeping time is literally your fundamental job! It’s the most important skill you need to practice on. If you can’t play to a click, you’re not a good drummer…yet. Keep working on it!!!
Nightwish' Ghost Love Score is an excellent example of multiple complex transitions and a backing-track staying in sync with the band through the drummer & his click track.
Hi Pepe, I have not done a video on the personally but I do have experience with Ableton Live as the hub for running a whole show. It is an amazing DAW for that kind of application. I would check into that. Take care, Nick
I would not use nine live but I could see it for practice.If your timing is off you need to practice more with one till you can play live with out it.I just use drum tracks from RU-vid.It is a lot more fun that way for me.
Big question that no guide seems to answer: How do you make sure the click (only the drummer or band can hear) and the mono sound are simultaneous? I want to run recorded synthesizer with live drums and guitar / bass etc.
Hey there! As long as you’re running the click and the audio from the same source (in the case of the video, you’d be running from your DAW), then everything will sync up perfectly. From there, the band will all essentially be directed from the drummer, who’s receiving the click and audio in their mix. Feel free to reach out if you’d like to further discuss some methods for running backing tracks. Thanks! Nick Pasquino, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 3230, nick_pasquino@sweetwater.com
The second option at 2:19 is exactly the reason this concept does NOT work well with anything less than seasoned pros & drummers that have extremely solid time.
It's a really nice video and playing Nick, may I know what song did you play in the video? I really like these kinda styles but don't know the name of the style, thanks.
I have a silly question. We're using the NextPage 3 app on the iPAD that allows you to load PDF music sheets and setup Metronome for each song. In this case, drummer can use wired or wireless headphone to listen to the clicks while performing LIVE on stage. We've experienced sometimes the singers went off the beat/tempo. ofc, Drummer can catch up to fix it but by doing that, drummer will be off beat/tempo; out of sync with the clicks. I wonder is there any foot pedal trigger or pad trigger (drummer can hit on) connect to the iPAD to STOP & START the metronome clicks? By having this, drummer can hit the foot pedal/pad to STOP the clicks when singer goes off beat/tempo, then hit the pedal/pad to catch up on the right beat again? Thank you!
Using a click track live was one of the most inorganic and unmusical experiences of my life. Practicing and recording with one is great, but they just suck the fun out of playing live.
James Ford if you want your band to sound sloppy and annoy the audience by rushing and slowing down the songs they love then go ahead and play without a click track.
how many times have you done it? you'll adjust, it's not supposed to constrain you, it's just supposed to gently adjust your (presumably) already good time.
Every professional drummer I play with love it!! It takes time for you to get use to it. It actually will make your timing better when you get use to it and playing without it will make you better time wise. I understand your frustration in the beginning though. You gotta stick with it if you plan on being a versatile industry player.
In my opinion, the people who are "anti click" are the people who haven't played with one enough for it to become natural feeling. The metronome only feels robotic if you're not used to playing with it, and it will "gum" you up. I hated it at first, but I've been playing in bands for the past few years with some of the best musicians I've ever met and had the chance to play with, and they all love it. Keep in mind, I'm not saying that I ONLY play to a click, ever. But because we have all gotten used to playing with a click, we can take it out of the equation and we're all equally as tight as we were with it. It builds your internal metronome. Once you get over the roboticness of playing with it at first, it will become your best friend. :)
@@asgdrums Excuse me I am not a musician, but I thought that the whole idea of being a good drummer was that you had practiced so much that you could keep time without a gadget to help you. Now that I am aware of what a clicktrack is, how can I tell if a live band is using it?
I was just curious what sort of microphone setup and placement is being used for this kit, really digging the sound but I don't see any mics on the drums or cymbals nor can I see what you're all using overhead?
Nice vid! Any recommended way to change from 1/4 beats to 1/8 beats when playing live and the part 1/4 is not of fixed length? Any controller for drummers? And what about any tips recording steady tracks when the tempo changes (e.g. from 1/4 beats at 94 bpm to 112 bpm and then back to 94 but with 1/8 notes)?
Thanks for the question. The best way to do that with the most flexibility would be to use Ableton Live and have clicks setup (1/4 note and 1/8 note) where you can trigger them in real time with a MIDI pad controller. Ableton will do that with ease, just need to have computer to the software on. Let me know if I can be of further help. Derek Senestraro, Senior Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1243, derek_senestraro@sweetwater.com
Bravo..Good stuff. Nick is great drummer no doubt...but there are a lot of great drummers doing instructional drum & drum gear related videos, but most of which frankly have better drum skills than communication skills. Nick however, is a great communicator & ambassador for the drumming world. Btw , that TAMA Starclassic kit is sweeeeeet.. Maple I'm assuming?? And is it available for $ale...?
Hi there! Yes, the TAMA Superstar Classic 7-piece Shell Pack is available. You can find more information (pricing, tech specs, etc.) here: www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/CL72STLB If you have any further questions, do not hesitate to call at us (800) 222-4700!
Is it possible to run a metronome into a stamdalone audio interface, like a Scarlet Focusrite, through a PA and also montior with headphones? Would it work? Do I need a computer to power the preamp or can I directly plug in the USB cable into a USB power adapter?
so what happens on stage when a song begins with any instrument other than drums and there are backing tracks piped in to the music? How does the computer know where you are in the song to add the lighting cues for example? or special effects?
Click tracks didn't exist from until the 90's, yet the bands in the 60's, 70's and 80's all sounded way better live than anyone does today, explain that?
arjb2000 They sell expensive laptop tripod stands on eBay and Amazon. I bought a book stand off eBay for $20 and used that instead. Added a bit of rubber grip mat to it to stop any accidental slides. Works a treat.
I'm using in ears with a mix of the drums (with effects) and the click along with whatever I need from the rest of the band. I like the mix to sound like a record almost - with the mix on top.
All good stuff but most of the best music ever made(1995 and before) was made without this technology. Somehow, humans don't notice, and even seem to enjoy 5-10 bpm "human variation" in tempo. Most will agree, music today sucks and that is due to the quest to put it all on a grid. Our drummer is our click track and we're gonna keep it that way.
Man, usually the kit is mic'd and that mix is fed into your IEMs. If not, I use 2 XLR channels from my mixer to run mics to my kick and an overhead condenser. That way I can hear my kit.
I am offended by drummers since the 90s because my project only works with clicktrack. They cant do it, so they mock and say i dont need, but i dont have a keyboard player !!! Its been so ridiculous that I LEARNED DRUMS AND CLICK, made a video, showed them, and they ignore. So no more drummers. Drum machine now.
No wonder they end up taking their in ear monitors off This can become too much for two hours every single night or especially if they have to perform at a daytime show and then a concert later on 🥴🥴🥴🥴🥴🥴
Idk man - greats learn to groove with the click and sometimes even prefere it . That's like saying all songs ever recorded in the studio have lost the feel because they used a click track
Nick I disagree with the idea that just the drummer is responsible for keeping time. It is the entire band’s responsibility. During a guitar intro for example. If he/she starts off too fast but only the drummer has the click, it’s going to be a train wreck!
Michael Dallara A bit hyperbolic, don't you think? Musicians never needed a click track in their ear for all time up until a few years ago, but they suddenly do now? Ain't buying it. For recording and practice, fine, but for live it's just silly.
Gear Zen virtually every song that has received any traction in the past thirty years has been recorded and performed to a click. Personally, I disagree with the automated takeover of music, but a metronome has nothing to do with that. Synchronicity, choreography, lighting, all these things require or are made monumentally easier because of the metronome. As for killing the soul, a click track in someone's ear over the top of the mix isn't going to magically make him/her a robot. Human error still exists and is required. A metronome is simply a tool to make recording and performances more organized and on track. Yes, you definitely could be more wrong, but on this particular point, I stand by my original comment.
Michael Dallara I like being able to go off script when playing liive. Every drummer I have performed with has been rock solid, so maybe I am spoiled.Also, in addition to rock and pop, I have a background performing jazz and classical music, where a click track would never be used. Different strokes......
Or don't use one and drag and rush through out your gig. Not everyone has perfect beat and not everyone with changing beats sound good too. They sound like amateurs who didn't oractice