Timing Questions

Since I got my MPC earlier this month, I've been just practicing cutting up samples and just learning to take out parts I like, but when it came to sequencing everything together, my timing sucks.

I have no idea how to find the original tempo of a loop, tapping the tempo button gives me crazy numbers (ex 150 or 45 for a song I know might be around 90).

Second thing, say I sample in a 5 second sound clip. And I cut it in four pieces and spread it over four pads. I set my tempo to 98, and when I go to sequence, either the tempo is too fast and I can't hit all pads in the order and time I want to, or the tempo is too slow so there is silence after all the clips have finished playing.

What can I do to make the sounds I get fit my tempo? Even if the sounds i only a quarter of a bar, how can I make it stretch to half, or even one bar?

Would also love any tips on improving timing.

i usually try to match the chops to a drum track. sometimes you gotta change the tempo of the individual chops and fuk around wit it. or you might have to trim a veeerrrry small piece of the sample to make it fit cause sometimes you might not hear it or it might not even cross ya mind. and theres timestretching which i cant tell you sh!t about. sorry

Any other tips?

Ok another question:

Say my track tempo is set to 95 BPM

I sampled something I'd like to loop, that i'd like to fit in one bar exactly.

Unfortunately, it runs for about 2 bars, 3 beats... what can I do to change it to fit in 1 bar.

just a tip...a tempo like 145 isn't a bad tempo. might seem too fast but it dosnt have to be. doubling your tempo can actually give you a better swing!

80 bpm doubled would be 160. try it out man. trust me

just guess the tempo. lay your sample or loop. if you hear silence before the loop restarts then you know its too slow. speed it up.

if it cuts your loop off too early, its too fast. adjust the tempo that way.

my bad double post

I was taught that most hip hop tracksuse 90-98 BPM. So I set my sequence to use 95.

I sampled in a loop, which looked to play for 1 Bar and 3/4th's of another totaling 7 beats.

What I am trying to learn is how can speed up the loop to fit in a bar... or is changing the tempo fine?

changing the tempo is fine if your beat will still work that way. you have other options like timestretch, TUNE or choppin that loop up

SharifTK wrote:I was taught that most hip hop tracksuse 90-98 BPM. So I set my sequence to use 95.

Oh man...

Don't stick to what other people tell you they think is right. Make your own music!

also, try clapping your hands to the metronome.

if you can't do it, sell the MPC.

uggh

_Stilo_ wrote:

SharifTK wrote:I was taught that most hip hop tracksuse 90-98 BPM. So I set my sequence to use 95.

Oh man...

Don't stick to what other people tell you they think is right. Make your own music!

cosign. i never understood why people claim a certain tempo applys to a certin type of music. im not sayin its the wrong way but thats not true

To find the exact tempo I turn the count ticks to on during play. Then I select the tempo feild of the sequence and hit play to hear the ticks. Then I just turn the data wheel to make the tempo(ticks) faster or slower, and hit the pad to play my loop at the start of the bar.

If I set my sequence tempo to match the tempo of the sound being sampled, and say it ends up to be 60 or even 145 as mentioned before... won't it throw off my drums if I am quantizing?

If you already recorded them yes it will, if you have a loop, find the bpm, then record drums over the loop it should be fine. The only difference between 60 and 120 is whether you quantinize to 1/4 or 1/8 notes. When you record the drums either bpm (actual or double) will work.

If your gonna loop somethin and you dont wanna timestretch, change the tempo of the track til the loop fits, I've made trcks at 60-70 bpms that still have a 90ish bpm feel after the drums and other sprinkles are added. Oh yeah, add your drums after the loop is layed down.