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A click track is a series of audio cues used to synchronize sound recordings, sometimes for
synchronization Synchronization is the coordination of events to operate a system in unison. For example, the Conductor (music), conductor of an orchestra keeps the orchestra synchronized or ''in time''. Systems that operate with all parts in synchrony are sa ...
to a
moving image A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...
. The click track originated in early sound movies, where optical marks were made on the film to indicate precise timings for
musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...
accompaniment. It can also serve a purpose similar to a
metronome A metronome () is a device that produces an audible click or other sound at a uniform interval that can be set by the user, typically in beats per minute (BPM). Metronomes may also include synchronized visual motion, such as a swinging pendulum ...
, as in the
music industry The music industry are individuals and organizations that earn money by Songwriter, writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music and sheet music, presenting live music, concerts, ...
, where it is often used during recording sessions and live performances.Gavin Harrison (August 2003).
Creating Click Tracks For Drummers
. Sound on Sound. Retrieved 8 June 2011.


History

The earliest known usage of "precise timing-aid" in movies may have been by Walt Disney’s team when recording music and sound effects for their early cartoons. Since cartoons at that time did not include dialogue, the jokes onscreen relied heavily on how precisely they were synchronized with the sound effects (e.g., one character hitting another with a frying pan is funniest when it occurs simultaneously with the "boing" sound effect). When the timing is bad, the joke loses significant impact.
Wilfred Jackson Wilfred Emmons Jackson (January 24, 1906 – August 7, 1988) was an American animator, arranger, musical arranger and film director, director best known for his work with The Walt Disney Company, Walt Disney Productions. Jackson joined Walt Dis ...
, who made the music for ''
Steamboat Willie ''Steamboat Willie'' is a 1928 American animated short film directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. It was produced in black-and-white by Walt Disney Animation Studios and was released by Pat Powers (producer), Pat Powers, under the name of Cele ...
'' in 1928, simply used a
metronome A metronome () is a device that produces an audible click or other sound at a uniform interval that can be set by the user, typically in beats per minute (BPM). Metronomes may also include synchronized visual motion, such as a swinging pendulum ...
to set the precise speed of the music for scenes:
What I worked out, was a bar sheet (or dope sheet), to indicate measures of music. It wasn't like a score, because it didn't have five barlines; it had a little square for each beat in each measure, and it had an indication of the tempo. The frames were in the beat of the music; so in twelve-frame, or sixteen-frame, or whatever. That way, we were able to synchronise the scenes, which were shot separately, of course. My contribution to sound-cartoons was that I knew what a metronome was.
This system evolved with use. The Disney team experimented with additional graphical symbols, to better show the performing musicians when to expect happenings. This system was used well into the 1930s, when the first multitrack recording machine was built and dubbing became possible. The click track was sufficiently useful as a
synchronization Synchronization is the coordination of events to operate a system in unison. For example, the Conductor (music), conductor of an orchestra keeps the orchestra synchronized or ''in time''. Systems that operate with all parts in synchrony are sa ...
tool that it became part of standard recording technology, whether for films, radio or other
sound recording Sound recording and reproduction is the electrical, Mechanical system, mechanical, electronic, or digital inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of ...
and the click track was applied to one of the tracks on a multitrack tape recorder. By the late 20th century, particularly in the realm of sound synthesizers and
digital recording In digital recording, an audio signal, audio or video signal is converted into a stream of discrete numbers representing the changes over time in air pressure for audio, or Color, chroma and luminance values for video. This number stream is s ...
, the click track became computerized and synchronizing different instruments became more complex, whereupon the click track was largely supplanted by a
SMPTE timecode SMPTE timecode ( or ) is a set of cooperating standards to label individual frames of video or film with a timecode. The system is defined by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers in the SMPTE 12M specification. SMPTE revised ...
. Click tracks were also once very important in the creation of accurately timed music such as radio and television spots (commercials) and other timed production music. In this type of use a rhythm section or ensemble would play all instruments to a click track. With the use of
MIDI Musical Instrument Digital Interface (; MIDI) is an American-Japanese technical standard that describes a communication protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, ...
sequencing in the 1980s and 1990s it became possible to build an entire music track that was accurately timed without depending solely on a click track. Computer based
MIDI Musical Instrument Digital Interface (; MIDI) is an American-Japanese technical standard that describes a communication protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, ...
sequencing programs are still used in the creation of music. The MIDI sequencer generated track can be used with only MIDI controlled instruments or embellished with other instruments played by musicians. The musicians who embellish the tracks created with MIDI sequencer essentially play along with the already timed piece of music. In many cases all of the MIDI instrumentation is replaced by actual musicians.


Techniques

The click track may be used as a form of metronome directly by musicians in the studio or on stage, particularly by drummers, who listen via
headphones Headphones are a pair of small loudspeaker drivers worn on or around the head over a user's ears. They are electroacoustic transducers, which convert an electrical signal to a corresponding sound. Headphones let a single user listen to an ...
to maintain a consistent beat. Sometimes the click track would be given, through a set of headphones, only to the drummer who would hold the beat, and the rest of the musicians on staff would follow along to the beat that the drummer would hold. One can think of a click track as essentially being a kind of metronome except that it is fed through headphones to one or more of the musicians during a recording or performance. It is also not uncommon for musicians or engineers to subdivide click tracks at slow tempos (for instance, below 70 BPM) into smaller parts, with, for instance a click on the start of a bar and a beep on every individual quarter (or eighth, sixteenth...) note. In the final product of the film or performance that is being recorded, the click track is not heard by the audience. The practice of recording using an aiding click track is contrary to the practice of using a metronome during practice and then turning it off come time for a performance or recording, which has traditionally been more common in the past. The use of a click track allows for easier editing in a
digital audio workstation A digital audio workstation (DAW ) is an electronic device or application software used for Sound recording and reproduction, recording, editing and producing audio files. DAWs come in a wide variety of configurations from a single software pr ...
(DAW) or
music sequencer A music sequencer (or audio sequencer or simply sequencer) is a device or application software that can record, edit, or play back music, by handling Musical note, note and performance information in several forms, typically CV/Gate, MIDI, or Open ...
, since various parts can be easily quantized and moved around or spliced together without worrying about minute differences in timing. Click tracks are especially useful to modern " one man bands" who may use a multi-track audio editor to perform all or many of the different parts of a recording separately. Click tracks can also aid live bands that want to synchronize a live performance with things like prerecorded backing tracks,
pyrotechnics Pyrotechnics is the science and craft of creating fireworks, but also includes safety matches, oxygen candles, Pyrotechnic fastener, explosive bolts (and other fasteners), parts of automotive airbags, as well as gas-pressure blasting in mining, q ...
and
stage lighting Stage lighting is the craft of lighting as it applies to the production of theater, dance, opera, and other performance arts.
.


Criticisms

Use of a click track without a tempo map does not allow a natural shifting of tempo that would be vital for expressive phrasing and instances of
fermata A fermata (; "from ''fermare'', to stay, or stop"; also known as a hold, pause, colloquially a birdseye or cyclops eye, or as a grand pause when placed on a note or a rest) is a symbol of musical notation indicating that the note should be ...
, accelerando, ritardando, etc. James Beament, a scientist who studied acoustics, stated:
Mark E. Smith Mark Edward Smith (5 March 1957 – 24 January 2018) was an English singer-songwriter. He was the lead vocalist, lyricist and only constant member of the post-punk group the Fall. Smith formed the band after attending the June 1976 Sex Pistol ...
, vocalist and leader of the UK musical group The Fall, was known to forbid use of click tracks in the recording studio. "Free Range", ''The Fall Tracks A-Z and The Fall Live''
Retrieved 6 February 2018
Simon Wolstencroft, drummer for The Fall in the 1980s and '90s, stated " mithhated it if the drums became too slick" by synchronizing with a click track.Interview: Simon Wolstencroft
/ref>


See also

*
Metronome A metronome () is a device that produces an audible click or other sound at a uniform interval that can be set by the user, typically in beats per minute (BPM). Metronomes may also include synchronized visual motion, such as a swinging pendulum ...


References

* From the glossaries
BBC
an

{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160110062444/http://homerecording.about.com/od/recordingglossary/g/def_click_track.htm , date=10 January 2016


External links



nbsp;– A thorough explanation
musicmachinery.com
nbsp;– In search of the click track
Clickbook
for hitpoint composition like for soundtracks
Click Tracker
nbsp;– software to generate click tracks. Film sound production Music production