yaa yaa yaa yaa -- I like the Alesis drum machines (I'm not good with types -- I think it's DX16) could be wrong on that. But I love to program on mine and prctice to it. You can program all types of sounds and then within those sounds you can modify pitch etc... and you don't have to be a genius to figure it out. (OBVIOSLY) I think they are about in that price range. I bought mine years ago, but the new ones are at about that range.

You can also program in not just patterns, but whole songs that you can create and change tempo, feel, sound, pitch etc... it is a fun tool and also a neat practicing device. Hope this helps.

I think a variety of different sounds is good to practice too.

In a similar way, I know for myself, and even my students, that when I take a hand pattern ... practice it on one surface or instrument ... and then split the hands up ... it freaks the mind. Understand?

For instance, when I first put paradiddles on the kit (wow, that was a long time ago), I can remember it tripping me out at first because I was hearing the individual parts on different instruments. Like right hand on hihat, left hand on snare. I think the human brain and trip out like that ... even though the sticking and coordination is the same ... we get used to hearing it one way ... then when we change, it takes some adjustment and getting used to.

So, I think the metronome or click can do the same thing. Perhaps it's not as drastic ... but it is different.

Have you ever worked out a complicated pattern or groove, and remember what it was like the first time you actually used it in a group or band?  It's trippy sometimes. I purposefully will take something and play it out of context, just to see if I can still make it feel good. In fact, just yesterday I was practicing Songo at a real slow tempo, playing allow with a R&B track. It took awhile to adjust to the fact that the bass was not necessarily grooving with what I was playing ... but it worked and sounded cool.

I'm getting off topic somewhat, but it's about feeling comfortable with a variety of clicks, etc.

Speaking of, I'm actually working on a practice CD that will allow drummers to play to LIVE loops and grooves (played by myself) at various tempos with various textures. The focus is to give those without drum machines (etc) an opportunity to practice with a variety of backing tracks ... regardless of the style or genre. More about that later!

I actually like the high pitched click, because it's very accurate.

If you're sick of it, though, quite a few folks seem to like a splashed hihat sound.  You can hear when it starts, so you have precision, it lingers a bit, so you can add your own feel more comfortably, and it cuts through, so you can hear it.

I tried this, on a demo with a programmed part I had to lock with, and it worked pretty well.

So you might want a machine with a hihat sound in it.