ABSTRACT
BEAT-MAPPING 4HEPRINCIPLEBEHINDBEAT MAPPINGISSIMPLE4HEIDEAISTOTAKEANAUDIOCLIP THATDOESNT CONFORMNICELY TOA CLICK TRACKANDDOONEOF TWO THINGS EITHER WARP THEACTUAL TIMINGGRIDOF THESOFTWARE TOMATCH THECLIPBYMEANSOFA SERIESOFTEMPOCHANGES ORCERTAINLYMOREUSEFULINAMAJORITYOFSITUATIONS WARP THE TIMINGOF THECLIP TOMATCHAPRECISEGRID7HILE THEYDIFFER INOUT COMESUBSTANTIALLYBOTHTECHNIQUESREQUIRETHEAUDIOTOBEANALYZEDlRSTAND MARKERSTOBEPOSITIONEDINTHElLEREPRESENTINGTHEPOINTSINTIMETHATWILLBE USEDASAREFERENCE4HEMOREOFTHESETHEREAREASSUMINGOFCOURSETHATTHEY HAVEBEENACCURATELYPOSITIONED THEBETTER THEACCURACYOF THEBEAT MAPPING ANDTHEBETTERTHElNALRESULTWILLBE
/NEOFTHEBESTKNOWNANDMOSTDEVELOPEDINTHISREGARDPIECESOFSOFTWARE FORTHISTYPEOFAPPLICATIONIS!BLETONS,IVEWHICHHASEXACTLYTHESETECHNIQUES ATITSVERYCORE!SSUCH,IVEHASFOUNDAGROWINGNUMBEROFFANSWHOPRAISE ITFOREVERYTHINGFROMBEAT MAPPINGEFFECTIVELYREQUANTIZING OLDRECORDSTHAT WERENOTRECORDEDTOACLICKTRACKTOPUTTINGTOGETHERFULL$*SETS)NFACTINITS MORE RECENT VERSIONS IT ISMATURING INTOA VERY CAPABLEPLATFORM FOR THE CRE ATIONOFMUSIC AND$* SETS AND FOR REGROOVINGOLD AUDIOlLES )T NOW COMES WITHANINCREASINGNUMBEROFhINCLUDEDvVIRTUALSYNTHSANDEFFECTSANDISALSO CAPABLEOFLOADING634AND!UDIO5NITSPLUG INSSOTHATWHENCOMBINEDWITH ITSUNIQUECOMPOSITIONALOPTIONSISMAKINGITONEOFTHEFASTERGROWINGAUDIO PRODUCTIONPLATFORMS
)WONTGOINTODETAILABOUTALLOFTHEPOSSIBILITIESOFUSING,IVESPECIlCALLYHERE BECAUSEITISAVERYDEEPANDCOMPLEXPROGRAM7HAT)WANTTOFOCUSONARETHE FEATURESTHATEXISTWHICHWEASREMIXERSCOULDlNDTHEMOSTUSEFUL
"ECAUSEBEAT MAPPINGISSUCHANIMPORTANTFEATUREIN,IVEITHAPPENSALMOST AUTOMATICALLYAT LEAST TOSOMEEXTENT THElRST TIMEYOU IMPORTANAUDIOlLE INTOTHELIBRARYWITHINTHEPROGRAM4HEANALYSISTAKESPLACEAUTOMATICALLYAND ONCEITHASCOMPLETEDYOUSEEAWAVEFORMPREVIEWMUCHLIKEYOUDOINANY $!7 ATTHEBOTTOMOFTHESCREEN)FYOUZOOMINYOUCANSEEASERIESOFVER TICAL LINES SUPERIMPOSED ONTO THE WAVEFORM PREVIEW REPRESENTING THE WARP MARKERS )MENTIONED EARLIER 4HESE ARE THEMARKERS THAT ,IVEHAS ASSIGNED TO THEAUDIODURINGITSANALYSIS9OUCANOFCOURSEREMOVETHESEORADDNEWONES IFYOUFEELTHATTHEPROGRAMHASPUTTHEMWHERETHEYWERENTNECESSARYORTHAT THERESHOULDBEMORE4HEAUTOMATICALLYCREATEDONESSERVEASAUSEFULSTARTING POINTBECAUSE THEY TAKE CAREOF THEMAJORITYOF THEMOREOBVIOUSPLACESYOU WOULDPLACETHEM)TSAGREATTIME SAVEROVERDOINGTHINGSMANUALLY
)TCANCERTAINLYTAKEALITTLEWHILETOPLACEALLOFTHENECESSARYMARKERSCORRECTLY REMEMBERING THATYOUNEED TOHAVEQUITEA FEW INPLACE TO REALLYGET THINGS ACCURATE BUTONCE THISHASBEENDONE THEMARKERSARESAVED INASECONDARY lLE THATACCOMPANIES THEORIGINALAUDIOlLES!SSUMINGYOUDONTDELETE THIS MARKER lLE IT ONLY EVER NEEDS TO BE DONE ONCE PER AUDIO lLE7HEN ALL THE MARKERSARE INPLACE ITS TIMETOSTARTMANIPULATINGTHElLE TOGET ITSOUNDING HOWYOUWANTITTO
!S)MENTIONEDTHEREARETWOTHINGSYOUCANDOWITHABEAT MAPPEDAUDIOlLE 4HElRSTISCREATINGATEMPOMAPORhGROOVEvlLETHATCANBEUSEDTOMAPOTHER THINGSTOTHEGROOVEOFTHEORIGINALlLE7HILETHISISOFSOMEGENERALUSEITIS OFLESSUSETOAREMIXERBECAUSEWEWILLMOSTLIKELYWANTTOTAKETHATORIGINAL AUDIOlLEANDMAKEITlT INTOAPRODUCTIONWERECREATINGBASEDAROUNDPRO GRAMMEDORPRESAMPLED -)$)ANDAUDIOPARTS!SSUCHITWILLBEFARMORE USEFUL IFWE CAN REQUANTIZE THIS ORIGINAL lLE TOMATCH A GROOVE THATWEHAVE CREATED4HISISDONEBYTAKINGALLOFTHEMARKERSMOSTOFTENCREATEDATTRAN SIENTPOINTSINTHEORIGINALlLE ANDMOVINGTHEMSOTHATTHEYOCCURATPOINTS
THATlTEXACTLYONOURQUANTIZATIONGRID"UTTHATISONLYHALFTHESTORY)FTHAT WASALLTHATHAPPENEDTHEREWOULDBESOMEPARTSTHATHADGAPSLEFTATTHEEND PARTSOFTHEORIGINALlLETHATWEREABOVETHEACTUALTEMPOWECHOSE ANDSOME THATOVERLAPPED THENEXTPART THEPARTS THATWEREORIGINALLYBELOW THEACTUAL TEMPO )FWEJUSTLEFTTHINGSLIKETHISTHENTHERESULTINGlLEWOULDMOSTLIKELY SOUND CHOPPY ANDUNEVEN 3O TOMAKE SURE THIS DOESNT HAPPEN EACH INDI VIDUALPART OR REGIONOR SLICE IS TIME STRETCHEDOR COMPRESSED TOMAKE SURE THATTHElNALLENGTHISEXACTLYRIGHTANDTHATITlLLSUPTHEGAPTOTHENEXTPART PERFECTLY
4HIS COULD OF COURSE BE DONEMANUALLY 4HERE IS NOTHING TO STOP US TAKING ANAUDIOlLECUTTINGITINTOSEPARATEREGIONSATTHETRANSIENTPOINTSMANUALLY MOVING EACH TOMATCH THE QUANTIZATION GRID AND THEN TIME STRETCHING EACH PARTTOMATCHTHELENGTHWEREQUIRE"UTTHISHASTWODISADVANTAGES&IRSTTHE TIMEITWOULDTAKEIS INOFCASESMUCHLONGERTHANITWOULDTAKETODO IT THE,IVEWAY!NDSECONDONCEWEHADTIME STRETCHEDALLOF THE INDIVIDUAL REGIONSTHEYWOULDBElXEDATLEASTTEMPORARILYTOTHATQUANTIZATIONGRID)F WEDECIDEWEWANTTOTRYTHATPARTWITHASLIGHTSWINGTOITITWOULDMEANWED HAVETOMANUALLYMOVEEACHREGIONANDTHENTIME STRETCHEACHREGIONAGAINTO GETTHEMTOBETHERIGHTLENGTH4HISISFARFROMCONVENIENTANDCERTAINLYNOTAS SIMPLEASCHANGINGAPARAMETERORTWOIN,IVE
)FWEAREDEALINGWITHA SHORTlLEOFNOMORE THANACOUPLEOFBARSWHICH IS FUNDAMENTALLYATTHECORRECTTEMPOBUTHASTHEWRONGGROOVE,OGICS&LEX4IME ISAVIABLEALTERNATIVEASITWORKSINLARGELYTHESAMEWAYANDWILLENABLEUSTO REQUANTIZE THINGS EASILY 7HERE ,IVE HAS A DISTINCT ADVANTAGE IS THAT IT WORKS ALMOST ASWELL ON lLES THAT HAVE QUITE NOTICEABLE TEMPO CHANGES IN THEM )F FOR EXAMPLE WE HAD AN EXTENDED SECTION OF AUDIO THAT STARTED OFF AT BPM ANDSLOWLYRAMPEDUPTOBPMOVER THECOURSEOFBARS&LEX4IMEWOULD CERTAINLYPLACE THEMARKERS IN THERIGHTPLACE )TWOULD THENGIVEUSAUDIO THAT WOULD TRACK AN INCREASEORDECREASE IN THEPROJECT TEMPOBUTWEWOULDNTBE ABLE TO REQUANTIZE IT VERY WELL BECAUSE OVER THE LENGTH OF THE AUDIO lLE THE MARKERSWOULDSLIPFROMBEINGPRETTYMUCHINTHERIGHTPLACETOBEINGTOTALLYIN THEWRONGPLACE7HEREASIN,IVETHOSEMARKERSWOULDBERECOGNIZEDASBEING ONEVERYTHNOTEANDTHE FACT THAT THE TEMPOWASCHANGINGWOULDBE TAKEN INTOACCOUNTANDACONSISTENTTEMPOCOULDTHENBEAPPLIED
/FCOURSETHISWOULDMEANTHATTHEAMOUNTOFTIME STRETCHINGOFEACHREGION ORSLICEWOULDVARYFROMTHEBEGINNINGTOTHEENDOFTHElLEWITHSLICESATONE ENDORTHEOTHERBEINGTIME STRETCHEDNOTICEABLYMOREFOREVERYTHINGTOlTTO ACONSISTENTTEMPO4HISCOULDPOTENTIALLYRESULTINAGREATERAMOUNTOFARTI FACTSINTRODUCEDTOTHEAUDIOATONEENDOFTHElLETHANATTHEOTHER9OUHAVE TO REMEMBER THATWE ARE DEALINGWITH AN EXTREME EXAMPLE ANDONE THATWE WOULDNTOFTENCOMEINTOCONTACTWITHANDASSUCHITWOULDMOSTPROBABLYBE ANACCEPTABLECOMPROMISE
0OSSIBLYTHEMAINUSEFORAFACILITYLIKETHISATLEASTTOAREMIXERISTHEABILITYTO TAKEEITHERAWHOLETRACKORPERHAPSACOLLECTIONOFSTEMSFROMATRACKTHATWAS
NOTRECORDEDTOACLICKTRACKANDTHENMAKEALLOFTHOSESTEMSSOUNDLIKETHEY wereACTUALLYRECORDEDTOACLICKTRACK.OTHINGISPERFECTOFCOURSEANDWITHOUT AGREATDEALOFTIMEBEINGSPENTONGETTINGTHEWARPMARKERSINexactlyTHERIGHT PLACE IN ,IVE THEREWOULDBEMINOR TIMING ERRORS 4HE RESULTING hWARPEDvlLE WOULDPROBABLYBEMORETHANSUITABLEANDANYFURTHERTIMINGERRORSWOULDBE QUITEEASILYCORRECTABLEUSINGMORECONVENTIONALMEANSINSIDEYOUR$!7
