The Basic Guide To Tempo Management in Cubase

[@gavlew]

Brilliant video - really clearly explained

[@OneManAndHisSongs]

Glad it was helpful, thanks!

[@Frank.Zimmermann]

This is really very helpful, Anthony. Many, many thanks!!

[@OneManAndHisSongs]

You're very welcome!

[@ErixSamson]

This GA trick is incredible!

[@OneManAndHisSongs]

Honestly it's the only way I'll do it from here on. Turns out I'm better at determining the transients and rhythm patterns in my own recordings than Cubase :)

[@Byron101_]

this is exactly what I need! great vid as ever!

[@OneManAndHisSongs]

Glad you liked it, thanks!

[@svenisaksson3970]

First; Lenear Mode is of little to no use if you're strictly recording music. However, it vital if you throw video into the mix. Example: If you have a video with a door closing, white the sound of it closing on and audio track, you wouldn't want the sound to move and fall out of sync with the video, if you happen to change the tempo. This is what the feature is primarily there for! It's also very handy if you're preparing sample libraries. You wouldn't want the idividual sample-parts to jump around, and possible collide with each other. Second; I don't know what you're doing wrong with the Tempo Detection feature. I've used it constantly ever since Steinberg implemented it. I've never had the problems that you show. I've never had reason to use the multiply/divide buttons at all. To make a "click track" and apply Tempo Detection to that, is a good idea if the the other audio track is problematic. This is, for all intents and purposes, what the Tempo Detection feature does. By the way, you can only apply Tempo Detection if you have only one audio track selected. If want to use several tracks to build a tempo map, you need to mix down the tracks to a single audio file. Import it, and apply Tempo Detection with only that track selected. The only thing I find annoying is that the Tempo Detection changes all time signatures to 1/4, for some reason, and have to manually restored. Third; You should not have stopped without warning your viewers about the step of ruining their music, that every other "teacher" does. They all apply "Set Definition From Tempo", after doing the Tempo Detection. This is madness. What this does is that it removes the audio map, sets the tempo to a static tempo, and warps the audio to fit this tempo. It really should be named "Hard Quantise Audio". It's the small tempo shifts that Tempo Detection makes, that breaths life into your music. Even if you ran Tempo Detection on a recording by the worlds best drummer (even Ringo Starr, who used to be called 'the human metronome') you won't come up with a static tempo. Actually, the hallmark of a good drummer is that he/she knows when to speed up and slow down. It's so important that, before Steinberg implemented the Tempo Detection feature, I could spend hours (or even days) building a tempo map manually. Most people can't point drirectly as the micro tempo shifts, but they can feel that there is something off with the robotic single tempo recording. This is also why it so extremely rare to hear accelerandos and retardandos in music, these days. They were all over the place fifty years (and hundreds of years) before. May worlflow, these days, is this. I always begin with recording a simple "demo" of the song. When I get a take that feels right (tempo wise), I use that do do the Tempo Detection. If the Tempo Detection feature has any problems with the demo recording (which is very rare), I might record a click, and use that to detect the tempo. If I think I need a clicktrack, I just record one with MIDI. Hard quantise the MIDI (remember all the micro tempo shifts, are "baked in" in the tempo track. I then convert the MIDI click to an audio file. That way I have an audio click track that follows the songs tempo track, should I need it. There are musicians that prefer a click. Others don't (me included). I can tollerate a click as a count in, but nothing else. Not even live! This may take a little bit of time, at the prep stage. But it will be a huge timesaver, further on in the production process. And propper prep is everything, isn't it? #Bring back the emotion in music.

[@DeanPachano]

Thank you again!

[@OneManAndHisSongs]

You're welcome :)

[@GregN88]

Thank you !

[@OneManAndHisSongs]

You're welcome :)

[@andorvanreeven5585]

Hi Anthony, With your video, you just solved an issue I was having for a couple of days. I was wondering, if I know the tempo of a file and I want to adjust it for a remix, how do I let Cubase know what tempo the sample file is? You showed me the Inspector window in the video, which was the answer to my question. Thanks, and keep up the good work!

[@OneManAndHisSongs]

Cool! Thanks for the feedback :)

[@Musicbyreeven]

There is one feature that I mis as I am now a Cubase user. I have no clue how to import a tempo mapping from a existing song, like is slowing down in a song to a specific tempo and rise again to the original tempo. I do alot of mastering and in the basic you don't need to use tempo mapping but a few times I got the question if I can ad a delay on a instrument while I do a stemmastering and that can be a problem if Cubase don't follow the tempo of a existing song.

[@artaudx]

thanks for the explanation - but how to i set cubase generally to musical mode to automatically fit the tempo of the sample to the tracj tua

[@OneManAndHisSongs]

The option is in the AudioWarp tab. Engage Musical Mode from in there and the sample will lock to the project tempo

[@MohammadSalah1979]

I use Linear to change the Style From 3-4 to 2-4 Very Handy

[@LucBoeren]

Hi so just curious, since u seem so knowledgeable -- was choosing Cubase Pro as ur DAW a very well thought out choice, or did u just kinda think something along the lines of "Eh i'll make the best of whatever DAW I'll get"? Because I just got Ableton Live and I'm not sure it has these features, and i kinda thought all DAWs were mostly similar... anyway yeah maybe a bit of a broad question but just curious. Thanks a lot for all ur vids

[@OneManAndHisSongs]

I've used Cubase since before it was called Cubase (yes, I'm old enough to remember Steinberg Pro 24). I've never seriously considered any other DAW because the learning curve is so steep, and this is what I've always used.

[@LukeLjJames]

Quality ;)

[@OneManAndHisSongs]

Thank you :)

[@R1PPA-C]

"this is another example of cubase being too clever for its own good"... This is a reoccurring issue with Cubase unfortunately. The convert audio to midi notes is something I tested out a while back as I was receiving some really odd results, so I dumbed down the whole process to the point of playing some very simple notes with a very simple synth, then tried to extract those audio clips back to midi notes..the results were just mind-bogglingly wrong. Also with this video as you were changing the tempo in linear mode we get to see the guitar waveform updating in real time.... So cubase is capable of this although if we change the cursor to time stretch mode and drag out an audio clip... The waveform dissapears until we lift off the mouse. This is something that boggles me to this day. Reason has had this technology for an eternity. Cubase is obviously capable but why is it only available in the bottom editor...that's no good when we're up in the track view trying to either beat match or align waveforms to other tracks. There ..rant over. ....But the midi tempo trick you used at the end is brilliant !!

[@OneManAndHisSongs]

All Cubase users need a rant from time to time!