I would very much like the possibility to work more directly with complex time signature.
In the kind of music I play ( Flamenco) the measure ( called compas in flamenco ) doesn’t always start on one and you don"t always count the first beat as one.
So I would welcome the possibility to start on any count and to program different ways of counting within a measure and the possibility to put the accent of the metronome on any beat and also to put the accent on more than just one beat.
Also very important: both the timeline (when using a ruler bar displaying bars and beats which I do) and the timedisplay (both in the transport panel and in the dedicated time display window) should display the way the metronome counts, ideally with the accents in another colour.
That way what I see corresponds with the way I count, hear and feel the music I play when recording or listen to when editing.
e .g. if the rhytm starts on 12 in the timeline the first beat also starts on 12.
This may look a bit odd to some but in the music I play this really happens.
It’s not that strange really for example think about watching the clock, the afternoon doesn´t start at 1 o’clock but at 12 o’clock.
A concrete example I use a lot is listed below. the accent are bold.
12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
or the same in a different way of counting 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 1 2 1 2
or yet another way of counting (2) 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 1 2 1 2
Also used starting on 8
8 9 10 11 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Actually there do exist some good standalone Flamenco metronomes both in soft and hardware which do exactly what I´m requesting they can put the accent on any beat and on multiple beats, start on any count and also display visually which beat is currently sounding and whether it`s accented or not.
There’s no way to get anything as complex as that from the Metronome, I’m afraid. I suggest that, instead, you create, in your Default Template, a MIDI track routed to some click-type sound (or it could be an audio track, so long as it has only single hits (accented or not) inserted on each beat).
For odd time sigs and special accents and patterns I just create a midi track with the desired rhythm/pattern and copy/paste.
As far as Buleria, Alegria etc, starting on 12, well, it’s 12. It’s not the first beat of the measure, just the first accent of the compass, and 12 is a pickup. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
(that’s partly in jest, I have had this conversation so many times with Flamenco dancers and musicians)
Thank you for your answers.
However I know my ways to workaround the problem Like you both said I program a rhytm in midi.
But that works only to a point.
When editing I would lik to be able to see in the timeline where in the measure I am, and it would help a lot if the timeline counted the way I do and the metronome accents would be where I feel them when playing the music.
. Really I’m just posting a request to maybe implant such a feature in a upgrade.
As far as bulerias and alegrias is concerned, they are not exactly the same.
Alegrias starts on one with accents on 3 6 8 10 and 12
But the chords changes are on 1 4 7 and 10.
So for this rhytmn there would be no need to start on a different count from 1 but the metronome accent should be on 3 6 8 10 and 12.
That’s just not possible in the current version off Cubase.
Bulerias starts on 12 with an accent on the 12 3 6 8 10
and chord changes on 12 and 6
In bulerias the 12 is defenitly the first beat of the compas and not a pickup.
If you use pickup notes in bulerias they are on 10 and or 11.
I’m just moving back to Cubase and this is an issue that only comes up for a small percentage of users so it is probably not high on the feature list for most developers unless they happen to be prog/fusion players.
I’ve adopted the practice of making my own midi clips for odd meters. I can’t stand the sound of DAW metronomes and have found that using a midi loop into a high quality percussion sample set is much better to play to. You can sculpt the dynamics to suit the song and drummers seem to play much better with this method than the typical metronome.
My last band did tons of meter changes, especially when the other keyboardist’s songs came up. Logic worked best for that band as you could easily copy sections with multiple meter/tempo changes and have everything you choose between locator points paste and ripple the rest of the arrangement very well. I have yet to discover how to do that in Cubase although it could be just as easy.
I’d suggest setting up some midi percussion guides and start a few templates. It may take more effort at first but will help you in the long run.
Could be a good feature but in reality ALL metronomes from the day Mr Metro invented it have the same limitation.
They can’t read the users’ minds.
You know your music and like every musician you work with the usual metronomes automatically. Very few would use it as they already know how to program time themselves already. To many it would be just another computer aided distraction.
The metronome is just a start point and it is best to write a complex time piece oneself as you know what you’re doing better than any computer can possibly guess at.
I’d go with others and say program your own time as you’d probably find it much easier and less time consuming than juggling with an over-complex metronome.
From my own point of view the metronome is largely redundant after I’ve established my own time-bases in the rhythm track. A funny metronome would probably slow me down and I’m slow enough already.
Would it be progress? I’d “Hmm” quite a bit about that.
I’ve always got round it by creating my own ‘metronome’ track as others have suggested… not a major headache but it would still be a useful addition imho.
