Fixing Drums that were not to a Click

Cubase
1

Situation
We multi-tracked drums not to a click and now I have the honor of trying to fix them

What I’ve Found
1. How to create hitpoints on individual tracks
2. How to use tempo detection and time warp to line up where the measures and beats are supposed to be

NOTE: These seemed to be geared at one of the two:
1. In order to fix tracks that are already recorded to a tempo track and are slightly off
2. In order to create a tempo grid to then work record off of (ie, to add a MIDI track on top of or to create a score with)

Problems
. My drummer loves math rhythms and flams.
. I can’t seem to just add/subtract hitpoints where I want, I have to use the threshold function and then move the ones it gives me, and
. I can’t do Whole beats when calculating hitpoints, I’m given All, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, and 32nd’s, which seems weird to me, I mean I feel like just being able to designate the 1’s of the measures using the kick drum would be pretty efficient. But I assume I’m just misunderstanding how to use the whole thing in general

The Time Intensive Process I’ve Been Doing

  1. put all tracks in a folder and enable group editing
  2. use beat detection to line up roughly where the measures should be
  3. use time warp tool to adjust the tempo track for inconsistencies, flams, tempo, and time signature changes
  4. using the slice tool, cut at each tempo change point I made
  5. make sure each track is music based and not time based (and all tracks are in a folder and using group editing)
  6. delete the tempo change markers so that each slice of audio is either a little shy or past the 1/4 note, 1/2 note, measure mark (depending on where the slice is)
  7. using the time stretch tool, adjust every beat so that it’s the right length (which often includes having to right click or else click the bottom middle arrow of the next clip in order to bring the one I’m trying to adjust to the front) on every single audio slice
  8. kill myself


    Synopsis
    How do you take drums that weren’t recorded to click, align it to a click (I know that part), and then get it to align with a steady tempo track?

p.s.
I upgraded from Cubase 4 to 7 so I think I missed quite a bit of the evolution of how to do this stuff, so please, speak slowly and lowdly.

p.p.s.
holy canoly Cubase 7 crashes a lot.

2

I record a lot of metal and hardcore bands that have crap drummers who on their best day’s can play to a click for about 2 measures before they bail on it. What I do is figure the round-about tempo per section, group the drum tracks and “slip” edit every hit, come to a tempo change, figure the average tempo and repeat. I don’t bother with grid warping anymore.

3

Have a look at the “Set Tempo From Definition” command.

This can do what you need.