THE ART OF WARPING!

Share your favorite Ableton Live tips, tricks, and techniques.
tunetracker
Posts: 15
Joined: Wed Apr 13, 2005 10:12 am
Location: UK

Post by tunetracker » Wed Oct 19, 2005 2:31 pm

I've posted this on other topics but i'll post it here if it helps anyone.
This method has worked really well for me. I've put it in 10 easy steps!

1. Download this baby: http://www.mixmeister.com/download_freestuff.html
2. Drop your tracks into it and it will calculate the EXACT BPM.
3. Drop a track into an empty clip in Live.
4. Make sure you can see it's wave display at the bottom of the screen.
5. Enter the EXACT BPM (ie 126.06) as the track tempo.
6. Hit 'Warp'
7. Move the first warp marker to the first downbeat
8. Play the track with the metronome playing to check it.
9. Should be spot-on, last warp marker may need a slight tweek.
10. Hit save - track warped!

Patch
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Location: Bristol, UK

Post by Patch » Wed Oct 19, 2005 3:27 pm

Can people here distinguish between TIME-STRETCHING and WARP MARKING?!?

john gordon
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Location: Delaware

Post by john gordon » Wed Oct 19, 2005 8:17 pm

tunetracker wrote:I've posted this on other topics but i'll post it here if it helps anyone.
This method has worked really well for me. I've put it in 10 easy steps!

1. Download this baby: http://www.mixmeister.com/download_freestuff.html
2. Drop your tracks into it and it will calculate the EXACT BPM.
3. Drop a track into an empty clip in Live.
4. Make sure you can see it's wave display at the bottom of the screen.
5. Enter the EXACT BPM (ie 126.06) as the track tempo.
6. Hit 'Warp'
7. Move the first warp marker to the first downbeat
8. Play the track with the metronome playing to check it.
9. Should be spot-on, last warp marker may need a slight tweek.
10. Hit save - track warped!
nice bro.thanks

motionsiren
Posts: 19
Joined: Fri Sep 30, 2005 10:15 pm
Location: San Francisco, CA

Post by motionsiren » Fri Oct 21, 2005 9:25 pm

inis wrote:My method is very simple now with live 5. I DJ with all Mp3's so i dont mess around with recording anymore.

I bring the file into live and let it be analyzed. Every track I have used so far, live has guessed the bpm within about .05. I usually just round up or down as needed because its very doubtful that the artist released the track at 129.97 bpm. THen I usually have to drag the first marker back a tad. It is usually in the middle of the first beat, instead of the very beginning. Then I check a couple points throughtout the track. They all usually live up fine. If they dont, i usually will adjust the markers at the 8th beat mark, then halfway through the song, and then one towards the very end. Thats about it. I definetly dont spend more than 5 minutes on any song.

THis isnt just house tracks either. I dont have any problems with breaks for drum and bass. They only problem would be if the tempo drifts throughout the song. THen its tricky, and you get into a whole other world of adding warp markers, etc. I havnt found a song like this online ever, but it can definetly happen when recording vinyl. That is the only way I couever see it taking hours. And even then im not so sure.

peace
When you adjust the 8th beat marker, etc. Are you dragging it as a single click? or are you double clicking, making it an anchor point (turns yellow and manipulates the rest of the tune to the right of it).

Im a little confused transforming my turntable interface knowledge to digital form.

Thanks.

robojam
Posts: 17
Joined: Mon Oct 17, 2005 1:43 am

Post by robojam » Tue Oct 25, 2005 8:10 pm

Does anyone know how to warp a sample so that it slows down while the tempo of the song remains constant? I have a song at 75bpm that has a heartbeat in it, and I want the heartbeat to slow down in the section where the drums cut out. However, I don't want the rest of the section to slow down, just the heartbeat.

Any ideas?

Tnx

hambone1
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Location: Abu Dhabi

Post by hambone1 » Tue Oct 25, 2005 9:48 pm

Just play around with sliding the warp markers around the heartbeat section. Basically, from measure to measure the tempo will stay at 75bpm, so just put as much or as little of the heartbeat section into a measure until you get the desired result. For example, if you want the heartbeat to slow down to half speed, double the number of measure the heartbeat section is spread across, but keep the tempo at 75bpm.

Probably a crap explanation, but it does work! I use a similar technique to force songs that have the occasional 3/4 or 5/4 measure, or songs that have a hold on beat 4 of a measure, to fit into a danceable and warpable 4/4 grid.

supster
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Location: Orlando FL

Post by supster » Wed Oct 26, 2005 12:38 am

robojam wrote:Does anyone know how to warp a sample so that it slows down while the tempo of the song remains constant? I have a song at 75bpm that has a heartbeat in it, and I want the heartbeat to slow down in the section where the drums cut out. However, I don't want the rest of the section to slow down, just the heartbeat.

Any ideas?

Tnx
example:

record audio - or render a loop - of the heartbeat 4 bars long

bring the loop up in an audio track.

put warp markers at 1.1, 1.3, 2, 2.3, and 3.

now:

double click to create a warp marker at 3.3. then slide this marker a bit to the left. not too far ...

create a marker at 4. slide this to the left about the same length, maybe a bit more

again for 4.3, and again for 5 (the end of the clip)

this will slow down the clip ... changing the amount you push the markers will determine the rate of the slowdown

depending on the audio you are going to get digital stretching artifacts if you push it far enough ... but this can be very cool sounding.

its this kind of warping thats showing up more and more in a lot of tracks ... especialy minimal tech right now ..
--
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CJ Vega
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Post by CJ Vega » Wed Nov 16, 2005 1:16 am

good advise! 8)

CJ Vega


ps; any new video concerning warping in version 5?
2xPBG4 1.5Ghz / 80 / 1.5GB - Live - Reason - Arkaos - Novation X-Station - Access Virus Ti... Plus a lot of Old School Gear!

Shango
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Nov 18, 2005 11:34 pm
Location: NSW AUSTRALIA

Mixmeister joy

Post by Shango » Fri Nov 18, 2005 11:40 pm

Hi there tunetracker,

:D
Just wanted to say that I am very happy to find such a incredibly useful tool this is; and to thank you for sending the info on.
Sambo :D
Peace in the World Or the World in Pieces

CJ Vega
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Contact:

Post by CJ Vega » Sat Apr 08, 2006 1:25 am

:D any new tips?
2xPBG4 1.5Ghz / 80 / 1.5GB - Live - Reason - Arkaos - Novation X-Station - Access Virus Ti... Plus a lot of Old School Gear!

cashman
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Post by cashman » Thu Apr 13, 2006 12:16 am

Thanks for the tips peoples!
Nearly a DJ
---
Mac PB G4, 1.67Ghz, 1.5Gb/ BCR2000/ EKS XP10/ Akai EWI 4000s/ Korg EMX1/ Saffire LE/ gemini PS-626i mixer various other musical instruments

Basha_Downs
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Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2006 4:19 pm

Post by Basha_Downs » Thu Apr 13, 2006 3:06 am

supster wrote:
robojam wrote:Does anyone know how to warp a sample so that it slows down while the tempo of the song remains constant? I have a song at 75bpm that has a heartbeat in it, and I want the heartbeat to slow down in the section where the drums cut out. However, I don't want the rest of the section to slow down, just the heartbeat.

Any ideas?

Tnx
example:

record audio - or render a loop - of the heartbeat 4 bars long

bring the loop up in an audio track.

put warp markers at 1.1, 1.3, 2, 2.3, and 3.

now:

double click to create a warp marker at 3.3. then slide this marker a bit to the left. not too far ...

create a marker at 4. slide this to the left about the same length, maybe a bit more

again for 4.3, and again for 5 (the end of the clip)

this will slow down the clip ... changing the amount you push the markers will determine the rate of the slowdown

depending on the audio you are going to get digital stretching artifacts if you push it far enough ... but this can be very cool sounding.

its this kind of warping thats showing up more and more in a lot of tracks ... especialy minimal tech right now ..

good tip.
P4, mackie onyx 400f/1620, TC powercore, Cubase sx3.1.1, ableton 5.2, Battery 2.0, motu mach five, bx8a's, oxygen v.2

M. Bréqs
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Post by M. Bréqs » Sat Apr 15, 2006 9:22 pm

DJRetard wrote:If I need to warp I a whole track I do it in live 4 then import in to live 5. Isnt that strange :wink:
Yep. I warp better than Live does, that's for damn sure.

M. Bréqs
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Post by M. Bréqs » Sat Apr 15, 2006 9:24 pm

Livewire wrote:
CJ Vega wrote:How about the complex mode?
its very good. it supposedly uses more CPU but i dont feel a significant difference. if youre drastically changing the tempo of a song, use complex mode.
I've found complex still introduces artifacts if you use any of lives "swing" or "groove" setting.

infuzion
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Post by infuzion » Mon Apr 17, 2006 11:33 pm

dmc wrote:
inis wrote: I usually just round up or down as needed because its very doubtful that the artist released the track at 129.97 bpm.
also, older drum machines even drift a bit, so don't assume that you can always round them...
& many older songs (even a few still today) are produced/mastered on analoge tape, & subject to drifting & fraction beats.

I want to produce tracks at 127.5 just to mess with people... :twisted:
Say hi at my MySpace space

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