What is a Click Track? And Why Would I Want To Use One?

2023-04-12

What is a Click Track? And what is it good for? I explain what it is and give several reasons for using one. I use Reaper, which makes it easy to use a click track and to toggle the metronome off and on. Reaper also has MIDI capability, so it's easy to just put a basic drum pattern on a track instead of using the official "click track." The result will be the same in that the beats will all fall onto the project tempo grid lines. But it can be easier to feel the rhythm of a song with drums ...

What is a Click Track? And what is it good for? I explain what it is and give several reasons for using one.

I use Reaper, which makes it easy to use a click track and to toggle the metronome off and on.

Reaper also has MIDI capability, so it's easy to just put a basic drum pattern on a track instead of using the official "click track." The result will be the same in that the beats will all fall onto the project tempo grid lines. But it can be easier to feel the rhythm of a song with drums instead of clicky-clacky sounds inherent to a default metronome sound in recording programs.

Also, I use single-hit drum samples in this episode. I didn't mention where I got those. I have a virtual instrument (VSTi) called Storm Drum that I bought from Native Instruments years ago. I just loaded that up on a track and used the MIDI editor to trigger those drum sounds.

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