I ranted about how the tap tempo feature was made more difficult to use in X1... I think it was X1.  I use my iPhone but I still can't believe that Cakewalk lost it (or made it four freakin' mouse clicks away...)  I use it ALL the time when I have a client in and we're developing a new song.  I'm used to not using Cakewalk for it now but...  ...it's right there on the toolbar in 8.5...  so they went backwards on that one.

bump for a step backwards burying the tap tempo in the menus. :( That's the second thing you do after, ' what's the name of this one'.... 'about how fast' , keep tappin and singin, I'll get to the tap tempo in a bit. As for clicking with the mouse, they register when you let up on the clicker as opposed to when you click down. So try to be steady when letting up on your mouse for a better tempo measurement.

I really wish they would redesign and consolidate the metronome tools.  I don't like the fact you have separate screen for "project -> insert tempo change" or going to the preferences screen for count in and such.  I also have gone to using a smartphone metronome to figure out tempos, I find it's much more accurate and less frustrating.
 
As mentioned above if you use the mouse, you definitely have to subdivide, and press and release in 1/8th or 16th notes, which makes it really difficult if you're trying to set tempo on an odd meter or triple meter.  In 7/8 time  you would have to click 1+2+3+4+5+6+7+ in 16ths.  Way easier to set on my smartphone metronome, where I could tap a pulse like 1-2-1-2-1-2-3  accenting all the 1's.
 
In fairness, I'm not aware of other DAW's that have any less problems, but I at least wish they would consolidate things.

4/4 Time: Space, <-2-3-4-2-2-3-4->, Space, Shift+M, 3, Tab, 1, Enter, W
 
7/8 Time: Space, <-2-3-4-5-6-7-2-2-3-4-5-6-7->, Space, Shift+M, 3, Tab, 1, Enter, W
 
Look, Ma... no mouse! 
 
Bind Set Measure/Beat at Now to a single hotkey (S is conveniently close to all of Tab, 1, 3, and W), and you're really cookin' with gas!
 
 
 

Thanks Bundle!  So much to learn, so little time. :)

brundlefly
4/4 Time: Space, <-2-3-4-2-2-3-4->, Space, Shift+M, 3, Tab, 1, Enter, W
 
7/8 Time: Space, <-2-3-4-5-6-7-2-2-3-4-5-6-7->, Space, Shift+M, 3, Tab, 1, Enter, W
 
Look, Ma... no mouse! 
 
Bind Set Measure/Beat at Now to a single hotkey (S is conveniently close to all of Tab, 1, 3, and W), and you're really cookin' with gas!
 

 
Nice tip!  Thanks.

Thank you guys!

I play in a couple of bands, one as a duo using a full backing track minus my guitar parts and the other band using a click track on the left channel for the drummer and a mono mix on the right channel to the PA. When I am working on a midi file for a backing track, the first thing that I do is import the song file. I then look for a consistent tempo that can be set so that bars and beats align. When this is not the case I revert to playing the song and using my midi Kawai keyboard, tapping in a click on a new midi track and then using it as the source for 'Fit to improvisation' which adjusts the tempo of the 4/4 click to keep the bars in line with the original song. With that done, my click track is deleted. Once I've finished programming all the midi tracks I can delete the original song and usually at this stage edit the tempo track to one consistent average tempo before bouncing everything down to an audio track. This has been a reliable way of working for me and I would shudder at the thought of using my mouse to input the clicks. It's a breeze once you get used to it.
Pete.

Brundlefly has some of the coolest tricks!

petgod1
When this is not the case I revert to playing the song and using my midi Kawai keyboard, tapping in a click on a new midi track and then using it as the source for 'Fit to improvisation' which adjusts the tempo of the 4/4 click to keep the bars in line with the original song.

Peter, you should look into using Set/Measure Beat at Now for this as well. It's fast, precise and flexible (you can map intermediate note values where things are changing quickly or nothing for several measures where they aren't), and you're creating the tempo map directly from the audio instead of introducing another layer of inaccuracy in trying to create a matching click track by playing along; you're going tend to play an average tempo around what's actually there when you do that.