Remix Kit Stems will not Sync to DP tempo grid

[chrisnumber2]

Hello all, Im new to this board as well as Performer in general. I apologize if this was discussed at length elsewhere on the board. I couldn't find anything specifically related to what im trying to do, and I assume this is because it's such a newbie problem.

Ive recently gotten back into the world of production and remixing, and am using DP8 for the first time. Im able to use my virtual instruments to create original content where everything syncs up with the tempo Ive set in the conductor track just fine, and I can record audio tracks or use loops or what not and everything matches up. My issues begin when i try to take someone else's content and import it into performer to sync with my instruments. Even if the content was recorded at the same BPM Im setting in the Conductor track, it will not sync to the grid in performer. I can get it to match initially, but it will always drift in one direction or another. This is making it impossible to program any original content in conjunction with the content Im being sourced, because at some point in the track it will inevitably move out of time. All of the audio content im being sourced was created electronically through a different source then performer (logic, pro tools, etc), but was definitely made using a static BPM.

For example:
Ive been asked to work on a remix for a friend. He's sent me all of his tracks exported at full song length from pro tools. I can import these files as soundbites into performer, and they will all play in sync with each other. however, these files will not sync ultimately with any of my electronic instruments - there are very subtle differences in timing that always sound sloppy, and eventually drift completely out of time with the imported audio files, even tho the bpm ive set in performer is the same as the BPM the original sound files were created at. and these were all electronically created (drum machines, synth loops etc), so they should maintain a constant tempo.

Im sure theres a defacto method for setting up a remix in performer where you import your content and force it to sync to the daw's grid like ive done in the past with pro tools or logic, but for the life of me i can't seem to get it to work. ive tried everything as simple as analyzing the soundbites tempo and beat information, and trying to use that to coerce performer to sync with it, but nothing has worked.

a little help please if you dont mind? this is really frustrating and preventing me from getting anything accomplished.

heres a little info on what im using although im not sure it'll make a difference:
DP v8.0
Macbook 2.4ghz Intel Core Duo 2GB ram
Native Instruments Battery 4
Presonus Audiobox USB 2x2

plz help!

[HCMarkus]

I've never had this problem unless the tracks I was sent weren't cut to a solid BPM. What happens when you send your friend a track recorded on DP? Does his DAW line up with your tracks at your tempo?

I'd suggest starting imported tracks' Beat 1 tight on 1 at Bar 0 in DP, setting DP tempo to what the reported tempo, then running out far enough into the song that you can see if the relative tempo is faster or slower and adjusting DP's tempo in very small increments until you have a lock all the way to the end of the tune. As long as the track tempo is unvarying, you can get a lock very quickly, even if the reported tempo is incorrect.

Oh yes… just noticed you are on DP6. Probably the version that gave more people trouble than any other. DP8 is very solid and a recommended upgrade.

[Michael Canavan]

Another possibility is a slight amount of added blank space at the beginning of your audio tracks. I had this problem with Logic and Live where Logic seemed to add about an eighth of a second to the beginning of the track when bounced. Live would be off by that amount until I manually moved them all over etc.

[chrisnumber2]

Thank you for your reply. Not on DP6, on DP8.

Ive tried the method youve described and it just doesn't work. these files are most definitely recorded on a set bpm, and im having this same problem with several projects ive been asked to work on. this is definitely a user end issue, im sure DP is capable of doing what im trying to get it to do, theres just something wrong with the way im going about it.

I create a new project, create audio tracks, drag audio files into "soundbites" set to the left sidebar, they all import and play. i go to conductor > set tempo and manually set a tempo from 1-1-0 to 700-1-0 (something long enough to def cover the amount of time i expect this song to be). ill drag a soundbite created at the same bpm as my project into a audio track, line it up visually on DPs grid, and enable a click. i can get it to click for maybe a measure or two but it always drifts. and ill adjust the bpm a few clicks here or a few clicks there as you suggested to try and nudge it around but nope, still drifts. and it makes no sense to me, cause these are hard line bpm programmed 4/4 electronic drums, there should be no variable in their timing, no need to analyze the beats in the files, analyze the tempo, any of that stuff. and ive tried importing the soundbites, dragging them into my project, opening them in waveform editor, analyzing the tempo, adjusting the beat sliders - still drifts and will not sync over more then a few measures.

is it possible that DP is analyzing beat information on my soundbites automatically and shifting them during playback because of perceived differences that it doesn't understand are intentional? am i doing something wrong with the way im setting the tempo, or the parameters of the grid? im aware DPs timing is incredibly finite and specific, which is great - but is proving to be a huge challenge for me based on how i work creatively. other DAWs i used in the past would allow me to straight up import audio files, drag them into a project, and adjust the bpm however i wanted while keeping everything in sync with any other instruments running slave to my DAWs clock. but every time i import audio that is most definitely produced with a strict bpm from a different source and try to do that it just doesn't time anything together.

all of the tutorials ive watched and intro to DP videos and what not cover almost nothing pertaining to electronically created music imported as audio file - syncing it and manipulating its tempo and cutting it into loops, stretching it, splicing it - all of these techniques that are so insanely common amongst users of software like this. i know theres something really stupid im missing here, and i can't find a resource to educate me on it!

[claude]

Hi Chris,

sorry if you already tried this, i'm in a hurry and haven't read through your post.

From what i glanced in your second post, you import the audio and then you change the BPM of your Conductor track.

2 ways to correct your problem maybe.

1- Set your desired tempo in the conductor track before importing the audio. Because DP defaults to 120 for new projects. So if you import a 108 BPM track and your preferences are set to auto convert it will convert the import automatically to 120BPM. Then even if you change DP's tempo after the import, your imported audio will have been converted to 120 in this example...

2. Go to preferences/Editing/Automatic conversions/Convert to sequence tempo and choose never.

That's the way i work.

HTH

Claude