How to take the timing test
- Calibrate input latency once on this device (right-hand panel). It takes 16 clicks.
- Choose 8ths, triplets or 16ths and a tempo. Start slow: a clean slow run tells you more than a messy fast one.
- Press Start, listen to the one-bar count-in, then tap every subdivision on the pad, the space bar or any key.
- Read the distribution: a tall, narrow peak around zero is the goal.
Reading the results
Average offset is where your taps sit relative to the grid. Spread is the standard deviation of your offsets: how far a typical tap lands from your own average. The by position chart splits the offsets by place in the beat (1 e & a, or 1 trip let), which is where uneven subdivisions show up. A common pattern is an "a" that rushes into the next beat.
Click on beats or on every note?
With the click on every note you are matching sounds, which is easier. With the click on beats only, the notes in between come from your own internal subdivision. Use the full click to learn a tempo, then switch to beats only. When that is clean, try the gap click, where the click drops out completely for a few bars.
From a click to a groove
Timing against a metronome is the start; timing against music is the goal. Use the backing track link to open the Studio at the tempo you just tested, read about choosing a tempo and practising with backing tracks, or drill rudiments in the sticking trainer.