• SONAR
  • Audio to MIDI Problem
2013/10/03 14:58:06
quest4success
Not sure if this has been an issue with anyone but when I drag a mono audio file from the browser on to a midi track, the length of the file is shortened.  I tried to correct by grooving clipping but the file is still short.  When I drag the audio file to an audio track and then copy it to the midi track all is well.  Any ideas?
2013/10/03 17:54:12
slartabartfast
Are you saying the file is truncated/cut short i.e. missing notes that were present in the original or that it plays faster?
 
If the latter suspect a sample rate mismatch if the pitch is not identical. Or some problem with the tempo matching if not.
2013/10/03 20:35:02
quest4success
Pitch is same but clip plays too fast.  Loop tempo previews correctly in browser.
2013/10/03 20:51:06
slartabartfast
quest4success
 When I drag the audio file to an audio track and then copy it to the midi track all is well.  Any ideas?


My best guess:

When you move the audio from one Sonar track (audio) to another Sonar track (MIDI) you are moving tracks that have the same project tempo. Sonar can translate/calculate the minutes duration of audio to the tempo in quarter notes per minute. When you import/drag an audio file (not track) directly from your hard disk to a midi track, you are moving an audio file that does not really have any tempo that can be known to either Sonar or the Melodyne plugin i.e. has an ambiguous "tempo." Melodyne (or Sonar either) has no way of knowing what the "tempo" of an external audio file was recorded at or should be matched to. You seem to have found the workaround. Move the audio file into a Sonar audio track first.
2013/10/03 22:39:16
quest4success
These files have tempo info embedded in them, i.e. acidized.  They work in Sonar flawlessly.  There must be another reason.   I can live with the workaround but think the bakers should be aware.  How do I inform them or are they listening?  Thank you for your help. Is there a short version of your name?
2013/10/03 23:40:13
Noel Borthwick [Cakewalk]
Please submit a bug report with a sample audio file and project.
Or specify find one in the browser sample content that exhibits this issue.
2013/10/04 01:24:56
brundlefly
quest4success
These files have tempo info embedded in them, i.e. acidized.


Yes, but unless the project tempo already matches the baseline embedded tempo, the length is going to change because MBT time is the fixed reference in SONAR. I suspect David is correct that dragging it to an audio track first is allowing the clip to take on the project tempo before conversion to MIDI.
 
This should be easy to check with clips of known base tempo.
 
EDIT: I verified that if a 2-bar, 125BPM groove clip is dragged straight to a MIDI track in a project that's at 125BPM, the length of the resulting MIDI clip will be right on the money. But if the tempo is lower, the clip will fall short of two bars by the ratio of the project tempo to the clip tempo. If the tempo is higher, the clip will not exceed 2 bars, but the events in the clip will be longer by the ratio of the project tempo to the clip tempo, and events or parts of events that don't fit are truncated. On some level, this could be considered to be a bug, but it's quite understandable, and has an easy workaround.
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