Making Tempo Maps

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bayswater
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Joined: Fri Feb 16, 2007 9:06 pm
Primary DAW OS: MacOS
Location: Vancouver

Making Tempo Maps

Post by bayswater »

To make a Tempo Map, I usually record a MIDI cowbell at each downbeat of an audio recording, and then align the beats in the Soundbite with the MIDI notes. (Labman recently posted some success with just using the MIDI to calculate a tempo track, so that may save some time, but still needs the MIDI track.)

The issue: I can tell when the MIDI cowbell hit is right on the audio downbeat. I can hear a timing difference, and whether the MIDI I've recorded is early or late down to about 10 ticks at a tempo of 120 in 4/4. But down around 5 ticks, I can tell there's a timing error, but not whether the MIDI is early or late. I've panned the two sounds left and right -- that helps a bit but doesn't solve the problem.

To deal with it, I can experiment by nudging the MIDI note back and forth until it sounds right, but this is time consuming.

How can I train my ear to hear the timing errors better? (In "Beware of Mr Baker" he says "time, you got it or you don't". Maybe I don't got it.)
2018 Mini i7 32G 10.14.6, DP 11.3, Mixbus 9, Logic 10.5, Scarlett 18i8
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