• SONAR
  • [Solved] How to add intro clicks to existing recording?
2015/03/08 10:32:54
fireberd
Occasionally a client, along with the full mix, will want just the music tracks for Karaoke type backup.   How do I add 4 clicks to the start of the music only mix? 
2015/03/08 11:30:10
Anderton
Insert a measure at the beginning, then add something like a clave on each beat.
2015/03/08 11:52:15
Cactus Music
To be a little more detailed. 
Hopefully like most of us you never start a song on measure 1 and have left the room. 
If not dragging a whole song needs attention to details or sometimes short clips are not moved correctly. 
 
There's  a dialog box somewhere that does this ( insert?) . It can add measures and moves the tempo and everything. 
 
If the song is freewheeling and not played to the grid then try to match the tempo as close as you can. 
 
Now adding a click could be as easy as making the hi hat track a groove clip and dragging it back.
Or just open any midi drum track and add the hi hat or rim shot on the quarter beats. 
 
If your song is 100% audio then you'll have to add a midi track and  TTs-1 to use as the click. 
Or you could use an audio track and drop drum samples on the quarters using the browser.  
 
I have made count in's on totally finished masters in wave lab by adding a count from another song and editing it to fit. 
 
 
2015/03/08 13:23:53
fireberd
I'll give these suggestions a try.  Thanks.
 
I also have Goldwave audio editor.  I wonder if I could do it with that?
 
Thinking out loud (I know it hurts), I didn't think about my SR-16 Drum Machine, but I could add clicks with that.
 
2015/03/08 13:47:09
fireberd
Dummy, I took care of it.  I created a click track in Sonar using the "Claps" pad on my Alesis SR-16.  I then used Goldwave Editor to add the clicks to the front of a music track.  Worked OK and easy.  
 
I could probably have done it in Sonar, but for me it was easier using Goldwave.
 
Jack
2015/03/08 15:00:22
konradh
Just for fun:  Back in analog tape days, we had clients bring in 2-inch tapes without counts.  We'd put a tape on the reel upside down, listen a bit to get the feel of the beat, and then during the "end" of the song (which was really the start), we'd start clicking sticks or a woodblock in time—and we'd keep going when the music ended.  When we turned the tape over, we had count-off clicks.  Not 100% perfect, but as good as if a human and done a count-off originally.  You just had to get your mind tuned to picking up the beat of a backwards song.
 
Obviously, this is useless now—just sharing a bit of history.
2015/03/08 15:43:27
Bristol_Jonesey
The inherent danger when attempting to nudge/move/slide clips to the right is that you won't be sliding things like tempo changes, automation envelopes, markers etc.
 
The best way by far is the method suggested by Craig - simply select all (or none) and simply go Project > Insert Measures/Time, making sure your Now time cursor is positioned where you want the insert to occur.
2015/03/08 17:42:45
fireberd
I added the click using Sonar on a separate track in the project (in time with the song).   I then exported that and added it with Goldwave audio editor to the front of a finished (mixed) track, not an individual track before mixdown. 
 
Worked slick and easy (at least easy for me) doing it this way.
2015/03/08 18:20:26
g_randybrown
Anderton
Insert a measure at the beginning, then add something like a clave on each beat.


To add to what Craig said one can also make the countoff not noticeable as being a countoff by making it musical (ie with piano or strings) and just play eighth notes starting on the 3rd beat (ie 3 and 4 and if it's in 4/4) before the 1st measure.
2015/03/08 20:35:35
Cactus Music
Hey Jack, I'm with ya, I love Gold Wave, best $50 I ever spent. 
Sometimes it's just plain easier to work with a nice simple wave file. And often a stereo wave file is all you have, not a multi track. 
I have had to do this for many clients. The politically correct term is not Karaoke but a Performance track. Karaoke is a  more video format.  Performance tracks are bed tracks from studios and usually way better quality than Karaoke. A lot of church folks use them and have brought them to me to change key's, tempos, add an extra verse, chorus and often to make a better count in. Some were split track format with guide vocals on on side to practice with. Many were tapes I transferred to CD. 
 
I use Wave lab, but most any wave editor will work, Even a freebie like Wavosaur.  Sonar too but it would be my last choice. 
 
Here's a few tricks I've used. 
 
Steal the count in from another song and split and slide the clicks until they count in time. You can do this visually by looking at the songs transients. All you really need is a sound bite of a rim shot of hi hat and a wave editor can quickly cut / copy paste for any style count in. 
I like to accent the down beat and use a 2 measure count in. I often use a snare fill to start. 
1-2-3-4 -1-2-3 TaTaTa 
With 30 years of using backing tracks I have a passion for count ins that actually work. 
 
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