10/18/12 Westbury, NY The NYCB Theatre at Westbury

[Alinite27]

Not sure what a click track is, but Al's technical people sync the video up to him. Melissa has explained part of this to me before, as to what a hard job it is, but they do an awesome job at it.

[gtrmu]

A click track is essentially a metronome. It keeps a certain tempo so Al and the band can play along to it. It's fed to their ear monitors so the audience never hears it. But that's how they sync up the video.

[Alinite27]

I'm still not sure how the video sync goes with a metronome. Al goes at a slightly different pace for different songs at every show. The video is sync'd up to where Al is in the song depending on what Al does at a certain time in that certain show. A metronome would only give the timing of the beat(song) to the band.

[gtrmu]

............Video is played at a certain tempo. The click track is set to that same tempo. Click track is fed to at least Jon. Jon plays at that same tempo, thus keeping the proper time that allows Al and the band to play at that same tempo, thus keeping the video, and whatever samples there are, perfectly in sync. Get it now?

[Alinite27]

As I said, I know that the click would keep them up to a certain timing, but that timing varies at different spots in different shows. Like you pointed out that you observed for Rocky at this show. What I am saying is that, as far as I know, they don't keep up to the video. Thus, not being completely restricted by a click tempo for the video. That would leave no room for any changes. The video is kept up to them.

[gtrmu]

.......Forget it. You have proven to me that there's no use trying to reason with a complete idiot. Go ahead, believe what you want and live in your own fantasy world, Jeremy. I'm done.

[minnick27]

I see what Jeremy means though. The click track can't change the video speed. So if anything they change up during non video songs. If al were to change tempo during the polka it would involve a lot more work to sync the video

[gtrmu]

That was my point. Songs with no video or sample = no click track. Songs where a video/samples need to be synched up = click track. But like I said, I'm done.

[Alinite27]

I'm glad that Mike understands what I'm saying.

As far as I know, and what I have heard from members of Al's crew, is that even when Al does slightly change tempo during a song involving a video, they do sync the video up on-spot to go with where Al is in the song. One of the times I remember this happening was during Close But No Cigar in Youngstown, OH. It has also happened when they performed Bob a couple times in the past.

[TMBJon]

As far as I know, and what I have heard from members of Al's crew, is that even when Al does slightly change tempo during a song involving a video, they do sync the video up on-spot to go with where Al is in the song.

I would be really interested in getting a concrete answer on this because I've always assumed they were playing in sync with the video. In fact, it would be very difficult to sync the video up with the performance live on the fly like that, but I don't know much about the specifics of the software they are using.