# Logic Pro x tempo curve workflow



## erikradbo (Mar 6, 2018)

I really find working with the tempo curve in Logic very counter-intuitive (to the point where I hate it). I wish it worked the same way as automation curves, I always loose my flow trying to make some good tempo rides. It doesn't create curves automatically, and it's so easy to just deselect everything once you try to make the curves.

Does anyone has any good workflow tips here? Or do you use some other tool to create your tempo tracks?


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## Saxer (Mar 6, 2018)

I never found computer generated tempo curves feeling natural. I do it mostly the old school way by inserting tempo changes manually into the tempo list. Half bars or sometimes quarter notes are the smallest grid I ever need for tempo changes. (Exception is adjusting movie cuts to a downbeat by tempo change.)

In tracks with a fluent tempo I tap the beat with a HiHat sound on the keyboard and let logic figure out the tempo.


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## Ashermusic (Mar 6, 2018)

If you go into the Tempo List > Tempo Operations > you have a lot of control. I prefer doing it to the Tempo Global Track


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## Jeremy Spencer (Mar 6, 2018)

I wish I could draw tempo curves in Logic, like in Cubase. Perhaps it's possible, but I couldn't find any documentation.


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## WindcryMusic (Mar 6, 2018)

Saxer said:


> I never found computer generated tempo curves feeling natural. I do it mostly the old school way by inserting tempo changes manually into the tempo list. Half bars or sometimes quarter notes are the smallest grid I ever need for tempo changes. (Exception is adjusting movie cuts to a downbeat by tempo change.)



I agree about software-generated tempo curves feeling unnatural. I believe it to be because that's not the way that real players do it ... that adjusting speed incrementally on each quarter note (as an example) is a closer analogue to how a live performer actually changes tempo.


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## Ashermusic (Mar 7, 2018)

Wolfie2112 said:


> I wish I could draw tempo curves in Logic, like in Cubase. Perhaps it's possible, but I couldn't find any documentation.



I have no idea about how you do it in Cubase but does it, but drawing a tempo curve in Logic's Tempo global track is easy.



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## erikradbo (Mar 7, 2018)

Ashermusic said:


> I have no idea about how you do it in Cubase but does it, but drawing a tempo curve in Logic's Tempo global track is easy.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



This is actually what I also find a bit tedious, by default the change is square, and you have to create the curve, which for some reason more often than not is really hard. Right now when I'm trying it's working fine, but often it's hard not to say impossible to "grab" the handle that creates the curve. Maybe I'm just imagining this but so many time I've ended up just deselecting the whole thing/making a marquee window instead of creating a curve. Can't say whats different, but I'm sure it's not behaving the same way all the time...


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## Ashermusic (Mar 7, 2018)

erikradbo said:


> This is actually what I also find a bit tedious, by default the change is square, and you have to create the curve, which for some reason more often than not is really hard. Right now when I'm trying it's working fine, but often it's hard not to say impossible to "grab" the handle that creates the curve. Maybe I'm just imagining this but so many time I've ended up just deselecting the whole thing/making a marquee window instead of creating a curve. Can't say whats different, but I'm sure it's not behaving the same way all the time...



Must be a mouse technique issue Seriously I did that in about 3 seconds, but as I say, I much prefer the Tempo Operations window personally.


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## erikradbo (Mar 7, 2018)

Ashermusic said:


> Must be a mouse technique issue Seriously I did that in about 3 seconds, but as I say, I much prefer the Tempo Operations window personally.



Yea, it's so simple when it works...I know I sound like a madman but I SWEAR it's different from time to time


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## Jeremy Spencer (Mar 7, 2018)

Ashermusic said:


> I have no idea about how you do it in Cubase but does it, but drawing a tempo curve in Logic's Tempo global track is easy.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Jay, thanks for that tip. Can it be drawn "freehand"?


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## gsilbers (Mar 7, 2018)

maybe this will help?


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## Leon Portelance (Mar 8, 2018)

How do you control the curve of the tempo change? I have no problem creating the curve, but would like to have more control over shaping it.


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## Ashermusic (Mar 8, 2018)

Leon Portelance said:


> How do you control the curve of the tempo change? I have no problem creating the curve, but would like to have more control over shaping it.




Again, the Tempo Operations window is your friend


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## Jeremy Spencer (Mar 8, 2018)

Leon Portelance said:


> How do you control the curve of the tempo change? I have no problem creating the curve, but would like to have more control over shaping it.



Exactly, that's why it would be nice to draw it in freehand...like in Cubase.


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## Ashermusic (Mar 8, 2018)

Wolfie2112 said:


> Exactly, that's why it would be nice to draw it in freehand...like in Cubase.



And you can with the pencil too in the Tempo Global track and then edit it if you screw up. But Tempo Operations gives you total control. I don't trust my hands to do anything other than piano playing because my brain works better


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## JJP (Mar 8, 2018)

I think some of us are used to the tempo operations window because we started using it before the tempo track existed. It's much more precise than drawing and has some quite powerful tools.


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## Matt Riley (Mar 8, 2018)

Yeah I almost always use Tempo Operations for this. It was a very different workflow from what I was used to in Ableton Live but I quickly got used it and found it very powerful. Use key commands makes it even faster.


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## erikradbo (Mar 8, 2018)

Wolfie2112 said:


> Exactly, that's why it would be nice to draw it in freehand...like in Cubase.



This.


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## Jeremy Spencer (Mar 8, 2018)

Ashermusic said:


> And you can with the pencil too in the Tempo Global track and then edit it if you screw up. But Tempo Operations gives you total control. I don't trust my hands to do anything other than piano playing because my brain works better



Jeez, I'll have to spend some time with this. Sounds like I'm underestimating the power of this feature.


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## TGV (Mar 9, 2018)

Leon Portelance said:


> I have no problem creating the curve, but would like to have more control over shaping it.


Once you have created it, you can only move the start/end points and the form of the curve. The handle to change the curve is a bit hard to get. When one tempo point is close to another one, I usually end up grabbing one of those points. To get the curve handle, I need to move them further apart (e.g. by lowering or raising one of the two by quite a few pixels), change the curve, and then move the changed tempo back.


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## Ashermusic (Mar 9, 2018)

TGV said:


> Once you have created it, you can only move the start/end points and the form of the curve. The handle to change the curve is a bit hard to get. When one tempo point is close to another one, I usually end up grabbing one of those points. To get the curve handle, I need to move them further apart (e.g. by lowering or raising one of the two by quite a few pixels), change the curve, and then move the changed tempo back.




Not true, if you use the Marquee tool to select control points.


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## TGV (Mar 10, 2018)

Ashermusic said:


> Not true, if you use the Marquee tool to select control points.


Really? You learn something every day. And then you forget something else, but well.

Thanks, Jay.


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## erikradbo (Mar 26, 2019)

So I ran into this issue again, getting high blood pressure when trying to smoothly change temp in Logic. I wish it worked as the automation curve, automatically creating a slope between two points. Now, every third time or so it's such a hassle to make the slope graphically, both to catch the handle and to make the slope even.


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## Heinigoldstein (Mar 26, 2019)

I build a transform set and a switch so I can use the pitch wheel to control the tempo. 0 is the original tempo of the project, + is faster, - is slower. You can also control the amount of change, so it's pretty handy to do slide changes across the whole piece or heavy ritardani or accerandi as well. No more steril theoretic curves, you hit record and move the pitch wheel. And if you need to edit these changes, you can still use Jays method.


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## klavaus (Mar 27, 2019)

Heinigoldstein said:


> I build a transform set and a switch so I can use the pitch wheel to control the tempo. 0 is the original tempo of the project, + is faster, - is slower.



Please, tell me how you do it. Thank you in advance.


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## Heinigoldstein (Mar 27, 2019)

klavaus said:


> Please, tell me how you do it. Thank you in advance.


Sure, but it's a little tricky and I'm on holiday and wont be in front of my DAW for probably another week, so you need to be a little patient.


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## Kent (Mar 27, 2019)

Heinigoldstein said:


> I build a transform set and a switch so I can use the pitch wheel to control the tempo. 0 is the original tempo of the project, + is faster, - is slower. You can also control the amount of change, so it's pretty handy to do slide changes across the whole piece or heavy ritardani or accerandi as well. No more steril theoretic curves, you hit record and move the pitch wheel. And if you need to edit these changes, you can still use Jays method.


Brilliant. I love using MIDI intelligently like this. And why not??


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## Virtuoso (Mar 28, 2019)

Is there another way of getting scene markers to sync up with bars without using the Tempo Operations constant tempo method, so the changes are seamless and less obvious? Ideally something like Beat Mapping, where you can just drag the scene marker to the appropriate bar and it creates a bezier tempo curve? Would be a huge time saver!


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## Heinigoldstein (Mar 28, 2019)

klavaus said:


> Please, tell me how you do it. Thank you in advance.



I just had access to a computer, so here we go:

"gfg" is the switch which bypasses or selects the function. Don´t forget the direct kabel to the sequencer input.
"Pitchwheel to Tempo" switches "gfg". (You could also assign this to a controller)
"Modifier-Middle......" is the transform set shown to left. 0=BPM 114. For other tempi you have to de-or increase the value (1=1BPM)
"Tempo" is a special tempo slider you can select from the 1st pop up menu under slider/special (not quite sure about the correct name, because I have a German version here) 

So now, when "Pitchwheel to Tempo" shows "On" and you move the PW, you see the tempo(Slider) changing. Press record, record your changes and after you´ve stoped, you´ll see the tempo changes in the tempo lane and the editors.

Hope that helps. 

Maybe there are easier ways to do it, so if anybody knows, please let me know.


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## clisma (Mar 28, 2019)

This looks very close to the above:

https://theproaudiofiles.com/tempo-changes-on-the-fly-in-logic-pro/

Scroll to the bottom for the relevant bit. Haven’t tried it myself yet.


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## givemenoughrope (Mar 28, 2019)

Unless it’s a library track that requires a bpm and that perfect click tempo sometimes I will just either play something on piano or tap a hi hat and then map to that. Parts floating around an imperfect click can feel way better sometimes. I got a mockup from a well-known film composer to flesh out and he had done the same thing.


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## Heinigoldstein (Mar 28, 2019)

clisma said:


> This looks very close to the above:
> 
> https://theproaudiofiles.com/tempo-changes-on-the-fly-in-logic-pro/
> 
> Scroll to the bottom for the relevant bit. Haven’t tried it myself yet.


Looks simular indeed, but the advantage of using the pitch wheel for it is, that you always get back to the original tempo automaticly if you need to. 

But using tap and mapping to it makes a lot of sense too.


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