Post by Pitt Drumline on May 6, 2009 17:01:32 GMT -5
Metronomes are an integral practice tool and a must-have for any serious drummer/percussionist. This isn't just to train your hands to go a certain speed, but to train your ear as well. Whether you opt for the most expensive high-tech met, or a simple click track, there are many options out there. Here are a few that I recommend:
External Metronomes
Boss Dr. Beat- This is probably the most popular line of metronomes within the drumline/marching world. They can accurately track any tempo (up to around 300-ish bpm, i believe?), can highlight just about any 16th- or triplet-based pulse, and feature the mic-sized jack for ease with plugging into amps, long rangers, or studio headphones. There are three basic models of the Dr. Beat:
-The DB-90 ($150-160) is the mac-daddy of all mets, with all the bells and whistles. Some notable features include: a 50-track program memory, a library of drum-machine sounds for more realistic practice, and a new Rhythm Coach feature where you can plug it into an electronic drumset or acoustic trigger to measure your rhythmic accuracy.
-The DB-60 ($60-70) is about half of the size of the DB90 and has a large memory without the rhythm coach or drum-machine features.
-The DB-30 ($30-40) is the durable, pocket-sized version (about the size of a stopwatch) which has the same features as the DB60 without the memory. It also only has a headphone jack.
Yamaha Clickstation ($130 or less) has actually been recently discontinued, but if you can find one anywhere, they're a great steal for working with a drumline. This has the loudest speaker of any met I've ever used, which, as the bass tech/vis guy is nice for me because it means I rarely have to lug around a long ranger when I'm using it. It has many of the same features as the Dr Beat, but without the drum-machine feature. However, it can be plugged into an electronic kit to unlock extra features.
Korg MA-30 (around $25) another pocket metronome, similar to the DB30, but not as durable.
Also, Reptar has a pocket metronome (not sure what brand it is), but I'm pretty sure he said it was relatively cheap and is probably my favorite pocket-size metronome ever. Maybe he'll elaborate on it more...
Online Metronomes
These are totally free and just a click away on your computer:
www.webmetronome.com can click up to 220 bpm and lets you program an accent pattern of up to 64 beats per cycle.
www.8notes.com/metronome/ has a variety of midi drum riffs that you can drum along to, at any tempo from 44-208 bpm.
advanced.bestmetronome.com/ is set up more like the drum-machine function that I talked about earlier. I haven't had a chance to play around with this one as much, but it definitely looks cool.
Anyways, like I said earlier, its really important that you use a metronome, click-track, or other rhythmic pulse during your individual practice. I hope this has given you some options.
If anyone else has suggestions on good buys/good sites, post 'em here!
External Metronomes
Boss Dr. Beat- This is probably the most popular line of metronomes within the drumline/marching world. They can accurately track any tempo (up to around 300-ish bpm, i believe?), can highlight just about any 16th- or triplet-based pulse, and feature the mic-sized jack for ease with plugging into amps, long rangers, or studio headphones. There are three basic models of the Dr. Beat:
-The DB-90 ($150-160) is the mac-daddy of all mets, with all the bells and whistles. Some notable features include: a 50-track program memory, a library of drum-machine sounds for more realistic practice, and a new Rhythm Coach feature where you can plug it into an electronic drumset or acoustic trigger to measure your rhythmic accuracy.
-The DB-60 ($60-70) is about half of the size of the DB90 and has a large memory without the rhythm coach or drum-machine features.
-The DB-30 ($30-40) is the durable, pocket-sized version (about the size of a stopwatch) which has the same features as the DB60 without the memory. It also only has a headphone jack.
Yamaha Clickstation ($130 or less) has actually been recently discontinued, but if you can find one anywhere, they're a great steal for working with a drumline. This has the loudest speaker of any met I've ever used, which, as the bass tech/vis guy is nice for me because it means I rarely have to lug around a long ranger when I'm using it. It has many of the same features as the Dr Beat, but without the drum-machine feature. However, it can be plugged into an electronic kit to unlock extra features.
Korg MA-30 (around $25) another pocket metronome, similar to the DB30, but not as durable.
Also, Reptar has a pocket metronome (not sure what brand it is), but I'm pretty sure he said it was relatively cheap and is probably my favorite pocket-size metronome ever. Maybe he'll elaborate on it more...
Online Metronomes
These are totally free and just a click away on your computer:
www.webmetronome.com can click up to 220 bpm and lets you program an accent pattern of up to 64 beats per cycle.
www.8notes.com/metronome/ has a variety of midi drum riffs that you can drum along to, at any tempo from 44-208 bpm.
advanced.bestmetronome.com/ is set up more like the drum-machine function that I talked about earlier. I haven't had a chance to play around with this one as much, but it definitely looks cool.
Anyways, like I said earlier, its really important that you use a metronome, click-track, or other rhythmic pulse during your individual practice. I hope this has given you some options.
If anyone else has suggestions on good buys/good sites, post 'em here!