Beat Mapping/Changing Tempo & Maintaining Automation Timing

If you've ever changed the tempo in a song (beat mapping or other kind of re-clocking), you probably know that it's extremely important to SMPTE-lock your regions before attemping those operation (this way you can adjust the tempo/metronome to conform to real-time performaces not done to a click, etc. etc. etc. without affecting/changing the relative positions of regions/notes/events).
The problem with these kinds of operations is that changing the tempo after automation has been written totally screws up the timing of the automation moves, because the spacing between individual automation events will move according to the changes you make to the tempo.
So... the solution I've come up with is to not only lock regions prior to beat mapping/reclocking, but to also lock the automation data. This is accomplished in the automation arrange page (details below). Once you're done with your beat mapping/reclocking/tempo changing, re-open the automation arrange page and un-lock the automation regions.
So far this seems to work like a charm. Here's how you do it:
Assign a key command to open the automation event editor (on any track that contains automation). Hit CMD-1 to open the automation arrange window, CMD-A, and then SMPTE-lock. (having SMPTE-lock on a key command is very handy).
To unlock the automation data, follow the same procedure, except this time CMD-A and un-SMPTE-lock the regions (also handy to have on a key command).

Nice tip, Los Schwartzos!

Similar Messages

  • Copying Beat Mapping Info from Tempo track

    Hey all.
    Does anyone know how I can copy and paste tempo mapping info? I tried rubber-banding the info from the tempo track while holding down the control keys (like the manual says) and it doesn't work.
    Everytime that I drag and copy the audio loop, it's not covering my first measure....
    I'm working with a 4 bar breakbeat, so it's imperative that all of the same tempo is constant every four bars.

    Dan, curious to know what kind of trouble you had, because beat mapping works in essentially the same way whether your source is a MIDI or audio region. Assuming we're talking about just one region (for simplicity's sake)... if you're beatmapping a MIDI region, you should SMPTE-lock the region so that its timing doesn't change. Beatmapping the notes will then force them to appear onto a musical grid by way of calculating tempo changes between the beatmap lines.
    Now, let's say you print that piano part as audio. Now you have parallel, concurrent MIDI and audio regions. Other than clicking the analyze button, beatmapping works essentially the same way, except you now have many more potential choices of points to beatmap to (which results in potentially more work/less accuracy). That aside, you would still have to lock the MIDI region so that you preserve the timing of the performance.
    Not sure if there's still a function in L9's beatmapping area called "preserve MIDI", but if so I'd disregard this and use SMPTE-locking as the method for preserving the timing of the original MIDI track. I say this because "preserve MIDI" never quite worked as expected in L8 (or L7 for that matter) so I'd be gunshy of it. Anyway, SMPTE-locking regions is tantamount to the same thing.

  • Beat Mapping is changing speed of audio region, not the metronome!!!

    Hi Everyone,
    I just today learned about beat mapping in Logic. I used it on one song that i'd recorded previously without a click track and it worked like a charm. I'm trying to use it on a different song now (same situation: previously recorded with no click) but for some reason with this song, it's changing the speed/length of my audio region to match the metronome instead of changing the speed of the metronome to match the speed of the audio. What's going on?!
    Thanks a bunch.
    David
    MacBook   Mac OS X (10.4.9)   2.0 GHz Processor, 2 GB RAM

    Well after many hours of searching through Logic Forums and flipping through the Logic Reference Manual, all to no avail, I've finally figured out what the problem was. I needed to uncheck the "Follow Te(mpo)" option in the Region Parameter Box for the region I was trying to beat map. The beat mapping process wasn't actually changing the length/speed of my audio region like I said it was in my initial post; it was simply playing over it slower or faster in order to preserve the audio-to-tempo ratio as I made the tempo slower or faster. All I needed to do was uncheck that little box and now beat mapping works exactly as described in the Reference Manual. WHY ON EARTH is the "Follow Te(mpo)" box not mentioned when discussing beat mapping?! More importantly, why is it not mentioned ANYWHERE in the entire Reference Manual?!?!? NOT ONCE!!! unbelievably frustrating.
    MacBook   Mac OS X (10.4.9)   2.0 GHz Processor, 2 GB RAM

  • Film Score: "Lock tempos" before beat mapping?

    Hello everyone,
    I'm scoring a film musical, and have to re-compose the songs with original isolated vocal tracks to the locked picture. I'd like to tempo map the vocal track so I can compose music with a click track. My first thought was using "beat map," which would allow me to place the bar lines in tempo with the audio track. However, on this particular scene, I have composed underscore at multiple tempos that lead into the song (measures 1-36) and whenever I use beat map on measure 37, it erases out all my previous tempo data!
    Is there anyway to "lock" the tempo changes before measure 37 so they will not change when using beat mapping? I know I can lock the regions to SMPTE, but since I'm composing using midi tracks that does me no good.
    Is there any other way to accomplish this goal? In a worse case situation I will use two logic songs for this one cue, but dovetailing the two may be tricky. Thus I'm hoping you guys can help me! THANKS IN ADVANCE!!

    Hi! Thanks for this thread - your problem highlights what has been a maddening and dissapointing failere of the 'new and improved' beat mapping feature to reclock a song (with multiple tempo maps preceding the area of reclocking) with the sophistication we used to have with the 'old' "RECLOCK SONG" dialog. Granted this was a bit complicated to use, but it was extremely powerful and useful.
    I was recently at Namm and personaly spoke with the Gerhard about this issue - and asked for the option of the old dialog back (as we had in LP 7.0)
    My solution for now (and not a great one) is to keep a copy of LOGIC 7.0 on my computer (only good on a G5, won't work with Intel) and open the song in version - with that version we had BOTH the new and old reclocking.
    In the old reclock song dialog, you could select a left source bar for the location (which would usually correspond to the location of your guide sequence, select "reclock between left and right source. Using this method all of the preceding tempo maps are preseverd!!! (as you've discovered that the NEW improved beat mapper destroys when trying to do this)
    My appeal to apple at Namm was to simply give us the choice of BOTH methods as the had in version 7.0 - A new feature or method is great, but if we've lost some of the power of a previous feature the end used so have the option. I work in film music, in a long timeline mode, so I (like you) have many complicated tempo maps within one logic "song"
    Unless Apple does this, I'll probably hold off on buying any Intel hardware until this is addressed (I hope Apple is listening!) as my method of running v. 7.0 when I need to reclock will no longer be possible. (Intel support starts w/v 7.2 which only has the new beat mapper.

  • What to do with your beat mapped tracks?

    I have beat mapped a wave file taken from an AIR sample.
    Plays great in a 4 bar loop, but what now?
    i bounced it out, and it will not play right at any tempo. I have tried creating an apple loop from the beat mapped arrange window. that doesn't work.
    so great. i have a 4 bar loop that makes the tempo go absolutely nuts to make the loop work. so adding other tracks to that arrange is useless because all the other tracks follow the tempo curves created by beat mapping.
    what do you do after you have beat mapped your file? how do you go on about using the file with other tracks? you can't drag a loop of it because the tempo map only stays with the orginal 4 bar loop. also how can you work with the tempo jumping all over the place?
    is this just not a very thought out feature, or am i missing a step that is not in the manual?

    nope you're not missing anything, you're just not using beat mapping for what it's for.
    let's say you've recorded a live band in the studio, drum kit, bass, guitar, the usual kind of thing. let's say the band didn't want to use a click track because they're really tight, they have a good feel and they vary the tempo of their playing as the song progresses. so then, let's say you end up with a multitrack recording that sounds great, but is more or less in free-time. now, the band and the producer want to develop the track further, with some logic instruments and some other stuff that requires you to use the sequencer in logic... suddenly you can't quantise anything, because the tempo of the logic song actually has little to do with the tempo of the music. and you can't just set the tempo to the music either, because it changes freely as the band played it. also, let's say you need to do some editing to adjust the timing of some of the drumming and other parts.. you can do it, but the grid in the logic song bears no relevance to what the audio is actually doing. sometimes the kick drum falls on a beat, other times in the middle of a beat, etc etc..
    enter beatmapping. with beatmapping, you can make logic follow the timing and groove of the performance, without having been forced to do it the other way around to start off with. so, the engineer, or usually the poor engineer's assistant, is given the task of beatmapping the logic song to follow the actual pace of the recorded audio. usually you'd do it by using the drum tracks as the guide, but it depends on the song and what's in it.
    once it's done, you have a logic song that suddenly has so many more possibilities to be taken further. you can use effects that sync to tempo, you can add synth parts and quantise them. and, if you want to do more tracking, like overdubs, or extra takes to fix up mistakes, or lead and backing vocals, you'll have a metronome track that will be perfectly or close to perfectly in time with the song as it speeds up and slows down, so the performers can do their thing. and then when it comes to editing, the bar lines in logic will actually correspond to the music, just like in a song with a fixed tempo. the kick drum will always fall on the beat, etc, etc, etc.
    that's why you'd use beatmapping. there are also other applications for it, like when you're composing music for film. but using beatmapping to make the tempo follow a loop is not really the best idea. usually with loops, the idea is for them to be in a groove that works over a fixed tempo. so if the reason why you tried beatmapping was because your loop was a bit sloppy in timing, then the better idea is to cut up the audio and adjust the hits (using crossfades to clean it up) to make it sit better to your tempo. then you glue it together or bounce it as an audio file and go ahead and use it to make your song. or, what I do these days, is I use melodyne (AU plug in version) in percussion mode. it detects the hits in a percussion loop very well indeed, and you can then quantise it totally to make it play absolutely perfectly in time. or, you can quantise it less severely to keep it a bit more free. or you can just manually nudge the hits yourself till you find the groove you want.
    I don't think I'd ever use beatmapping to follow the timing of a 4 or 8 bar loop and then try to copy that beatmap for an entire song.. for me the idea of beatmapping is to allow the timing grid of logic to follow a free-timed performance, so you can work with it from start to finish using logic normally, with the bars and beats corresponding to the music. for capturing the groove of a loop and using that as a template to affect the groove of your other tracks, you're better off using DNA groove template functions.

  • Beat Mapping Logic 9 Problem

    Hi.
    I'm having difficulty getting beat mapping to work with Logic 9.1.6.
    I have tried to select the notes in my guide sequence but that yellow line all too often refuses to line up with the start of the relevant note. I tried copying all the beat notes to another region to use the Beats from Region facility but got a message saying “Setting this beat would have caused the corresponding tempo value being too high. Try to delete bars.” When I applied the operation some midi had moved (locked and unlocked) and there were some pretty extreme tempo changes – up to 990 bpm in a song that actually ranges in tempo between about 40-120 bpm. I tried turning the guide track into an audio file to use the “Detect” function but it was still wildly inaccurate.
    Has anyone got an idea what I may be doing wrong? Is there a setting in the program that needs to be activated before beat mapping will work accurately? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
    Thanks in advance.
    Colin

    Hi Cauldblast, to save me a lengthy text explanation, here's everything one should know about Beat Mapping:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5Ro592Wea8&feature=share&list=PLpJ7oPngMm-XnTvAw vABpVdKdfzpVthcJ&index=7
    Good luck and have a nice day!

  • After beat mapping Logic is very sluggish and unresponsive

    I recorded a track without a click, very rubato. Then I manually played in 1/4 notes on a midi track. I used "Beats from region" on the beat mapping track. After that when the song starts to play, if I click on a track or do just about anything with the computer keyboard I get the beach ball and Logic becomes very sluggish or unresponsive. It I revert back to the previous version of the song, without the beat mapping, there is no problem. I did notice that the rubato tempo was screwing up the beat sync on the tape delay plugin, so I put it in bypass, then removed them.

    In any case, personally, I avoid to use automatic function suach as Audio to Midi or auto beat mapping...
    I'm an old... ... Old school musician...
    when I have a song that requires rubato parts and "rallentando" or "accellerando"...
    I write the score as Conductor of myself...
    I prepare the song by manually editing tempo changes before start recording...
    This way is very good also for musician, amateurs, students...
    after editing tempo changes Logic will be your personal orchestral conductor trainer...
    and will be able to test skill of performer...
    the word "PRO" in Logic is focused to professional musician... including students and amateurs can enjoy a fabulous experience ... it is very similar as the musicians or soloists when they are in a professional production environment.
    (this is the OLD SCHOOL way)
    just my 2 cents
    G

  • AA3, changing tempo in Edit mode.

    Hello everyone.
    I've been using AA3 for quite some time. I generally prefer to use FL Studio to work with recordings, but since Edison (FL Studio's equivalent to Audition's Edit Mode) if very poorly made, I prefer to use Audition to edit samples and recordings. When I record something like, an acoustic guitar, sometimes the recordings are a bit out of perfect timing, and I always like to have recordings perfect. So, what I would like to do is go into audition's edit mode and manually move around the notes myself. This seems to sometimes work well, if a note is a bit late, I delete the extra space. If it's a bit early, I copy a little bit of the dead space behind it, paste it, and am good to go. It's time consuming, but in the end, it syncs up perfectly with the VSTs I use, since computers are never really off timing. But, this doesn't seem to work when I want to change the tempo. For example, I recorded a song at 70 BPMs. So, I loaded the song into edit mode. Whoops! The tempo must be off. So, I go into multitrack mode, change it from what it's at to 70, go back and... there's no difference. From my understanding, BPM stands for beats per minute, and a beat isn't a constant in the equation, the minute is. Therefore, the distance between two beat should change when adjust the tempo. Only being able to work and edit in one tempo is very constricting, so I can't imagine that the people at adobe/cool edit pro would have done this on purpose. Is there a way around the tempo in edit mode being seemingly stuck at whatever figure it's at? Thanks for the help, I really need to get this recording done soon!

    I'm somewhat confused now. You're telling me that the little ruler at the bottom of edit mode that says BMP ### (Where ### stands for the number set in multitrack view) that has all of the tickers is simply there for show? That would be like Photoshop having a ruler set to 72ppi, without the user being able to change it. If the document was in 300ppi, the ruler would not change, and the measurements would be off (of course, it would erroneously read 72ppi, as Audition erroneously reads the tempo set in multitrack view). Forunately, I found the answer that I had been seeking elsewhere. It appears that there is a small bug in Audition that when you change the tempo in Multitrack View, it changes the number displayed on the ruler in Edit View, but not the distance between the "ticks" giving it an inaccurate reading. To fix this, one must right-click the ruler, and adjust the tempo right there where it says "Edit Tempo...". I feel foolish that I didn't see this myself, but I've never needed to right-click the ruler until now. The reason I posted this was to help anyone else who couldn't find the answer, so they didn't have to deal with anyone on a high-horse who really didn't know the answer, or hardly read the question enough to understand it, but answered anyway with a quick and defeating answer that might quickly gain them points. I'm not naming names, but some people (not naming names) did come off a bit strong. But perhaps that's entirely deliberate...
    -E

  • Flex mode doesn't work with beat mapping?

    If I turn Flex Mode on for Region A, and make a tempo change in the Tempo Track, the tempo slows down and the number of beats in the region stays the same, as expected. However, if I create the same change in the Tempo Track by dragging a point on the beat ruler in the Beat Mapping track to a transient in Region B on another track, the tempo of Region A does not change.
    If I turn Region A into an Apple Loop, turn Flex Mode off, and go through the same beat mapping process the tempo for Region A slows down, as expected.
    So Flex Mode does not appear to work with beat mapping. Is this a bug or a feature?

    This a user to user forum, Apple doesn't read it. If you have feedback please send it to www.apple.com/feedback.
    Also please be a little more explicit, exactly which iMac do you own and what are you trying to achieve.

  • How do you change tempo in the middle of a session?

    Does anyone know how to do this? please explain in detail

    A few options.
    1 - search the manual. It's explained in pretty good detail. Look for "tempo map"
    2 - open Global Tracks and go to the tempo track. There you can click to create new tempo 'events' and drag them up and down for faster/slower etc. Clicking on the points where the tempo changes abruptly, and you can turn it into an adjustable curve.
    3 - open the 'lists' window and you'll see a tempo list. You can enter in tempo events there to make precise adjustments, ie. "at bar 5.1.1.1. tempo switches to 125.4 bpm" etc.
    4 - check the manual again. Read up on 'beat mapping' and other tempo related chapters.
    WARNING: Some tempo operations in L8 are buggy or unpredictable. Don't mess around on your current project until you've saved a safety copy somewhere. Better yet, save a new copy of your project as "MySong_TempoTest" and then play around to your heart's content, knowing you have an un-messed up version of your tune you can always go back to if trouble rears its head.
    rok on.

  • Anyone else's beat mapping not working?

    Hi there, noticed yet another bug in Logic 9. I'm trying to do beat mapping according to a virtual instrument region (the last region in a song), and mapping Logic's quarter notes to their respective places results to a slightly different tempo than I anticipated - bpm is 990.
    Well, the region has a free time ritardando (tempo drops from about 59 to 42 within two bars), but I've managed to map it on Logic 8. Unfortunately I'm not able to open the project in Logic 9, of course.
    Any ideas, any hints, anyone?

    Found a cure - at least it's working on my other computer: bounce the track using an instrument with sharp transients, do the beat mapping with that. I'll get the occasional "this would...", but just taking off the latest mapping and re-inserting it allows me to continue.
    Midi region is still a no-go.

  • IDOC Segment mapping change

    Hi,
    How can i change the field attached to a IDOC segment.
    Actually we have this Invoice IDOC,in which the E1EDK03 012(Qualifier) is passing the IDOC creation date instead of Billing date.
    So i need to change this mapping to Billing date.
    Please help.

    Hi Salz,
    I just checked my version of SAP (4.7) and you should get an invoice date.  Check out the subroutine FILL_E1EDK03 in function module IDOC_OUTPUT_INVOIC.  The first section of this code creates an E1EDK03 segment with the invoice date (if there is an invoice date), with qualifyer 026.
    Is there a possibility that in fact you are getting an E1EDK03 segment with the invoice date, but you are also getting other E1EDK03 segments (such as the one you mention with qualifyer 012) and they are obscuring the one you are looking for?
    If there are definitely none being created then can I suggest that you debug the subroutine FILL_E1EDK03 in function module IDOC_OUTPUT_INVOIC to check what is happening.  You may need to change the timing of your output record to 1 and run the program RSNAST00 online to get the breakpoint to be hit correctly. 
    If, in your version, the code doesn't include this date, then you have an exit function module EXIT_SAPLVEDF_002 (called via the subroutine CUSTOMER_FUNCTION in function module IDOC_OUTPUT_INVOIC) where you can actually add your own segment data.  For example you an change the contents of an existing segment (as per your original request), or append your own E1EDK03 segment with your own data.  I would recommend adding your own segment rather than changing whats there.
    It is possible to extend idocs to add your own custom segments (eg Z1EDK03), but I wouldn't recommend it in your case, because in later versions of SAP the date is provided and by not creating a new segment (Z1EDK03) you will have no mapping changes to do when you upgrade.  You can just delete your userexit code.
    Hope that all makes sense and helps you with your problem.
    Cheers,
    Brad

  • Question about Beat mapping

    First of all, is there any way to do it? does premiere have the ability to read in a track and select markers for the beat? I can understand if this is impossible. Is there a program in which i can utilize its beat mapping capabilities but then bring it into premiere so i can edit video to the beat more effectively? or, is there a way to place the marker at set increments of time, so, for instance i can find the exact time between beats, and merely move the selector(for lack of proper term) and paste the small clip or whatever after it, in succession? Or basically has anyone found an easier way of doing this besides staring hard at the wave form and supposing where the beats are? Thanks so much!

    I believe that Magix Music Studio (name might have changed, as they rolled two similar programs into one) does have automatic beat mapping. In Premiere (and Audition, I think) you need to do it manually.
    Also, SonicFire Pro 5 allows all sorts of beat mapping and also beat changes. The downside is that it works with their Strata (multi-layer) Series of music. If you are not using your original music, or existing music, take a look at their tutorial on SonicFire Pro 5 at their site, www.smartsound.com to see the power and features.
    Hunt
    PS, SmartSound is also having a big sale on a lot of their music right now. Price is as low as I've ever seen it, and they even have some of their "Backstage" music on sale. You have to register for access to that part of the site, though.

  • Trouble Beat Mapping

    Hey Guys,
    Today is my first attempt at beat mapping and I'm having trouble.
    1. I import the WAV file I want to beat map.
    2. Select the WAV file
    3. Select --> Tempo --> Adjust Tempo Using Beat Detection
    All the potential results it gives is quite off.
    The song is Timbaland's 'Morning After Dark.'
    By clicking a 'beat' app on my phone, it shows the tempo is around 118 --- however the Logic Beat Mapping is saying it's around 125.1537 ... Clearly it's off from the song.
    Is there any other way to beat map?
    you may think, "well, just use 118..." That doesn't work however as it needs to be exact and have the metronome stay with the song the entire way...
    ...And plus it needs to match up the first beat of the WAV wit hthe first beat of the session, rather than having WAV Silence.
    Thanks guys!
    --Sean
    p.s. Logic 9 is what I'm using!

    the Logic Beat Mapping is saying it's around 125.1537
    You're using the term Beat Mapping in a way that's different from the way that term is used inside Logic (and this happens a lot). Maybe a better term for what you're doing would be tempo detection.
    Beat Mapping in Logic normally involves dealing with material that embodies a varying tempo. This song you mentioned has a steady tempo, so Logic's Beat Mapping feature isn't really relevant. You're just trying to find out the tempo, which is something simpler.
    Unfortunately, Logic is bad at tempo detection, as you have noticed. It's bad at this when you use the "Adjust Tempo Using Beat Detection" command (which is what you used), and it's also bad at this when you use the BPM Counter plugin. So I would advise you to never waste any time with those features (unless the audio material you're evaluating is painfully simple, like a click track).
    But it really doesn't matter much, because there are lots of other ways to achieve tempo detection. One example is what you did: use a program that lets you tap a tempo. (Logic also has a kind of Tap Tempo feature, but I suggest you ignore that, too.) Tapping a tempo can be done with this handy web site. It can also be done with the BPMCalc program.
    If you would prefer something more automatic (and why not), you can try this free program which does a nice job of automatic tempo detection.
    Another approach, inside Logic, is to cut a region of a specific size (e.g., 4 bars), and then use the Adjust Tempo Using Region Length and Locators command. This command works well. It's explained on p. 599 (pdf). The explanation is not terribly clear, so if you have any questions, just ask.
    There are some other useful techniques for tempo detection inside Logic, but I won't get into that right now.
    By clicking a 'beat' app on my phone, it shows the tempo is around 118
    I think you must be a pretty good tapper. When I use various methods to determine the tempo for that song, the number I come up with is 117.9873 bpm. (That excess precision is admittedly pointless; I could have said 117.98 or 117.99 and it would make no practical difference.)
    it needs to match up the first beat of the WAV wit hthe first beat of the session
    For various reasons I usually find that it's a good idea to leave a measure or more of silence at the start of a project. Later on when you bounce, you're not obligated to include this silence in the bounce.
    The main thing is to make sure the first beat of the region matches up with the start of a measure. That is, if the first beat of the song is a downbeat (the first beat of a measure). In this song, that happens to be the case.
    To match it up right, you just need to zoom in, and then slide the region to the left or right, to make the first beat line up visibly with a bar line. If you set the tempo to the number I mentioned, and then slide the region the way I just said, I think you'll find that the metronome will sound just right.
    Things get more interesting when you pick a record that embodies a varying tempo (which is more common with older records, but it still happens). If you run into that and you have questions, just ask.

  • How can I beat match two beat-mapped songs?

    Hi,
    I'm pretty confused at the moment - I've been trying to beatmatch two songs, and am not having much luck.
    I have two separate project files, each containg one of the two songs I want to beat match. I've done through both of the songs, matched the project tempos to their BPM, and gone through manual beat mapping in the "configure global tracks".
    Now what I want to do is take one of the two songs I have beat mapped, and move it to the other project (the two projects are at slightly different BPMs) so that it snaps onto the other project's grid (leaving the two songs beat matched).
    I've had no problem dropping apple loops (of varying BPM) onto either of the tracks - they seem to adjust their lengths automatically. I don't really understand why my songs won't do the same thing, since I went through and beat mapped both of them. I even tried exporting them as apple loops, which didn't seem to make any difference.
    If you have any insight on how to fix this, I would really appreciate it.
    Thanks

    Never mind - I figured it out.
    I was converting to apple loops, but the loops I was recording weren't following the new project tempo because I saved them as one-shots as opposed to actual loops (in the convert to apple loops) menu. If you record them as loops, they give you the option when you drag them in to the project to snap them to your current tempo grid.
    Thanks anyway

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