Ableton Forum

Ok say I play out some broken chords. For example Cmaj7, Fmaj7, Em7, and back to Cmaj7, and I've got a steady groove going I like. Assuming I play these without a metronome. How do I set the bpm according to the rhythm/pace of the chords, so the metronome matches up?

Also quick tip for any other beginners reading: You can sequence the chords to taste, and then edit the BPM until your natural count matches up with the click. You can also get the exact length of your clip. If you highlight all your notes or midi data, and look down at the bottom of ableton in the orange note selection box. (Just discovered all this myself experimenting a bit before I posted. God I love ableton! Good if you want to make sure your covering a whole bar, 16th, 8th, etc....a bit of theory I guess, but I'm slowly fitting more pieces of this puzzle together. Excited!


^^ This method aside any other suggestions? Also is there a program I can download that's built specifically for Identifying bpm's? Logic counter seemed more accurate in this regard. As in Ableton when you "warp". Ableton takes its best estimated guess.

use the 'tap tempo' button next to the bpm indicator to physically tap out your desired bpm

check the help file for more details

you could always use Looper in the "Set tempo and start song" mode.

If you want to keep the original timin variations, you can warp the audio and use that as the to drive the master tempo. Arrangement view only. Set clip to master.

But with choppy chords where down beats may not be obvious, the warring side could be tricky.

1) play along with a metronome; or
2) play, bob your head to what you're playing, and use tap tempo according to your head bobs