Metronome setting for odd time sigs

Question

Metronome setting for odd time sigs

I play and record a lot of music on folk rhythms with time sigs such as 6/8 and 9/8. It's usual to have a metronome click two beats per bar for 6/8 and two or three for 9/8. However the standard settings only allow one click per beat which can be lunatic when a dotted crotchet is at least 100 per minute!

How can I set up a metronome with less than one click per beat?

Mike Butler

iMAc, Mac OS X (10.5.8)

Posted on Feb 13, 2011 3:38 AM

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Answer 1

Eriksimon

Level 6

15,428 points

Feb 13, 2011 3:53 AM in response to Concertinamike

The simplest way would be to set the correct time signature in Logic.

http://documentation.apple.com/en/logicpro/usermanual/index.html#chapter=31%26se ction=19%26tasks=true

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Answer 2

Feb 13, 2011 8:14 AM in response to Eriksimon

Eriksimon - I've been through the standard way of setting up the metronome as per the method you refer to. This gives me two options, either one beat per bar - too few; or 6 beats per bar for 6/8 - far too many and it gets crazy using 9/8 time!

There are other rhythms that are equally difficult to set up. For instance Polka time which is 4/4 but I only want clicks on the firsts three beats.

There must be a way of doing this surely?
Mike

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Answer 3

Eriksimon

Level 6

15,428 points

Feb 13, 2011 11:33 AM in response to Concertinamike

Concertinamike wrote:
Eriksimon - I've been through the standard way of setting up the metronome as per the method you refer to. This gives me two options, either one beat per bar - too few; or 6 beats per bar for 6/8 - far too many and it gets crazy using 9/8 time!

There are other rhythms that are equally difficult to set up. For instance Polka time which is 4/4 but I only want clicks on the firsts three beats.

There must be a way of doing this surely?

Yes. Disable the Metronome. Create an SI track with Klopfgeist and create one bar with the right amount of clicks, then loop that.

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Answer 4

Feb 15, 2011 9:41 AM in response to Eriksimon

Excellent!

Being an acoustic performer I've never had to use loops, indeed performing to a click track is an alien experience!

I've now just got to solve the problem of saving my new loops somewhere that I can find them again,

Thanks very much

Mike

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