Click Tracks: The Making Of

Loop 1:

This was the first loop I did. I had an interesting idea of speeding up the click track so much that it would become a buzz sound which I could form into a bassline. This would flesh out the minimal sounding track that just clicks would make. I used three tracks of clicks for the beat: one for bass, one for snare and one for hi-hats. I added an effect to the bass to make it a bit more distinctive than just a lower-pitch click, and I filtered the hi-hats to get a softer and more realistic sound. The bass was not a simple four on the floor, but a more syncopated pattern that makes the loop a bit more interesting. The bass was just one note with the filter being modified over the course of the loop. I tried to make it come back to the starting point at the end to make it a true loop, and I think this might have limited what I could do with it.

Loop 2:

With this loop, I had a bit faster and more conventional drum beat, with the typical four on the floor and a steady snare and hi-hat pattern. One nuance of this, though, is that the snare sound is moved up a little bit, making the second and fourth beat have a sort of flam that sounds more interesting than having them hit together. I used the bassline idea again in this one, but instead of changing the filter, I modified the pitch that the track was going at. I don't remember the exact values, but I believe I used 50, 62, 74 and 86. These are offset by 12, which I picked because that is the default value that the pitch goes up by if you drag the target. Overall, this is the loop I like the most.

Loop 3:

The final loop has a "dark, German dance-house feel," according to my suitemate. It has more bass punch than the other ones, and the bass line concept turns into more of a lead, with a creepy sounding reverb effect. The snare is higher pitched than in other tracks, which I originally thought sounded better, but in retrospect don't like as much as a flatter and less snappy snare. I achieved this by reversing the click so it has a longer attack and very little sustain. The hi-hat pattern in this loop is somewhat subtle; it is somewhat overpowered by the lead, but it is an interesting, almost-shuffle beat. The sound of the hi-hats is a bit like a pair of maracas in this. I find it interesting that a series of four clicks could sound remotely similar to a pair of maracas.

Overall, I am astounded at the kind of music that I created with four, simple clicks, and I am very satisfied with my results.