Why do the transients drift off the grid?

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josefreak
Posts: 66
Joined: Fri Jun 07, 2019 8:16 pm

Why do the transients drift off the grid?

Post by josefreak » Thu Nov 03, 2022 7:52 pm

A friend sent me some stems, and one of them is a stem from the drum machine they used to jam along with. The drum machine was set to 142 bpm. I created a Live project and set the bpm to 142. I then lined up the stem (i.e. clip) so that the first beat (kick transient) was on the grid (warp turned off). Why is it drifting off the grid over time?

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josefreak
Posts: 66
Joined: Fri Jun 07, 2019 8:16 pm

Re: Why do the transients drift off the grid?

Post by josefreak » Thu Nov 03, 2022 7:57 pm

Just for sh!ts and giggles, I tried 143 bpm, and it was in sync longer but eventually drifted. So is it possible that a digital drum machine's bpm isn't accurate?

josefreak
Posts: 66
Joined: Fri Jun 07, 2019 8:16 pm

Re: Why do the transients drift off the grid?

Post by josefreak » Thu Nov 03, 2022 8:24 pm

Well, I think the issue is based on the drum machine that my friend used. It's fairly old and I think the bpm resolution isn't as good as computers today. Seems weird, because it is a digital machine. But I added a few decimal points to the bpm and the transients stayed on the grid for a lot longer.

A youtuber helped me figure this out. He's got a great channel. You should check it out
https://www.youtube.com/c/LucasMessore

jlgrimes
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Location: Atlanta, Ga

Re: Why do the transients drift off the grid?

Post by jlgrimes » Wed Nov 09, 2022 8:16 pm

josefreak wrote:
Thu Nov 03, 2022 8:24 pm
Well, I think the issue is based on the drum machine that my friend used. It's fairly old and I think the bpm resolution isn't as good as computers today. Seems weird, because it is a digital machine. But I added a few decimal points to the bpm and the transients stayed on the grid for a lot longer.

A youtuber helped me figure this out. He's got a great channel. You should check it out
https://www.youtube.com/c/LucasMessore
Alot of midi devices have bad clocks so it is most likely clock drift.

Softsynths tend to have better timing from what I remember because they go off of an audio clock which requires tighter timing. One of the main pros thar was mentioned to using soft synths when I started using them in 2003. Doesn't really get talked about much these days.

josefreak
Posts: 66
Joined: Fri Jun 07, 2019 8:16 pm

Re: Why do the transients drift off the grid?

Post by josefreak » Fri Dec 09, 2022 1:13 am

jlgrimes wrote:
Wed Nov 09, 2022 8:16 pm
josefreak wrote:
Thu Nov 03, 2022 8:24 pm
Well, I think the issue is based on the drum machine that my friend used. It's fairly old and I think the bpm resolution isn't as good as computers today. Seems weird, because it is a digital machine. But I added a few decimal points to the bpm and the transients stayed on the grid for a lot longer.

A youtuber helped me figure this out. He's got a great channel. You should check it out
https://www.youtube.com/c/LucasMessore
Alot of midi devices have bad clocks so it is most likely clock drift.

Softsynths tend to have better timing from what I remember because they go off of an audio clock which requires tighter timing. One of the main pros thar was mentioned to using soft synths when I started using them in 2003. Doesn't really get talked about much these days.
This is definitely what was going on here. Even though the drum machine was at a set tempo, its clock drifted causing the band to drift with it. I tried lining it all up again with warp markers, but then the instruments sounded like crap, so I gave up.

Tarekith
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Re: Why do the transients drift off the grid?

Post by Tarekith » Fri Dec 09, 2022 2:53 am

Try turning off Warping for that clip, does the drifting go away?
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