Why certain pack samples keep their BPM and warping is automatically remembered, and some not?

Discussion in 'Live' started by spncart, Feb 11, 2022.

  1. spncart

    spncart Producer

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    This is so annoying.

    I have samples and regardless of their duration (some long, some short), it's so random how Live decides to ignore the actual sample BPM and 50% of the time I have to manually click on "warp" and double click on the BPM to set the correct one again.

    A major waste of time and workflow limitation when testing out many samples by key.

    I don't understand why some samples, say marked as 120 bpm in a commercial pack, will (about 50% of the time) not be properly processed by Live. They will show some random value like 106.5 or whatever.

    Warping mode preferences in settings seem to have no effect on this bug.
     
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  3. BEAT16

    BEAT16 Audiosexual

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  4. clone

    clone Audiosexual

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    This is not Ableton specific at all. Logic does the exact same thing. I believe the .wav file has attributes which are read this way; where the file is either tempo stamped or there is metadata. Like the Acid properties of those files, as example. the first thing to check is usually to see if the sample is even cut right at the start and end points.
     
    Last edited: Feb 11, 2022
  5. BEAT16

    BEAT16 Audiosexual

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    Thank You @clone for the Info.


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    1.) WAV audio files can hold several metadata types. These metadata types were introduced over the years into the WAV format, which is extensible by nature. WAV is based on the Resource Interchange File Format (RIFF), and made of chunks of data. Contrary to popular misconception, adding metadata to WAV files does not break the format.

    Any well-behaved WAV reader is able to handle every WAV file even if it doesn't understand all the chunks it contains, in which case it simply ignores them. The following is a description of the different WAV metadata types, and the software that support them.

    https://wavmetadata.blogspot.com
     
    Last edited: Feb 11, 2022
  6. Backtired

    Backtired Audiosexual

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    can confirm this happens on some samples on FL studio too.
    i don't want to have information IN THEM, just put them into the file name for fuck's sake...
     
  7. twoheart

    twoheart Audiosexual

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    Yes, but afaik not all WAV are "acidized" wiht meta-info while AIFF are always. So does it happen to AIFF as well?
     
    Last edited: Feb 11, 2022
  8. clone

    clone Audiosexual

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    well, let's say I have seen enough samples in Logic do this, that I almost give it no more thought. I set the loop points correctly in the editor if needed, and usually click the 2X because the majority of this results in half tempo loading of samples onto your audio channel. or I skip that, right click the sample and convert the audio into a sampler track, and set the loop points inside QSampler. I just deal with it on a per file basis as wav. AIFF are "locked" how they are, as Live Loops. I use Tracks View and wavs only (when possible) to avoid that. I do not use the FL style "Loops" features at all, mostly because of this exact subject. but I think the issue is the samples being wrong in the first place.
     
    Last edited: Feb 11, 2022
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  9. madbuzzin

    madbuzzin Platinum Record

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    are you using half time smaples? where the sample maker says its 120 but in reality it is really 60bpm? I feel like that could confuse a computer... but I dont mess with samples so thats all i can think of
     
  10. RobertoCavally

    RobertoCavally Rock Star

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    afaik wav files (originally) does not hold metadata except the INFO chunk, but as it is an extensible format info can be added and (most) programs will still read the audio correctly even if they don't understand the added chunks. with no real standard, it's all a mess

    More importantly for you, again afaik, Ableton does not write or read metadata (not talking about .asd). So, the warping is done on the fly, hit or miss. For me re-warping (dis-re-enabling) sometimes work. But usually I double check loops and the rest..
     
  11. spncart

    spncart Producer

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    Not half time samples, just plain and simple deep house, electronic or melodic techno 120 bpm - I've noticed it really depends on each pack and brand, so there must be some sort of BPM metadata somewhere which I'm failing to understand is it stored somewhere in the file or something.
     
  12. spncart

    spncart Producer

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    Okay:

    1. let's say the warping is done on the fly, how come Pack Brand 1 Deep House 120 BPM > all the files will sync perfectly and Pack 2 Deep House 120 BPM > all the files will not sync and I need to re-warp/adjust them? And worse, it won't be remembered next time I open them again, so I need to do it again each time?

    2. Let's say there's no metadata (as an .asd) fine but is there a way to re-record the samples? I guess if I re-record the said sample on the fly, this time it will remember the right BPM in my instance of Live? But it's such a pain man... Is there no right-click option or something that would permanently allow us to set the BPM on this sample, FOREVER?
     
  13. twoheart

    twoheart Audiosexual

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    I think the only way to make it permanent to a WAV file is to acidize (save beatpoints, bpm and other meta info inside the WAV) it. Magix Acid Pro should do the job. but tahts a loz of extra work.

    Live is working non-destructive and saves the data in a corresponding .asd as an extra file and not inside the WAV that remains untouched. If you always load the wav into your project, you need to adjust it every time.
    Have you tested to leave the .asd files directly in the sample collection directory. The information should normally stay the same for all projects.

    Or use REX files instead, they contain this information by default.
     
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  14. BEAT16

    BEAT16 Audiosexual

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    How to Change BPM or Tempo of a Song in Windows 11/10
    Use free software to change the BPM or tempo of an audio file. Change the song's BPM or tempo with a free online service.

    Hello @spncart, i have just tested BP Minus and it works.I have reduced the tempo from 136 to 120 and simply saved, wonderfully it works. Maybe something for you.Below you will find 2 other alternatives.

    [​IMG]

    http://bpminus.com

    [​IMG]

    BP minus

    BPMinus is a dedicated freeware to change the BPM or tempo and pitch of a song on Windows 11/10. You can simply open an audio file and change its tempo. It is mainly used to detect the BPM of a song.

    You can see a song's tempo on its main interface while loading files into it. Now let's see how you can use it to change the tempo of an audio file:

    Download and install BPMinus. Open it and load audio files into it. Go to the tempo slider and change it. Preview the edited audio file in real-time. Select the audio file and use the Save As feature to export it.

    Just download BPMinus, install it on your system and launch it. Then go to the File menu and click the Add files to playlist option to import one or more tracks. It works with MP3, WAV, OGG, WMA, FLAC and more formats as input.

    Now select an audio file from the playlist area and then change the tempo from the right panel. You can adjust the tempo slider and preview the song in real time.

    If everything looks fine, select the audio file and click File > Save As option to save the edited. to export audio file in WAV, MP3 and AAC format.

    Do you like her? You can download it from bpminus.com .

    [​IMG]
    In Audacity you can enter the tempo directly - for example BPM 120 !
    Audacity
    Audacity needs no introduction. It is one of the most popular audio editors among users. It's totally free and open source. Along with multiple audio editing tools, it also offers you a feature to change the BPM of a song. So if you use Audacity, just use it to change

    To change the BPM or tempo of a song in Audacity:

    Here are the steps to change the BPM of an audio file in Audacity:

    Download and install Audacity. Open Audacity. Import a song file. Select part of a song or the whole song. Go to the Effect menu and click on the Change Tempo option. Change the BPM to your needs. Preview the edited song and save the audio with changed BPM.

    Let's discuss these steps in detail!

    First of all, if you don't have Audacity yet, download and install it on your Windows 11/10 PC. It is also available for Mac and Linux.

    Now launch the Audacity software and open an audio file using the File > Import > Audio option . It supports a variety of audio file formats to edit, including MIDI, MP3, OGG, FLAC, AC3, WAV, WMA, etc.

    Select the audio from the timeline whose BPM you want to change. You can select the entire song or part of it.

    Next you need to go to the Effect menu . Here you will see different effect options; Just click on the Change Tempo option .

    A dialog box will open where you can make changes to a song's BPM to your liking. Just drag the slider depending on how much you want to change the tempo of a song.

    You can also manually enter the beats per minute to change the tempo of a song. You can also enable or disable the Use High Quality Stretch option accordingly.

    If you change the BPM, you can preview the edited song directly in the dialog window. Just tap the Preview button and hear the audio with changed BPM. Press the OK button to apply the changes.

    Finally, you can save the song with edited BPM or Tempo, go to File > Export option . and choose the audio format to save the output.

    Here's how you can easily change tempo, pitch, speed, and more with Audacity.

    www.audacityteam.org/download/
     
    Last edited: Feb 12, 2022
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  15. RobertoCavally

    RobertoCavally Rock Star

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    Basically what @twoheart wrote. Exept that I think Live reads acidized wav as any other wav, ignoring the Acid info. I stand by - does not read, does not write until proven wrong. ;)
    True, it can even be the same pack. Sometimes it works as expected, sometimes not.. it's the same with e.g. DJ SW. I never blindly trusted the automatic beat detection.
    When you tidy your sample/loop up to your liking, you can right-click and consolidate it (Ctrl+J). Then right click and choose Show in Explorer. The folder under Project > Samples > Processed > Consolidate will pop up. There all your consolidated samples/loops will pile up. It's also a way to quickly save one-shots or whatever..

    It will not write info to the wav, it will make an asd.. see whether you can ad it to your workflow
     
  16. aleksalt

    aleksalt Producer

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    Interesting thread…I’d like to increase it (just wouldn’t start a new one)
    Tempo and pitch reducing (up and down):
    I have some samples in ACID WAV and they have a very noticeable fall in their quality if they have another tempo than a project in a DAW, this is a point #1…
    and the #2 is – some companies still sell sample packs in various formats…
    for example:
    https://www.bigfishaudio.com/Lucky-7-Funk-and-Retro-Themes

    they suggest Acid, WAV, REX, Apple Loops, Momentum (just for $100)

    ACID I already mentioned, but curious about REX…never had any deal with it, but heard it’s very versatile exactly for tempo/pitch/transposing
    So, the question is:
    the best possible QUALITY after all those manipulations –
    which DAWs, plugins make it better ( Momentum is one of them)?
    Is REX one of the best decisions? Which DAWs work with it (REX to WAV and vice versa)?
     
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