Nord User Forum

Hi,

I am seeking to improve my precision against the beat. I have noticed that I am always slightly ahead of the beat, although consistent. I have measured this on my DAW to be approx. 0,05 sec on average. I usually get a near-perfect result by shifting the audio a few milliseconds, but this phenomenon concerns me.

When I play something basic, say a 2-octave scale with my left hand on a 120 bpm tempo while focusing specifically on matching the beat, I get closer to it, but I am less consistent! This is beyond me. Is it something usual or is it just me? And is there something I can do to improve on this?

I believe playing 'perfect' on the beat should not be your goal.
A better goal is to deliberately be 'early' or 'late' in your timing to get the right feel for the song you play.

The listener does not measure your timing, he or she only experiences it.

Also note that most DAWs have some recording offset, so unless you're recording your metronome and the playing simultaneously, you can't gauge precision against the internal clock of the DAW.

Thanks for your feedback. After investigating it turns out my DAW wasn't properly set up. The automatic latency compensation wasn't working like it should. Now everything's fine!

Lophophora wrote:Hi,

I am seeking to improve my precision against the beat. I have noticed that I am always slightly ahead of the beat, although consistent. I have measured this on my DAW to be approx. 0,05 sec on average. I usually get a near-perfect result by shifting the audio a few milliseconds, but this phenomenon concerns me.

When I play something basic, say a 2-octave scale with my left hand on a 120 bpm tempo while focusing specifically on matching the beat, I get closer to it, but I am less consistent! This is beyond me. Is it something usual or is it just me? And is there something I can do to improve on this?

Why is that your goal?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempo_rubato

sweelinck wrote:

Lophophora wrote:Hi,

I am seeking to improve my precision against the beat. I have noticed that I am always slightly ahead of the beat, although consistent. I have measured this on my DAW to be approx. 0,05 sec on average. I usually get a near-perfect result by shifting the audio a few milliseconds, but this phenomenon concerns me.

When I play something basic, say a 2-octave scale with my left hand on a 120 bpm tempo while focusing specifically on matching the beat, I get closer to it, but I am less consistent! This is beyond me. Is it something usual or is it just me? And is there something I can do to improve on this?

Why is that your goal?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempo_rubato

Brilliant when you're playing alone.

Useless whenever you're not.

IN jazz or blues, you could have the bass a bit ahead to "pull" the song on a fast tempo while the guitar or keys could "in the beat, deep into it", meaning really almost after the beat on a slow tempo....Well it's an examp,e but Eroll Garner is very famous for using some ahead tempo to keep pulling/pushing the song...Or Miles Davis, sometime you even feel head lost the notes, he forgot to play it but no, finally you heard it and it's still on the beat kind of, can't moared to the other instruments...
For me if you "feel" it right, go for it, leave it the way you registered, so, it will sound more natural, with no quantization....
Sorry if the "push/pull" thing isn't the right translation in English though...
Sincerely

analogika wrote:

sweelinck wrote:

Lophophora wrote:Hi,

I am seeking to improve my precision against the beat. I have noticed that I am always slightly ahead of the beat, although consistent. I have measured this on my DAW to be approx. 0,05 sec on average. I usually get a near-perfect result by shifting the audio a few milliseconds, but this phenomenon concerns me.

When I play something basic, say a 2-octave scale with my left hand on a 120 bpm tempo while focusing specifically on matching the beat, I get closer to it, but I am less consistent! This is beyond me. Is it something usual or is it just me? And is there something I can do to improve on this?

Why is that your goal?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempo_rubato

Brilliant when you're playing alone.

Useless whenever you're not.

Ensembles learn how to work together to play expressively. In a rock band, the drummer or rhythm player can act as conductor to lead the ritards at the end of a section or song. Musicians who play together regularly can learn to communicate expressivity. It can be hard to achieve if too many independent tracks are recorded and mixed, and certainly metronomes and drum machines defeat expressive playing.

Did you check for a latency setting in your DAW? Maybe you have an incorrect value and you are playing on time, but the track is repositioned after the recording is stopped.
I was looking just today how to adjust this in Audacity, I suppose that the principle is similar in whatever DAW you use (you generate a click track, then record the output back into another track and measure the distance between clicks).

sweelinck wrote:

analogika wrote:

sweelinck wrote: Why is that your goal?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempo_rubato

Brilliant when you're playing alone.

Useless whenever you're not.

Ensembles learn how to work together to play expressively. In a rock band, the drummer or rhythm player can act as conductor to lead the ritards at the end of a section or song. Musicians who play together regularly can learn to communicate expressivity. It can be hard to achieve if too many independent tracks are recorded and mixed, and certainly metronomes and drum machines defeat expressive playing.

You're still gonna have to be able to play in time.

(What’s with the huge writing?)