Smart Tempo Deep Dive (Plus: Quantize Audio Not Recorded To A Click Using Smart Tempo)

[@jamiemcparland]

I've watched COUNTLESS videos on how to do this with drums and could never get it to work. Spent DAYS AND DAYS on this. Your video finally unlocked how to do this. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

[@sportsfreundberlin]

And that's also why Logic Pro doesn't rule but sucks. Every feature is implemented so counterintuitively and complicated and the docs are so poor that you just want to give up.

[@jskabeats5158]

@@sportsfreundberlin gotta know ur hot keys pal

[@lennyluzitano8920]

@@sportsfreundberlin very frustrating and screwed up...sorry..years ago..you would rehearse till it gets tight and polished..and then ..and only then..go to a recording studio...do..3 To 6...takes. And choose the best one...

[@simoncroft]

Having watched this video multiple times, and followed it step-by-step, I am now able to control the tempo of an audio multitrack and sync it to a pre-existing quantised MIDI arrangement. Thank you for covering so much ground, and so well. I've learned a ton from this!

[@FLH3official]

This smart tempo is realy usefull. I used it a while ago to score a video. It was a sad scene and I played a long string ensemble along the video to get the basis of my work, without any click like a movie theater pianist of the past. Then I applied the smart tempo, get a tempo map and I was abble to begin to work on the details of my score.

[@hunghoangmusic]

This is what we should learn first in Logic, very basic but important thing. Thank you so much!

[@jackfitzgerald1808]

Thank you so much. I wish I saw this earlier...would have saved me the hours and hours I poured into manual timing edits on the drums for this project I'm working on... *face palm* To a brighter, more stream-lined future! Cheers

[@mitchelevans9914]

Really clear, concise instructions. I got SmartTempo working perfectly on a click-less track right after I watched this! Thank you for this.

[@andybyers9696]

This video has blown my mind. New to this channel and it is amazing. Thank you so much!!

[@peterbondy]

Ok, I’ve been trying to work this out for a while and you explained it so, so well. I’d done the smart tempo and got the adapted tempo with all the little variations but never worked out how to the set the performance to a fixed tempo after flexing to the varied tempo (if you know what I mean 😂). This is so useful for me as a composer so thanks a thousand times over. (Nothing worse than having an idea and having to waste time trying to work out tempos, then playing to a click when I really just want to write and improvise a bit. So this feature and your explanation of it in this depth is super valuable. Again, 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻)

[@michaelsinclair1509]

I need to lean how to match a full acapella to an instrumental in Logic Pro X. So I can switch from ableton which is the boss of audio warping.

[@spokefast]

SOOOOOO HELPFUL OMMGGG, the removing different tempos and then setting to one tempo helped so much. i played a midi drum beat live and wanted it to be set to a fixed tempo, so this was exactly what i was looking for. thank you so much :))))))

[@officespace123]

thank you for such a clear and concise tutorial

[@halukkurtoglu126]

Thanks man, nice video. Learned the trick now.

[@jonathanraycase]

Thanks for the informative vid. Is there a way yet to quantize an entire session/song (audio + midi)?

[@dan44762000]

Why can I never find a simple video of a person recording a guitar part and then adding drum loops, bass loops, piano loops and it all being the same tempo? That’s all I want

[@scottarnink9874]

Wish you'd do one for those of us using guitars and keyboards to record tracks. All of these loops and so forth are of little value to me. I'm finding the tech incredible. But, running into interesting obstacles and so forth without knowing why or what happened.

[@lennyluzitano8920]

Same old..useless crap...so sick of this...fire the drummer...and get some one who can play a steady groove....

[@ericgcastile]

Apple needs to pay you HANDSOMELY!

[@andymusic6943]

Another great video Chris well done. Just a simple question - recording a live band (drums, keys via midi, vocals and guitar and sax via mikes) then I should just use Adapt and not Auto? Is that correct? If the band is any good then I wouldn't want to put all the recording to a unified tempo because it loses the human tempo feel. Make sense ?

[@eihthype6578]

Appreciate your channel so much!! One question regarding smart tempo, seems obvious, but want to make sure I follow.. with the idea of keeping the live feel (no quantizing) can I record a drum track without metronome, use the adapt function to map out a click track to the performance, as reference for guitar overdubs? The band I play in has very sparse, and slow tempos, which make it near impossible to track guitars without a metronome, but using a metronome kinda kills the “feel”. Hope that makes sense🙏🏼

[@jefftravilla]

I haven’t tried this yet, but yes, that does seem to be what he’s doing in the first half of the video before he uses it with flex and follow. Seems like it basically adapts to your tempo changes so that you can still edit on the grid without everything being a consistent tempo all the way through. So I imagine that turning the click on after letting it adapt to the drums, for example, the click would play your quarter notes with the tempo adaptions. I mostly use programmed drums, starting with Drummer and then editing manually to taste. I bet this would make programmed drums sound way more human... like record guitar freeform, set the project to adapt to that tempo, and then add Drummer and have it follow that adapted tempo track. Now just have to write a song to give this a whirl.

[@ScottSmithMusic]

Jeff Travilla And also, thank you, Sir!!!

[@ericgcastile]

Your tutorials are fantastic!

[@RogerioValgode]

GREAT tutorial, thanks! Make me want to explore this a bit more...

[@mattcoen]

Thanks! Very helpful.

[@AliTaj5610]

Great tutorial! Thanks.

[@jonljacobi]

Good stuff. You have a nice way of getting to the heart of the matter.

[@WhyLogicProRules]

I appreciate the kind words! Thanks for watching :)

[@yeah1009]

How does this work with a singer playing an instrument and getting logic drummer to follow with "feel"?

[@ManCalledMif]

will look into this a bit more. potentially very helpful 👍🏼

[@officialyourdad2342]

fantastic tutorial and videos

[@derajjyuvaraja3232]

Thank you, one of my favorite channel :)

[@WhyLogicProRules]

Thanks so much for checking out the channel DeRajj!

[@WinnerOlmann]

This was incredible. Thank you so much!

[@bassnode]

The step @ 5:13 didn't work as expected for me, using Logic 10.4.8. When opening the Smart Tempo menu, it already showed the analyzed file and I couldn't get the song tempo track to show up. I had to go to the Smart Tempo editor > Edit > Edit Smart Tempo Multitrack Set and unselect a couple things. This triggered the mapped tempo show to up on the timeline and take effect. Otherwise, a super helpful video!

[@MarkDoyleMusic]

Great tutorial. I have been using Smart Tempo on a project, have it analyzed and locked now on Keep. My question - if I want to edit out a section of a song using the snip between locators, will it keep all of the Tempo changes after the edit?

[@ScottSmithMusic]

Fantastic! Thank you, Chris!

[@trenthaysproductions]

So helpful. Thank you.

[@JohnnyHands]

I'm using Logic Pro X 10.6, trying to experiment in Adapt mode, dropping in Apple Loops into the orange zone - starting with a new project/blank tracks area, it seems only the very first one will change the project tempo in Adapt mode, but subsequent ones do not (note I've got the Tempo track open, which also shows no effect.) Seems that way for both audio and software instrument Apple loops. But dropping in an audio file (from the Finder) after the first audio Apple loop - worked (just as this video showed.) Just a heads up to other Smart Tempo experimenters out there - don't try it with multiple Apple loops. I supposed that might be a feature (adapt the tempo to the first loop you drag in, but not for ones after that, so they can fit in with the established tempo) - rather than a bug.

[@robertsimpson5801]

This video was extremely helpful!!

[@lonelycake4114]

Could you make more smart tempo videos? I need to find the tempo of an audio file with variable bpm and match midi to that.

[@yegormosi8136]

Really helpful, GOOD JOB!

[@joelybarish4618]

Logc's flex and smart tempo have always worked better with drum tracks. I would like to see it demonstrated with something like strummed guitar not played to a click. When I've worked with strummed guitar that has imperfect timing that I want Logic to correct the timing so that it syncs with a steady click, there have always been too many artifacts or glitching for it to be usable. What's the best way to achieve that?? Great channel BTW!!

[@WhyLogicProRules]

Hey Joely, thanks for the recommendation! Guitars can be tough. Is the guitar DIed into your interface? Is it an acoustic guitar? Or an amp miced up? Distorted or clean? All of these aspects can make a huge difference in your success to Flex guitars.

[@PoetryFilms]

What I’m interested in finding is how to get Logic doing even as good a job as Music Memos on iPhone, ie letting you record without click track and then adding it (drums etc) after. This video, like all of Chris’, is very in-depth and well-explained but doesn’t cover this basic use, for some reason.

[@JulyTheGinny]

Please help I don’t have a smart tempo option and it’s ruining my mp3s

[@mythikmusic]

lifesaving video, thank you!!!

[@musicproductionvideos5019]

I watched someone record a shaker using Smart Tempo (with no click playing or other time source) and Logic Pro analyzed & locked his playing to the Project tempo (KEEP & new recording set to On & Align bars). I do understand the settings he had on & It worked great! My question is… can it be used at all with a "tempo source" playing? A Region, a click, Drummer, a whole song etc etc? It seems Apple just doesn’t allow this great technology to be used unless there is no time source? Or am I mistaken? Does AUTO setting do this and I just haven’t been able to get it right yet? I would LOVE to be able to record this way every once in a while to see the results. If it works with NO click or time base… why wouldn’t they just add the ability to use this to it’s fullest potential. It would be like another powerful form of” auto quantize” for audio tracking. Why handicap it by requiring no timebased anything? I'm doing tests to see if I'm missing something. I just read the LPX manual Smart Tempo Overview - help.apple.com/logicpro/mac/10.4/#/lgcp9281e70c.It seems they are saying in AUTO mode the project tempo is kept when recording "if another time source /region is present". Seems to me that would be for normal tracking but I can't make it work. Very confusing. I can only seem to get it to "conform" my live recordings if I "solo" the track during recording (or have NO other regions present). What am I missing? Maybe they will make it work that way in the next update? Thanks!

[@sheddybhulji8196]

Excellent thanks

[@WooDeWow]

I had an artist record a song in the incorrect temp to the default Logic tempo at 120 BMP. The Song is actualy 90BMP and I'm wanting to do additonal production on the track, I tried doing the SMPTE lock on the vocals and the beat and putting the BMP to the correct BMP 90, however the vocals and the beat became slowed down. It does not sound like the originial incorrect tempo recording. Anyway to fix this???

[@good4sound]

This is not working on a multitrack session that I already have set up. Does it only work as you're importing the audio files as you show in this video? Even though I have grouped every track, some conform and some don't the kick and snare, for instance, compress in length. The files are all over the place.

[@PhillCarseMusic]

Can you do a video following on form this, but using like a groove template, or when you want all of your layers to follow the same swing pattern?

[@janmcwilliams5998]

That would be helpful!

[@ericwikman4131]

Can we use Smart Tempo while we build tracks...to the tempo of the project... while drums (etc) are playing? Tracking simple things like live claps etc... just to tighten (automatic audio quantise) as we work? Seems like they made that ability handicapped by not allowing ANY other tracks to be playing?

[@BuddyQuaid]

DOes this work with a guitar singer/sonwriter with just a guitar and vocals? Would like to get a locked down tempo from the guitar then add other instruments. Is that possible? This seems easy since you're using drums.

[@6thwatergateplumber]

What if you have already recorded under KEEP. Can you highlight all of your recorded tracks, and hit tempo to adjust everything?

[@Knardsh]

I have a project well along its way, I want to add a click now to re track drums... how do I do this since Im not importing audio files but just wanting to tempo map the ones already present?

[@misteremagic]

Can or need we to quantize the Audio even after keeper the speed tempo recorded ?

[@TEN27]

can you change back to KEEP from auto and adapt tempo once you've followed these steps and have gotten your tempo locked in?

[@WhyLogicProRules]

Absolutely HiPYSTER! Switch the Smart Tempo mode back to Keep and everything is locked in :)

[@recordman555]

Amazing!

[@emanuel_soundtrack]

i would love one explaining how to fast sync different tracks with different audio types alltogheter. Because there is many settings for time and rythm in Logic it this can still be confusing

[@PCoyte]

Thanks for this. Does Adapt Tempo work when you capture Midi rather than putting it i record?

[@HSet77]

How do you compensate for Logic X moving those individual audio (loop) files forward when you used Smart Tempo? It did not seem to move the multi track files when you dragged them in as a group... Won't the individual files jumping forward throw off the song? Do you then have to move everything forward to match - or move the forward file backwards?

[@WhyLogicProRules]

Good catch Howard! I should've used SMPTE-lock to prevent the regions from bouncing around.

[@HSet77]

@@WhyLogicProRules SMPTE? With Smart Tempo. It's for music too, even without an attached video to sync? Yeah, I'd like to see a video on SMPTE functionality - I'm in the dark about that.

[@WhyLogicProRules]

@@HSet77 Correct! Even if we're not working with video, SMPTE-locking is a good technique when things get funny moving around the grid.

[@slowpokeproductions]

@@WhyLogicProRules Back in the 80s, we used a SMPTE time code generator to lock up two 24-track analog machines for 48-track recording/mixing. It's been around for a while not just for video syncing. So glad LPX has it.

[@schoontube]

Thanks!

[@texiofficial]

Please heeeelppp. How do I keep the tempo of my for example external audio file imported in my project? I can't get to the tempo section. It doesn't appear the "KEEP TEMPO' Thanksss

[@nounix]

Hello! 1 question please! :) I am in the process of "fixing" all the beats on my older disco/rock/live tracks that don't keep a steady beat (have drifting tempo), so that they're all easily "mixable" with each other - and with newer tracks that have steady beats (as they are made with software, and not a live recording where the drummer keeps an approximate tempo). So far it's going great using smart tempo (although some tracks are quite time-consuming as Logic hasn't identified the correct downbeats' start and the beat markers that it has placed need manual dragging). Now, I have noticed something that I think must be a bug in Logic, and it's really annoying as I have to start a track's fixing over and over everytime this happens. UUURRRGHH. Please let me know if there's some kind of setting that I have to select so that this stops happening as it would really save me a lot of time. When I've finished checking (and manually correcting, if needed) that all the beat markers have been placed in the correct places, in the Smart Tempo editor window, I then bounce the track (CMD+B) in order to export an mp3. I then import the new/"fixed" track into my Serato DJ (DJing software) to analyze it and then set my beatgrid markers there. I then play it back in Serato to confirm that all the beatgrid lines are indeed on-the-beat. 8 of 10 tracks have been perfectly fixed! :) But, in the odd occasion that a beat or 2 are off the beatgrid lines, I just go back to the track in Logic to fix that/those specific area/s. (I have NOT closed the Logic project in the meanwhile - until I have verified that all the beats are perfectly aligned to the beatgrid in Serato). BUT, the problem is that when I double-click the audio file in Logic (to enter the Editor -> Smart Tempo tab again, to fix those areas), Logic WILL NOT just open the Editor window that was open a couplee of minutes ago, so that I can just pick up from where I left it and just continue my editing!!! Instead it gives me this "horrendous" message that says "This file contains the tempo at which it was ORIGINALLY recorded. Click "edit" only if you wish the file to receive a Smart Tempo analysis, REPLACING THE ORIGINAL TEMPO"!!!! And there's no other option other than to click on the "Edit" button in order to (re-)enter the Smart Tempo editor!!! WTF is its problem?? Is this a bug?? Needless to say that if I click on Edit to re-enter the Smart Tempo editor window and correct 1-2 areas ONLY, EVERYTHING I had been doing up to that point is LOST. the beat markers are in the ORIGINAL positions that they were BEFORE I had fixed their positions!! This means that I have to start ALL OVER AGAIN!! This is REALLY frustrating!! Please tell me that there's some option to click so that this stops happening! Thank you for your time & help!! :) :)

[@aksel6902]

love your chanel

[@WhyLogicProRules]

Thanks so much Dj!

[@good4sound]

If this works, and I have a feeling it will, it will solve some serious issues that I have been trying to repair. I want the last 3 days back... Soooo, I noticed there were some other tracks in that folder: Bass, VOX, etc. Once you get the drums locked to the new tempo, would you then import the other tracks and do the same thing? Or can you import all of the multitracks at once, Group just the drums, do the tempo syncing, and then how do you get the other tracks to adjust to the new tempo?

[@good4sound]

This is not working on a multitrack session that I already have set up. Does it only work as you're importing the audio files as you show in this video? Even though I have grouped every track, some conform and some don't the kick and snare, for instance, compress in length. The files are all over the place.

[@dafingaz]

Nice!

[@frankyr.8514]

The drum tracks are made ie you played and recorded or they are samples?

[@arulrozariomusic]

is this similar or same as beat mapping

[@dustinpeterson4774]

Once you get everything where you want it, do you bounce things down? I at least want the flex view to go away and stay where it’s repositioned. It’s visually chaotic. Any thoughts on that?

[@Martinbeef]

Just save the session, and go on to make changes, then save with a different name, soy can go back if you want to. Otherwise, there's always the Undo menu.

[@KevinStCroix]

Duuude!

[@uberdru]

is it amazing?

[@dinoarellano]

Ok thanks. Imma give it a try. 😰

[@donshort8154]

This is a cool feature and I appreciate how well it's been explained, however, I have a specific scenario that I can't figure out. I record 2 bars of myself which I then loop. This way I have my natural feel to record against. I can cut the two bars, I can set the region tempo to project so that the bpm is what my 2 bars are at, and when there is just one bar, the grid looks like it's aligned perfectly. Yet if I duplicate the loop, say 50 times, I will see that over time the grid has actually drifted out of time with the loop. Does anyone have an idea how to rectify this?

[@tommy22]

It indicates the created loop wasn’t sample perfect, but no problem. Just turn your 50 loops into one audio file and the drift click will be replaced with an accurate one.

[@Hardjaxl]

It would be more cool if it can work with time signature as well

[@prodcdebeatz7205]

I don't really understand why anyone would want to do any of the polytempo stuff. 7:30 on beyond is some great info tho.

[@coolvibesradio3267]

not quite my tempo...

[@guitarfusion6659]

chord TRACK where is

[@boomish69]

Smart Tempo is awful, it’s lost the ability to remove and add tempo to audio regions, if you forget to set adapt before recording, it’s useless to work out the tempo of even a simple tempo. And as for long audio it’s woefully inaccurate, not perfect as you say, you couldn’t quantise to it, it seems only good enough for loops. Better off still beat mapping for a live recorded band for an accurate grid. The real danger with Smart Tempo is it can remove the original recorded tempo from the audio file, destructively changing the meta data! Make sure you have a backup copy, I’ve seen Smart tempo really mess up a project.

[@riondrumchannel]

smart tempo can mess up a project- but after watching this vid, and with some experimenting (on my back-up copy of a track) I was able to take a whole arrangement that was recorded with out click, and wrangle it to a steady click. My process was a bit different, and I had to experiment, for sure- because turning on flextime on a track would move it relative to everything else... it's wonky for sure, but, this being my first time, I actually got it to work.

[@iainmcguire7190]

None of this is accurate. You can adapt audio after it's recorded. It's not destructive, it can be undone. This reads like you don't know how to use it, and its doing things you don't expect. That doesn't mean it's broken.

[@patkessee]

ok....I get how it can be useful BUT.....what if, I drag in a SONG that has a fluctuating tempo that I want LOCKED IN to ONE TEMPO throughout???

[@thejacevekexperience]

Smart tempo is great but only If you’re using really simple source material that’s in basic common time or other simple meters, and doesn’t get too crazy speeding up, slowing down. For material that is more demanding, and where Precision is a must you might want to learn how to beat map: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q4K2aZKmdpiinJYsi=z7z9T_5wPhdg9-_w

[@dafingaz]

How does someone have all this information in their head???? 🤣

[@joshmallit2203]

If logic had an easy to access TAP TEMPO feature, you wouldnt need this. Also, using this on an acapella is useless. Tempo changes are too big to out a beat too.

[@rollomaughfling380]

10:41 That's a mess. How is that helpful?

[@slowpokeproductions]

It was supposed to be...he was just showing how a mis-timed phrase could be locked to tempo, which it ultimately was, regardless of the haphazard performance.

[@StophD]

I've been using Logic Pro (among others) since I did my degree in sound engineering about 10 years ago. It fkin SUCKS! It's so Apple with the way it works. People should learn to use proper DAWs instead of believing that everything Apple is awesome.

[@lpokiiim]

Very helpful . Thanks heaps.