# Tap tempo in real time in Cubase?



## BenjaminParis (Feb 7, 2020)

Hi everyone,

Would someone know if there is a way of making a tempo track by tapping the tempo during the playing of midi tracks? I mean: writing your song on a more or less fixed tempo, then act like a conductor to make the tempo changes in real time, not by drawing it little by little? I think I remember there was something like that on other DAW or notation editor, I'm afraid it doesn't exist in Cubase, I just wanted to check with you.

Thanks for your answers,

Benjamin


----------



## BenjaminParis (Feb 11, 2020)

Anyone?


----------



## BenjaminParis (Feb 11, 2020)

Thanks a lot, I'll try it that way!


----------



## Jaap (Feb 11, 2020)

You can set up an instrument track, select for example a ticking sound or something alike, play through the whole piece in quarter notes on a single note and then when you are done, select the midi you just recorded, go to Midi - Functions - Merge tempo from tapping and select 1/4 and you will have a custom tempo map.


----------



## BenjaminParis (Feb 11, 2020)

Thank you Jaap, I have seen this function, but what I do not get is: how do you play quarter notes during a playback which already has a tempo-since you're playing it? You mean you have to build your tempo track before you've ever done any midi instruments? That would be quite difficult... I'm sure it's not that, but then: how can you play quarter notes when the track is already playing at a certain tempo? Sorry for my confusion.


----------



## Jaap (Feb 11, 2020)

Good point Benjamin, what I mostly do is mute everything, focus on the piece in my head in the tempo that I want to play and record that and then do the merge thing I described above, but as far as I know it's not really possible to "conduct" a score (which would be awesome), but maybe I missed out on something and someone smarter then me pops in with a great solution


----------



## mgnoatto (Feb 11, 2020)

Jaap said:


> You can set up an instrument track, select for example a ticking sound or something alike, play through the whole piece in quarter notes on a single note and then when you are done, select the midi you just recorded, go to Midi - Functions - Merge tempo from tapping and select 1/4 and you will have a custom tempo map.


Wow That's super handy! Thanks very much!


----------



## JamieLang (Feb 12, 2020)

Performer used to do that...and I wondered "what would the scenario be where anyone would want to do that?" But, I get it--you want to basically create quantized MIDI sequences and then "conduct" them while hearing them play....

As to building the map before you do MIDI instruments...you mean instruments you want to FOLLOW the tempo map? Then--yes. But, you can always do a "human time" MIDI track and set it to linear time--which will allow you to create a tempo map for IT...without altering IT...that then other tracks CAN be set to follow. You can even technically switch it to musical time AFTER you create the tempo map and IT will follow changes from then on.

Cubase's warp tool and tempo map with the linear/musical toggles at the track level is one of the features I miss regularly in other DAWs. But, IME--the feature you're asking for is exclusive to MOTU.


----------



## Paul Cardon (Feb 12, 2020)

Not quite what you're looking for, but this might give you another option. If you already have an off-grid performance and want to conform the tempo to that, here's what you can do instead (skip to 6:50 to see it with MIDI):


----------



## JamieLang (Feb 12, 2020)

My guess is that he has an "on grid" MIDI performance that he wants to "conduct" in real time.


----------



## Paul Cardon (Feb 12, 2020)

JamieLang said:


> My guess is that he has an "on grid" MIDI performance that he wants to "conduct" in real time.


Yup yup, edited my post to make it more clear it's a supplemental technique that might help in the future. I use Time and Grid Warp whenever I want to achieve a similar result but in a reversed order.


----------



## BenjaminParis (Feb 13, 2020)

Paul Cardon said:


> Yup yup, edited my post to make it more clear it's a supplemental technique that might help in the future. I use Time and Grid Warp whenever I want to achieve a similar result but in a reversed order.


Thanks a lot Paul Cardon. Actually it is sort of the contrary of what I was looking for! but I didn't know this feature and it is simply great-since the tempo detection I have tried to use in the past has always given very bad results to me. Thanks for the tip, then, I might use it a lot in future!


----------



## BenjaminParis (Feb 13, 2020)

JamieLang said:


> As to building the map before you do MIDI instruments...you mean instruments you want to FOLLOW the tempo map? Then--yes. But, you can always do a "human time" MIDI track and set it to linear time--which will allow you to create a tempo map for IT...without altering IT...that then other tracks CAN be set to follow. You can even technically switch it to musical time AFTER you create the tempo map and IT will follow changes from then on.


Thank you Jamie Lang. But could you explain a bit more about this? What do you mean by "doing a human time Midi track", and what so you mean by "setting it to linear time"? Sorry, I'm easily lost with this kind of things.


----------



## stixman (Feb 13, 2020)

I use a midi track I then play/record along using quarter notes then I use this get a tempo track!


----------



## Vincent Martin (Feb 13, 2020)

Salut Benjamin,

Notion provides the user with the possibility to overdub the tempo in real time, by typing a custom rythmic pattern first, along with the notated music, and then, interpreting it. At first, this could look like a gizmo for "beginners" but actually, I found it very convenient and I miss it in other softwares.

I recently tried an experiment with the LeapMotion controller+GECO to intuitively and naturally conduct the tempo(instead of tapping which may make things less natural) but the results are not good yet (the tempo I measure is far from being regular when I try it to be. I've to check to what extent this comes from me !)

Also, a theoretical pitfall is that the audio feedback would need to know a bit in advance when the conductor is going to make the beat down or it would be too late. In a human context, visual cues, music memory, musical context, etc definitively help.
This is a kind of tempo measurement latency which by the way is a bit annoying with Notion tempo overdubbing.


----------



## Sapphire (Feb 13, 2020)

It's easily possible in FL, just in case someone else uses it and has the same idea.
Simple click record and choose to record automation. Left click on the tempo, click "tap" (or open it with hotkeys) and enable "sync" (not necessary, just play around and see what works best for you). Now start the track and just tap to it - you can use any midi key as well. The tempo will change in real time (you hear the track in your tapped real time tempo during your recording) and when you're done the tempo will be automated and can be adjusted if needed.


----------



## BenjaminParis (Feb 14, 2020)

Sapphire said:


> It's easily possible in FL, just in case someone else uses it and has the same idea.
> Simple click record and choose to record automation. Left click on the tempo, click "tap" (or open it with hotkeys) and enable "sync" (not necessary, just play around and see what works best for you). Now start the track and just tap to it - you can use any midi key as well. The tempo will change in real time (you hear the track in your tapped real time tempo during your recording) and when you're done the tempo will be automated and can be adjusted if needed.


Thanks Sapphire, I knew one DAW at least could do it, so that's FL... Would love Cubase to integrate this feature... Do you know from which version of FL this is possible? I see different budget versions...


----------



## Sapphire (Feb 14, 2020)

BenjaminParis said:


> Thanks Sapphire, I knew one DAW at least could do it, so that's FL... Would love Cubase to integrate this feature... Do you know from which version of FL this is possible? I see different budget versions...



Judging by the comparison page, it should potentially work in either Version, but I'm not entirely sure.

You can first download the Demo (Demo is always Signature if I'm not mistaken, so the question about the different versions won't be answered that way) and use it without restrictions to see if everything works as you want it to. Only thing you can't do with the Trial Version is to reopen projects you save. As long as you don't close it, you get the fully-featured DAW.


----------



## BenjaminParis (Feb 14, 2020)

Sapphire said:


> Judging by the comparison page, it should potentially work in either Version, but I'm not entirely sure.
> 
> You can first download the Demo (Demo is always Signature if I'm not mistaken, so the question about the different versions won't be answered that way) and use it without restrictions to see if everything works as you want it to. Only thing you can't do with the Trial Version is to reopen projects you save. As long as you don't close it, you get the fully-featured DAW.


Thanks for the info!


----------



## JamieLang (Feb 17, 2020)

BenjaminParis said:


> Thank you Jamie Lang. But could you explain a bit more about this? What do you mean by "doing a human time Midi track", and what so you mean by "setting it to linear time"? Sorry, I'm easily lost with this kind of things.



Cubase's timebase setting on EACH track...Musical time=follows MIDI tempo changes as they're made...Linear Time=allows the midi to change AROUND them, while they retain their absolute position on timeline. 

And you can toggle this on and off as needed for a track. So :human time midi"--is recording in free time (as far as the sequencer is concerned--play the piano for a whole tune solo with that track set to linear time, you can use the Warp tool to map IT'S tempo...THEN, you can switch it to musical timebase, and any FIRTURE changes it will change the original part played.


----------



## Paul Cardon (Feb 17, 2020)

BenjaminParis said:


> Thank you Jamie Lang. But could you explain a bit more about this? What do you mean by "doing a human time Midi track", and what so you mean by "setting it to linear time"? Sorry, I'm easily lost with this kind of things.


Musical timebase = locked to measure grid/tempo
Linear timebase = locked to time/minutes:seconds

Linear is great when you want a track that ignores any changes to tempo or the measure grid. Especially great for marker tracks that are supposed to be synced to a video. Don't want those sliding around when you change the tempo.

If you want quick access, its track control is hidden by default on certain track types but you can add it and configure its placement like this:


----------



## JamieLang (Feb 18, 2020)

You shouldn't have to add it to the track controls unless you don't keep the inspector open. It's in the inspector. Little button with a note(for musical mode) or clock (linear time).


----------



## JRBrecords (May 2, 2021)

BenjaminParis said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> Would someone know if there is a way of making a tempo track by tapping the tempo during the playing of midi tracks? I mean: writing your song on a more or less fixed tempo, then act like a conductor to make the tempo changes in real time, not by drawing it little by little? I think I remember there was something like that on other DAW or notation editor, I'm afraid it doesn't exist in Cubase, I just wanted to check with you.
> 
> ...




MOTU's Digital Performer
- Jeff


----------



## Freds (Feb 2, 2022)

i was just looking for this feature and found this thread on Google. Too bad it's not on Cubase. I miss it from my DP days. Weird that hasn't been implemented yet for film scoring, t's super useful. Maybe a wish list for next ver?


----------



## ChrisHarrison (Feb 3, 2022)

Ableton live is the most tap tempo friendly thing I’ve seen. 

For Cubase, I developed a method where I use a button to tap in markers to the picture I’m watching, creating a bunch of spaced markers. I then delete some that I don’t need to smooth out the space, choosing a starting one and a closing one for a phrase, then I use the warp mode and drag the measures where I want them using snap to events. It works very well and I’m totally happy with it. 


As far as taking a track and just straight up conducting its playback live, I’m pretty sure only ableton has this feature on the level you want. I would put the music in ableton, and then it has a follow ext tempo feature. It’s designed to follow a live drummer. It would make sense you could conduct the tracks. No idea how it works with time signature changes and drastic tempo changes. 

Im moving house those weekend, but I will experiment with it and let you know, as I’m curious myself. It would be an interesting way for me to practice conducting an orchestra outside of rehearsal depending on how accurate it really is with live input.


----------

