Exporting a DP tempo map for use in another DAW

[Killahurts]

I'm working an album project with some other guys remotely, via the web. I use DP on a Mac, but they all use Studio One on Windows. We don't usually have any problems working between the two, but for one song we need to vary the tempo several times during the song. It would be easy enough to note the measures where the changes are, and just put them in by hand on the other DAW.. except they are mostly not hard tempo changes, i.e. they ramp up or down to the faster or slower tempo over some length of time, let's say a measure. I'll be creating this in the conductor track, of course, and I want the click track we all follow to move up or down with those changes.

I would think that since the conductor track just contains MIDI events, I could somehow export them as a standard MIDI file, but if so, how do I get Studio One to recognize the tempo map and play it correctly? I don't think it has the equivalent of a conductor track.

I've often wondered how this was done, but never actually had the need until now..

[bayswater]

Don't know about Studio One, but I move tempo maps from DP to Logic.

First, make sure there is a tempo event at the start of the sequence, at 1/1/0. Select All, and use Save As... Don't use Export -- don't know why, but that doesn't work. Save the sequence as a Format 0 MIDI file. There is an option to only save the Tempo Map, but I haven't tried it.

In Logic, it is necessary to start a new project and use it to open the MIDI file save by DP. The tempo track in Logic mirrors what you had in DP. Once you get a project started, you can't import this MIDI file and get it to create a MIDI map in Logic. Of course Studio One might be different at the read end.

[cleamon]

Don't know about Studio One, but I move tempo maps from DP to Logic.

First, make sure there is a tempo event at the start of the sequence, at 1/1/0. Select All, and use Save As... Don't use Export -- don't know why, but that doesn't work. Save the sequence as a Format 0 MIDI file. There is an option to only save the Tempo Map, but I haven't tried it.

In Logic, it is necessary to start a new project and use it to open the MIDI file save by DP. The tempo track in Logic mirrors what you had in DP. Once you get a project started, you can't import this MIDI file and get it to create a MIDI map in Logic. Of course Studio One might be different at the read end.

Like bayswater says, DON'T USE EXPORT. I've recently submitted a techlink to motu and they confirmed an issue with tempo events in (some) exported MIDI files. What was happening to me was the first tempo event was exported as a ridiculously slow tempo (technically the slowest tempo that can be represented in a standard MIDI file -- 16th note = 20 bpm).
I know this doesn't help with your problem in Studio One, but good advice anyway.

[williemyers]

Don't know about Studio One, but I move tempo maps from DP to Logic.

First, make sure there is a tempo event at the start of the sequence, at 1/1/0. Select All, and use Save As... Don't use Export -- don't know why, but that doesn't work. Save the sequence as a Format 0 MIDI file. There is an option to only save the Tempo Map, but I haven't tried it.

In Logic, it is necessary to start a new project and use it to open the MIDI file save by DP. The tempo track in Logic mirrors what you had in DP. Once you get a project started, you can't import this MIDI file and get it to create a MIDI map in Logic. Of course Studio One might be different at the read end.

I do it all the time the way that Bayswater has layed out, with the exception that I do make it a Format 0 MIDI file and I'm going from DP to ProTools. When I import it into PTools, PTools will ask me exactly where I want it to begin and whether or not I want it to "control" the PTools session. Hopefully (for you) Studio One will allow similar option?

[Dwetmaster]

Also, make sure you have at least one MIDI track WITH MIDI notes in it. Some software don't open MIDI files with no MIDI event in it. I like to create a dummy MIDI note at the end of my MIDI file and it usually works. When you save as, make sure all the right options are checked for your tempo map and markers to be exported.

Should be a walk in the park.

[Killahurts]

Thanks so much for the replies everyone, great information! One of my other members is learning what to do in Studio One to read the file I would give him.. apparently, there is a "tempo track" in Studio One, somewhat similar to the Conductor track in DP..

The great thing is, we're not so pressed for time that we can't experiment until we get it to work. Thanks for the advice about "save as" rather than export, I would not have thought of that!

I'll let you guys know how it turns out!

[vladat]

Thank you for the tip about not using Export, guys.

So far my workaround for DP exporting with an initial tempo of q=3 has been to open the MIDI file in Sibelius, delete the tempo marking, and copy whatever the next one is (the real one).
This will help me not mess around with it.

[Shooshie]

I was going to say, and Killahurts confirmed, that there probably IS a tempo track in Studio One that will handle DP's tempo markings. The trouble with working cross-platform is that you never know how much the other guy knows about his platform. When he says "that won't work over here," you really have to dig into their manual and find out for yourself.

Consider the average newcomer to this forum. They've been using long enough to get into some deeper elements of DP, but most of it remains an intimidating mystery, which is why they are reaching out to others to demystify it. It's the same everywhere, and one can only hope that others have their forums like this one, too. (They all have forums; not necessarily like this one)

So, for future reference, what's the bottom line? How DO you best get tempo markings from DP to S1?

Shooshie

[Rusty Shackleford]

Do exported tempo maps from DP to PT (for instance) contain meter change information, as well?

[bayswater]

Do exported tempo maps from DP to PT (for instance) contain meter change information, as well?

I've done this from DP to Logic. But it was a complete MIDI file that contained the tempo info, not specifically an exported tempo map (can you even do that?). Don't know about PT as the receiving DAW. .

[apanacci]

I sent a SMF to PT from DP9. The DP file had a4/4 time sig at the top of the sequence, and when I opened it in PT the klik was weird. Careful of that.