M-Audio Torq 1.5 introduced Tempo Anchors, its method for reining in songs that fluctuate in tempo. Inconsistencies in tempo can occur for a number of reasons, but Tempo Anchors may come in particularly handy for live recordings, older songs that weren’t recorded to a click track or complex tracks for which the Torq software can’t precisely detect the beat.
SYNC OR SWIM
If a song’s tempo fluctuates or Torq has trouble analyzing the tempo, then it will be more difficult to sync that song to others. Also, sometimes corrupted digital audio files will be cause a song to go out of sync or glitch because Torq will skip over a small portion of the song and then keep going. In those cases, Tempo Anchors may also help. See the video to learn how to set Tempo Anchors, which are saved in a song’s TQD file that Torq creates, so you don’t have to repeat the process more than once for a song.
A couple of things to remember about tempo anchors:
• If Torq’s automatic BPM is really far off the mark, play the song and use the Tap Tempo function by clicking in the BPM display box to get the tempo close before dropping tempo anchors.
• Always set them up before your gig — not during your gig — unless you really like to live dangerously.
• You don’t have to go crazy with them. If the auto BPM detection got pretty close to the mark, in many cases tempo fluctuations are minor, and you won’t need to drop a Tempo Anchor on every several downbeats. Often, a few tempo anchors can go a long way toward straightening out your tracks.
The need for tempo anchors serves as another example of why you can’t let yourself get lazy as a digital DJ. Software tempo analysis is still far from perfect, and if you assume that the analyzed BPM on your screen is correct before testing it, you could be embarrassed during your gig. The more preparation you put in before performing — including setting Tempo Anchors, the more fun both you and your audience will have. -Markkus Rovito
Cheers markkus
I got Torq with my sound card an haven’t had a reason to install it as of yet. I will do the recoding bit for some of my favorite tracks if it works and then re edit where needed. I really appreciate the reply and i sooooo look forward to trying it.
cheers Michael
[quote comment=”22348″]
Does anyone have any answers for beatgriding a track that changes tempo in Traktor? Is this possible? This problem has really limited me when I play a gig where people want to hear rock.[/quote]
No, this isn’t still possible in Traktor, I heard is planned for the next big release and seeing that competitors already have it, I think they will implement it soon.[/quote]
Actually there is a way to do it but it’s a bit kludgy. Just set a new beatmarker after the tempo change. IF the song is the same tempo after the change (just in a new place), you are pretty much golden; at the very least you can set a loop of 8 or 16 bars and grid the loop; then you can drop in the new song at the loop. What is planned for future – not necessarily the next release – is a kind of warp function as described here in Torq. I think that will be good for songs that are recorded from vinyl with drift or with minor tempo changes, but it doesn’t necessarily help you with major tempo shifts within songs.
[quote comment=”22345″]how i hate songs that fluctuate in tempo…hate with a passion[/quote]
Now now… let’s remember that the history of music is littered with songs, artists, and entire genres that were invented long before the drum machine ever existed! The vast majority of western music fluctuates in tempo because it’s been played with live instruments for centuries… as accurate as some players are, there is always a little bit of drift. Also, tempo shifts are an important medium in music to signify emphasis and other things — I’d hate to give that up just so I can match beats easier. We all may prefer to spin one-tempo electronic beats but music is a much broader phenomenon than that.
[quote comment=””][quote comment=””][quote comment=””]So does this mean you can use it like ableton live and export tracks which will stay in time in other software? or is it limites to use in Torq?[/quote]
Hi Michael:
No, unfortunately Torq does not currently export like Ableton Live does. Torq does have a Record function for recording the master output, so you could set your Tempo Anchors and then record the output while you play the track. But if you do it that way, you may still want to edit the silence off the start and end points of the recording in an audio editor. You won’t get a nice, neat exported audio file like you would with Live, but at least you can record the tempo-corrected track if you want to.
[quote comment=””][quote comment=””]how i hate songs that fluctuate in tempo…hate with a passion[/quote]
Does anyone have any answers for beatgriding a track that changes tempo in Traktor? Is this possible? This problem has really limited me when I play a gig where people want to hear rock.[/quote]
No, this isn’t still possible in Traktor, I heard is planned for the next big release and seeing that competitors already have it, I think they will implement it soon.
[quote comment=””]how i hate songs that fluctuate in tempo…hate with a passion[/quote]
Does anyone have any answers for beatgriding a track that changes tempo in Traktor? Is this possible? This problem has really limited me when I play a gig where people want to hear rock.
how i hate songs that fluctuate in tempo…hate with a passion
So does this mean you can use it like ableton live and export tracks which will stay in time in other software? or is it limites to use in Torq?
Cheers Michael
So does this mean you can export the track as a separate file which will keep the tempo in time (as ableton live) or will it only keep tracks in time inside torq.
Thanks Michael
Thanks for this…keep these tutorials coming.
and i think its funny how alot of you are always dissing torq but like i said before it has a few things that other softwares dont have that alot of you want. i love torq and stick by it 90% the other 10% goes out to serato just because if you want to dj clubs or events with other ppl and use the same equipment you cant go serato to torq to tracktor it just doesnt work that way.
wish it did but it doesnt. the only thing torq is missing are two major things tha ability to unplug your laptop and use a different one and a way to organize, preview, and set up new tracks without needing your set up connected.
[quote comment=””][quote comment=”22324″]I have been wanting this in Traktor for a long time. BTW the video does not work.[/quote]
Correct me if I’m wrong but can’t you create new beat grids in traktor whenever a beatgrid moves out of line.
I know in the past that I’ve put down several beatgrids in a track because it had a little drift in it. Pretty much lines everything up after the beatmarker for a while again. The repeat just like above.
????[/quote]
You are kind of right ive had traktor for a while now and never really got into beat grids in depth since i usually played with vinyl on my technics but since going digital with controllers ive had to learn bit by bit that bpm analysis is not perfect but using Mixed in key analysis to compare to it and mixmeisters bpm analyzer i usually come pretty close to the real thing i think, but somtimes it taks more than one grid marker to adjust a song due to drift, i still thinkit could be better but i just have one button to set a grid marker on one of my xones and voila instant fix to drift problems about 90% of the time!!
[quote comment=”22324″]I have been wanting this in Traktor for a long time. BTW the video does not work.[/quote]
Correct me if I’m wrong but can’t you create new beat grids in traktor whenever a beatgrid moves out of line.
I know in the past that I’ve put down several beatgrids in a track because it had a little drift in it. Pretty much lines everything up after the beatmarker for a while again. The repeat just like above.
????
[quote comment=”22325″]wait now it does[/quote]
It is unclear what Traktor Pro enables. I know you can add manual beatmarkers, as described in Traktor Pro Bible tutorial number 2 – section 7 – “Tracks with a moving grid” (see http://www.traktorbible.com/en/tutorial2.aspx). This would be particularly helpful for disco or rock music, for example.
However, I have not been able to get this to work consistently.
Ean, it may be helpful to do a video tutorial on this topic.
By the way, I love the DJTechtools blog. You made me switch from Torq+XPonent to Traktor Pro+VCI-100 and loving it!
video gone now?
[quote comment=””]wait now it does[/quote]
does it? Traktor need to step up and sort this out!
[quote comment=””]I want this in Traktor too, and tempo anchors, along with the sampler, are two of the things that keep me with Torq.[/quote]Yeah I have to agree on both features. You can mimic a sampler ok in Traktor using beatmasher and slicer but a straight up sampler would be a real plus. But beatgridding in Traktor still leaves a bit to be desired, and something like this would be really helpful. How do Torq’s other features compare to Traktor?
Icould be wrong but i think the beatgrid and hot cues do the samee job as anchors and a sampler..
[quote comment=””][quote comment=””][quote post=”2619″]I have been wanting this in Traktor for a long time.[/quote]
BUMP[/quote]
I’m with ANON up there. I want this in Traktor too, and tempo anchors, along with the sampler, are two of the things that keep me with Torq.[/quote]
[quote comment=””][quote post=”2619″]I have been wanting this in Traktor for a long time.[/quote]
BUMP[/quote]
I’m with ANON up there. I want this in Traktor too, and tempo anchors, along with the sampler, are two of the things that keep me with Torq.
[quote post=”2619″]I have been wanting this in Traktor for a long time.[/quote]
BUMP
wait now it does
I have been wanting this in Traktor for a long time. BTW the video does not work.