Help: Tempo Mapping & Musical vs Linear Mode

Cubase
1

Hi guys,

This is my first post to the platform! You’ve all been inadvertently helping me for a long while as I lurk. Thank you.

So I have a few recurring issues with Cubase Pro and I’ve been using it for a year. They’re to do with linear vs musical and the way Cubase imports things.

  1. When I import MIDI files (with or without ‘ignore master thingy’) they don’t always import correctly and adopt the correct tempo. I can’t tell if this is because people send me MIDI with a bad tempo or not. But if I tell it to ignore the tempo information, it still doesn’t import the midi at my tempo, if you get me. I would like whatever midi I import to import at my current, mapped tempo. (I make sure I start the event well after the tempo marker).

  2. When I import Audio files, they often adopt the wrong tempo and don’t play correctly. I have to fiddle with musical and linear. (it’s not sample rate either, I checked that). They often play too fast or too slow and Cubase reports the wrong bpm on them in the editor.

  3. My tempo track window appears to be in 5/4 (but it’s supposed to be in 4/4 according to the indicator) i.e. 5 grid lines for every bar. It doesn’t line up with my main project window at all.

I know how musical and linear should work, and I check my pool to see if they’re in musical mode, and they never say they are. But they playback too fast or too slow. It seems random haha.

For context, I use one big audio project, I create guitar schedules & materials for folk in our school. Drum tracks, riffs and playthroughs. Lots of different tempos required so often my tempos maps get pretty complex.

But it’s actually pretty simple. I do each riff or part, record audio, program midi and set the next tempo. I never change previous tempos, I know that destroys everything. It’s when I import stuff from other people, it seems to fall over.

I love the way Cubase does drum midi and automation, love the mixing workflow. Just need to get over these roadhumps.

Can anyone please help me? I’m 900% sure I’m stupid and probably just misunderstand things.

Thank you guys! I’m losing hair over this :stuck_out_tongue:

2

Hi,

Make sure your main ruler is set to Bars&Beats, please.

MIDI Parts have no representation in the Pool. Please, revisit your Musical Mode knowledge. Also be aware of difference between Musical Mode and Musical/Linear Time Base.

Musical Mode is for the Audio Events only and it says if the audio file will follow Cubase’s tempo or not.

Musical/Linear time base is all tracks and it says if the starts of all events on the track will be locked to the Bars&beats (Musical time base) or the Timecode (Linear time base), when you change the tempo.

If tis doesn’t help, could you please share your project’s screenshot?

3

Hi Martin,

Thank you for your advice with the Tempo Track window, it was set to seconds instead of beats and bars, this is not much more logical for me and matches my project window.

When it comes to musical time base, and linear time base I am still pretty confused. I think I just need to go over the manual again.

Sorry for being unclear, I was speaking of the audio parts in the pool, not the midi ones.

Well, not all of my issues are resolved but this is a step in the right direction!