Metronome Rhythm Pack

[Chandler Holloway]

Hi all, just wanted to share a pack of custom Rhythms I've made in preparation for an upcoming video project. These Rhythms are made to be an alternative to the built-in metronome, and as such, they are pretty barebones (just woodblocks and triangle, pretty much). Every possible configuration of the built-in metronome with regards to time signature has been recreated as an .AC7 Rhythm in addition to specialized variants of those Metronome-Rhythms that are suited to specific applications. You can find them in the Downloads section here.

 

But this raises the question: why use these Rhythms to keep time instead of the regular built-in metronome that's on pretty much every Casio in the current line-up?

 

It's not that the built-in metronome is bad or anything, it's just a bit inflexible in terms of its integration with other features like multi-track recording. I got the idea to create these Rhythms while working on a tutorial for the CT-X700 and X800's multi-track recorder specifically because those boards lack helpful features like a recording pre-count. These CT-X models lack the ability to create their own Custom Rhythms, but they can still import custom Rhythms from external sources, which inspired me to create these met-Rhythms as a possible workaround to address these limitations. Although CT-X700/X800 users will find these Rhythms particularly helpful, any Casio owner with a model that supports Custom Rhythms can benefit from using them. Possible applications include:

 

1) Switching between a normal and subdivided pulse with just one single button push AND without altering the beat and measure counters on the display. 

 

These metronome Rhythms have four different variants for each time signature supported by the built-in metronome. The standard variant is just named "4/4" or "6/8", and the Normal (Var1) pattern of that Rhythm will be the "vanilla" metronome, with a woodblock hit on each downbeat and a triangle on the first beat of each measure (like the built-in met). The Variation (Var2) pattern of that Rhythm adds a subdivision pulse on top of the woodblock with a different woodblock sound. For example, the 4/4 met-Rhythm has straight quarter note pulses for the Normal pattern, and adds an eighth note subdivision for the Variation pattern. The 6/8 met-Rhythm has eighth note downbeat pulses for the Normal pattern, and adds sixteenth note subdivision pulses for the Variation pattern.

 

For even more rhythmic precision, there is also a subdivided variant for each met-Rhythm that takes this all a step further (named "4/4 Sub" or "6/8 Sub" etc). This adds the subdivision pulse to the Normal pattern and adds another layer of subdivision to the Variation pattern. Using 4/4 Sub as an example again, the Normal variant includes the quarter note downbeats and the subdivided eighth note pulse, whereas the Variation pattern adds a sixteenth note subdivision to the mix. 6/8 sub would add a thirty second note subvision for the Variation pattern, and so on.

 

Switching between normal and subdivided pulses is technically possible with the onboard metronome in some situations. For example, if I started out in 4/4 and switched the metronome to 8/8, that would have more or less the same effect as adding the subdivision with the equivalent met-Rhythms, but with two distinct drawbacks. The first and most significant is simply that it requires more button presses; metronome settings are usually contained within their own separate sub-menu, and even with a button shortcut to get into the menu, you still have to change the time signature afterwards. With a met-Rhythm, you only have to press the Variation button and the subdivision will be added automatically at the start of the next measure. You can remove the subdivision at any time by simply pressing the Normal button.

 

The second drawback is that changing from 4/4 to 8/8, while ostensibly the same as adding the subdivision in a Met-Rhythm, will alter the beat display on the keyboard to reflect the new time signature. In this case, the beat counter will count up to 8 before advancing to the next measure, even though the piece itself is still in 4/4 and you only wanted to add the subdivision to help keep time. However, if you're reading from sheet music and the piece itself is specifically notated such that the time signature changes from 4/4 to 8/8, it may actually be helpful to have the beat counter change to reflect this. If this is the case, you can simply import both the 4/4 and 8/8 Rhythms to consecutive slots in the User Rhythm section and switch between them with one button press whenever necessary.

 

2) Adding one touch precount functionality to keyboards that do not normally have this feature.

 

Like I mentioned before, the CT-X700 and X800 have serviceable multi-track recorders, but lack the ability to implement a proper precount during a recording. To address this limitation, each met-Rhythm in this pack has a one or two-measure intro pattern specifically meant to be used as a precount in various applications. This Intro pattern provides downbeat pulses with a different drum sound (a side-stick snare hit) to distinguish it from the Normal/Variation patterns of the Met-Rhythm. Because it's an Intro pattern, when it finishes playing, it automatically transitions into the Normal pattern of the same Rhythm. Thus, you can simply press the Intro button and hear the precount to internalize the pulse, then start playing or recording when the Normal met pattern kicks in. If you want to go directly from the precount into the Variation pattern, you can press the Intro button and then the Variation button to queue up the Variation pattern after the Intro ends.

 

If you want a precount with a subdivision, the subdivided variants for each met-Rhythm will add the subdivided pulses to the precount pattern as well as the Normal patterns. Most of the met-Rhythms only have one measure long precount Intros, but for some of the shorter time signatures (3/8, 3/4), I opted for a 2-measure precount to give the user more time to internalize the pulse. 2-measure precounts will include a triangle ding on the first downbeat of both measures for your reference. 

 

But what if you just want to hear the precount for one measure, and then have the metronome drop out once you actually start playing? That's where the third met-Rhythm variant, the precount variant (named "4/4 Pre" etc) comes in handy. This is exactly the same as the standard variant, but the Normal pattern is completely blank. Thus, when the precount finishes and the Intro pattern transitions to the Normal pattern, the metronome will drop out automatically. The beat and measure counters will still keep going as long as you don't stop Rhythm playback, and you can bring the metronome back in at any time by pressing the intro or variation buttons. The subdivided precount variant ("6/8 SbPre") is the same idea, just with the subdivision pulse added in.

 

If you're playing keyboard live with other musicians, you can use the precount met-Rhythms to count everyone off. If you're only playing with a guitarist or a bassist and you still want to use a Rhythm's drum patterns (without the full accompaniment), you can start the Intro of a precount met-Rhythm for the count off, then queue up the drum part to start on the next measure by switching to the corresponding Rhythm immediately after. For the fewest button presses, put the precount Rhythm and the Rhythm that contains the drum part you want to switch to in adjacent User Rhythm slots. Otherwise, you can always type in the three-digit Rhythm number on the numpad to call up the desired Rhythm; just make sure you do it quickly so you have time to set your hands before the downbeat of the second measure.

 

3) Creating pre-sequenced click tracks using the System Track on the onboard multitrack recorder.

 

Most Casios with multitrack recorders and custom Rhythms have a master "System Track" (usually the first track) that allows the user to record and sequence various system operations along with keyboard play. These settings include tempo, time signature, effects, and most importantly, Rhythm controller operations. The System Track records all aspects of Rhythm playback, such as the Rhythm you have selected and the timing with which you switch variations or Rhythms. You can build a custom click track by recording Met-Rhythms to the System track and switching between time signatures and levels of subdivision when necessary.

 

Every single Met-Rhythm's Normal and Variation patterns run for a single measure before looping, so you can queue up a different time signature every measure if you're really into that wacky multi-meter sort of thing. If you're really having trouble with the timing on a certain section of the piece, switch to a subdivided variation for those measures and then switch back to the normal variation when you're done. The CT-X700 and X800 both lack quantization features in their onboard recorder, so it's crucially important that you stay on beat to keep the track feeling tight.

 

Band and choir directors who keep a Casio keyboard at the front of the practice hall as a rehearsal aid will find feature this particularly helpful. After pre-sequencing these met-Rhythms on the system track with any necessary meter changes, subdivisions, and tempo changes, the director can simply press play and the custom click track will lay out the framework of the piece, leaving them free to conduct over the top of the beat with both hands.

 

If you're an avid keyboard drummer and you'd rather play out the drum track by hand instead of using an automated Rhythm, a custom click track can help you stay on beat while you're recording the drums. After recording the drum part manually along with the click track, simply set the "Accomp Volume" setting to zero to mute the met-Rhythm when it's time to perform. If you still want to use some aspects of the Rhythm in your piece (like the precount or other accompaniment parts that supplement your custom drum track), you can re-record the system track using a precount variant and switch to the blank Normal pattern whenever you want the metronome to drop out. From here, you can switch into another Rhythm or bring the metronome back in as needed.

 

4) Filling up empty space in the multi-track recorder to assist with structuring pre-sequenced accompaniment tracks.

 

The met-Rhythms have two distinct properties that make them especially useful on the system track of a multi-track recording. The first is that they lack any melodic accompaniment parts whatsoever; the woodblock and triangle sounds are all recorded to Rhythm parts 1 and 2 (Percussion and Drums), meaning that even if you have the accompaniment toggle turned on, playing a chord with your left hand won't trigger anything on top of the metronome pulses. However, the chord detection features on the display will still register the chord you played, and the chord display will update accordingly. This allows you to "buffer" or queue up a specific chord before you switch into a Rhythm that actually has the full accompaniment parts, which is very handy for programming backing tracks.

 

For example, let's say I'm recording a piece in 4/4 and I want to start the song off with a precount that immediately transitions into the Funk 16-Beat accompaniment pattern on a G minor seventh chord. With the 4/4 Precount met-Rhythm, all I need to do is enable syncro-start and select the Intro pattern and I'm ready to go. Simply play the G-flat minor chord in your left hand; this will automatically start the recording and configure the accompaniment parts to follow that G minor seventh chord without actually triggering any of the melodic accompaniment parts. Right after you start the precount, switch to the Funk 16-Beat Rhythm and it will come in on that G minor seventh chord at the start of the next measure. You can start switching chords in real time from here on out, but "buffering" the chord change using the blank met-Rhythms will help ensure that the first chord always enters on exactly on beat.

 

The Precount met-Rhythms can also be used to insert blank measures into the system track without interrupting the underlying timing of the recording. For example, if I'm recording a song that has the drum track drop out right before the chorus, I can simply switch to the Normal pattern on a precount met-Rhythm when I need to insert some empty space. Then, I can switch back into the old Rhythm whenever I need to bring the drums back in. If you want to insert pick-up notes leading into the chorus, a quick and easy way to do this is to copy the Fill-In pattern from the Rhythm you're switching into over the blank Fill-In 1 pattern of the met-Rhythm. During the measure you want to add the pick-ups to, trigger the new fill in the met-Rhythm and then switch back to the normal Rhythm. The copied-over fill will kick in and provide a smooth transition for the re-entry of all the accompaniment parts in the chorus. You can always record an original fill in the empty Fill-In 1 pattern of the met-Rhythm as well, just make sure to change the voice assignments in the met-Rhythm to match the ones in the Rhythm you're transitioning to.

 

~

 

Hopefully that explains the utility well enough. Please feel free to ask any follow-up questions you might have, and let me know if you find an error with any of the met-Rhythms. Enjoy! 

[Pravito]

Does the CT-X3000/5000's built in metronome behaves the same as X700 in the recorder mode? I'm planning to get a CT-X3000 and curious about the workflow of the 16-tracj MIDI recorder

Edited November 6, 2022 by Pravito