Beat Marking & Splicing (Cool Edit)

This note introduces a new technique to improve the stretching of our loops. Optimized for Adobe Audition, our beat markers allow you to adjust the BPM of files well beyond the range of conventional loops and loop applications. Our marking technology also enables you to zero-in on individual hits within a loop (as in a drum groove or bass line) and easily splice, or batch-out those individual hits for creating your own, unique performances. Using beat markers (and inserting your own) is a fairly simple process which can also be used in Cool Edit Pro 2.

Start with a loop-ready file in the Edit View. Go to Edit>AutoCue>Find Beats & Mark, you’ll be prompted with a window asking about "Decibel Rise___dB" and "Rise Time___ms". Essentially, when Audition is auto beat marking it’s looking for "attacks" or "sharp transients". These come in the form of short bursts in amplitude. The default settings (of 10dB/9ms) are good for most straight-time applications. For busier, on-top music, like Fusion or fast Metal, you might use settings of 10dB/4ms or sometimes 8dB/4ms. Slower grooves may require less aggressive detection settings to avoid over-marking a file. In that case, settings of 10dB/40ms or 12dB/50ms might be something to try. Normalizing a file can often assist the beat-detector in improving its accuracy. In general, try sticking with the defaults, and modify as needed.

Once you click OK, the vertical red markers will appear. To enable the markers in the loop, go to View->Waveform Properties (or press CTRL-P) and select the LOOP tab. Check the LOOP button. Under Stretch Method, select BEAT SPLICE and check the radio button labeled Use File’s Beat Markers. Insert into the multitrack and you’re ready to roll. If you find that you’re experiencing clicks or pops at the beat-marked boundaries, this probably means that your markers were not placed at "zero crossings" (see manual for details). This can occasionally occur with complex stereo material. If you right-click on the time display and select Snapping>Snap to Zero Crossings, this will allow you to place the markers in Zero-Crossed areas, which will improve the stretched performance.

On the other hand, if you notice that a particular beat was not marked, with Snap to Zero-Crossings enabled, click the mouse to place the yellow cursor at the appropriate position (you can also drag the yellow triangle for more precise positioning) and hit F8. This creates a "basic" cue-- but we want to turn that into a Beat Marker. Simply right-click on the new Cue, and select Change Cue Type>Beat. You can make these Cue Type adjustments in the Cue List as well.

Note: When changing the Cue Type in Edit View, you will want to move the yellow cursor away from the new cue, then right-click on the cue handle (the red triangle). Otherwise you will see the pop-up menu for the cursor and not the cue.