Tempo change doesn't apply to delay time

Cubase
1

Hi!

Is it an issue or something I misunderstood?

It seems to me that delay plugins and delay effect inside instruments (Cubase plugins and NI plugins) doesn’t react to tempo change correctly.

Step by step:

  1. New project with tempo 140 bpm.
  2. Add HALion Sonic with simple piano or another virtual instrument with short decay. We should listen to a delay we add later.
  3. Create a cycle including 4 bars and add one short note at start of each bar.
  4. Add MonoDelay to Insert slot (Delay: 1/4, Feedback: 25, Mix: 50).
  5. Add Tempo track.
  6. Switch “New Tempo Points Type” to Ramp.
  7. Add new point at 2nd bar’s start at value 140 bpm.
  8. Add new point at the middle of 2nd bar at value 70 bpm.
  9. Add next point at 3rd bar’s start at value 70 bpm.
  10. Add next point at 4th bar’s start at value 140 bpm.
    You’ve got something like –_/-- on Tempo track automation, but a little bit “tilted”.

Now press play. What is that **** playing by MonoDelay on 2nd bar’s tail? Something different, but the same stupidity happening on 3rd bar where tempo is rising two times slower than it falls on 2nd bar.

It’s not about MonoDelay only. The same “effect” I meet with Retrologue2, Hypnotic Dance, Triebwerk using their own delays inside. All delays do the same. They don’t respect Tempo change.

The problem is simple - Delay plugins/effects are taking tempo at the moment signal comes in and calculates the time of next spreading of delayed signal according to divider (1/2, 1/4, 1/8…) if synced. The same tempo is used to calculate all next times while feedback parameter allows. But while internal timer of plugin is waiting when it can spread out repeated sound, tempo of project can change many times.

Interesting is that second time is a start point for second flow of delays and (YES!) it uses the tempo of that position. Huuuh! :slight_smile: The result is that you have a chorusing/flanging/tapping and many more effecting sound you don’t want to be there.

I guess plugins should react to Tempo change more intellectual and recalculate it’s internal parameters so any result of plugins can dance a beautiful waltz according to tempo of project at any time.

P.S. In a time when you can build a spaceship with Cubase only, I have a problem, if I want to slow down one bar before song returns to it’s tempo.

Will you say - “don’t use sync in delay plugins and you can automate milliseconds of plugin” :wink: Lets try this! And you will hear something from deep space.

As I said, my English is not good enough, but I hope some of you can understand what I wrote :slight_smile:

Hope there is an option in Preferences with a name “torn off all your problems”, because I double RAM and add second display to work more efectively, but this sss*******ttt happening took my hours and is killing muse for long hours and days.

I found this one - Can Delay Repeats be synced to BPM / Tempo - Cubase - Steinberg Forums (Martin.Jirsak, this was about tempo change too, two years ago)
And if you try my example above, you will feel like me - “they use version 7 or 8, but not 9/9.5” :wink:

2

if I understand you correctly you are talking about the “post sound module” delay effects found in some vsti plugins, or vst effect plugins?

I think since it’s a delay, the behavior you describe is normal. If you change an analog tape delay’s speed while in use the same thing happens?

A workaround could be to use a mididelay on the miditrack of a vsti, or to duplicate your sourcetrack multiple times and delay this acordingly on your timeline, lower the level a bit for each repeat to get a realistic effect…

You will hear artifacts when changing the timing of a delay while in use. A delay will only produce usable results if there is no input or output during changes in delaytimes?