Stupid metronome left ear...

[Ryan.]

Hi there.

 

So in order to do some recording at our studio, we'd like to use a metronome.

 

Mainly... this one:

 

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Matrix-MR-500-Quartz-Metronome-210023-i1125458.gc

 

Which I bought.

 

At first I just plugged my headphones into it. Well it only clicks in one ear and wasn't very loud. So that made it hard to play to (especially on the drums.)

 

So my next try was plugging it into the mixwiz and having it sent back so I could add some gain to it to make it louder. But still only came out in one ear.

 

How do I make this thing click in both ears and maintain volume control over it? I think I'm using the wrong cables.

[Ryan.]

By the way, I tried flipping the headphones around but then the sound just came in my right ear. So that didn't work.

[JohnnyGraphic]

Just plug it into a single channel (not stereo) and pan it center. It should be sent to both L&R sides. I'm assuming you're using it thru the main outputs? If you're using it on the aux, just use the 2nd aux send to send it to the output.

 

Johnny

[Ryan.]

 

Just plug it into a single channel (not stereo) and pan it center. It should be sent to both L&R sides. I'm assuming you're using it thru the main outputs? If you're using it on the aux, just use the 2nd aux send to send it to the output. Johnny

 

 

I need the cable with just the tip and base right? Not the tip/ring/base?

[JohnnyGraphic]

That's beyond my scope of understanding.

 

As long as you're getting signal and it's going into a regular mic/line channel and not one of the ST return channels, you should be o.k.

 

But, I've been wrong before!

 

Johnny

[Ryan.]

I think maybe the problem is coming from the jack on the headphones. Its one of the jacks that looks like a TRS input. I dunno, I'll just keep trying different combos.

[JohnnyGraphic]

 

I think maybe the problem is coming from the jack on the headphones. Its one of the jacks that looks like a TRS input. I dunno, I'll just keep trying different combos.

 

 

You might be on to something. If it only showed up in the left ear when you were listening on headphones straight into the metronome, then, you might have a faulty unit?

 

The TRS on the headphones is stereo and I know there's a difference on the TRS on a line input (1/4" cable). I don't know exactly what it is, I'm sure Aged and others will be able to tell you the difference. In the mean time, as long as you can get it into a mono channel, you should be able to send it to both L&R sides for monitoring?

 

Johnny

[soul-x]

I used to have one of those. It's not a stereo device. Neither is my current metronome, some Korg something-or-other.

 

If you notice, I bet the output even says earphone (no plural).

 

Just use the left side into a mono input.

[JohnnyGraphic]

If you notice, I bet the output even says ear phone (no plural).

 

I always thought it was the not goodly english!

[JohnnyGraphic]

FWIW, I have the TAMA Rhythm watch which clicks in stereo. It's very nice since you can dial in triplets etc. It even has an adapter to stand mount it on a drum kit.

 

It's considerable more expensive though...

 

Johnny

[Unalaska]

I have an older version of that metronome. It's in mono and the pulse is a basic 1 click. I wanted to use it as a click track for some recording, well turns out the waveform goes from -inf to 0 on the positive side only (sqwiggly wave line goes up and back to inf. but never below the line).

 

Go get an Alesis SR16 cheap. program in a cowbell or hi hat click.

[soul-x]

Your multitracker should have a built in click, too.

[kmart]

 

FWIW, I have the TAMA Rhythm watch which clicks in stereo. It's very nice since you can dial in triplets etc. It even has an adapter to stand mount it on a drum kit. It's considerable more expensive though... Johnny

 

 

And worth it.

 

+1 on the Tama RhythmWatch, unless you're using some sort of DAW which already has a built-in metronome/click function.

[Craig Vecchione]

By the way, I tried flipping the headphones around but then the sound just came in my right ear. So that didn't work.

 

Next time turn the mixer around.

[Ryan.]

Next time turn the mixer around.

 

Hahaha, I was wondering if anyone was going to say anything about that!

[derpackswasyes]

My metronome also only comes through one headphone, solution I use:

Unplug the headphones slightly so that they're like half way plugged in and it comes through both ears. Try it, might work for you too!

[coyote-1]

If you can hear the metronome while you're playing, you ain't doing it right.

 

More specifically: If you are drumming to a click, the ONLY time you should hear the click is when it clicks on a beat on which you're not playing. Else your stick or foot ought be hitting something at the exact same moment as the click, thereby obliterating that click.

[Dogoth]

 

You might be on to something. If it only showed up in the left ear when you were listening on headphones straight into the metronome, then, you might have a faulty unit? The TRS on the headphones is stereo and I know there's a difference on the TRS on a line input (1/4" cable). I don't know exactly what it is, I'm sure Aged and others will be able to tell you the difference. In the mean time, as long as you can get it into a mono channel, you should be able to send it to both L&R sides for monitoring? Johnny

 

 

A TRS 1/4" input is (as you stated) completely different from a TRS stereo Headphone ( and yes it DOES cause some confusion amongst the uninitiated). A headphone uses the shield as a common ground and tip = left, ring = right. A TRS 14" mono line is a balanced line that uses tip + ring as the signal (twisted pair) and the sleeve as a non signal carrying shield. Totaly different circuits.

 

To the OP: It sounds like either you have a defective unit OR it is made to be used with a mono 2 conductor earphone whereas the tip = left with a traditional stereo headphone. the mono earphone is a rare thing in todays world so I would doubt the latter is the correct answer. If you bought it new, take it back and ask WTF.

[soul-x]

the mono earphone is a rare thing in todays world so I would doubt the latter is the correct answer. If you bought it new, take it back and ask WTF.

 

No. Not rare at all for with metronomes; In fact, very common.

[kmart]

 

If you can hear the metronome while you're playing, you ain't doing it right. More specifically: If you are drumming to a click, the ONLY time you should hear the click is when it clicks on a beat on which you're not playing. Else your stick or foot ought be hitting something at the exact same moment as the click, thereby obliterating that click.

 

 

Ummm....

 

Just for clarity's sake, that's not entirely so.

 

1) For starters, you may have decided that the best click to program for the song is 8th notes, but the drums may only be playing primarily 1/4 notes for time keeping, etc., in which case, you'll hear pretty much every 'and' beat of the metronome. For example, if I was to program a click to record AC/DC's "Back In Black", the click would be way busier than the drum parts because there's so much space in between the actual kick and snare notes, and the hihat part is relatively quiet by comparison, etc.

 

2) More importantly, if you're trying to play ON the click 100%, what you've described is true; your playing should, in a sense, 'bury' the click. But if you're trying to give the impression of the music pushing or pulling by playing slightly ahead of, or behind the beat, then it's not an accurate statement at all.

 

The click is the guide; deciding to play strictly on it, or close to it, is a player's choice to be made based on the feel of the song and what's most appropriate for it.. When playing to a click, I like to slightly push ahead of the beat on a lot of choruses to give the impression that the song tempo has edged up a bit.

[JohnnyGraphic]

FWIW, I think trying to record anything while you have that click track going off in your head is probably one of the biggest reasons why musicians turn to drugs!

 

Johnny

[Ryan.]

FWIW, I think trying to record anything while you have that click track going off in your head is probably one of the biggest reasons why musicians turn to drugs! Johnny

 

After all this... Soul-x was right. There is a click track in the Tascam. So I bought a metronome for no purpose really. Other than to annoy myself I guess.

[6Imzadi]

FWIW, I think trying to record anything while you have that click track going off in your head is probably one of the biggest reasons why musicians turn to drugs! Johnny

 

Classic quote. +1

[Dogoth]

 

2) More importantly, if you're trying to play ON the click 100%, what you've described is true; your playing should, in a sense, 'bury' the click. But if you're trying to give the impression of the music pushing or pulling by playing slightly ahead of, or behind the beat, then it's not an accurate statement at all. The click is the guide; deciding to play strictly on it, or close to it, is a player's choice to be made based on the feel of the song and what's most appropriate for it.. When playing to a click, I like to slightly push ahead of the beat on a lot of choruses to give the impression that the song tempo has edged up a bit.

 

 

I'd agree with that. I've step written countless midi tracks only to sneek them forward or back just a hair in time to match the other players recorded parts (sometimes the amount of adjustment in the chorus will be different from the verse etc.....). Music should breath just a bit to sound real (and to match whatever style you're trying to cop).

 

When I play drums, I use a beat bug tempo ref rather than a metronome (that way I'm not a slave to the click but have a reference of the tempo). I have almost every song in our book with a BPM number (not set in stone but as a reference).