Sync issue - audio & Midi lined up, but bars are wrong

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realex
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2014/09/24 12:30:25 (permalink)

Sync issue - audio & Midi lined up, but bars are wrong

Hi,
 
I've been working on this for days, and keep going back to the drawing board!  I have a finished album cut that I'm now trying to put horn parts to.  I want to take the original MIDI piano part, edit it, and use it as a base for the horns.  The MIDI and audio file lines up, but the bars and measures are wrong.
 
So, I used "Fit To Time" by laying down a reference MIDI track.  Result?  The bars look right as far as the audio goes, but now the MIDI track is WAAAYYYY too slow.  Brought it back up to the original speed, now the MIDI track is racing.  Brought it back down, too slow.  The end result was so botched that I started over again - twice.
 
So, I'm going to start editing the piano MIDI track again, but before I do, I'd like everything to line up.  This way I can give the guys charts that will, to a degree at least, make some kind of sense.
 
How do I do this?
 
Thanks!
 
- Russ
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    dcumpian
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    Re: Sync issue - audio & Midi lined up, but bars are wrong 2014/09/25 08:16:31 (permalink)
    If your finished track has any active plugins, all bets are off for getting new Midi data to line up properly. Sonar's delay compensation works pretty well until you start adding too many variables. Disable any plugins before you try this and it should help.
     
    Regards,
    Dan

    Mixing is all about control.
     
    My music:
    http://dancumpian.bandcamp.com/ or https://soundcloud.com/dcumpian Studiocat Advanced Studio DAW (Intel i5 3550 @ 3.7GHz, Z77 motherboard, 16GB Ram, lots of HDDs), Sonar Plat, Mackie 1604, PreSonus Audiobox 44VSL, ESI 4x4 Midi Interface, Ibanez Bass, Custom Fender Mexi-Strat, NI S88, Roland JV-2080 & MDB-1, Komplete, Omnisphere, Lots o' plugins.    
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    realex
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    Re: Sync issue - audio & Midi lined up, but bars are wrong 2014/09/25 09:31:47 (permalink)
    Thanks for the reply, Dan.
     
    There aren't any plug-ins, though.  In fact, I ended  up taking the mastered track to use as reference, then lining up the MIDI track to it, at a default of 120 (which is what the original recording was done at, much to my despair.)  The actual tempo is about 66.
     
    So, here's the question (I think) - is there a way to get the bars to line up with a reference track WITHOUT having the MIDI part change - so it will stay exactly as it is in terms of timing?  Or do I need to come up with some complex mathematical formula and use the "Length" command, then spend hours tweaking it to individual bars?
     
    Maybe I should consider having the horns switch to kazoos for this number...
     
    - Russ
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    sock monkey
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    Re: Sync issue - audio & Midi lined up, but bars are wrong 2014/09/25 12:17:52 (permalink)
    http://forum.cakewalk.com/Changing-tempo-in-midi-tracks-without-affecting-it-m3094358.aspx
     
    I think we are talking the same problem here. 
    Scott has chimed in with a solution worth a try. 
     

    Cakelab - Sonar X3e Studio   
    Singer Songwriter, Solo Performer, Acoustic Duo and semi pro Sound Monkey.   
      
    #4
    realex
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    Re: Sync issue - audio & Midi lined up, but bars are wrong 2014/09/25 14:00:40 (permalink)
    Yes, I had tried that but it made everything go wacky as the midi track was now too slow.  So, here's what I did (finishing up now):
     
    Put in a MIDI reference track, one beat per quarter note.
    Fit to Improvisation, which messed up the MIDI timing.
    Made a note of the (roughly) average tempo, which was about 70 bpm
    Put it back to 120.
    Set tempo at bar one to 70.
    Using the length command, I changed the start times on the MIDI track to 70%.  I used some convoluted formula to figure it out, which was completely wrong (hey, math was never my strong point) and said to use 30%.  I realized it was about half too slow, so I tried 70% and it was pretty darn close.
    Tweaked the tempo map by playing the audio track and used Shift-M (set Measure/Beat at Now) to make adjustments at various measures.
    Made prolific use of the scissors tool to cut the MIDI track and line things back up again, roughly every three or four measures.
    It's now at the correct tempo all the way around, and more importantly, I can make the horn charts and they'll look right on the printout.  BTW - I'm exporting the MIDI, opening it up in Realband, and printing it from there because it looks MUCH better than the Sonar notation.
     
    Thanks for the help and the suggestions!
     
    - Russ
    #5
    sock monkey
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    Re: Sync issue - audio & Midi lined up, but bars are wrong 2014/09/25 15:36:16 (permalink)
    Well I hope the other dude reads this and re plays his drum part as you just described about exactly what I envisioned would be involved in the process..a lot of editing.. 

    Cakelab - Sonar X3e Studio   
    Singer Songwriter, Solo Performer, Acoustic Duo and semi pro Sound Monkey.   
      
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