Ableton Forum

Hi!
I am trying to find a way I can use either Tap Tempo or Tempo Follower with a footswitch to set and automate tempo in real time using my foot while recording a track with my cello or a midi keyboard.
I've exhausted my online researches trying to solve this so here I am.

I've looked at midi foot switches and I've looked at audio foot switches, such as this
https://reverb.com/ca/item/21024751-ped ... -tap-tempo

Would this not work with Tempo Follower if I select the footswitch as the determining audio input? It's not exactly a drum set but presumably it sends a signal.

A midi footswitch on the other hand, could (I think) be mapped to Tap Tempo, but I can't figure out which midi footswitch would be suitable as they are more complicated and more expensive.

Hoping a kind soul can help me figure this out before buying a bunch of different pedals and footswitches, some of which are rather expensive, to test in possible futility.

Sincerely
O

If you have an old QWERTY keyboard laying around, you can try testing things out with one of those (probably ideally non-bluetooth).

The reason I suggest this is, I imagine that the Tap Tempo probably works best with either key (asdf) mapping or note (ADdDEb) mapping, as those have an ‘immediate’ sort of trigger type attack.

Foot pedals can be assigned to midi notes, and in this department I am sure there are plenty of good pedal boards (which can then offer you tap tempo plus a few extra to map Fx and other functions to). But the first thought that came to mind for pedals to me was the Sustain type pedal for most music keyboards, and I would not imagine those are ideal because of the ON and then OFF type pattern that midi Control Change uses and the ‘action’ that most of them have.

If you can find a place that sells pedals, you can at least demo the type of action of the various types of pedals, this is important for the sensitivity of the tempo tapping.

Sorry to ramble all these thoughts.. but I do have one last thought. In addition to Tempo setting, and Tap Tempo, another device that can set the tempo at least initially is Looper. But if you need to change tempo midway though, it’s not ideal. Looper wouldn’t be so much of a ‘tap tempo’ situation as a ‘phrase length’. You tap it once at the start of a phrase, and tap it again as you hit the downbeat of the next phrase, it calculates the bpm.

So if I am understanding you correctly there is no way to vary the tempo in real time recording within a song using a foot controller?

I could have sworn people have done this.

Well, I was referring to using tap tempo to change tempo via foot controller.

I guess you could also change the tempo using an Expression Pedal with a range assigned to it.

Are you looking to change tempo by tapping it in, or are you looking to have the tempo already existing, and gradually increasing and reducing the speed like a car, finding the tempo by ear?

I need to do it by just tapping it in to the rhythm of my playing. This is the only way I can make sure my live recording, which will contain much tempo
variation, is input along with an automated master tempo which fits perfectly.

This way any tracks I add afterwards will conform to the tempo (via automation) of my imperfect and highly variable initial recording.

Both should work.
Tap Tempo can start the transport (optionnaly) while Tempo Follower can't.
Tap Tempo grabs any tempo after 4 taps so you can create drastic tempi changes, while Tempo Follower is more about fluctuating around a pre-defined tempo.

Do some tests with a simple mic as a Tempo Follower source; and with a simple sustain pedal mapped to the Tap Tempo button.
You might even want to use both technics, actually.

[jur] wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 30, 2021 6:25 pm

Both should work.
Tap Tempo can start the transport (optionnaly) while Tempo Follower can't.
Tap Tempo grabs any tempo after 4 taps so you can create drastic tempi changes, while Tempo Follower is more about fluctuating around a pre-defined tempo.

Do some tests with a simple mic as a Tempo Follower source; and with a simple sustain pedal mapped to the Tap Tempo button.
You might even want to use both technics, actually.

Thanks. What do you envision when you say I could use both techniques? And sustain pedals are all 1/4 jacks aren't they? I can't seem to find one that is midi.

Is it the case that a 1/4" jack can somehow be mapped to midi?

obyvatel wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 31, 2021 6:47 pm

Is it the case that a 1/4" jack can somehow be mapped to midi?

Yeah, but you'll need to plug it in e.g midi keyboard that has a sustain pedal input to convert the signal to midi.

[jur] wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 31, 2021 10:51 pm

obyvatel wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 31, 2021 6:47 pm

Is it the case that a 1/4" jack can somehow be mapped to midi?

Yeah, but you'll need to plug it in e.g midi keyboard that has a sustain pedal input to convert the signal to midi.

At last I see! Thankyou. I will try this.

[jur] wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 31, 2021 10:51 pm

obyvatel wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 31, 2021 6:47 pm

Is it the case that a 1/4" jack can somehow be mapped to midi?

Yeah, but you'll need to plug it in e.g midi keyboard that has a sustain pedal input to convert the signal to midi.

Ok this is great. Midi is mapped to my Boss Sustain pedal, which now controls the tap tempo function. It's not the best pedal for this
as it is not silent, so not quite usable in the sound booth.

What remains unclear is how I can take foot control of the follow function. Best I can do with midi mapping is turn follow on and off, which is not what is needed here.
Foot control of the Follow Tempo to me is the holy grail since it allows for more precise control of tempo automation within a song (moreso than tap).

If anyone as a solution for this you will be a Legend of this forum.

Tap your foot on a mic which would be your Tempo Follower's source