I'm working on a project with video, where I have to insert different songs in different points in the timeline.
Each song has to start at a particular SMPTE.
The problem is that each song has a specific tempo.
Thus, I have two problems:

1. For the second song and so on, it is difficult to get it in full measure. I have to keep making micro-adjustments in tempo for the second song can start at a full bar.
2. If I change the tempo of the music 1, this will mess up all the time of the later songs.

 
Does anyone know if there is a good strategy for working with multiple songs in a video?

Are you inserting a "New Tempo" for song 2, and then for song 3 etc.?


 

Steve_Karl
Are you inserting a "New Tempo" for song 2, and then for song 3 etc.?

Of course. I will illustrate the problem (see image below). For example:

1. Song 1 MUST start at SMPTE 00:00:00:00 with tempo 120;
2. Song 2 MUST start at SMPTE 00:00:10:28 with tempo 100;
3. Song 3 MUST start at SMPTE 00:00:23:11 with tempo 150;
4. And so on...

 
As Song 1 has tempo 120, Song 2 is starting at MBT 06:02:800;
You should not start a song in this broken MBT number;
The correct is that Song 2 should start at a whole measure, which in this case should be the next full MBT, ie 07:00:000;
But to make SMPTE 00:00:10:28 (Song 2) match the next full MBT (07:00:000), I have to make manual changes in tempo.
So back to my original question, I wonder if there is a more practical way to make SMPTE match a rounded MBT number?

I can't imagine any other way that the way you're fudgin it into place.
 

There are many ways to do this.  You can manipulate beats per measures....so maybe the last measure of song one is 17/16 for example.  When you see those old film scores with crazy meters all over the place it is usually just the composer lining up hits in the picture.
 
Another way is "Set Measure/Beat at Now".  It will change your tempo so you will probably want to have a tempo inserted at the beginning of the song and the same tempo inserted on the last beat of your first song.  It will change the tempo from the last tempo change. Then on beat one of the second song insert your new tempo.
 
You could divide the project into 3 files, working on each song separately. Export your final mixes and create finale file with just the audio, you won't need tempi or measures lining up,  just place the audio using the Event List.
 
You can use "Fit to Time" at the end of one song.. that is a trickier way, but you better know how that works.    
 
I work on videos all day long in Sonar with the same issue.  I can have up to 20 music cues in a 10 minute segment and with a little thought and practice it becomes easy.  It is hard to say which is the best method as every situation could use a different trick for best results.
 
What really helps me is I was doing this before computers.  Understanding how to manipulate tempi and beats to hit Time Code makes doing it on a computer very simple.  
 
Good Luck
 
 

really, i wouldn't do this in sonar, i'd use a video editor, they're made for smpte accuracy. work on each individual piece in sonar at the correct tempo, export a wav and lay it in exactly where you need it in the video editor. this guarantees frame accuracy.

dlion16
really, i wouldn't do this in sonar, i'd use a video editor, they're made for smpte accuracy. work on each individual piece in sonar at the correct tempo, export a wav and lay it in exactly where you need it in the video editor. this guarantees frame accuracy.

Currently (as everyone already suggested) I am creating subprojects, making music individually on each one, then exporting them in WAV and then importing them into the main project.
But this is not very practical, because sometimes I have to make revisions in music, so I have to do the whole process again.
Moreover, as Sonar doesn't facilitates to know the size of a clip, I have to be separately annotating this size to be able to align the exact size in each subproject.


I had not thought of making the process of finalization within a video editor, but since Sonar is not facilitating me things, I think I'll end up adopting this model.