Making tempo maps, what music genre doesn't need it, what genre needs it most

[skunkyfunk]

Making tempo maps is a pain in the butt.  For the benefit of our novice recording folks, making tempo maps is simply making an outline of the song based on the number of bars, taking note of the time signatures, the crucial turning points in the song, and tempo changes. 

Making tempo maps can seem simple, but it can also be a problem for a lot of drummers who rely much on feel-wise timekeeping.  It is also cumbersome for more intricate forms of music, such as progressive rock, technical death, and anything that requires polyrhythms and polymeters.

So what genres of music did you find easiest to make tempo maps for?  And otherwise, what genres gave you hell?

Mine - Prog takes at least a day to do tempo mapping.  We also have to audition it with the drummer and singer to see if we're going too fast in a section.  The accenting of the pulse also can affect the playing style.

[KitC]

So what genres of music did you find easiest to make tempo maps for?

Pop, dance, r&b, contemporary.

  And otherwise, what genres gave you hell?

Anything rubato, live performances, classical based music, old Eheads recordings (and some tuning was way off). One particular recording that I had to sequence had me doing decelerando and accelerando tempo changes every 1/16 note.

[fascinatedbymusic]

And otherwise, what genres gave you hell?

Acapella

[skunkyfunk]

Acapella

Joking aside, I know the problem of acapella and clicks bleeding through headphones.

[skunkyfunk]

Pop, dance, r&b, contemporary.

Anything rubato, live performances, classical based music, old Eheads recordings (and some tuning was way off). One particular recording that I had to sequence had me doing decelerando and accelerando tempo changes every 1/16 note.

OUCH. Sir Kit, if I may ask, why do you have to make tempo maps for those songs, that obviously were recorded live?  Did you have to encode it in some video game or something?

[samuelfianza]

Jazz Fusion. It's technical and feel-based at the same time.

[fascinatedbymusic]

Joking aside, I know the problem of acapella and clicks bleeding through headphones.

Sorry but, i mean the other way around. Extracting a tempo map (for additional midi programming) from an acapella/choral performance which has a very dynamic tempo. It's a hell for me.

[jowash]

 

Sorry but, i mean the other way around. Extracting a tempo map (for additional midi programming) from an acapella/choral performance which has a very dynamic tempo. It's a hell for me.

let the software analyze it for u BIAB 2011 and up version's will do then u can export it to ur DAW with the tempo MAP

[KitC]

OUCH. Sir Kit, if I may ask, why do you have to make tempo maps for those songs, that obviously were recorded live?  Did you have to encode it in some video game or something?

I was asked to convert it to midi for a client. Looking at the file now, I can see changes every quarter beat for almost every measure. To get an accurate rendition of the midi file, I just had to map it that way because of the rubato feel. You can practically play that particular midi file in perfect sync with the actual song.

let the software analyze it for u BIAB 2011 and up version's will do then u can export it to ur DAW with the tempo MAP

BIAB only works if it detects a good consistent beat and goes crazy when you give it something without drums or with changing time signatures. I had better luck using Cubase's time warp.

[jowash]

I was asked to convert it to midi for a client. Looking at the file now, I can see changes every quarter beat for almost every measure. To get an accurate rendition of the midi file, I just had to map it that way because of the rubato feel. You can practically play that particular midi file in perfect sync with the actual song.

BIAB only works if it detects a good consistent beat and goes crazy when you give it something without drums or with changing time signatures. I had better luck using Cubase's time warp.

u can always use the markers to set the downbeats in audio chord wizard it lay's it out for u automaticaly so you just have to slide markers for BIAB to translate to u accurately im using 2013 version

[fascinatedbymusic]

BIAB only works if it detects a good consistent beat and goes crazy when you give it something without drums or with changing time signatures. I had better luck using Cubase's time warp.

You're right Sir Kit. BTW, I'm used to using Sonar's Fit Improvisation with success. Accapellas is very tricky when there's a lot of rit./accel. everywhere in the piece.

[jowash]

audio snap in Sonar
audio wizard in BIAB
timewarp in Cubase .etc

Guess it all boils down to each one's workflow and how u use it 
one thing we all can agree software can help do it 4 u

hwag din kalimutan Google and Youtube is your friend

[KitC]

Ah yes... audiosnap. Forgot about that. I sometimes cheat by using V-vocal, but in this case, audio often gets aligned to a tempo.