accapellas in logic

[geeball]

what technique do our readers use to find the bpm of an accapella..i have been doing alot of remixes lately and i wanted to know if anyone has any tricks or a different work flow for finding a bpm of an accapella quicker ...this sucks if you dont have the original track with instruments in it ....hope i get some good ideas and this topic helps others out.....later

[cb50dc]

What about this: While monitoring the voices, record a new track as you tap along any drum patch with the beat for a few bars, and then use beat mapping to analyze it. (I'm at work and don't have time to go try it out, and I welcome corrections or clarification).

 

Best of luck!

 

c

[shivermetimbers]

See if this works:

 

Figure out the song length (in seconds), the time signature (4/4), and the number of measures.

 

Use this formula:

(Time Signature (numerator/denominator) x 4 x no. of Measures x 60)/ Total song length (in seconds) = Tempo

 

e.g.

a song in 4/4 time that is 2 measures long and lasts 4.8 sec =

 

(4/4 x 4 x 2 x 60)/ 4.8 = 100 bpm

[steveH]

Let Logic calculate the tempo for you.

 

In the audio window/sample editor create an edited audio region from the vocal that is exactly 1 bar in length.

 

Place that region on a track.

 

Select that region, and create a one bar cycle region (locators) in the bar ruler.

 

Go to Options/Tempo/Adjust tempo using region length and locators.

 

Like magic, Logic finds the exact tempo of that region!

[Eric Wikman]

I always ask the label thats hiring for the orig BPM & key... from the get-go.

 

If no info from them, I tap along w/ the accap on the "Beat" Widget for Dashboard to get it close, then loop out a quick kick/ hat pattern and fine tune & adjust tempo.

Be aware that many older songs recorded on/ from tape are not even tempos, due to the imperfections of the machines at the time.

[Drumhum]

just to be pedantic and to be totally unhelpful to the OP

 

It is

 

a cappella

 

Not accapella! Its two (Italian) words. It actually means in the style of church singing, which seems somewhat irrelevant to what it means now!

 

To make up for that useless piece of info, I'd suggest just counting beats over 15seconds and multiplying the result by 4 to get BPM. If its been recorded to a click track you can be very accurate this way. And its quick and easy to do too.

[Ashermusic]

Let Logic calculate the tempo for you.

 

In the audio window/sample editor create an edited audio region from the vocal that is exactly 1 bar in length.

 

Place that region on a track.

 

Select that region, and create a one bar cycle region (locators) in the bar ruler.

 

Go to Options/Tempo/Adjust tempo using region length and locators.

 

Like magic, Logic finds the exact tempo of that region!

 

What Steve suggests here is fine if they sang and played to a click and basically kept time. If they floated a lot this will only be a partial solution.

[Beer Moth]

To carry on the pedantic mode:

That is fine if it's in 4/4.

 

And the timing of old machines is less a factor than the musicality of non-rigid tempo...

8)

[bryla]

also pedantic I really don't like the term a capella when talking about vocal tracks for a remix. A capella is a technique (a style if you wish) where there is no instruments playing. I always call them vocal tracks for remix and a capella when doing a choir project og whatever

[Eric Wikman]

To carry on the pedantic mode:

That is fine if it's in 4/4.

 

And the timing of old machines is less a factor than the musicality of non-rigid tempo...

8)

 

Ok, let's se a show of hands... who has ever remixed an odd meter song?

I guess the old Blue Note catalog?

Brubeck "Take 5"

Rush...

 

About my Tape comment.. that was more for finding your orig tempos of 110.732.

Like, not quite a "perfect 110 BPM " digit.

Slow drift syndrome.

Thanks

[Beer Moth]

12/8, 3/4 6/8 are all fairly common.

Three decimal places of drift is way less than your average human.

Just because you don't deal in time signatures other than 4/4 doesn't mean no one does.

 

If Take 5 is the only one you can think of you must have lead a very sheltered life,musically.

 

Oh! And it was inr the vein of pedantism...

[Beer Moth]

[

 

What Steve suggests here is fine if they sang and played to a click and basically kept time. If they floated a lot this will only be a partial solution.

 

You can do it to beats or part thereof, and match acelerandos, rits etc quite easily,using the same basic technique.

[Drumhum]

To carry on the pedantic mode:

That is fine if it's in 4/4.

 

What difference does the time signature make?

 

If there are 96 beats counted in a minute (or 24 beats in 15 seconds) its 96BPM whether its in 4/4 or 17/8.

 

We're counting beats here - not bars etc.

[Beer Moth]

Cos he said multiply by 4...

If it's a waltz he'd be out by 33%.

There was also at least one reference to bars.

 

Oh dear.

Even with the caveat it's all gone pear shaped.

Aarrrggghhh!!!!

[Ashermusic]

[

 

What Steve suggests here is fine if they sang and played to a click and basically kept time. If they floated a lot this will only be a partial solution.

 

You can do it to beats or part thereof, and match acelerandos, rits etc quite easily,using the same basic technique.

 

Yes but man, you better have a LOT of time.

[Beer Moth]

It ain't THAT bad!

In fact I find it pretty quick...

 

Maybe I'm patient.

Who?Me?

 

[Eric Wikman]

12/8, 3/4 6/8 are all fairly common.

Three decimal places of drift is way less than your average human.

Just because you don't deal in time signatures other than 4/4 doesn't mean no one does.

 

If Take 5 is the only one you can think of you must have lead a very sheltered life,musically.

 

We seem to have a bit of misplaced music snobbery exposed here.....

You don't know me, or what I do.

 

Those time sigs are all very common, but I'm sorry... not in the world of remixing. But I'm sure you could show me a few examples.... and I'm sure you play them all in your Real Book.

 

BTW... that example tempo is "1" decimal.... with the other two needed to get your DAW to match the exact tempo of the orig recording. 001 would be 3 decimals of difference. (that would not be much at all)

And what does human drift have to do with getting your DAW tempo to match exactly what the orig recording was?

 

As for "Take 5".... I was trying to give an example of something many people could relate to. Why the comment? I got nothing to prove here.

 

Anyway, I still stand by my comment that 99% of all remixes (as we know then today) will be 4/4. This is mostly an electronica thing for todays musical marketing.

Please post some of "your" remixes of famous vocals in odd meter.

 

 

" hey.. you sure are fat!"

.. are you calling me fat!?"......

"no,... of course not..... I'm just saying".....

[Beer Moth]

Snobbery?

You don't know me, or what I do.

Why the emphasis on re-mixing?

It's not the only circumstance where you'd need to do this.

 

And what's with the Real Book comment?

 

The human drift reference was to recordings not made to a midi click or whatever.

Tempo variation is not necesarily a bad thing....

 

And I'm sorry if it came over as hostile.

That was not the intention.

The limitations of the medium.

 

Again,apologies if you were offeneded.

[Eric Wikman]

Why the emphasis on re-mixing?

.

 

The OP stated in his first line.... "i have been doing alot of remixes lately".

So I was gearing my responses toward that end.

 

and thanks for the clarification... I understand the limitation of the medium all too well. Been there myself.

Thanks again.