Using Adjust Beats

Shooshie · Post by **Shooshie** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 5:53 am

I've been trying to explain my method for using Adjust Beats for a long time, but I don't think it gets across in print very well. So, I made a video and posted it in the Tips Sheet Thread.

What is my method? Well... let me just say this: if you don't spend some time getting your MIDI track and Conductor tracks lined up before adjusting the beats, then you probably need to watch this video. You can also do it in the Sequence Editor, but again, you've got to use the Conductor Track and the MIDI tracks together. Take a look at the video to see why.

I apologize for its size. I'll shrink the next one down more. I had already adjusted my window to take up only half of my monitor, and then I recorded it at only 75% of that, but it's still too big for my old Powerbook G4. You can download it for smaller machines on slower connections.

Shooshie

rcannonp · Post by **rcannonp** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 6:25 am

Thanks. I'm sure that will come in handy when I get to where I can actually play something on the piano.

What did you use to make the video? I was thinking of getting some screencasting software for making Photoshop tutorial videos and such.

Do you ever do any voice over work. If not, you should put together a reel. I think you'd be really good at it.

monkey man · Post by **monkey man** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 6:34 am

This wunderkind would be good at anything he put his mind to.

Thank you for this new-fangled movie, Shoosh!
I've always believed that the manual makes some of these relatively simple things sound awfully complicated, and that video is the answer.
You da man!

PS: Whoa... 1 day and 2 hours at 0.7k.

Downloading... LOL! (I just gots ta have this one!)

Shooshie · Post by **Shooshie** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 6:50 am

rcannonp wrote:Thanks. I'm sure that will come in handy when I get to where I can actually play something on the piano.

What did you use to make the video? I was thinking of getting some screencasting software for making Photoshop tutorial videos and such.

Do you ever do any voice over work. If not, you should put together a reel. I think you'd be really good at it.

I used Snapz Pro. I set up DP to output through the Mac's built-in audio, then put my headphones through the built-in output. I used my MOTU 896 for the microphone, and then had all the outputs in DP set for Built-In Audio. With that setup, I was able to run Snapz Pro and capture the video and audio.

As for the demo itself, it was completely unrehearsed and just ad-libbed. A little scripting might have shaved about 8 minutes off of it.

Shooshie

rcannonp · Post by **rcannonp** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 6:57 am

Would the same concepts apply to using audio files? I've been playing around with creating a setup to record my guitar to my Microtrack. I could then import the audio from there to DP to build songs.

Shooshie · Post by **Shooshie** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 7:08 am

rcannonp wrote:Would the same concepts apply to using audio files? I've playing around with creating a setup to record my guitar to my Microtrack. I could then import the audio from there to DP to build songs.

Yes, you can set it to snap to transients.

Shooshie

Shooshie · Post by **Shooshie** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 4:25 pm

By the way, if James is reading this, I used the Unicornation logo at the end of this video. I figured that the video might get linked on other sites, being a subject that a lot of people do not understand very well, and if so, it would be nice to bring those people here. It's very easy to cut it out, if you don't want it there. Would you let me know if you'd rather that logo not appear on the video? PM me if you'd like for me to cut it off.

Shooshie

Tonio · Post by **Tonio** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 7:53 pm

Shooshie,
I just downloaded it and got a error !!
picture 1.png not found,
then error -128?

Funny thing is it played fine the first time for about a few minutes, the next time it just wouldn't open??

T

FMiguelez · Post by **FMiguelez** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 8:23 pm

.

Hey, Shooshie, you're one of the kindest fellows I know. Thanks for doing this, man!!
It's always great to see how other users use the same tools, each with his own personal techniques and touches.

Just so you know, I opened your link, but all I get is a gorgeous picture of a DP page teasing me, since it's just a picture that doesn't move... Like the QT isn't kicking in.

I'll give it a try later again.

FMiguelez · Post by **FMiguelez** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 8:24 pm

.

Never mind. I'm downloading the linked file right now.

Ok. After the file was downloaded the computer tries to look for a .png file that it cannot find, and if you click on cancel it gives you an error, but the movie DOES play fine anyway.

Doing Adjust Beats on a piece like this is a LOT of work, but totally worth it in the end.
For simpler pieces, with a more steady tempo, sometimes I like recording beats first as accurately as I can, and then polishing them with the Adjust Beats.

Shooshie · Post by **Shooshie** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 10:04 pm

Thanks for the heads-up on the problem. I'll see what I can do about it.

Shooshie

Shooshie · Post by **Shooshie** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 10:56 pm

Tonio wrote:Shooshie,
I just downloaded it and got a error !!
picture 1.png not found,
then error -128?

Funny thing is it played fine the first time for about a few minutes, the next time it just wouldn't open??

T

Did you try to open it on a PC? It's compressed with H.24, which I think is a Mac-only codec.

jarok · Post by **jarok** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 11:42 pm

Shooshie wrote:
Tonio wrote:Shooshie,
I just downloaded it and got a error !!
picture 1.png not found,
then error -128?

Funny thing is it played fine the first time for about a few minutes, the next time it just wouldn't open??

T
Did you try to open it on a PC? It's compressed with H.24, which I think is a Mac-only codec.

Hi

Unfortunately I also get the "picture 1.png not found" message with the 1.5GHz PowerBook.

jarok

thereaktor · Post by **thereaktor** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 2:24 am

Just take a snashot from your desktop "shift + cmd 3" that will save a picture 1.png file. Now when quiktime ask you for the file, search for the just made file and you should be find.

cheers

jarok · Post by **jarok** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 5:59 am

thereaktor wrote:Just take a snashot from your desktop "shift + cmd 3" that will save a picture 1.png file. Now when quiktime ask you for the file, search for the just made file and you should be find.

cheers

Thank you. That fixed it.

jarok