programming a click

[palmerlouie]

does anybody know how to program a click track so i hear click for 4 or 8 bars then no click for 4 or 8 bars and so on? i have logic express, garage band and reason yet cannot get the programs to actually record the click and then record silence.

alternatively, is there a piece or software/gear that does this?

[Muphkin Man]

I use reason. Don't use the click function, as that will be constant. Turn the click off and just sequence 8 bars of cowbell or something (using the 'grid', not the drum machine) followed by 8 bars silence, then set it to loop at the end of the 16th bar. Hope that makes sense.

[LDGuy]

Well, you've easily got the right kit there. I'm sure Logic would be capable of doing stuff, but i'm not fluent in it. Reason i can do on the other hand. Sorry if this is overly simplified, but i dont know how much experience you've had with it

Quick walkthrough, it's insanely simple...

1. Open up reason and make sure you've got a blank rack with a 14:2 mixer. Insert a Redrum - this is probably easiest for me, since i know this, and it's easier than fiddling with NN-XT.

2. Insert your factory samples CD you should have got with the program. If you've lost it or something, you can easily get a cowbell sample off the net. Click on the browser button (the folder) in the first module. I've opened up the Reason Factory Sound Bank and gone into ReDrum drum kits. There's a folder called "xclusive drums-sorted" which has lots of folders for different sounds. Go to Percussion-Other and choose "Cow_Vin.aif". This is pretty much perfect for this type of click.

3. I personally would pan the click hard to the left or the right so you can hear it better with a track. I find this easier than having it centre. There's a knob you can turn to pan your sample, but it's defaultly centre so you might not need to.

4. Adjust the tempo at the bottom by the transport buttons - i've got the default of 120. Then take the pencil and draw an 8 bar loop in the ReDrum sequencer track. Place this between the R and L loop markers.

5. Double click on this and this should open up a editing window for the midi signal to the drum machine. You may want to do Window>>Detach Sequencer Window if you can't see enough. You can then program your beat into the green section of the edit window using the pencil tool. You can set the resolution to 1/4 if this helps, as i'm doing this in 4/4. I've then programmed 4 bars of click and left 4 bars of silence.

6. If you want to add another sound to emphasise the first beat of each bar, go back to the ReDrum module and browse for the second drum hit area. You can then program this into the sequencer window.

This is really rediculously easy, but i've kinda drawn it out. There is actually a built in click in Reason, but it's not programmable, so it's probably easier to do this.

Hope this helps...

[palmerlouie]

thanks but cos my mac was from berklee it says that reason has expired??!

anyway, i managed to do a lame version of what i wanted in garage band. 4 or 8 bars click - 4 or 8 bars silence. great practice and much harder to do than you think.

[Vdrummer]

Rod Morgenstein did something like that at a clinic we had and came out spot on every time, even while playing some really cool stuff.