Timings

[Signpro]

When you starting fresh with a new audio file and want to add SS effects to the beats in a song, is it easier to creating the timings in Sequence Editor and then import them in to SS, or create the timings in SS? I'm just not having good luck getting good timings in SS.

[Don]

If it were me, I would probably choose to import timings that were created in the Sequence Editor.

[sax]

Personally I like the ss timings best. Almost always spot on for me. Se not so much. Remember, you can expand the audio tab in ss to see more detail. But none of that matters. Just nudge to get perfect placement of the effect if the timing is off. Besides, I don't know how you would import the se timing. I haven't imported anything into ss. I start the file, chose the audio file, create timings and away I go. Nudge is your friend. Nudge the placement, length, nudge one effect or all effects at once.

Once I started programming in ss I dread going to se just because of the pain of missing a beat by 1/8 second. Correction is a job of cut and paste. And if it is a spiral or something, it is even harder. Never in ss. Nudge it.

And lastly, you can do timings for separate sections of the song in ss and se. If your timings are so far off and you don't want to mess with nudging this could help. Especially in songs with many different timings. But personally it doesn't take me long to nudge. It took longer to write this I feel.

Good luck with ss. It was a learning curve for me but once I figured it out it seems way easier for 90% of my sequences. Rgb, ccr's, solid lights, signs...all easier. Ac,dc,lor, dmx...all quicker. Only my singing faces and motor controls are programmed in se now.

Sax

[Signpro]

Personally I like the ss timings best. Almost always spot on for me. Se not so much. Remember, you can expand the audio tab in ss to see more detail. But none of that matters. Just nudge to get perfect placement of the effect if the timing is off. Besides, I don't know how you would import the se timing. I haven't imported anything into ss. I start the file, chose the audio file, create timings and away I go. Nudge is your friend. Nudge the placement, length, nudge one effect or all effects at once.

Once I started programming in ss I dread going to se just because of the pain of missing a beat by 1/8 second. Correction is a job of cut and paste. And if it is a spiral or something, it is even harder. Never in ss. Nudge it.

And lastly, you can do timings for separate sections of the song in ss and se. If your timings are so far off and you don't want to mess with nudging this could help. Especially in songs with many different timings. But personally it doesn't take me long to nudge. It took longer to write this I feel.

Good luck with ss. It was a learning curve for me but once I figured it out it seems way easier for 90% of my sequences. Rgb, ccr's, solid lights, signs...all easier. Ac,dc,lor, dmx...all quicker. Only my singing faces and motor controls are programmed in se now.

Sax

Yes, I have been doing also, but keep asking myself "Is there a better way?".   last night I was playing around with autosequence and figured out how to isolate the beat and have SS add an effect at each beat.  I used the effect only as a placeholder to create others.

[wmilkie]

Yes, I have been doing also, but keep asking myself "Is there a better way?".   last night I was playing around with autosequence and figured out how to isolate the beat and have SS add an effect at each beat.  I used the effect only as a placeholder to create others.

 

How did you isolate the beat and add an effect? I've tried also using the autosequence feature, but haven't been successful in the beat detection.

[Signpro]

How did you isolate the beat and add an effect? I've tried also using the autosequence feature, but haven't been successful in the beat detection.

Play around with the timing map and you will get it

[sax]

Also, in auto sequence menu screen there is a check box for beat. Check that and assign some elements to it.

Auto sequence is a difficult beast to learn. Beat, seperate frequencies, many different channels /elements. I had to create new visualizer screens for whatever item I wanted in auto sequence.

For example, if beat is what I am after and want my fence lights to blink to the beat, I would have a visualizer file with only my fence lights (I have 5 RGB spots on one section of fence). Now I can assign them the beat check mark or for more fun play with the frequencies to have each fence light work to only a certain frequency...1k being center and high freqs to the right, lower freqs to the left. Once I have it setup, hit auto sequence and see if I like it. Change the effect if I don't until it looks good to me.

Do this for other elements. Keep seperate vis files for each effect you want.

It does take a little time to setup. But once you get it you fly through the songs. Putting it all together in se is a different story. Groups is your friend for this task.

Many different things can be done quickly with this method. But it does take patience to get it set up to look good. I would never try to auto sequence my entire display. I mean, I did. But it didn't look good. Breaking down the elements and auto sequencing them piece by piece is a different story. Still not as good as my work but some interesting effects come out of auto sequence, things I could never do.

Good luck,

Sax

[wmilkie]

thanks 

[ericg2000]

I'm new to auto sequencing and I've split my display up into sections. Sometimes I get good results quick other times I don't. I'm still trying to figure out the frequencies.

[equinator]

What I've done to help with difficult timing is I use my DAW, to record a MIDI of the passage that I need the timing for. Import that MIDI into SE, then import the SE timing into SS. You could probably do the same thing using the tap wizard in SE.

[Box on Rails]

What I've done to help with difficult timing is I use my DAW, to record a MIDI of the passage that I need the timing for. Import that MIDI into SE, then import the SE timing into SS. You could probably do the same thing using the tap wizard in SE.

I too use a DAW with Cakewalk Sonar X3 pro. I do a lot of Audio mixing and mastering so I;m familiar with Midi. I have used Midi in LOR sequence editor for timing before and that is the only time I've been spot on. Go figure... I have a few questions:

what do you mean by passage?

what digital audio/midi program are you using?

and how are you converting from audio/MP3 to midi.

 

thanks 

Kenny

[equinator]

The DAW I use is Sonar X1 producer.

What I refer to as a passage, is the part of the song that I am needing timing for, usually a single instrument.

I don't convert audio to MIDI, what I do is drop the song into an audio track, then use my keyboards or drums to record the MIDI track for the part I want. I will usually drop a quarter note on the MIDI track in staff at the first beat, to ensure the start of the MIDI sequence is timed correctly.

One thing I have learned though, is doing it this way, when I import the timing into SS, I will usually have to do a 0.1 sec timing shift to the left. That makes all the triggers appear at the correct time.

Avoid using MIDI ch10. SE sees that as a drum part, and the MIDI wizard will ignore it.

[Box on Rails]

That is a great way to do it. I have a Roland TD20 and I could use that as the trigger to crate a MIDI timing for the tough songs timings. I learn something new everyday on here and it helps make sequencing easier. Your using the same DAW software I am too. thanks my friend.