Cubase constantly writes random incorrect tempos to audio files recorded in a session when viewed in the pool. These files then don’t behave as expected when switching ‘musical mode’ on and will be incorrectly stretched/warped or shifted to a different place on the timeline entirely.
Please vote and let’s see if we can get this bug fixed at the source.
I know the workarounds (bouncing a new file, or ‘set definition from tempo’) but it would make for a faster and simpler workflow if the tempos were correctly applied in the first place.
No need to do either of those. Just edit the Tempo field for the file(s) in the Pool. You can even change them all at once by selecting them all. It’s become a habit for me after every tracking session to check and correct the file’s Tempo. But it only takes a few seconds to do, so it is more annoying than anything else - unless you forget.
FWIW this only happens on loop recordings. I think it’s because folks typically stop recording somewhere between the Locators so the total length of the Audio File is not an exact multiple of the Loop length and messes up the calculation - but that’s speculation on my part.
Thanks for your suggestion @raino - I am familiar with the process of opening the pool and editing the tempo definition, and I don’t mind adopting this process during tracking or when ideas aren’t flying thick and fast.
Not having the flexibility to warp and modify tempo on the fly - without extra steps in-between - is certainly less than ideal for modern creative workflows. My request is for Steinberg to correct their tempo assignment algorithm so that no workarounds or manual editing would be needed at all, thus all workflows would benefit.
For now, I will adopt your suggestion during creative moments, but I can’t say I won’t do it without wincing slightly
One way to make sure it always sets the Tempo correctly is to set your Locators a bit larger than the section you want to record (like maybe a bar on each side). Then put your Punch Points at the boundaries of where you really want to record. Each take will end up with the correct Tempo set. The downside of doing this is A) each take is a separate file so you can’t resize the Audio Events to show all the takes in a single Event & B) You gotta listen to the unrecorded portions of the loop which may or may not be useful in different contexts.
If neither of those matter to you this will set the Tempo correctly.
