[ubuntu-studio-users] Tempo changes in qTractor

[Ralf Mardorf]

On Wed, 14 Sep 2016 23:21:28 +0100, David Sumbler wrote:
>On Wed, 2016-09-14 at 22:33 +0200, Ralf Mardorf wrote:
>> On Wed, 14 Sep 2016 20:40:11 +0100, David Sumbler wrote:  
>> > 
>> > On Wed, 2016-09-14 at 19:04 +0200, Ralf Mardorf wrote:  
>> > > 
>> > > On Wed, 14 Sep 2016 13:32:50 +0100, David Sumbler wrote:    
>> > > > 
>> > > > 
>> > > > Using qTractor, how can I change the tempo for a short section
>> > > > of a
>> > > > piece?    
>> > > With the mouse chose the menu
>> > > 
>> > >   View > Tempo Map / Markers ...
>> > > 
>> > > or push
>> > > 
>> > >   Alt + V
>> > > 
>> > > and then
>> > > 
>> > >   a
>> > > 
>> > > then edit e.g.
>> > > 
>> > >   Bar: 1 / Tempo: 90.0 4/4
>> > >   Bar: 2 / Tempo: 120.0 4/4
>> > > 
>> > > don't forget to push the
>> > > 
>> > >   Add-button
>> > > 
>> > > That's it.  
>> > When I do that, the dialogue lists the start of the piece but
>> > doesn't
>> > show the location of my markers, even when I have selected a
>> > section.
>> >  The track display also jumps to the start of the piece.
>> > 
>> > This makes it very difficult to insert a time change just where I
>> > want
>> > it.  Of course, I can type a different value into the "Time" box
>> > under
>> > "Location", and the display will then show me the correct section
>> > of
>> > the piece, but there is nothing to show precisely where that time
>> > point
>> > is within the section of music displayed.
>> > 
>> > I think I must be missing something here...  
>> I never used it myself, but it took me less then a minute by trail
>> and
>> error to find out, that if you open the tempo map, you could chose a
>> colour for a marker and give it a name. Then push the add button.
>> With the mouse move one of the blue markers (edit head and tail)
>> above
>> your marker and then you can move the marker that was added by the
>> tempo
>> map dialog, to any position you like. After that select the marker in
>> the tempo map and add what ever tempo you want at this position. You
>> could move the play head from one marker to another by using the |<
>> and  
>> >   
>> > > 
>> > > buttons. IMO it's self-explaining. There might be some features
>> > > that  
>> aren't self explaining or that require more than less than a minute
>> of
>> trail and error. I don't know if the Qtractor Wiki / online manual
>> informs about those features. I never read it.
>> 
>> https://sourceforge.net/p/qtractor/wiki/Manual%20-%204%20Qtractor--An
>> %20Overview/#4-qtractor-an-overview
>> http://qtractor.sourceforge.net/qtractor-index.html#Support
>> https://sourceforge.net/p/qtractor/wiki/Home/
>> 
>> Users could ask for help at Qtractor devel mailing list.
>> 
>> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/qtractor-devel
>> 
>> If you should be subscribed to Linux audio user mailing list, you
>> also
>> could ask there. Rui, the coder is subscribed to Linux audio user.
>> However, he usually replies faster, if you send a request to Qtractor
>> devel.
>> 
>> http://lists.linuxaudio.org/listinfo/linux-audio-user
>> 
>> Regards,
>> Ralf  
>
>Thanks for your help on this.  Perhaps I'm a bit thick, but I had been
>fiddling around for hours, never mind minutes, and hadn't managed to
>work out how to do it.
>
>I've now managed to create markers, but it took me a long time to work
>out how to move them.  I eventually discovered that this is because
>they can only be positioned on bar boundaries, or so it seems.  This
>isn't any good at all for what I want to do.
>
>If anyone can tell me how they can be positioned at arbitrary points in
>time, I'll be very grateful!

A workaround could be to chose different meters, even asymmetrical
meters seem to be possible.

However, isn't that what you want mentioned by the manual pages?

After using Google, it again required less than 1 minute, I found this:

"There are two limitations to be aware of with regard to tempo and time
signature changes. Firstly, changes must occur at the start of a bar -
there is no facility to add changes within one. If you, for example,
need to insert a change into the middle of a 4/4 bar, create two 2/4
bars and add the change to the start of the second of these. Secondly,
there is no facility to "ramp" between two different tempos (gradually
increase/decrease tempo over a defined period). Hopefully, such a
feature will be added in the future, though whether this will happen or
not is currently unclear." -
https://sourceforge.net/p/qtractor/wiki/Manual%20-%204%20Qtractor--An%20Overview/

Too funny, it mentions the workaround that I had in mind, too.

Consider to read the manual, if you have needs, that aren't
self-explaining.

Regards,
Ralf