Why always 120 BPM?

Discuss music production with Ableton Live.
GrooveNinja
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Re: Why always 120 BPM?

Post by GrooveNinja » Thu Jan 21, 2010 8:16 pm

Here is a simple method to see the problem:

Start Live
Set tempo to 108 BPM (or whatever else besides 120)
Create a new MIDI clip - see that the Orig. BPM of the clip is 108
Close the Live set, saving it in the process
Open the Live set - see that the Orig. BPM of the clip is now 120

Dexes
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Re: Why always 120 BPM?

Post by Dexes » Thu Jan 21, 2010 9:12 pm

The tempo of the midi clip shouldn't make any difference to how the clip plays. The 1st beat will allways be on the 1st beat of live's global time, the second allways on the second, and the 335th bar will be the 335th bar.

I really doubt that's what's causing the problem with the virus, as any clock signal will be generated by live's global time (and as mentioned any notes played will be in line with that global time)

ark: are you sure? because I've only ever noticed that happen with audio clips.
With midi clips, they display the tempo set in live when they were created (or dragged into the set), but if you load a saved set all midi clips display 120 as their tempo.

Berrnard
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Re: Why always 120 BPM?

Post by Berrnard » Thu Oct 27, 2011 1:43 pm

GrooveNinja wrote:Whenever I save a Live set and restore it, the tempo of all of the MIDI clips gets reset to 120 BPM. Is this supposed to happen?
I have the exact same problem, and it's driving me crazy. Does anyone have an idea, please?

javierf55
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Re: Why always 120 BPM?

Post by javierf55 » Thu Oct 27, 2011 3:17 pm

It's quite easy to solve.

Start Live, set it to 100

Go to "Preferences...",

Then go to File Folder and click on "Save Current Set as Default"

Done.

Rave
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Re: Why always 120 BPM?

Post by Rave » Thu Oct 27, 2011 4:49 pm

javierf55 wrote:It's quite easy to solve.

Start Live, set it to 100

Go to "Preferences...",

Then go to File Folder and click on "Save Current Set as Default"

Done.
Exactly. :mrgreen:

ollyb303
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Re: Why always 120 BPM?

Post by ollyb303 » Thu Oct 27, 2011 5:17 pm

I'm all about 147 at the moment!
.:O:B:1:.
ob1techno.com

hacktheplanet
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Re: Why always 120 BPM?

Post by hacktheplanet » Thu Oct 27, 2011 6:45 pm

I've been reeeeally digging the 100-115 range lately. For serious.
I recently dug up a lot of old house tracks from the late 90s and was surprised at how goddamn fast they were. 135-140? Man.
Image

Berrnard
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Re: Why always 120 BPM?

Post by Berrnard » Fri Oct 28, 2011 7:17 pm

javierf55 wrote:It's quite easy to solve.

Start Live, set it to 100

Go to "Preferences...",

Then go to File Folder and click on "Save Current Set as Default"

Done.
That doesnt change anything. The problem remains the same. If I close my project and re-open it, all my Midi clips go back to 120BPM. I don't get it, how could they miss that...

Semuta
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Re: Why always 120 BPM?

Post by Semuta » Fri Oct 28, 2011 7:31 pm

I think that the number in that box is not relevant to the project. There has to be a number in the box, (any number really, who can say why they chose 120...) The reason for the box is this:

If you record some midi into a clip without a click, you can then use your mouse and this number box to adjust the grid underneath your recorded notes. It's not the same as warping midi, but it's as close as I've found...

S
http://www.semuta.com
Ableton Suite 9 : Push : Maschine : Komplete 8 Ultimate : Sugar Bundle : Diva

Berrnard
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Re: Why always 120 BPM?

Post by Berrnard » Fri Oct 28, 2011 7:59 pm

The thing is, I want to have those boxes played at the same tempo as the "global" tempo to have the MIDI synched to the reste of the audio tracks. If, for exemple, my MIDI clip stays at 120BPM and my global tempo is 135, the MIDI note editor (the black rectangles, you know what I'm talking about) won't be in rhythm with the rest.
Here is what I'm talking about:
http://imageshack.us/g/528/fig1j.jpg/

for f sake, help me fixing that!

Fizmarble
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Re: Why always 120 BPM?

Post by Fizmarble » Fri Oct 28, 2011 8:27 pm

I tried to emulate what your problem is, and I think the only solution is to drag the midi tempo up or down until the notes in the midi clip match the timing you want them to be. Get them close, and then quantize it. I am pretty sure the midi clip tempo should not be used for anything other than doubling/halfing. Otherwise, chaos reigns.

Semuta
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Re: Why always 120 BPM?

Post by Semuta » Fri Oct 28, 2011 9:00 pm

Ack. Midi clips have no fixed sample rate for the events to relate to in terms of bpm. What matters is how the notes relate to the lines in the clip editor. If you get your midi clip all fixed up, and everything's working, and then save the project, then reopen, and look at the clip (and play it back), are your events still lined up with the markers in the clip (nevermind what the bpm value says) and do they sound right?

If yes, then the number in the bpm box doesn't matter. It's just there as a starting point for editing the clip. The clip will playback at the project tempo regardless of what number is in the bpm box. If the answer is no, then Ableton isn't saving the edits to your midi clip and there must be some sort of problem.

The number in the bpm box is only important when messing with the clip internally such as "warping the grid" or double/halving.

The bpm value in an audio clip does not change to match the global bpm, If you record a clip at 100 bpm, and then speed the project up to 120, the clip bpm will still read 100. Ableton stretches the audio to deal with this. Apparently, the Abes decided that all midi clips have the native value of "120" in order to provide a basis for edits to the grid. It's internal to the clip and doesn't alter how ableton deals with relating to the bar/beat markers in the clip.

FWIW, I reproduced the phenomena. I set a global tempo of 87. I record a midi clip. It says bpm=87. I save the project and reopen. The clip now reports being 120 bpm. The global tempo is still at 87. The clip still plays back correctly.

I think you're getting mixed up about the function of that value. It doesn't have anything to do with the tempo the clip plays at, that's governed by the global tempo.

S
http://www.semuta.com
Ableton Suite 9 : Push : Maschine : Komplete 8 Ultimate : Sugar Bundle : Diva

Berrnard
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Re: Why always 120 BPM?

Post by Berrnard » Sat Oct 29, 2011 6:00 pm

Semuta wrote:Ack. Midi clips have no fixed sample rate for the events to relate to in terms of bpm. What matters is how the notes relate to the lines in the clip editor. If you get your midi clip all fixed up, and everything's working, and then save the project, then reopen, and look at the clip (and play it back), are your events still lined up with the markers in the clip (nevermind what the bpm value says) and do they sound right?

If yes, then the number in the bpm box doesn't matter. It's just there as a starting point for editing the clip. The clip will playback at the project tempo regardless of what number is in the bpm box. If the answer is no, then Ableton isn't saving the edits to your midi clip and there must be some sort of problem.

The number in the bpm box is only important when messing with the clip internally such as "warping the grid" or double/halving.

The bpm value in an audio clip does not change to match the global bpm, If you record a clip at 100 bpm, and then speed the project up to 120, the clip bpm will still read 100. Ableton stretches the audio to deal with this. Apparently, the Abes decided that all midi clips have the native value of "120" in order to provide a basis for edits to the grid. It's internal to the clip and doesn't alter how ableton deals with relating to the bar/beat markers in the clip.

FWIW, I reproduced the phenomena. I set a global tempo of 87. I record a midi clip. It says bpm=87. I save the project and reopen. The clip now reports being 120 bpm. The global tempo is still at 87. The clip still plays back correctly.

I think you're getting mixed up about the function of that value. It doesn't have anything to do with the tempo the clip plays at, that's governed by the global tempo.

S
I hear yeah, but the probleme remains the same, the midi clip time editor isn't in phase with the global tempo, which makes the beatmeaking on my midi clip absolutely impossible: Selecting the 15th measure on the midi clip sequencer doesn't mean at all being on the 15th measures of the global project. There's a gap betwenn the two time-lines that makes beat working impossible.

Semuta
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Re: Why always 120 BPM?

Post by Semuta » Sat Oct 29, 2011 6:52 pm

OK, what's your global quantization set to? What's the clip launch setting? Also, is the clip quantization set to global?

Ableton does what you describe on my computer, but I never have problems with clips playing in sync..

S
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Ableton Suite 9 : Push : Maschine : Komplete 8 Ultimate : Sugar Bundle : Diva

Berrnard
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Re: Why always 120 BPM?

Post by Berrnard » Sun Oct 30, 2011 1:14 am

Semuta wrote:OK, what's your global quantization set to? What's the clip launch setting? Also, is the clip quantization set to global
You may think I'm a little mentally challenged, but I didn't get any of your questions... :( What's Global Quantization? What's "clip launch setting"? How can I set it to "global"??

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