Tune Up: Your Prescription For Staying In Time
posted in: Features • Reviews & Playlists
In general, one of these most widely neglected tools for pop musicians is a metronome. If you ask any orchestra, chamber ensemble or marching band, they’ll tell you that next to their tuner, a metronome is the only thing they wouldn’t be caught dead without at rehearsal. The Dr. Beat line, made by BOSS® is arguably one of the smartest, most intuitive metronomes on the market. This thing can do everything from standard measure beeps (in any time signature you can imagine) to complicated subdivisions and polyrhythm’s. It has become a staple at school band programs and should really be a staple for rock bands, pop acts and producers alike.
-Two overlapping beat options
-Multiple click sounds
-Human voice sound
-50 memory slots
-MIDI in to sync with DAWs or Sequencers
-Drum machine-like click options
-Rhythm coach
Clearly this isn’t your standard metronome. Check out the BOSS® video review to see their DB line in action:
While the features speak for themselves, what stand out the most are the complexity of rhythms, the drum features and the Rhythm Coach. You can create virtually any rhythm fathomable on this, and you have the ability to assign a counting voice or even drum sounds to it. This helps to insure timing and gives you reference to your place in the music. Something that is completely unheard of with metronomes is the ability to record your own sounds for playback. Beyond this, they’ve even got programs that test your ability to play along with these complex rhythms by giving you drills and monitoring your playback through a built-in microphone with their Rhythm Coach.
Sure, you can pick up a standard metronome (perhaps even one of the smaller ones in the DB line). However, making the investment in the DB-90 will truly make you a better player, and it will give you the ability to rehearse in a full band setting while keeping time quite well. To top it off, you’ll even be able to record with it as it can sync to your recording program. Really the only downside is that the interface can be a bit awkward to set beats up in (as seen by the small screen in the video above). However, with versatility and a robust set of features, the DB-90 is an amazing tool for the performing musician.