Click Tracks

A clear click track is crucial for the success of your studio session, live multimedia performance, or virtual ensemble. Ditch the metronome and record your project with a dynamic click that ebbs and flows with the phrasing of the music.

Creating click tracks using Ableton at Éditions Plamondon

 

My click tracks are built on three principles:

  • The musicians should not have to “decipher” a click track before they record; it should be immediately clear when the piece will start, and where they are in the piece.
  • Changes in tempo (including pauses and fermatas) should be accounted for, and never take the musicians by surprise.
  • If they're recording from home, musicians will play better if they have some sort of pitch reference to listen to as they record.

I produce my click tracks in Ableton Live 10, and they include count-ins, emphasized downbeats and section markers, and a MIDI reference track (such as a melodic line or bass line). I typically do not record speech for click tracks, as it tends to distract the player.

Deliverables include two MP3 files: a click with MIDI reference track (useful for recording at home) and a click without MIDI reference track (useful for recording several musicians at once, and for mixing purposes).

Pricing varies based on the length of the click track: You pay only $5 per minute of track.

With the commission of any arranging, transcribing, engraving, or MIDI realization project, I am pleased to offer click track production for a flat rate: $11 for under 5 minutes, and $19 for over 5 minutes. Feel free to contact me at taran@editionsplamondon.com for a quote.

Check out some samples of my click tracks here.

 

If you’re looking to DIY your click, I’ve produced this free video tutorial where I explain my own process in detail, adapted for the free open-source software Audacity: