jsg
Another method of getting the best musical feel is by shifting a part very slightly ahead of, or behind, the beat.  I'm talking about 10-30 ticks or so.

Yes, this is a very useful technique. A lot of rock drummers will play the snare behind the beat when they want to sound "bigger." I think this makes us tune into the "if a sound is far away, we hear it later" training we have.
 
Here's a pop music-oriented experiment that's fun. Record a bass and a kick. Try slipping the bass a little later than the kick, then try it a little earlier. With the former, the vibe will be more rhythmic and the bass will seem softer. With the bass earlier, the vibe will be more melodic and the bass will seem louder. As Jerry points out, the amount of "slip" can be very small and still make a noticeable difference.
 
If you analyze the playing of a top studio drummer like Steve Gadd, they can control their timing to hit a consistent number of milliseconds ahead of or behind the beat to create the desired emotional impact. For example, a lot of jazz drummers will hit slightly ahead of the beat on the ride cymbal bell to "push" the song. John Bonham, on the other hand...listen to "When the Levee Breaks," and where the snare falls in relation to the kick.

Jlien X
@thread title:
In S1 (any version), it onlys take a single scroll of the mouse to change the tempo of the song as well as all audio clips in it, and it produces a great result (no artifacts even if stretched heavily).

 
In my experience with S1, it's not quite as magical as that. You can bring external files into S1 and have them stretch to the existing tempo, and if you record tracks in S1 and the option to embed tempo information in the track is checked under Advanced Preferences, it will behave as described.
 
[EDIT: The following is correct only if "Stretch Audio File to Song Tempo" is not checked on the first screen when you create a Song. See posts #25 and #36 for details.] However, if files were created outside of S1 and you bring them into S1, they will not stretch when you change the tempo. You will have to stretch them manually unless they contain Acidization or REX metadata (most programs work this way, including Sonar). Also, if you try to take audio files recorded in S1 with the tempo metadata into other programs, according to PreSonus some programs have an issue reading the files. In that case, they recommend turning off tempo info embed.
 
So the bottom line is if you start a project in S1 and record all your tracks to S1, this will work. But if you hoped to bring files from another project or from particular sample libraries into S1 and have this happen, as far as I know it won't.

I usually follow a "click" track of sorts just to get the tempo down. Then I manually form a basic drum track note by note tweaking it as I work on the song adding bits here and there. For me it actually goes quicker than you might think. Complex drum bits can be challenging but in the end it's really hard to tell the drum track wasn't played.
 
Steve

I've never verified this, but I was told once that a person's heart rate will attempt to match the tempo of music.
 
It does make some intuitive sense, given that we listen to slow tempos to relax, and that extremely fast tempos are most popular with teenagers who have energy to burn. But why the popularity of 120 bpm? Seems like an uncomfortably high target unless you're at the gym.
 
Here's an article about a study showing the relationship between music and heart rate: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Healthday/story?id=7902380
 

If you import files from outside Studio One you do not have to stretch them manually at all. They do not need any special tempo info embedded in them either.  All you have to do is simply figure out what the tempo is of any external imported files (which you may know anyway) and simply let Studio One know that info.  The moment you do that the files stretch to the session tempo and to any other tempo changes as required.  When you import a file that does not have any tempo info in it when you look at that track and its inspector you will see the words 'Not Set' in the tempo window.  That is where you add the tempo info and once you do that it will respond immediately.  So if you are working at say 130 BPM and you drag in a file that is at 112 BPM (and the window says Not Set) all you have to do is type 112 in the Tempo Window.  The file will instantly change now to 130 BPM.  Because Studio One now knows the imported file tempo and knows where it has to stretch it to.  Slightly magical.
 
Acid files are read correctly so no work is required to get them to work either.  I have found many loops and things from remote sources already have the tempo in the tempo window and they just work.  Every now and then you have to manually put that value in.  It stays with the file forever too so if you include it in a Sound Set or just in the browser you never have to fiddle it again.
 
You have to allow them to stretch of course. You can always tell any files not to stretch as well. But it is usual to allow it.
 
The whole session tempo can simply be changed by changing the tempo setting on the transport bar.  It is as magical as that.  It is very nice to be able to play the whole session slightly faster or slower without any fuss.  The stretch algorithm is a lot better than most including Pro Tools.  Files can be stretched a long way before they fall apart.  I still prefer to get that right though at the start.  It is cool for complex film cue and they suddenly want it 2 seconds or so longer or shorter then the tempo change thing can be very handy.
 
The key of the whole session can be changed (transpose) just as fast too on all the audio as well as midi tracks.
 
Drummers have a very fine sense of tempo.  It is our job after all! I can feel a change of 1 or 2 BPM even if the tempo is around 120 and higher or so. I found after years of playing though that it is nice to breath in time with the groove you are playing. Like 4 beats to breath in and 4 to breath out etc.
 
BTW when Steve Gadd lays down a groove to a click it still sounds killer. But yes I do also think as soon as you turn it off too magic happens. But only when the musicians are really really really good. Like the guys in Chick Corea's Elektric band for example or an incredible African percussion ensemble. But when the players are ordinary though things often fall apart as soon as the click goes away and then it can be a saviour!
 
There is nothing wrong with practicing to it, but once you go out live and it is not there then the music can be better. What the click practice does though is teach you to be more constant and NOT SPEED UP OR SLOW DOWN which many ordinary drummers do all the time. Click practice strengthens your internal clock. You can still have that elasctic tempo approach going on and create excitement but the trick is it to end roughly at the same tempo as you started!

I have gotten to where especially with acoustic music I will let the click count me in but then turn off a couple measures in. Gets me on the beat and into the groove but also lets me push and pull it easier than trying to play exactly behind or in front of the click

All I know is that it if takes syncing my heart up to the Bee Gees to keep me alive, I would rather explicitly write it into my living will to not revive me.
 
Bob Bone
 

bapu
Let's face it, playing live (without a click track) is never 120BPM for three to five minutes straight. There will be fluctuations of at least 1BPM.

Right, and modern music has become so dreadfully boring for precisely that reason.  Mix it up a little.
 
The world would be a much better place if there were no click tracks and no autotune.

bitflipper
The click track has done more to harm recorded music than any other innovation....

I wonder if they said the same thing about the metronome? You know, that little wind up box that only kept one tempo until just before total unwind.
 

bapu

bitflipper
The click track has done more to harm recorded music than any other innovation....

I wonder if they said the same thing about the metronome? You know, that little wind up box that only kept one tempo until just before total unwind.

Metronomes and tuners are for people who want to be musicians someday.  Musicians don't need them.
 
You don't find any plumbers running around with instruction manuals in their pockets for how to use a pipe wrench or how to do a proper solder joint.  And If I ever saw one, I sure wouldn't hire him.