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Workflow suggestions

Posted: 21 Jan 2024
by Ethan_Music
Hi everyone

I hope you are all well.

I have a questions which is going to change the way I record music (in midi). Basically, I’ve found that it’s easier for me to find a sample then just start playing. However, I am having issues with bpm.

As mentioned above, I just want to play and see what happens, which is great, but then when it comes to arranging etc, the bpm of the software is becoming really fiddly.

I’m not expert musician but is there a way for reason to recognise the bpm of what I have recorded? If I change the bpm(obviously) the whole speed of what I recorded changes

The goal is to think about the bpm after and just let what I recorded flow. Any suggestions are more than welcome as this is such a stumbling block for me.

Re: Workflow suggestions

Posted: 21 Jan 2024
by jam-s
Live recently added that feature, but Reason does not have it. Reason only has a tap tempo feature which you could use to tap along with your recording, but then I'd rather use something simple like https://www.all8.com/tools/bpm.htm instead and later adjust the reason tempo to the one deduced via that tool.

Re: Workflow suggestions

Posted: 21 Jan 2024
by selig
Are you starting with a sample like a "piano sample" or do you mean a rhythmic loop(s)?
If you don't play to a click there won't be "a tempo" to recognize. And if you wanted to play free-tempo (rubato), you wouldn't be asking about BPM matching, so…
These are not typically that difficult to figure out a workflow, but it will be specific to Reason. Every time I've switched my main DAW I've had to "re-learn" the new workflow to accomplish the same tasks as before. Sometimes the workflow it better, sometimes it's worse. Often it's just different, and it takes a while to develop new muscle memory.

If you play "solid" but not to a click, you may still have some "clean up" to do manually even once you find the correct tempo, if you're talking about a "performance".

Maybe more details about how you WANT to work would be helpful in making suggestions of things for you to try?

Re: Workflow suggestions

Posted: 21 Jan 2024
by Ethan_Music
Thanks for your replies. I’ll try and explain more.

I like to use drum loops but the rest I just play.
Obviously the drum loops are always out and difficult to arrange with the other instruments after I’ve recorded. This is where the issues start: drum loops and arranging clips once I’ve recorded

All I want to do is play, then edit and arrange after. A lot of things I record are what I think will sound good in the song but haven’t thought about where, just that it will fit.

Yes, I’ll have to cleanup but until that time I’m trying to keep it as flowing as possible.

I know it sounds confusing but I just need the bpm to match what I’ve recorded when it comes to editing. The recording I don’t want interrupted.

Re: Workflow suggestions

Posted: 21 Jan 2024
by Loque
I think you want to just record and play, and the BPM should automatically adjust to what you play. I often want the same, but in reality it is difficult to really know what tempo and beats with shuffle and so on you are really playing. But yea,a simple "guessing" of the somftware what BPM the recorded stuff is would help...But no, no such feature

Re: Workflow suggestions

Posted: 21 Jan 2024
by Ethan_Music
Yeah that’s exactly it. The tap feature in Reason obviously doesn’t work for what i want to do so I’m trying to find a way of overriding the BPM when it comes to the edit. If I can use the external tool outside of Reason to figure out the BPM of what I’ve recorded, that’s great, but then if I put that BPM in it’s going to be incorrect.

Anyone know of a way to override the reason bpm in some way, ie the tempo of what I’ve recorded to not change once i find the correct BPM?

Re: Workflow suggestions

Posted: 28 Jan 2024
by Ethan_Music
Hi again all.

I vaguely remember in Reason there is a way to “freeze” the bpm or midi when changing one or the other. I am sure I have done this before…ring any bells?

Re: Workflow suggestions

Posted: 28 Jan 2024
by jam-s
For audio clips you can disable stretch. for MIDI it might work to copy the clip from one Project to another one with the changed BPM.