Click Track Help

Thank you all for the suggestions and tips! One last question. When i fall off the click (usually in a fill). How do i get back on track without creating a train wreck?

A little practice to help 'regulate' your fills is a good idea. But if you're hearing the click like you should - as the loudest thing in your mix - you won't lose it. The main reason drummers can't follow a click is because they can't hear it*. Their mix has too much stuff competing with the click, and perhaps even their drums are too loud in the mix.

When you're using a click, the click is everything. Period. There's no room for a 'nice' mix - turn the click up, and everything else down.

* The second most common reason? Stubbornness!
 
So basically turn the mix way down, and the click up. I appreciate the help. Its been 20years since I’ve played in a band. We are 3 piece so basically all the click songs have keyboard backing
 
So basically turn the mix way down, and the click up. I appreciate the help. Its been 20years since I’ve played in a band. We are 3 piece so basically all the click songs have keyboard backing
I’m just a little nervous missing a break,fill, punch ect.. if its to quiet? I know i gotta learn to play with it though. You are correct with to much going on in the mix. It makes my head spin sometimes! Thanks again!!
 
So basically turn the mix way down, and the click up. I appreciate the help. Its been 20years since I’ve played in a band. We are 3 piece so basically all the click songs have keyboard backing

For mixes, the rule of thumb is to hear what you need to hear. When you're using a click, you need to hear it. If it's buried under your drums, you can't hear it. If you can't hear it, it's useless.

So yes, turn the click up, with your drums right below that, and everything else at about half volume, just for reference. If you're singing, keep the other vocals up, but just enough to sing with. Let the click dominate the mix, and you'll always be able to stick with it.
 
I’m just a little nervous missing a break,fill, punch ect.. if its to quiet?

That's an arrangement thing... you still need to know the song. :)
 
Also, if you can’t hear the click at times as much there’s a chance that you’re perfectly in sync with it.

On those moments don’t panic, just assess if that’s the case.

My main advice? Practice with one extensively alone so you know what to expect.
 
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#1 rule when using clicks/tracks: you must be able to hear the click in order to follow it.

That probably seems obvious, but so many drummers try to have a musical mix with the click being just another element of the mix. The problem is, when you have too much stuff to follow, you can't follow any of it. Hearing a solid click along with players who are pushing and pulling is bad news. When you have a click or a track, it becomes a "need to know" mix. That is, you need the click, and your drums, and not much more. A little guitar for melody, a little vocal to know where you're at in the song, a little bass if you want to 'play' off of that. But those are there for reference, not for you to necessarily enjoy a good mix. Once a click is introduced, THAT becomes the job at hand. The better you hear the click, the better you can stick with it. The less you hear of the time offenders in the band, the less likely you will stray from the click.

Many musicians are appalled when I tell them what's in (and not in) my mix when using a click or a track. It's probably unlistenable to anyone but me. But I have never, and I repeat NEVER lost the click or track in 35 years of using them in concert (or in the studio either.) I'm much more satisfied in keeping the band locked-in to the video or audio track, than hearing us the way the audience does.

Long story short, turn the click up, turn the other guys down.

THIS, all day long!!!!

Here's my typical in-ear mix, be it live or in the studio.

1. CLICK
2. Kick
3. Snare
4. Bass
5. Hi Hats
6. Tracks (if any)
7. Guitar
8. Keys (if any)
9. Toms/Overheads
10. Vocals
 
#1 rule when using clicks/tracks: you must be able to hear the click in order to follow it.

That probably seems obvious, but so many drummers try to have a musical mix with the click being just another element of the mix. The problem is, when you have too much stuff to follow, you can't follow any of it. Hearing a solid click along with players who are pushing and pulling is bad news. When you have a click or a track, it becomes a "need to know" mix. That is, you need the click, and your drums, and not much more. A little guitar for melody, a little vocal to know where you're at in the song, a little bass if you want to 'play' off of that. But those are there for reference, not for you to necessarily enjoy a good mix. Once a click is introduced, THAT becomes the job at hand. The better you hear the click, the better you can stick with it. The less you hear of the time offenders in the band, the less likely you will stray from the click.

Many musicians are appalled when I tell them what's in (and not in) my mix when using a click or a track. It's probably unlistenable to anyone but me. But I have never, and I repeat NEVER lost the click or track in 35 years of using them in concert (or in the studio either.) I'm much more satisfied in keeping the band locked-in to the video or audio track, than hearing us the way the audience does.

Long story short, turn the click up, turn the other guys down.
I learned this as well - especially when utilizing the newfangled in-ear monitors. If I'm singing, I just need to hear enough of the track and myself to know if I'm in pitch or not, and when there's a click, that's the most prominent element in my in-ear mix.

But from a safety standpoint, and Bermuda brought this up in another thread, if you're using in-ears, you MUST use the custom molded type. The monitor must fill your ear in order to block out any extraneous sound coming in from outside. If you can't block out the outside noise, then you'll just keep turning up your in-ears risking permanent hearing loss in the process. When I wear my in-ear, I can run everything nice and low as to not damage my hearing.
 
I found the single change of attitude that took me from resenting the click, to playing with it 98% of the time, was to picture its an audience. You can only hear it when they're booing, basically. As long as your bang on, it feels even better.

Another practice that I've not done enough but I did enjoy and helped a lot, was trying to play against the click - no need to go fast, but 120bpm or whatever, 8s on the hat, 1, 3 kick, 2, 4 snare. Whatever, simple. But you wanna play on the off-beat from the click and not necessarily start on the 1's & but rather maybe the 2's &. Really focus on hearing the click giving you the counter beat to what your playing and try to lock in with it.

Kinda similar to the last thing, I guess, but I've been playing a 9/8 thing, nothing super hard, but getting used to going from onbeat to offbeat and maintaining the right hand playing over floor (o) and ride (x) (click in bold) 0-x-0-x-0-x-0-x-x-0-x-0-x-0-x-0-x-x- plus some snares and kicks
 
I have heard good things about the Porter and Davies throne that vibrates with a click feed.

Anyone with experience that can comment on their experience with it? Seems it would be more of an augment to an in-ear audio click feed.
 
I have heard good things about the Porter and Davies throne that vibrates with a click feed.

Anyone with experience that can comment on their experience with it? Seems it would be more of an augment to an in-ear audio click feed.
Well at 1300 I can see why they're not so popular. The Peterson Body Beat Pulse comes out of your existing metronome in my case my phone and is only 30. I use an in ear click when playing live and haven't used the Body Beat Pulse in years. For me, the audible in ear click is much better than a tactile click. They make a wrist band tactile click as well that's a lot cheaper than the throne.
 
I have heard good things about the Porter and Davies throne that vibrates with a click feed.
It's a kick 'thumper', and not connected to the click. For portability and low-moderate volume gigs - even sessions - it's a decent unit.

I use ButtKickers on tour, which are re-labeled IMAX theater seat thumpers. 😮 But they need a powerful amp and aren't really suited for local gigging.
 
I have heard good things about the Porter and Davies throne that vibrates with a click feed.

Anyone with experience that can comment on their experience with it? Seems it would be more of an augment to an in-ear audio click feed.
thr P&D thrones are a big sub speaker that is connected via a matching amp, its more designed to have the kick going through it so you feel it on-stage more, or a low end mix to 'feel' through it rather than directly hear it.
 
when im running my click tracks with one band, i mix my own backing tracks with the click.

i have the click panned left (or right sometimes), and have the backing track panned centre, i then run two jack-to-jacks into a small mixer that i control, and i have separate volume controls for the click and the backing.

having a mini-mixer next you with the click and backings running into it may help you hear it better (with proper volume controlling for both). so you can stay in time with it. if you fall off the click , dont get flustered and dont stop playing, just keep going for the remainder of the bar if you can and then do a crash to signal you're back on the 1 of the next bar :) do you have an accent on the 1 of the metronome or just one solid sound all the time?
 
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