Subject:How to correctly beatmap tracks? (expert question)

Posted by: Steve06

Date:12/2/2004 8:15:31 PM

Hi,
I understand basic beatmapping Acid Pro 5 and have done it several times. I wonder where should you set the first downbeat exactly: At the highest peak of a drum? Or at the beginning? Or when the wave form is still flat (i.e. before the drum creates any sound)?

And I think you have to stay consistent with your kind of beatmapping for all songs inside one mix or they will play out of sync. Because if for one song the downbeat is set at a drum's highest peak, and for another song the downbeat is set before the drum, inside the sequencer view they will aligned with the downbeat position as measure and you will end up with out of sync playings.

How do experts handle that? Where do you set your downbeats? Are there some tutorials on the net about beatmapping and syncing with Acid (Pro 5)?

And what if after a beatless part (a bridge for example) in a song, the beats start again but, not on the grid of the previous beats? Can I set another first downbeat or how do you handle that?

Thanks for any helpful replies.

Subject:RE: How to correctly beatmap tracks? (expert question)

Reply by: JohnnyRoy

Date:12/2/2004 9:34:10 PM

All of this is covered in depth in the new Instant ACID book (a whole chapter on Beatmapping) but, unfortunately, its not available yet. :(

If a song starts on a downbeat (i.e., it doesn’t have an intro that is slower or non-tempo) You should set the downbeat to the beginning of the start of the first wave (right on the last sample of silence) and not the peak. Otherwise the beginning of the sound will be cut off. For songs that change beat or drift, just add the same file to another track and set the downbeat to where the song temp changes or drifts. It’s important that you NOT save the beatmap with the file. (otherwise this will alter the original beatmap) Just save the beatmap with the project so that you can add multiple copies of the same file and beatmap it at different points.

~jr

Subject:RE: How to correctly beatmap tracks? (expert question)

Reply by: Steve06

Date:12/3/2004 4:48:20 AM

Ok,
sounds good so far.

Another question:
Should I, in optimum, if all tracks are perfectly beatmapped, be able to to rely on the snapping of the beat ruler grid to sync songs, or is it common to sync them manually with the SHIFT key, which allows to override snapping and put them EXACTLY where you want?
I ask because I don't really get how sync is meant to be made so far. I was able to sync songs only by grid snapping (eventually while zooming in), so far, but then again, sometimes, when I go further into the project, there are examples where it can't be done by simple snapping and I need to use the SHIFT-Key.
How is sync intended to be achieved by ACID? Always snapping or shift-key?
Is it true, that if the songs are perfectly beatmapped and I have multiple beatmaps for any complex song, like you suggested, relying on snapping should always work ?

Thanks for your input.

Subject:RE: How to correctly beatmap tracks? (expert question)

Reply by: JohnnyRoy

Date:12/3/2004 6:07:48 AM

> Is it true, that if the songs are perfectly beatmapped and I have multiple beatmaps for any complex song, like you suggested, relying on snapping should always work ?

Yes. I always leave snapping on. If snapping is not working “later in the project” then the beatmapped track is drifting off tempo. You should find a place were it starts to drift, add the same file to a new track and start beatmapping again at that point. Beatmapping only works perfectly if the song is in perfect tempo. This is only true if the song was recorded to a click track of constant tempo. Live recordings will be a nightmare to beatmap but it is possible using Sound Forge.

Just to recap: you should not need to disable snapping to get loops in sync with the beatmap. Fix the beatmapped track instead. (its much less work in the long run)

~jr