KVR Audio

neueliteratur · Post by **neueliteratur** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 10:29 pm

Hi folks,

Someone I know composed a song in 4/4, with omnipresent triplets.

The tempo was "quarter note = 120".

So I said, "I'd have written it in 12/8".

Since he was on guitar pro, he couldn't set the tempo marking to "dotted quarter note = 120".

So I proudly told him to make it "quarter note = 180".

Which didn't work at all. It was a lot slower than "quarter note = 120 in 4/4".

Why is this?!

I need mathmaticians's advice

jancivil · Post by **jancivil** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 11:59 pm

12:4 = 3:1. 3 x 120 = 360.

I guess your confusion lies in taking dotted quarter vs quarter as 3:2.
the essential fact is 'three triplets to one quarter is 3:1'.

neueliteratur · Post by **neueliteratur** » Sun Feb 20, 2011 9:09 pm

I would like a moderator to delete this thread.

I saw a problem where there wasn't.

jancivil · Post by **jancivil** » Sun Feb 20, 2011 10:20 pm

for the sake of utmost clarity, 12/8, 8th note = 360 BPM is what does the trick here.

actually, 6/4 and quarter note = 180, should work if what you enter is 8th notes, but I don't know what sequencer would give another result. I remember some years ago being frustrated with Cubase not taking a half note for BPMs, so expressing 'cut time' in the same terms you'd use in 'real life' wasn't possible, you had to express 2/2 as 4/4 and double the BPM.

The connotation of 6/4 here isn't the best idea in the world for this situation, but the sequencer don't care about that.

Username652719 · Post by **Username652719** » Fri Apr 08, 2011 1:51 am

I know in Ableton, the BPM counter is not 'locked' to a set note value. It acts as more of a counter, so if I enter 4/4 120, it will beat at 120bpm per quarter note, but at 4/8 120, it will beat at 240 per 8th note. It treats meter as directly linked to the tempo, which is pretty silly.

The solution in this case is to set it so that it beats at 8th note level, tempo 180. This will make each eight note beat at 360bpm, which works out to 1.5 quarters per beat at 120.

tapper mike · Post by **tapper mike** » Fri Apr 08, 2011 4:41 am

Meter is linked to tempo.
To adjust your grid for triplets use Ctrl 3 It's in the manual.

Username652719 · Post by **Username652719** » Fri Apr 08, 2011 4:01 pm

tapper mike wrote:Meter is linked to tempo.
To adjust your grid for triplets use Ctrl 3 It's in the manual.

There's not much to discuss... meter is only linked to tempo when a reference beat is established.

Secondly, you're advice isn't even related to his problem.

jancivil · Post by **jancivil** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 4:07 am

Username652719 wrote: The solution in this case is to set it so that it beats at 8th note level, tempo 180. This will make each eight note beat at 360bpm, which works out to 1.5 quarters per beat at 120.

IN FACT that wasn't any solution at all; it's exactly what halfstep did before his post and it was half the speed he wanted. The true answer is 8th note = 360 as I indicated. The proof: *dotted quarter = 120* is what he wanted.
Three 8ths to a dotted quarter.
3 x 120 = 360.

Tempo marking equivalence calculation