Tap Tempo

Why does this feature suck so bad?


Open https://www.all8.com/tools/bpm.htm

Tap space bar for a good 30 taps with natural internal rhythm

Consistently get 118.XX BPM

Go to MPC

Tap the tempo button

Watch tempo bounce between 116, 120.2, 59, 117.9, 42.6, 118, 119.1, etc., almost every tap

Go back to computer

Try BPM program again to make sure it isn't me

Sustain 117.XX BPM, indicating my own internal rhythm is indeed around 117-118 BPM and pretty consistent

Back to MPC

Tap tempo button, timing is whack & all over the place


It just seems weird that being as lauded for their timing as they are...the Tap Tempo function itself on my MPC doesn't seem to be all that great and I really don't feel like it's me or contact points or anything like that. Not sure if other MPCs suffer the same problem. I thought I read somewhere that it only takes or you're only supposed to use a certain amount of taps, but I don't know.

I'm just kind of disappointed because I only ever really used it before to adjust BPM quickly without going to the data wheel and didn't care much for it, but now that I'm working with audio more and recording/sampling where I don't always know the tempo, it would be really handy if it worked better. There really are some things you're working on where if it isn't bang-on accurate, it does just sound off in a bad way.

Is the Tap Tempo function really that bad?

Sorry I didn't read the entire post but the tap tempo function is on point. It doesn't give you the tempo down to the dot but it gets you real close and you can go up or down by one or two to make whatever you want loop. On the 2k classic you can go to "other" (shift + 8?) and change the average taps to 4. It gives you a more accurate readout. You can also just trim to an exact amount of betas it the trim screen, not down the beats and it gives you an even more accurate readout if you've chopped well. The only thing is that if you record at 78 rpm to save space you can't get na accurate readout that way. If you record on 45 just choose the beats, do -50 and the new tempo is the right one I'm pretty sure.

I use this website for years cause it's the most accurate Tap BPM counter I know. It counts EVERY tap. Most of the other BPM counters (software too) only use the last 4 or 8 taps and thats why they jump around. I too wonder why the developers didn't implement the 'ALL-taps-count-calculation'. I think it doesn't need much programming skills to do that.

peace

peterpiper wrote:I use this website for years cause it's the most accurate Tap BPM counter I know. It counts EVERY tap. Most of the other BPM counters (software too) only use the last 4 or 8 taps and thats why they jump around. I too wonder why the developers didn't implement the 'ALL-taps-count-calculation'. I think it doesn't need much programming skills to do that.

peace

Maybe cause if you **** up between two taps or your hand slips or whatever you'd have to stop and wait to do it all over again.

Scrawny wrote:...On the 2k classic you can go to "other" (shift + 8?) and change the average taps to 4. It gives you a more accurate readout...

This is what I was looking for, might need to change my settings. Looked through the manual a few times, but I wasn't patient enough to find it. May very well solve the problem I'm having if my timing seems to be bang on accurate on anything but the MPC.

I don't really use the machine for hip hop, so it's not smaller slices that are easier to work with. It's a sequencer/drum machine primarily and I record longer "stems" into other samplers and these longer bits are triggered by the MPC. Sometimes 4-8 bars long. So obviously, if you don't get the BPM down to a tee, it sounds off by the end.

Like the other day I sequenced a bassline on one of my analog sequencers...but the tempo adjust is just an analog knob with no markings...so I have no idea what exact BPM it was at. I tried tapping along to the sample, but the MPC jumped all over the place.

Oh well. I'll see what my tap settings are and might just have to play to a click track I know the BPM of to make things easier. Maybe I should just work in the MPC more and chop the longer parts up...

So wow, my tap average was set at 2 taps Once I set it to 4, my timing issues seemed to clear up I could have sworn it was set at 4 at one point but maybe that has something to do with saving I couldn't remember how to access that function anyway though so this thread wasn't a total bust and thank you for the help

The Jackal wrote:So wow, my tap average was set at 2 taps Once I set it to 4, my timing issues seemed to clear up I could have sworn it was set at 4 at one point but maybe that has something to do with saving I couldn't remember how to access that function anyway though so this thread wasn't a total bust and thank you for the help

Yeah you got to set it every time you power on. On the of 2k at least.