How to set the tempo for an audio file with multiple tempos

2 ways....
1. Set measure/beats at now:
    Allows you to 'show' Sonar where the beats and measures are.  Takes time, but it works with MIDI and Audio.  

2.  Manually look at the wavform with the tempo view open and zoomed in a bit, then manually adjust the tempo to see the wavform appear to line up with the gridlines.   I have posted how to do this somewhere.  I'll have to see where.  I've also used the 'Set measure beats at now method' recently on our song "Just Hold On" (song for Joplin... links in the song area of forum(all $ goes to Joplin) I wanted to keep the conducted feeling of the piano/vocal scratch that we did. 

Both methods are time consuming both WELL worth the effort.  I use these ALL of the time to remain HUMAN and to preserve FEELING.

http://forum.cakewalk.com...2297923&high=tempo

Here's the manual way with Graphic at the end.

Thanks Blogman and rbowser.   This is EXACTLY what I was looking for.   It looks like it will take some effort to master these techniques (what doesn't) but this will help me to accomplish the task at hand.  I really appreciate your help!!!!!

R

rbowser


Here's how to do that, Roger:

--With the audio file imported, turn Snap off in the Control bar by clicking it. 

--Make sure the track starts without dead air at the start of the clip.

--Under Project, select Insert Meter/Key Change.  With the project set at the very beginning, set the appropriate time signature.

--In the Control Bar, click the arrow in the Transport Module that turns the Metronome on during playback.

--Start playback, listening to both the music and the metronome.

--You will hear when the metronome is in sync with the music.  As soon as a beat is being ticked off too early or too late, stop playback.

--Looking at a zoomed in view of the clip so you can see the transients, look and listen for where the beat actually is- the one where the metronome got out of sync.

--Right at that spot, right click in the Time Line and choose "Set Measure/Beat At Now."  A menu will pop up that displays the measure you're in and what beat you're close to. 

--Click OK - and you'll see the clip move a bit as the tempo is changed to adapt to where that beat should actually be.

--Go through the entire clip, stopping and doing the above routine whenever the metronome gets out of sync with the audio.

--You'll see in the Tempo View, that you'll end up with hundreds of tempo changes, some subtle, some not-so subtle, as you'd expect during moments with a fermata, ritards etc.

NOTE - Sometimes the menu will say you're out of range for an adjustment, and it won't allow it.  Just erase some tempo changes in that general area, using the tools in the Tempo View - and try again.  If you stay accurate with your requests for tempo changes, you'll eventually have the whole clip mapped out.

Then you'll be able to play along with the audio, relying on the metronome to be in sync with the audio as you record and/or play.

Randy B.

Randy is on it here.

This is by far the sanest method I've found.  Actually to be truly honest sticking hot pins in your eyes would figure higher on a scale of sane, but sometimes the need arises and this is the most likely way of avoiding having to wear a straight jacket.

Randy has explained it well too, and as Haydn has just stated:

A good tempo map can make a sequenced piece come to life.

Now if you'll excuse me I must get back to teaching my pet duck to curtsy.

There is another handy way to do it: Reference Manual Page 705!


"Fit Improvisation

SONAR lets you record music from a MIDI controller without requiring that you use a fixed tempo. In fact, if you record without using a metronome, you are very likely to end up with a recording that does not fit onto a fixed tempo grid.
The Process > Fit Improvisation command lets you take a recording and create a tempo map (with measure and beat boundaries) that fits what you played. Your performance is not changed in any way, even though the note start times and durations are adjusted to fit the new tempo map. This is important if you later want to use any of SONAR’s editing features that depend on a proper tempo map for best results.
To use this command, you must record a reference track containing a single clip that matches your original track or tracks but has only a single note on each beat boundary. You should make sure that the reference track has one event for every single beat, with no extra beats or missing beats. The first beat of the reference track should be at 1:01:000. You can use any editing command to adjust the reference track.
If you want, you can use other types of events as markers on the reference track, such as a sustain pedal. Remember, however, that MIDI sustain pedals generate one event when the pedal is pressed and another when it is released. So if you want to use the sustain pedal for the reference track, keep this in mind. Click down, up, down, up, for one, two, three, four.
Remember that the better the quality of your reference track, the better job the Fit Improvisation command can do. You want each of your reference track events to be as close as possible to the beat of the music. Note that some keyboards transmit aftertouch events when you record your reference track. These extra events will prevent Process > Fit Improvisation from working properly. Therefore, you should delete these events before using this command, or filter them out when recording the reference track (using Edit > Preferences > MIDI - Playback and Recording).

To fit tempos to an improvisation
1. Record the reference track.
2. Select the reference track.
3. If necessary, combine all clips in the reference track into a single clip using the Track view
Clips > Bounce to Clip(s) command.
4. Choose Process > Fit Improvisation.

SONAR adds tempo changes as necessary to fit the tempo grid to the reference track. When you’re
done, you should mute the reference track, since the reference track events are not rescaled."