how to do this?
OK, I’ll record a scratch rhythm track. Then further down the timeline (say 2’nd verse) start recording another instrument.(not using punch-in), just recording another track. I can’t get the metronome to work unless I start the recording at the beginning.(grid on - grid off) doesn’t matter.
The workaround is just record 5 min of drum machine or metronome, but maybe I’m missing something silly.
using 3.3 if that matters
You can easily made a “click track” with audacity, the free audioeditor. It made a wav file, with a beep at a constant bpm, with the amount of measures you need. If your tempo line have ralentandos or bpm changes, it is a little diffrent, since you need work with midi.
I’ve never been able to make the metronome function wor for a click track. I just use an outboard metronome and record a click track into n.
I noticed that bug where the metronome no longer works unless you start at the beginning. Don’t know when that creeped in, but wasn’t always that way. We should file a bug report with Flavio on that. (You should and so should I.)
I usually create a click track by recording the click as a wave file. On some systems, there are sync problems between wave and midi, and this can be minimized by simply recording 16 or 32 bars worth of click, and pasting that same file in repeatedly on the same track to create the full length click track. Also, I often put the divisions at verse boundaries, to make it easier to see where I am in a song. (I find the markers to be very annoying due to the dang popup that always gets in the way of what I want to see.)
I use an external synth to generate the sound (via MIDI) and record it through my soundcard. But you can also use an internal synth, if you have one. If all you have is the MS Wavetable software synth, you can use that, but be sure to zoom in and adjust the beginning to line up with the grid.
Finally, I always discard the first measure of click, because the first beat is always a bit late. I just delete that part of the wave file and use the rest. (So, I really record 17 measures to get 16 measures of click.)
8th note, there’s a disadvantage to your technique, but only if you want to use the grid, or collaborate with other musicians by sending wave files (or compressed wave files) around. Your MIDI clock won’t be synchronized with the clock on your soundcard, and as a result, your tempo will end up not being an even tempo. For example, if you record a click at 120 BPM, the recording will end up being more like 120.07 or 119.2 BPM, which is a bit of a pain to adjust to (though it’s doable).
You can avoid this problem using the metronome and MIDI out to a MIDI synth, if you have one. If you don’t, you can still use the MS wavetable synth as mentioned above. But if you don’t collaborate or use the grid, then your method is fine. (However the grid is extremely useful, especially when properly aligned.)
When I’m going to collaborate with someone, I’m always happy when I see that they’ve used their soundcard as the timing source for the click, rather than an unsynchronized clock source. This makes it a lot easier for me to set up a grid for MIDI editing, or to rearrange the parts if needed for arrangement changes like adding a verse or bridge.
Yup, what they said!
It’s an additional step to record a click, but in the long run, it’s much handier. When you’re trying to align kicks [edit: I’m a drummer. By ‘kicks’ i mean riffs] later on, having that click as a visible WAV that you can zoom into really comes in handy.
You might consider making your click eighth or even sixteenth notes. This is especially helpful on slower songs.
Hope this helps.
tj
Thanks Guys ! Some good tips here. (even though I was hoping for a “hey stupid, go here and check this box” ) which I already did. 
But I’m also glad to hear it’s not just me dealing with this.
What version of N are you using, BTW? If this is only a problem for 3.3 (which I’m using), there’s no point filing a bug report.
ver 3.3
I’t would be nice to hear if it happens in ver 4 because I’m probably going to upgrade to 4 sooner or later.