A tempo issue using FL10

[GarretGraves]

Ok. I have a habit of being totally oblivious to obvious options in FL. This time I've tried harder to find a solution myself but with no success. SO!

My workflow normally involves sequencing drums in an FL session then exporting them out (piece by piece) in WAVs and importing those WAVs into a Pro Tools session for recording guitars and bass. Once those are recorded and roughly mixed, I export the PT session into a single WAV and import it back into FL to add keyboard parts (piano, synth, orchestra, etc.) I do this cause Pro Tools MIDI is harder to use and FL is easier to look at. As well as other features but those are irrelevant here. I've been doing this for a while and I've yielded excellent results.

Then I learned how to change the tempo of an FL session in multiple places and went ape shit with it. There's at least 6 or 7 instances where the tempo changes drastically. (Those of you familiar with Dream Theater, think "Dance of Eternity") But instead of using 1 tempo clip (envelope) to adjust the tempo throughout the session, I've used multiple clips in various parts of the session with each clip assigned to it's own BPM. Seemed more efficient that way.

For this one song I'm working on, adding keyboard parts has become troublesome. I reopened the FL session with the drums and took the drum channels out and left the tempo clips in their place so I can properly add keyboard parts. I imported the Pro Tools WAV into the FL session and put it on track 1 (by default). Here's where I encounter the problem. When in SONG mode and plays, the WAV file will "stretch" itself out (visually. Speed and pitch of the WAV are normal) to compensate for the tempo changes. This is annoying because I can't add anything anywhere without the WAV file adjusting itself. Is there an option where I can make it not do this?

[Nabeel Ansari]

Ok. I have a habit of being totally oblivious to obvious options in FL. This time I've tried harder to find a solution myself but with no success. SO!

My workflow normally involves sequencing drums in an FL session then exporting them out (piece by piece) in WAVs and importing those WAVs into a Pro Tools session for recording guitars and bass. Once those are recorded and roughly mixed, I export the PT session into a single WAV and import it back into FL to add keyboard parts (piano, synth, orchestra, etc.) I do this cause Pro Tools MIDI is harder to use and FL is easier to look at. As well as other features but those are irrelevant here. I've been doing this for a while and I've yielded excellent results.

Then I learned how to change the tempo of an FL session in multiple places and went ape shit with it. There's at least 6 or 7 instances where the tempo changes drastically. (Those of you familiar with Dream Theater, think "Dance of Eternity") But instead of using 1 tempo clip (envelope) to adjust the tempo throughout the session, I've used multiple clips in various parts of the session with each clip assigned to it's own BPM. Seemed more efficient that way.

For this one song I'm working on, adding keyboard parts has become troublesome. I reopened the FL session with the drums and took the drum channels out and left the tempo clips in their place so I can properly add keyboard parts. I imported the Pro Tools WAV into the FL session and put it on track 1 (by default). Here's where I encounter the problem. When in SONG mode and plays, the WAV file will "stretch" itself out (visually. Speed and pitch of the WAV are normal) to compensate for the tempo changes. This is annoying because I can't add anything anywhere without the WAV file adjusting itself. Is there an option where I can make it not do this?

Wav files are put in FL Studio via Sampler channels. Go to the sampler channel of the wav, right click the time knob in the Timestretching section of the first tab, and hit None.

[GarretGraves]

Didn't work

[Swifthom]

I've found in the past this is something I just have to work around.

If the tempo changes, the length of the wav file in terms of beats and bars will necessarily have to adjust along with it, that's a sad fact of life. Or, are you looking for a way to have the wav file slow down / speed up so it always stays in time?

[Nabeel Ansari]

Didn't work

It didn't? That's strange, that should've done it. I would only say this, then: I don't think it's a very smart idea to export something that has been tempo automated, and then tempo automate it again. Maybe try exporting the drums without tempo automating them.

[GarretGraves]

It didn't? That's strange, that should've done it. I would only say this, then: I don't think it's a very smart idea to export something that has been tempo automated, and then tempo automate it again. Maybe try exporting the drums without tempo automating them.

Problem is if I do that then I can't record the guitars and bass properly at the desired tempos. I automate tempo again to be able to quantize the keyboard parts in the proper tempos in each section of the song.

[Nutritious]

It didn't? That's strange, that should've done it. I would only say this, then: I don't think it's a very smart idea to export something that has been tempo automated, and then tempo automate it again. Maybe try exporting the drums without tempo automating them.

This was my initial reaction, Neblix, until I re-read what his actual issue is. The problem isn't the wav file changing audio, but the fact that it's visually stretching out as the tempo of the track changes. This is actually completely normal behavior if you think about it. For example:

Wav = 5 seconds long

Tempo = 60 bpm (1 beat per second)

So Wav size = 5 beats

Then, if you change the tempo

Wav = still 5 seconds long

Tempo = 30 bpm (1 beat every 2 seconds)

Wav size = 2.5 beats and streches to half the size

If you want to try to stop this, you'd actually need to assign a specific tempo on the WAV file so it timestreches as the tempo changes. HOWEVER, this will have effects on the audio of the wav that you may not want.

SO, technically, you don't have a problem here as long as your audio sounds correct. You do run into problems, however, when trying to work on the track between tempo changes and the system automatically resizes long wav clips, making your audio preview a mess.

There is a workaround I use to deal with this long wav files that progress through tempo changes:

1. Add wav file to track

2. Click so your cursor is on the first tempo setting in the track

3. Now, navigate to just before your first tempo change

4. Using the razor tool, slice the wav file right where the tempo changes (make sure your cursor is still clicked BEFORE the tempo changes so the tempo on the project is correct, this is important)

5. Now, click on the newly created "second" wav portion AFTER the slice where the tempo changes (this will set the project tempo to the new tempo)

6. Navigate to just before the next tempo change and repeat step 4

Basically, what you're doing here is creating "checkpoints" for your long wav files so they will align properly with each tempo section of your track. This will allow you to work on each section with the audio parts properly lined up.

Hopefully this helps. Let me know if you have any questions.

[GarretGraves]

This was my initial reaction, Neblix, until I re-read what his actual issue is. The problem isn't the wav file changing audio, but the fact that it's visually stretching out as the tempo of the track changes. This is actually completely normal behavior if you think about it. For example:

Wav = 5 seconds long

Tempo = 60 bpm (1 beat per second)

So Wav size = 5 beats

Then, if you change the tempo

Wav = still 5 seconds long

Tempo = 30 bpm (1 beat every 2 seconds)

Wav size = 2.5 beats and streches to half the size

If you want to try to stop this, you'd actually need to assign a specific tempo on the WAV file so it timestreches as the tempo changes. HOWEVER, this will have effects on the audio of the wav that you may not want.

SO, technically, you don't have a problem here as long as your audio sounds correct. You do run into problems, however, when trying to work on the track between tempo changes and the system automatically resizes long wav clips, making your audio preview a mess.

There is a workaround I use to deal with this long wav files that progress through tempo changes:

1. Add wav file to track

2. Click so your cursor is on the first tempo setting in the track

3. Now, navigate to just before your first tempo change

4. Using the razor tool, slice the wav file right where the tempo changes (make sure your cursor is still clicked BEFORE the tempo changes so the tempo on the project is correct, this is important)

5. Now, click on the newly created "second" wav portion AFTER the slice where the tempo changes (this will set the project tempo to the new tempo)

6. Navigate to just before the next tempo change and repeat step 4

Basically, what you're doing here is creating "checkpoints" for your long wav files so they will align properly with each tempo section of your track. This will allow you to work on each section with the audio parts properly lined up.

Hopefully this helps. Let me know if you have any questions.

This doesnt seem to work either im afraid. At the first tempo change, the first section of the song resizes itself and overlaps with the second section. Plus the second section doesn't align properly with the metronome after the tempo change. Also, if I try to adjust it so everything lines up, either the first or section section will be sped up or slowed down in playback speed. (Fast forward, slow-mo, you get the idea)

I also tried cutting each section up with the tempo changes and putting each section on it's own track. My idea was to mute the sections i wasn't working on then work with each section individually. But once i navigate to the next tempo change, if I go back to a previous section, the beginning of that section gets cut off. It starts late.

I may be looking at individual sessions for each tempo change.