Warping help needed...

[AlexMC]

I use Live exclusively for multi-tracking, rather than looping and mashing etc.

I'm about to embark on a project to create a note-for-note cover of Gary Moore's 'If You Be My Baby':

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnPxL8NHKxg

What I'd like to do is load up the original into track 1 in Live, and use that to help me build the song. It would be so much easier if this track could be warped so that it's broken into separate measures with the correct BPM. Could someone please provide a step-by-step guide on how to set the warp markers and other settings so that the original and my cover are in synch?

Many thanks...

[Warrior Bob]

Warping is covered pretty extensively in many tutorial videos and also in the Live manual so it seems silly to type out another full step-by-step tutorial.

Have you tried it? Do you have any specific questions?

The basic idea is "load the clip in Live, open the clip view for that clip, enable warping, then put warp markers in anytime you see that the recording isn't matching up to the bar lines." For some recordings this is as easy as "the first beat goes here, the last one goes here" and everything in between is implied by that. For some (such as live recordings with changing tempos) you have to go measure-by-measure and correct each part.

Don't forget to right-click one of the markers and say "set 1.1.1" here, so that the bar lines know where to start.

Best of luck!

[AlexMC]

Ok, I think I've sorted it... I was having difficulty lining up the FIRST warp marker as the song starts on the 4th beat, whilst I wanted it to launch from beat 1 (i.e. giving a 3 second rest before the original track plays within the arrangement). I got around it by loading the track into the arrangement view and offsetting the start to the 4th beat of measure 1. Then when I double-click and launch the track from the arrangement I can place my first warp marker on beat 1. I've then gone through the whole track and created warp markers at the start of each bar, before tweaking them here and there to pull them back in time with the metronome. I know this robs the track of subtle changes in tempo that are an integral part of its sound, but it's far more useful to me to have a reference track that I can check my own against as I build it.

This has given me a thought: can I use the warp markers I've created on the original track to apply the same tempo changes to my own track once complete? That would be an awesome function!

So, stage 1 complete. I've set up the other tracks I need (EZDrummer, bass, guitar, vocals, 3 external instrument tracks to receive audio from Reason for a horn section) and am now working on the drums.

Here's where I've hit problem 2: I'm using a Korg PadKontrol to sequence drums, but as a non-drummer my playing is a little 'uptight' and stiff. I'd like to drag some of the beats by a few milliseconds to give the track more swing, but the notes only want to snap to the grid; I can't see how to turn this off?

EDIT: I've just found the 'adaptive grid' setting which allows finer note placement as you zoom in.

[Warrior Bob]

This has given me a thought: can I use the warp markers I've created on the original track to apply the same tempo changes to my own track once complete? That would be an awesome function!

I'm not entirely sure this is what you're looking for, but look into the Extract Groove feature. I haven't played with it myself but I understand it does something like this.

Here's where I've hit problem 2: I'm using a Korg PadKontrol to sequence drums, but as a non-drummer my playing is a little 'uptight' and stiff. I'd like to drag some of the beats by a few milliseconds to give the track more swing, but the notes only want to snap to the grid; I can't see how to turn this off?

There are two ways - you can right-click and turn the grid off, or you can hold ctrl or cmd (depending on OS) while moving the note or dragging it's edges, which temporarily disables grid snap.

Of course, if you just want to add swing, it might be less of a pain to just use the groove pool with a swing groove!

[AlexMC]

This has given me a thought: can I use the warp markers I've created on the original track to apply the same tempo changes to my own track once complete? That would be an awesome function!

I'm not entirely sure this is what you're looking for, but look into the Extract Groove feature. I haven't played with it myself but I understand it does something like this.

Here's where I've hit problem 2: I'm using a Korg PadKontrol to sequence drums, but as a non-drummer my playing is a little 'uptight' and stiff. I'd like to drag some of the beats by a few milliseconds to give the track more swing, but the notes only want to snap to the grid; I can't see how to turn this off?

There are two ways - you can right-click and turn the grid off, or you can hold ctrl or cmd (depending on OS) while moving the note or dragging it's edges, which temporarily disables grid snap.

Of course, if you just want to add swing, it might be less of a pain to just use the groove pool with a swing groove!

That's another feature I'm not yet aware of! TBH I obviously haven't spent enough time with Live and the manual & lessons and I should probably check them out again.

[Warrior Bob]

Basically grooves are a tool for realtime quantizations. What's cool though is that you can quantize to something other than the straight grid - for example, a grid with all the 8ths and 16ths delayed slightly for a swing feel. The Groove Pool has a bunch of prebuilt ones, but you can also make them from other recordings' timings, or edit them yourself. I forget how exactly, but I know it's possible.

I'm always falling back to the manual and the occasional lesson (and certainly many online tutorials). No shame in that! In the end, it's all fun.