ezkeys – tempo…

[Andreas Bryntesson]

i´m running ezkeys in cubase 7!
having some problems with the tempo!
if i choose to make ezkeys “follow host”, the tempo is 125bpm!
the problem is that it is way too fast, so to make it right, i have to set ezkeys to half speed (62,50bpm)!
i still want to “follow host”, but i can´t do that when they don´t match!
so, how about a feature that solves this problem, cause i imagine it will happen quite often!?
i mean some kind of a feature to change the tempo of ezkeys and still be able to “follow host”!?

Topic

[Scott]

I’m not ‘following’ you.

If you want EZkeys to match the host tempo it will. Whatever your host tempo is set to will be followed by EZkeys playback. If you want EZkeys to playback at a different tempo, change it in your host so EZkeys can follow it.

Or maybe I don’t understand what you are saying.

Scott Sibley - Toontrack
Technical Advisor

[Andreas Bryntesson]

yeah, you´re following me just fine, hehe;-)
the problem is that if i set my daw to halfspeed, to make it sound right with ezkeys, all my other midi tracks would change as well…!?
i´m not used to working with midi, so i could be wrong about this and your solution is probably the one i´ll use!
thx for helping out:-)

edit!
i just noticed that exactly what i´m looking for is allready built into ezkeys:-)
it´s located above the column for “variations” and there you can change the tempo of the loops:-)
awesome!:-)

[Juicy]

I think all EZ Midi Browsers feature the Half / normal /dble speed feature.
Especially handy for people programming at 70 bpm but leaving the tempo set at 140 or visa versa

[Andreas Bryntesson]

i just tried this thing out, changing the tempo to halfspeed, in ezkeys!
i´m actually kind of disappointed about that feature, right now!
my song sounds great at normal speed (only way too fast), but when i change it to halfspeed, it doesn´t seem to play the same way and some of the notes sound terrible!?
i had hoped it would play the exact same way, only at halfspeed!
what´s up with this?
any solution?
am i missing something?

[Juicy]

Sped up loops tighten up , and can sound good
If a midi loop is recorded at 120.
It might sound a whole heap loose when played at a full half time, Mainly because the player at the time did not envisage such things happening.
You could also the re quantise but the results may still need tweaking for various other reasons.

[Andreas Bryntesson]

i understand what you´re saying, but it´s not exactly what i mean!
it sounds terrible when i set it to halfspeed, by pushing that button, located above the column for “variations”, playing wrong notes and so on, so i´m guessing something´s wrong with those tempo buttons!?
BUT if i set it to halfspeed by changing the tempo in the “tempo box” from 125 to 62.50, it still sounds great and as it´s supposed to sound imho!
then it´s played exactly the same, only at halfspeed!

so, there are 2 different ways to make it play at halfspeed and the results should be exactly the same, but they are not!
1 sounds terrible and 1 sounds awesome!
the problem is that obviously i´d prefer to use the one that sounds terrible, cause if i change the tempo in my daw, all my other tracks are also effected!
both methods should obviously work anyway!

[Rogue]

hi – this does not sound right. Can you please send more details about the files used in the browser and exactly how you are building your track. If you have the means to make a screencast this is useful… alternatively send us a host project file.

IMPORTANT: please reference this topic in your email to support and ask that it is passed onto me.

Rogue Marechal - Toontrack
Configuration Manager

[Andreas Bryntesson]

sorry, but i don´t know how to make a screencast, but if it´s easy and you can help me out with it, i can give it a try!?
otherwise i can send you the file and describe what i´ve done to make this problem occur!

actually i can describe it right here and now!

* i import a midi file into ezkeys!

* if i play it without “use browser midi” activated, it sounds just like expected and just like the original midi file is supposed to sound (i´ve tried it before, but with other pianos)!

* i activate “use browser midi”!

* i choose the ballads add-on pack, straight 4/4, 70s power 63 bpm intro, variation 03!

* i have “follow host” activated and the tempo is 125 bpm and way too fast, but i like how it´s played and i want to use it, but at a slower speed!

* i push the tempo button, located above the variations, and set it to 1/2x speed!

* the tempo is ok now, but not how it´s played!
several wrong notes and it´s not played the same (not the same pattern)!

* i change the tempo back to normal speed again, using the tempo button!

* i disable “follow host” and set the tempo (right next to “follow host”) to 62.50 and push enter!

* the tempo is ok now and also how it´s played!
it´s played exactly like in normal tempo, but slower (just like it´s supposed to)!

i just went through all of these steps again, as i wrote this post and the exact same problem occured, as described!

[Andreas Bryntesson]

while waiting for your response, i did another test that shows that it´s not my midi file that´s the problem and you can easily and quickly try this out without me sending you the file!
this time i didn´t import any file at all!

here´s what i did:

* i added 10 blocks to an empty project in ezkeys (cubase 7)!
all blocks were unchanged and left as c chords!

* played it through without “use browser midi” activated, to hear what it sounded like!

* i activate “use browser midi”!

* i choose the ballads add-on pack, straight 4/4, 70s power 63 bpm intro, variation 03!

* i have “follow host” activated and the tempo is 125 bpm!

* i push the tempo button, located above the variations, and set it to 1/2x speed!

* suddenly it´s not played the same anymore!
first wrong note starts at around bar 4!

* i change the tempo back to normal speed again, using the tempo button!

* i disable “follow host” and set the tempo (right next to “follow host”) to 62.50 and push enter!

* now it´s played exactly like in normal tempo, but slower (just like it´s supposed to)!

[Juicy]

I have tried some of what you describe and get some fairly unmusical results.
Tempo being halved or doubled can select the wrong parts of the phrase not to mention leading notes. superimposed on chords (follow browser midi) that they were never meant to work with , perhaps its just too far from what was actually played to work well.

Btw the Half/normal/dbl speed all work as expected here relative on a set bpm.

[Andreas Bryntesson]

ok, thanx for your efforts!

so you´re saying that you´re getting the exact same result, when pushing the button for 1/2x tempo as when you change the tempo to half speed by typing the tempo manually?
do you use the same add-on pack (ballads) and variation?

as i wrote before there is a clear difference between how those 2 methods sound for me, but they should be identical!

[Juicy]

Yes both methods are identical but no i do not use ballads.

[Andreas Bryntesson]

ok, i just tried something to see if this is only a problem with the ballads add-on pack…

i did a slightly shorter version of what i did in post 10, without using the ballads add-on pack, to compare the 2 methods of lowering the speed to half and determine if they are identical without the use of an add-on pack!

* i added 10 blocks to an empty project in ezkeys (cubase 7)!
all blocks were unchanged and left as c chords!

* i activate “use browser midi”!

* i choose the ezkeys midi, broken chords, position 3, variation 05!

* played it through to hear what it sounded like!

* i have “follow host” activated and the tempo is 125 bpm!

* i push the tempo button, located above the variations, and set it to 1/2x speed!

* played it through to hear what it sounded like!

* i change the tempo back to normal speed again, using the tempo button!

* i disable “follow host” and set the tempo (right next to “follow host”) to 62.50 and push enter!

* played it through to hear what it sounded like!

so, after testing the 2 methods of taking the song to halfspeed, using ezkeys midi (no add-on pack), i can confirm that they are still not identical!
i hear some differences in how long the bass notes are ringing, but i´m too tired right now to determine exactly what they are!
more obvious and easier to spot are the differences in what note is played at about 4.5 of the grid of the timeline and again at about 8.5!

[Juicy]

You cold expect the durations to be appearing shorter as they are exaggerated by half speed playback.
at real speed q breath of time may be ok but feels longer at half, so just edit the note in your daw and move on.
Takes less time than typing.

[Author]

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