I often don’t perform tracks with the metronome and am often off tempo. So if I detect the tempo and create a tempo track/map, am I supposed to apply it back to my recorded audio by stretching it so that my performance matches a regular tempo? So its kind like setting up a grid to quantize to that will push and pull my transients so that they are forced to conform to a regular tempo? Or is it for establishing a tempo map that will modulate the metronome so I can play other tracks “out of tempo” to match the original track?
Clarification greatly appreciate on this. I have a feeling it could be very useful if I could really understand the purpose of it…
All my music is played free-form, I.e., no click track. Some ways I use the tempo map generated by Time Warp:
I can use a drum VSTi and it will be exactly on the beat as played.
If I decide that the tempo as played (and then mapped) varies too much, I can “compress” the BPM differences across any time period so the tempo variations are less severe, but still change in the same direction beat-to-do beat (by highlighting the points in question, then grabbing the tool at the top of the great box).
If I’m doing overdubs and am too lazy to practice the overdub at the originally played tempo, I can flatten the tempo completely, perform the overdub more easily, then reimport the original tempo map and the overdub will bend to the originally played tempo. (I try to not do this, rather practicing the overdub a bunch of times at the original tempo).
Anyway, there’s a few ways to use the tempo variations in a variable tempo project, others will add to this I hope!
Like Alexis I don’t think it’s an either/or situation.
I commonly use it with tempo free recorded material to have a Tempo that I can apply to other tracks (including pre-recorded rhythm phrases) but also like Alexis use bits of it to tidy up some of my random playing by smoothing out the Tempo changes.
For editing/remixing live recordings it’s an absolutely brilliant tool.
Thanks everyone. Pretty helpful. Though I still am not 100% clear on how it works.
So I record a track and improvise a part without adhering to the metronome, then I can detect the tempo and now I have a tempo track that uses the transients to track my tempo. (Looks like it puts a point at every bar.) Then, I have the relative tempo in the tempo track and the metronome reflects this. So if I bring any audio into the project, I can activate the tempo track in the transport and it will use the detected tempo to warp any audio? Does it also work with MIDI?
How is this different from a Groove Quantize function?
Sorry to be so lame on this, just want to really understand…
Groove Quantize is when you extract a swing feel or 'groove pattern" from an existing clip, drum loop for example. Then you can quantize other parts to match that. In the sample editor, under Range or one of the tabs, you can “create groove.”
I’m just getting up to Beat Detection as a result of having a project that featured about eight or so live-played samples.
The samples are of various lengths and tempos, from a few seconds (two bars roughly) to up to several minutes. This was my approach.
Import primary sample (import audio file)
Use beat calculator to determine clip’s approximate tempo
Beat Analyze the clip
Audio Advanced – set definition from tempo.
In this case I was going to be using multiple clips, so I embedded the tempo information into the file and not the project. (Y/N?).
Delete Tempo Track, project tempo now set based on primary clip. Clip in Musical Mode.
Import other clips and repeat the Analysis, embedding tempo in each clip.
Obviously some clips worked better than others, but the average tempo of all the clips was not drastically different.
Am I on the right track with this? I think so, but any suggestions or thoughts on this are appreciated. It’s an amazing part of the program and I’m glad I finally got into it. Great for reference tracks and remix kind of things.
You’re very welcome. It’s a newer part of the program for me as well. Great feature. While I’m on this topic, one of the other things you should try is to “create midi notes” from the sample. Cubase looks at the pattern and then creates a MIDI track (use create new track mostly) with notes that match the primary feel of the loop. Those notes, with their velocities and feel, can then be used for other tracks. Use the Dynamic MIDI notes and then your other parts will lock in with that. Great for Bass and Drum.
