Subject:rendering EXACTLY one measure

Posted by: bflat

Date:12/3/2003 11:58:13 AM

I have several bars of music (or a whole song) on one track in ACID.

I want to render exactly one bar of 4/4 to a wav, so I can Loop it later. Question: other than by ear, how can I tell what's precisely one bar?

(I can add or subtract tiny little bits on either side of the sample; it still SOUNDS like a full measure, but if it's off slightly it won't time out right when I loop it later.)

Subject:RE: rendering EXACTLY one measure

Reply by: xxFT13xx

Date:12/3/2003 12:21:52 PM

just open it up in Sound Forge and highlight what you dont want and delete it and go from there till you have your "perfect loop"

-Sin

Subject:RE: rendering EXACTLY one measure

Reply by: Iacobus

Date:12/3/2003 12:37:05 PM

Check out the Beat Ruler at the top of the timeline. It denotes measures, beats and ticks (in that order).

To make a full measure selection. Zoom in a bit until you can see from, say, "1.1" to "2.1". Click and drag on the Marker Bar (which is immediately above the Beat Ruler) from 1.1 to the absolute end of 1.4 (or the very beginning of 2.1), which is a complete measure. (To be more exact, make sure snapping is on (F8 toggles).)

Note that you can use any of the tools to achieve this technique, but you may find it easier to use the Time Selection Tool, which has options in itself that let you select an exact starting point, ending point or length. (The settings are in the lower right corner of the timeline window.)

HTH,
Iacobus
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RodelWorks - Original Music for the Unafraid
mD's ACIDplanet Page

Subject:RE: rendering EXACTLY one measure

Reply by: bflat

Date:12/3/2003 10:33:55 PM

the problem is, a full measure of recorded track never seems to be 1.1 to 2.1

it ends up being something like 1.1 to 2.3458.

Problem is: I can render 1.1 to 2.350 just as easily, since it sounds okay to my ear.

If ACID had a metronome that made a loud BIG click graphically, I could sync to that. How do you get measures to fit into 1.1 to 2.1, anyway. My recorded stuff NEVER seems to.

*sigh of frustration*

Subject:RE: rendering EXACTLY one measure

Reply by: Iacobus

Date:12/4/2003 1:19:25 PM

Mmm. Does your problem stem from the possible fact that you don't have anything to reference to when you record, like a metronome or monitoring the rest of your project while recording?

For example, when I record, I start a measure or two before I actually intend to record. I monitor the rest of my project as my cue to record. I usually record about two to four measures. (I also do multiple takes by turning Loop Playback on.)

Once I'm done recording, I select the part that I want and bounce that down (render to a new track). Because I use the rest of my project as reference, it's pretty much spot on.

You will always have extraneous data in a recording. It's basically up to you, as you've said, to be in time with the rest of your project.

Iacobus
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RodelWorks - Original Music for the Unafraid
mD's ACIDplanet Page

Subject:RE: rendering EXACTLY one measure

Reply by: bflat

Date:12/5/2003 2:46:27 AM

When I record, I use a loud click, on a separate track, so I can sync to it if I get off -time.

Problem is when friends give me samples they've made, or I can something off a CD etc. I can only "guess" using my ears what makes one perfect measure. (In some cases I can sync to a kick drum, etc.)

If I try to render a for beat measure of some samples, it might sound good going from 1.1 to 1.265, or equally good going from 1.1 to 1.203. But I want it to time out if I end up using these samples as loops and not one-shots. Laying dozens of these samples up next to each other will make slight timing issues more evident.

If I "hear" something as perfect measure, can I get ACID to loop it (squeeze it/lengthen it), without changing it's pitch or tempo?

Also, I think using the metronome feature of beatmapper could help, as the beats would end up be evenly laid out. I'm just having all kinds of problems with beatmapper.

Subject:RE: rendering EXACTLY one measure

Reply by: Iacobus

Date:12/5/2003 12:45:36 PM

ACID does not have such a feature per se; you would have to render just the part you want to a new track to get the closest to what you want to do. However, as I've noted before, you would have to make a complete, symmetrical beat selection with the Loop Region before rendering. (Like 4 beats, 8 beats, 16 beats, etc.)

If you hear something as a perfect measure but want to fit it within a certain tempo, It sounds like Sound Forge might be up your alley; it has a timestretch function that works very well when you need something like that.

Its ACID Looping Tools are very handy too, especially with material that hasn't been ACIDized yet. You can actually tell what a sample's tempo will be when a four beat selection is made.

HTH,
Iacobus
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RodelWorks - Original Music for the Unafraid
mD's ACIDplanet Page