After one listen to the John Bohnhamʼs Led Zepplin drum outtakes directly off the multi track, the reality that not all good music fits on a tempo grid will becomes pretty obvious to any recording engineer or musician. And when it comes to determining whether to use a click track while recording your project it may not always be quite so clear when it is going to good use or ripping the good write out of your musicianʼs performance.

Iʼve seen inexperienced recording engineers painstakingly attempting to fix live drum recordings after the fact with beat detective or elastic audio going for that perfect performance when the opportunity to capture that perfect performance was long past. After some further investigation most would tell me that when they put the click track in the session timing problems occurred causing an over all lack luster performance to an otherwise cool sounding and talented group. My question is usually always the same “Why did you use a click if it wasnʼt working?”

Most of the answers were usually something like this “so the music is in time” or “so I can get it on the tempo grid” There is one big recording rule that I have learned through experience that is broken here. That is “music comes first, engineering second” It is the engineers job to capture the most natural, quiet and clean possible recording and creating an environment in which the creativity can flourish. So for me, two things usually determine whether I use a click tack in a recording session. The first is the type of music Iʼm recording and the second is the level of musical experience. Letʼs first talk about the type of music.

If were doing a straight ahead pop track, or modern rock track, or anything of that nature a click should work just fine providing your working with experienced musicians. These styles are mostly produced in the box and are more about subtle groove and rhythmic precision and less about a natural organic feel. Now if I was recording a bebop jazz band, choir, or a classical orchestra most likely I wouldnʼt use a click because these styles typically will dictate a much looser feel. This is by no means the rule, but should be a good staring point when making your decision.

The second is musical ability. You may find yourself working with a great sounding band which may contain some inexperienced musicians, that have little or no studio experience and have never even practiced or recorded to a click track. Often these bands have a very natural feel and chemistry together that is the key ingredient to making the music work. In this case a click can be the biggest buzz kill ever. Your going to need to get a feel for who your working with ahead of time and it may be a good idea to attend some rehearsals beforehand.

If you do decide to use a click track and will find out in a recording session that itʼs not working it is very important you carefully and promptly address the issue to avoid a possible downward spiral. I usually say something like “letʼs see how it works with a natural feel“ or “I think the click is too rigid for your bandʼs style” This is much better then forcing the issue by trying multiple takes to reinforce something you already know which is that itʼs not working.

All this being said it is ultimately your decision to use a click or not. After taking a few Pro Tools classes one quickly realizes that by using Pro Tools Identify beat or beat Detective naturally recorded music can be easily put on a grid afterwards. So remember one size does not fit all and donʼt be afraid to let things breath a little. After all itʼs just music right?