I’m working on a project that I started in Cubase Elements 6. I’d like to use the Tempo Detection feature, but it is ‘grey’ and I can not select it.
I’m working in Cubase 7 full version. The only tutorial I can find is one for Cubase 6. Is there something you can suggest that I may be doing improper? or point me in the direction of a tutorial?
I’d like to add some virtual instruments to this song eventually.
tempo detection works with audio files. select the audio files, you should have tempo detection in black, than click analyze and the Cubase should make a tempo track for that song. Unfortunately does not work propely as the other things in cubase.
This is one of those things that ‘works’ but is so counter-intuitive I rarely use it. I spend 10 minutes figuring it out, then get frustrated and forget about it for 3 months. Then I start all over again.
First time I got ‘Live’ I was so amazed that you could do this with one button, I didn’t believe it.
It’s frustrating that SB has all these cool features that are just too -hard-.
—JC
Agreed. Steinberg has struggled and largely failed to implement any kind of useable tempo-detecting/time-stretching/loop-friendly method. It’s so sad, because most other DAWs make it so easy. No “musical modes”, no Hitpoints, no “AudioWarp”; they just work. I love Cubase, but it’s so hard to use for remixing, I’ve kind of given up.
I have a similar issue, where it works GREAT! Then for certain audio clips, Tempo Detection is just GREYED OUT 
I thought it had something to do with the fact that I split the track after I tempo detected, moved some parts around, and tried to redetect the tempo. Doesn’t seem like I’m asking it to do anything daunting.
“Smooth Tempo” is also rarely operable for me too, usually greyed out also.
I thought it was just me that couldn’t get good reliable results every time with Cubase’s ‘tempo detection’, and ‘musical mode’ 
Musical mode often gets it wrong
My best way of working is to get a 4 bar loop selected that runs without noticeable timing issues, then bounce it, then put that version into musical mode.
I agree that other Daws have the edge here
But I love Cubase’s other features too much to use another Daw
I think these features do need to be improved. Manual Audio warp is just mind boggling to me, not intuitive IMHO
I too gave up with this; horrible results, frustrating to use.
I think SB practise/design these things on material that has minimal content (drums, bass, one gtr, one vox) played live with already pretty steady tempo, and prominent 4/4 beat…
Anything slightly more dense, and has strict tempo/signature changes are recommended to be dealt with section by section. I’ve tried that too. Results were just more hassle. Gave up.
So, that there ‘Live’ program can do this stuff with one button…!?! That sounds more like it.
This is worth a double bump…
I have all these songs from years ago, recorded with a drum machine that I transfer into Cubase and inevitably I end up spending 20 minutes trying about 50 tempos… going up and down by .01bpm to get it matched. (The problem is that synths back then might -say- ‘100bpm’ but actually record at 100.04 or -whatever-. The fact that Cubase can’t properly ‘detect’ a fixed tempo like this correct, from a frickin’ -drum machine-? Maddening.
What I think is going on? It’s like in Photoshop where every effect has a ‘forgiveness %’ value. For example, the colour replacer has a % to ignore if the colour is different. The tempo detector should also have such a ‘fluctuation %’ feature… like quantisation or a good strobotuner. You should be able to tell it to ignore tempo changes +/- a certain percentage. I think Cubase lacks that ‘+/-’ fuzzy capability and that’s why it either detects the wrong tempo or creates an overly complicated tempo map.
—JC
Nice idea… maybe this could be a process thats manually applied (user adjustable…?) after detection analysis…? with your percentage of ‘wriggle room’ concept…?
Not only that but I’d love to see a setting for where the snap point appears on a note. Sometimes I like it at the very loudest point, leaving the preceding portion of the waveform to appear in the previous measure. Sometime I like the snap point to be nearer the beginning of the note. It depends on sound I’m working with, if I want to push the beat a little, overall tempo, etc.
For now, I just do everything manually though, I don’t trust Cubase to detect and correct for me. It’s tons more work but at least I know everything is where it should be.
I’ve developed a pretty quick way of setting up a tempo map using time warp, and I can generally do it in realtime while the song’s playing through by looking at and clicking on the peaks just before the play cursor arrives to play them.
I’ve tried the tempo detection and found it usually inaccurate or it just completely confused, so I do it by hand because in the long run it’s quicker.
Mike.