Why your click sucks and how to make it better

Posted by Will in click tricks

I‘ve been able to play in a variety of situations with a variety of different players which has led to me experiencing a lot of different click sounds.  Some effective, and some…not so much!  In this article we’ll take a look at a few reasons some of our clicks fall short and how to improve them.  If you’re new to using a click it may be worth playing catch up by checking out this article and reading through the rest of the posts in the Click Trick series!

1) Lack of Consistency

This is one of the biggest issues I’ve experienced in the past few years.  I equate it to the fact that a lot of people are using pre-made content from different places, either purchased online or borrowed from friends.  A lot of people are also creating click sounds on their own.  The two biggest problems this presents is different click sounds and different click volumes.  If you’ve ever been in this situation you know why this is problem.

You get your click volume set in your ears, you play through your first tune and everything goes great.  You go to start your next tune and suddenly everything changes.  You’ve got a different click sound and different click volume.  If the types of clicks are very different then the chances of them both containing the ability to cut through the mix is very slim to none.  You’ll be better off if you choose a click sound and stick with it!  Even if you get loops from other places it would be worth using your own click sound for consistency and make sure the volume is the same level for each one.

2) Lack of Subdivisions and Accent

I’ve hit on the need for subdivisions in your click in previous articles before (here & here).  But to quickly sum it up, the slower your song’s tempo the more accents or beats you’ll want to add to the click.  This leaves less space between the time you hear your click.  This is why 65 bpm with just quarters is so hard to keep in time with.  The faster your tempo the less subdivisions you’ll want in the click.  Otherwise your click starts to sound like a machine gun!

If you’re playing with a click and loop then it’s imperative to use a click with an accent.  I’ve been in situations where the band is playing as if beat 3 was beat 1 and it wasn’t pretty.  Your loop is acting differently in beat 3 than beat 1.  Having an accent on beat 1 helps when you have a click-only intro to find your first beat and to stick with it.  Try adding in subdivisions and accents and see how much your band’s ability to play with a click improves.  The difference will be like night and day!

3) More Cowbell

How many times have you played with a click that sounded like Will Ferrell playing his cowbell in your ear?  When choosing a Click “sound” the phrase “more cowbell” shouldn’t be anywhere in your vocabulary!  When you’re choosing a click sound here are  a few things to consider:

• Make sure your click sound is going to cut through the mix but not to the point where your ears are going to bleed
• Make sure to not pick a sound that sounds too much like a drum kit.  Don’t pick a high hat sound and play quarters on it as your click.  It will blend into the sound of your drummer’s hat and make for very unpleasant playing experience.

These are just a few considerations to help make sure your click doesn’t suck. If your looking for a good click sound with alot of flexibility check out our Foundations for Live and Foundations for Garageband. You get two click sounds that you can adjust your subdivisions and accent. With Foundations for Live you can even use your own click sound. Make sure to check out the intro video on YouTube as well!

Will Doggett is a certified Ableton Live Instructor, musician, worship leader and educator based out of FL. He currently works in the Worship Ministry at Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale and teaches Ableton Live and Ensemble courses at Ocean's Edge School of Worship . You can reach him by Email and find him on Twitter @willdoggett. He's currently available for consultation and training for churches and musicians interesting in learning to integrate Live into their setups. Want more info? Shoot him an Email!

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