Tempo Mapping Audio (Song) File

[Strubbel]

Hi !
I have several audio backing tracks and want to construct click tracks in Ableton Live 9 Studio.
Of course the audio files don't have exact BPMs but the song tempo varies through the song. Therefore I have to change the click tempo over time (automation).
What I tried:
- import the audio file and warp it
- make the transient markers to warp markers
- switch the audio file warping to Master
- drag the warp markers to the correct beat
- re-warp-from-here any view bars to reposition the correct transients

Is this really the only and easiest way ?

I watched hours of youtube videos, scanned the Ableton manual and did a lot of google search. But obviously I'm the only one drummer who wants to produce his click tracks from (already mixed) audio files

[nathannn]

This is how it is done in live. Maybe put in a feature request to have automatic tempo mapping like Logic and Cubase.
I really hope automatic tempo mapping shows up in this version of live I think it is long over due.

[Strubbel]

Thanks for your quick response, nathannn

After some trial and error I was able to construct a quite usable click track. But it's real hard to pin the downbeats exactly. If there are many different instruments playing I can't spot the beats in the wave display.

Is there a way to slow down the playback and/or set intermediate markers with a keystroke while listening to the file ?
Or is it easier to tap the bpm every now and then and set the tempo markers in the automation track myself ?

It would be great if you could give me some hints out of experience !

[yur2die4]

The confusing part to me is that you are using Live 3. I’ve warped in 3 before but it has been ages. I’m not sure at which point Ableton has made it easier to copy warp markers between audio clips. As a brief description of an example:

I could lay out and align the audio clips above one another in Arrangement View, unwarped. Then warp the easiest clip on its own, usually a percussion one. Set that clip as the master tempo (or set Live to be the slave to that clip). Then when I turn warp on for the other clips, Live automatically adds the appropriate markers.

Things get extra tricky though dealing with less defined transients. On top of that, the way Markers worked in earlier versions of Live was kind of the opposite (though more honest) of how they work in the more recent versions of Live.

My general tip for warping full tracks that have varying tempo is to first put the appropriate markers at the start of larger phrases. If the stuff between drifts, it is fine as long as the number of Bars in the audio clip are the same as the number of bars that each Marker represents. You might go every 4 bars or every 8. Or maybe every 8 for more consistent material and 4 for the more tempo dynamic parts. Once this is done, you’ve gotten through half the battle. Btw, I usually do this with a mouse and visually, but also while listening, maybe with a beat or metronome to listen to the results with.

Now that the battle is half fought, you decide how deep you want to go for detailing out the tempo. Go back to the start. Between each of the markers you’ve already made, look for the furthest drifting part in that region and place the appropriate marker there that represents the appropriate time segment for it. You may only need to add one or two between many of the larger segments. Don’t get too wrapped up. Just get through to the end again and have it reasonably mapped out.

Finally go back to the start again and look for the extra troublesome areas and fix me up good. Congrats, your clip is warped.

[Strubbel]

OMG
Big mistype. Currently I use Live 9 and think about upgrading to 10.
Sorry for the confusion ...

@yur2die4: you mean warp-markers, right ? I‘ll try to hit cmd+I while listening to the audio to set markers every 4 or 8 bars. Maybe it works.

[McAnix]

Following this post.

[oratowsky]

hey strubbel

so what do you mean exactly by create a click track? Like you want to completely quantize a live recording so that you can play over it later ?

and ya as yur2die4 mentioned warping by hand going bar by bar is pretty much what is necessary... you double click to make a new marker.. Really helps if you listen with the metronome

[Strubbel]

What I mean is:
I have a lot of audio files (backing tracks ) I play to. I need an extra file/track with the timing information (click/Metronom) and/or parts naming.

[neo_dams]

Hi mate,

You should try this,

Create a blank audio clip.
Type the tempo in the warp section then warp it.

It’s like creating a tempo clip.

This option isn’t wrote in the manual.

[sadfay]

I'm working in Live 9 and trying to create a "medley" (ughh. I know, right?) for a friend.

He's given me 3 backing tracks and wants me to add new elements: Whatever I want really, beats, synths, samples, he just wants me to spice up these fairly "general midi" sounding backing tracks.

My issue is that the tracks have tempo changes all over the place, a few bars of one tempo, then it will slow down, a new slower section, then it speeds up slightly etc etc...

I want to map out the tempos to get an accurate metronome / click under it all, so I can then easily quantise some midi playing, or program some new grooves etc, on top of what is already there.

I don't understand how dropping in markers helps? Do I need to make the backing track the MASTER tempo controller, once I've dropped the markers in?

[sadfay]

And also... (maybe I should start a new thread for this, but....)

Is there a way to adjust the "tempo" of a midi track?
So I recorded some midi notes, then needed to change the tempo of the project to fit some points where I edited the song, now the midi track is out of time.

I know there's a way to "stretch" the notes across time, which works ok but is quite fiddly. It'd be great if the midi tracks had a tempo control like warped audio tracks

[TomTomTam]

Bumping here this old post as I'm also wondering about the exact same scenario @sadfay have described here...
Thanks in advance.