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Click Track - 4 - The Process - 3 - Putting it together

For the performance, you will need to put both the backing tracks and the click track through your mixer. The backing track will be routed either to on-stage speakers, or through the main vocal mix, or both. You will have to judge this during the sound check/technical. You are aiming to get the audience to feel that all the singing is coming from the performers on-stage, so you must listen very critically from the audience position and use level, EQ and delay to achieve this effect.
Check that the ‘click’ levels to the MD and/or drummer are adequate. As mentioned before, it is better to have more level than you need and turn it down than to be in a position where the signal gets distorted or just can’t be heard. This is the reason for sending it through the mixer, which will tend to give you more level and control. You will need to supply sets of headphones for each person listening to the click, and therefore a headphone amplifier and splitter will be necessary. The Furman headphone amp we supply has satellite stations, which allow the user to adjust their own volume.
Decide how the click track will be started and by whom. If possible, the best person to do this is the MD, as they will be able to make adjustments on-the-fly for missed cues and have closest contact with the band and performers. Most Mini-Disk players have the facility for remote start, and the DR4/8 and Stop Box system that we use also has this, so the hardware can be with the operator out of the way and the MD just has a small button to press at the appropriate time.

And that should be that. With a bit of care and attention, you should be able to produce very effective results, giving both audience and performers a satisfying vocal sound.

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