Acoustica User Forums

How can I adjust the playback rate of the entire project? I understand how to adjust playback rate of individual clips but I want the entire project's playback rate to be adjusted. Specifically I want to slow it down so I can adjust the rhythm of certain sounds with greater precision.

Reaper has this feature in plain view as you can see by the picture. To me, this seems like a fairly crucial and easy to implement feature, which makes me think I am missing it somewhere. But the obviousness of this feature in Reaper makes me think maybe Mixcraft lacks this feature?

Where it says 125bpm in the image double click to type new tempo or use the up/down arrows to the right of the number, that appear when you click in the area

Ian Craig wrote:Where it says 125bpm in the image double click to type new tempo or use the up/down arrows to the right of the number, that appear when you click in the area

Snapshot_102.jpg

Here we go again. That changes the bpm of the track, not the playback speed. If you have any clips that are edited in any way (i.e. that are NOT the full, unbroken length of the project) they will jump around all over the project when you change the bpm and make the project unplayable.

To the OP: There is no solution for this, the developers have been asked on multiple occasions for this most basic of functions that all other DAWs have, but for reasons unexplained it has never been added.

There are various workarounds but none that are easy and simple.

aj113 wrote:

Ian Craig wrote:Where it says 125bpm in the image double click to type new tempo or use the up/down arrows to the right of the number, that appear when you click in the area

Snapshot_102.jpg

Here we go again. That changes the bpm of the track, not the playback speed. If you have any clips that are edited in any way (i.e. that are NOT the full, unbroken length of the project) they will jump around all over the project when you change the bpm and make the project unplayable.

I didn't know that. I don't change clip speeds within projects. Interesting to know.

aj113 wrote:Here we go again. That changes the bpm of the track, not the playback speed.

I'm not too sure why a 'playback speed' slider is such an important tool to have within in an un-rendered project but OK, no issue with that part. I'm just probably ignorant of that fact. What I have an issue with is semantics.

If speed is the distance traveled over time, wouldn't adjusting the 'project bpm' change all the tracks and not just one track? If so, then adjusting the 'playback speed' is shortening or lengthening the time it takes for the whole project to play. Right?

So, to reference Reaper, what does that slider actually do? Does it shorten or lengthen the bpm, i.e., the timing, of a 'single track' within the project itself?

Thoughts?

AHornsby wrote:...I'm not too sure why a 'playback speed' slider is such an important tool to have within in an un-rendered project...

The OP has already explained. To slow down the playback in order to record with greater accuracy.

What I have an issue with is semantics.

You're making it an issue of semantics, it's not. It's as simple as this: adjust the bpm in MC and all the clips fly around all over the project, making it unplayable. Call it bpm, call it playback speed, call it what you want, it is not possible to simply play back at a slower (or higher) speed without first jumping through a lot of hoops.*

*Unless none of your clips are split, and they all start at the very beginning of the project.

aj113 wrote:[You're making it an issue of semantics, it's not. It's as simple as this: adjust the bpm in MC and all the clips fly around all over the project, making it unplayable.

Unless the basic terms are defined there can be no agreement on anything.

Plus, linking clips doesn't seem to be such an onerous task but I have never had many tracks to deal with in my projects.

aj113 wrote:Call it bpm, call it playback speed, call it what you want, it is not possible to simply play back at a slower (or higher) speed without first jumping through a lot of hoops.*

These aren't necessarily equivalent terms especially if you're talking about rendered playback. So, if you use them as if they had different meanings within a sentence, it just makes it seem like you are trying to sell some snake oil.

No hard feelings AJ but I am just trying to understand what the 'OP' was trying to do.

So, again, does the OP want to change the BPM within a single track? That I can understand.

AHornsby wrote:...linking clips doesn't seem to be such an onerous task but I have never had many tracks to deal with in my projects.

Therefore if you have many tracks it's an onerous task, yes? Plus that is not all thtat is required, you then have to extend the front of each clip so that it locks to the front of the project, and then automate silence for the section you just dragged. Furthermore, if there are multiple splits in the clips, that is usually because the user wants it that way for future flexibility, the user almost certainly doesn't want to be forced into merging clips just to be able to play back at a slower speed. Is that onerous enough for you?

These aren't necessarily equivalent terms especially if you're talking about rendered playback. So, if you use them as if they had different meanings within a sentence, it just makes it seem like you are trying to sell some snake oil.

Snake oil? WTF??? Are you arguing for the sake of it? Nobody said they were equivalent terms. The point I made is that you can label the feature (or lack of it) with whatever you want, it doesn't change the way the feature works (or doesn't work in the case of MC).

So, again, does the OP want to change the BPM within a single track? That I can understand.

I don't think I can explain it any simpler. The OP wants the the project to play back slower than its normal speed, then return to the correct speed after recording. What is there not to understand?

I think the Reaper solution shown is brilliantly simple and would be a highly valuable tool to incorporate into Mixcraft.

The simple fact is that functionally, slowing the BPM of a Mixcraft project for practice or even punch in recording does not work as desired, even though in theory it should.
(Full disclosure, I haven't tried it in v8, but am familiar with issues in previous versions.)
You can render a copy of the project (or selected tracks), import it as a new track, solo and slow down the BPM for practice, but if you try to record a clip via punch in, then speed the project back up via BPM, new problems arise, (at least it worked that way up through v7).

AHornsby wrote:...linking clips doesn't seem to be such an onerous task but I have never had many tracks to deal with in my projects.

aj113 wrote:Therefore if you have many tracks it's an onerous task, yes?

That's the difference between us AJ. Whether it's one or 1,000 I would do what it takes or not do it at all.

aj113 wrote:I don't think I can explain it any simpler. The OP wants the the project to play back slower than its normal speed, then return to the correct speed after recording. What is there not to understand?

... and the 'correct' speed is what?

aj113 wrote:Here we go again. That changes the bpm of the track, not the playback speed. If you have any clips that are edited in any way (i.e. that are NOT the full, unbroken length of the project) they will jump around all over the project when you change the bpm and make the project unplayable.

To the OP: There is no solution for this, the developers have been asked on multiple occasions for this most basic of functions that all other DAWs have, but for reasons unexplained it has never been added.

There are various workarounds but none that are easy and simple.

Hi,

How would you like this feature to work? Would you like the pitch preserved? It looks like Reaper doesn't preserve the pitch unless you right-click and tell it to preserve the pitch.

Greg

AHornsby wrote:...That's the difference between us AJ. Whether it's one or 1,000 I would do what it takes or not do it at all.

No, the difference is that you build straw men and I don't. I didn't say that I don't do it. I said it was onerous.

aj113 wrote:I don't think I can explain it any simpler. The OP wants the the project to play back slower than its normal speed, then return to the correct speed after recording. What is there not to understand?

... and the 'correct' speed is what?

Are you serious? Nobody is that stupid. Notice the word "return". What do you think that could possibly mean? Come on now, I know you can do it......

Acoustica Greg wrote:
Hi,

How would you like this feature to work? Would you like the pitch preserved? It looks like Reaper doesn't preserve the pitch unless you right-click and tell it to preserve the pitch.

Greg

Basically, think of it as slowing the tape down to a slower speed, and then returning it to its original speed again after recording. The only difference is that yes, the pitch should be preserved.

I think it will be easier to code the feature if you understand what the user is trying to achieve, which is simply to play an intricate, complicated part with more accuracy. So, slow it down to make the part easier to play, then speed it back up afterwards.

Hi,

So, you'd want it to preserve pitch. I wonder if anybody would want an option to not preserve pitch.

Greg

The only thing Mixcraft needs is a Pinky and Perky ON/OFF button!