How to Make a Click Track
A click track is just a metronome rendered as audio — a steady pulse you can play along with, record against, or send to a drummer's headphones. You can make one in any DAW, but the right method depends on what you need: a quick WAV file for rehearsal, or a click that lives inside a session and follows your tempo map. This guide covers both, starting with the fastest option and then walking through GarageBand, Logic Pro, and Pro Tools.
The fastest way: a free online generator
If you just need a click track file — no DAW, no plug-ins, no session setup — use our free click track generator. Add a section for each part of your song and set its BPM, number of measures, beats per measure, and subdivision (beat only, eighths, or triplets). Chain sections together to map out tempo and meter changes, then hit play to hear it in your browser or download it as an uncompressed WAV. The whole process takes about a minute, and the WAV drops straight into any DAW, phone, or backing track rig. If your song sits at a common tempo, there are ready-made pages too — for example the 120 BPM click track.
Making a click track in GarageBand
GarageBand has a built-in metronome — the small metronome icon in the control bar toggles it, and you can enable a one-bar count-in next to it. Set your project tempo and time signature in the LCD display at the top, and the click follows automatically while you record. On the Mac version you can also show the tempo track (under the Track menu) to draw tempo changes across the song.
The catch: GarageBand's metronome is a monitoring click only — it is not included when you share or export your song. If you need the click as an actual audio file, create a software instrument track, pick a percussion sound with a sharp attack (a woodblock or clave works well), and program a note on every beat, accenting beat one. Export that track and you have a click stem. Or skip the busywork and generate the WAV online, then drag it into your GarageBand project.
Making a click track in Logic Pro
Logic's metronome is powered by Klopfgeist, a dedicated click instrument. Toggle the metronome from the control bar, and open the project's Metronome settings to choose whether it clicks during playback, only during recording, or both, and to adjust the accent on the downbeat. Count-in length is set in the Recording project settings — one or two bars is typical for tracking.
For tempo changes, open the global tracks and use the Tempo track: you can place instant tempo changes at any bar or draw gradual ramps for accelerandos and ritardandos. Meter changes go in the Signature track the same way. Like GarageBand, the metronome itself is a monitoring tool, so if you need a printable click, create a software instrument track with Klopfgeist (or any percussive patch), program the beats, and bounce that track. The result follows your tempo map exactly.
Making a click track in Pro Tools
Pro Tools makes this the most direct: choose Create Click Track from the Track menu and it builds a track with the Click II plug-in already loaded. The plug-in follows the session's tempo and meter rulers, offers several click sounds, and lets you set separate levels for accented and unaccented beats. Enable the metronome button in the transport and set your count-off (usually two bars) in the transport's count-off settings.
Tempo changes live in the Tempo ruler — with the conductor track enabled, you can insert tempo events at any bar, and Tempo Operations can build linear or curved ramps between two tempos. Because the click is a real track in the session, printing it is trivial: record or bounce the click track's output and you have a click stem to send to headphone mixes or take to another rig.
Click tracks with tempo changes
Most real songs don't sit at one tempo — a half-time bridge, a faster final chorus, a rubato intro that snaps into time. Every method above supports tempo maps, but building them in a DAW means clicking through rulers and dialog boxes. If you want a tempo-mapped click without opening a session, our metronome with tempo changes lets you chain sections at different BPMs and download the whole map as one WAV. It's also a practical practice tool: put the hard passage at three ascending tempos in a single track and drill it in one pass. And if you're building the click for a tracking session, read our guide on recording drums to a click before you print anything — click sound and headphone mix matter more than most people expect.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make a click track without a DAW?
Yes. An online generator like this one builds the click for you — set BPM, measures, time signature, and subdivision for each section, then download the result as a WAV file. No software install or session setup required.
Why is my exported GarageBand song missing the metronome?
GarageBand's metronome is for monitoring only and is never included in exports. To get an audible click in your export, program one on a software instrument track using a percussive sound, or import a generated click WAV as an audio track.
What format should a click track be?
Uncompressed WAV is the standard. The click's sharp transients are exactly what compressed formats like MP3 smear, and a smeared click is harder to lock onto. WAV files also import cleanly into every DAW and playback rig.
How do I add a count-in to my click track?
In a DAW, enable count-off (Pro Tools) or count-in (Logic, GarageBand) in the transport or recording settings — one or two bars is typical. With a generated click track, simply add an extra one- or two-measure section at the start at the same tempo.
However you build it, the goal is the same: a click the whole band can trust. If you'd rather skip the session setup entirely, build your click track free — set your tempos, play it in the browser, and download the WAV.