Ableton djs, how do you warp dubstep?

[toufas]

i have big trouble warping dubstep tracks.
how do you warp yours?

[djshiva]

i have big trouble warping dubstep tracks.
how do you warp yours?

ok.

set your tap tempo to a key. listen (without warping) and use tap tempo to find the tempo (there is a reason for this, trust me).

then in the clip properties, click "warp". MOST of the time, autowarp gets the approximate tempo right, it just doesn't set the first marker correctly. if it doesn't get the tempo right and sets up a trillion warp markers, click on one, select all, and delete them. then enter the approximate tempo you found in the Seg. BPM box.

now, once the tempo is close to correct, place the first warp marker on the first beat you want to warp from. sometimes you can place it at the beginning of an intro, sometimes it may be simpler just to find the first real beat of the song. turn on your metronome. this is a simple way to make sure your track is lined up with the correct tempo.

most electronic music is sequenced, which makes it easier. i usually go to the 17 mark and check to make sure things are in sync. if they are, continue to the 33rd. if things are still synced, they will prolly stay that way. to make a warp marker, double click on the number and that will make a warp marker. if you need to move it, click once and drag. do not double click until you have it where you want it, and do not drag if you have already made a marker. you can do this at varying points throughout the song, depending on how in sync it already it.

what you are looking for are the transients at the beginning of beats. use your eyes and your ears and eventually you will be able to do this in your sleep. it takes me about 30 secs to a minute to warp a tune, depending on the complexity.

i generally make warp markers at the beginning of phrases, like when the bass first drops, when there is a beatless break, when the beat breaks down for the outro. i use them as visual reminders, as well as telling ableton how to play.

if you have a tune that is NOT sequenced by a computer (live music, bands, etc.), you will need to make many more warp markers. use your ears.

and most importantly, when you are done warping each tune, click on "save" in the clip properties box in the "sample" section. if you do not do this, you will lose all of your work when you pull up the tune. if you transfer your tunes to another computer or folder, take both the tune AND the corresponding .asd file.

typically, you want to use repitch mode instead of beats (beats mode can leave some ugly transient wibble on a steady bassline), unless this would drastically alter the pitch (say it's a 130 bpm tune with a vocal, we don't want any chipmunk action here). then complex warp comes into play.

be forewarned, complex mode will not only use more processor to play, but will also alter the sound a bit (deadens the highs and undermines the lows just a smidge). there are some methods you can use (involving bbe sonic maximizer and PSP vintage warmer) to fix that, but sadly the forum i learned that from seems to be down. PM me and i can tell you the score.

this is the super fast version of the explanation. check youtube for some great video tutorials and also go to www.ableton.com and get into the forums. tons of great info there.

p.s. my best advice, after telling you how to warp tunes, is to never think of ableton in terms of how turntable djing works. don't just think 2 channels, think 3 or 4. don't just think tunes, think pieces...you can have a hell of a lot of fun, but the creativity is up to you.

i hope this helps, and if you need any clarification, holla!

[toufas]

i dont have a problem with warping itself, since someone showed me 3 years ago how to do it, i can easily warp anything with a 4/4 beat.
what is troubling me, is that i use the built in metronome to check my warping if its right, then i play a track that i know its warped fine together, to see if its correct. then i repeat the process till i have what i want.
with dubstep the problem is, the magical beat arrangement that makes it so magical to my ear, is not suitable for this method....
i use the same method you described (every 16 beats, i put a marker as well) but the offbeats most of the time work, but its not what i would describe perfect.
can you post an example of a free track warped with the .asd file please?
feel free to pm me

[tempest]

Hey sapphic, thats a damn concise tut on warping. cheers for that one

[djshiva]

i dont have a problem with warping itself, since someone showed me 3 years ago how to do it, i can easily warp anything with a 4/4 beat.
what is troubling me, is that i use the built in metronome to check my warping if its right, then i play a track that i know its warped fine together, to see if its correct. then i repeat the process till i have what i want.
with dubstep the problem is, the magical beat arrangement that makes it so magical to my ear, is not suitable for this method....
i use the same method you described (every 16 beats, i put a marker as well) but the offbeats most of the time work, but its not what i would describe perfect.
can you post an example of a free track warped with the .asd file please?
feel free to pm me

you just have to think of the 4x4 beat in your head. it works EXACTLY the same. promise. i have 2 years worth of work put into dubstep warping using exactly the method that i described above. the only thing that is confusing you is the shuffle. it is still the same time sig and still the same bpm. you just have to use both your eyes and your ears. your ears (and the magical 4x4 beat you make up in your head to match the metronome) will tell you it's right, and your eyes will see the beats in the waveforms and let you know you are on point.

consider this...i mix a lot of dubstep with straight 4x4 techno, and it sounds fine. perhaps find your self a straight 4x4 beat loop and play that while you are warping to help keep it in your brain as you go?

Hey sapphic, thats a damn concise tut on warping. cheers for that one

thanks! i hope it is helpful!

[wasteman]

1.Set the bpm in the sequencer to 140
2.Turn on complex in the clip - I always use this as I don't like fucking with the pitch of a tune and don't personally notice the highs or low being messed with, certainly wouldn't put that piece of shit vintage warmer on each of my tracks
3.Find the first beat of the song and click warp straight from here
4.Tidy up the warp marks


That's the way it works for me although theres obviously others. I also tend to use a limiter on each channel though I don't usually use it to clip, I just use it to boost the level and control the output to the master - set it to something like-2db. I also keep a limiter on the master bus to boost the final level and add a tiny bit of harmonics.

[auan]

The warping every 16 bars thing you only really need to do if the track is ripped from vinyl. If it's off a CD, you you bought the MP3 (as opposed to downloaded, illegal downloads are usually nabbed from vinyl as well), you should only really need the first marker for the vast majority of tracks. What I do is warp the first say 4 bars, then get to a drop, where you can clearly see the waveform come back in, warp it to there so it's perfect, then again for the 2nd drop, then go make sure the outro matches up as well. There's a tutorial for this on DOA that goes into more depth. But basically, if you can match up the beginning, middle and end of the track without using markers, you're laughing.

And yeah, your offbeats always will be off the beat. Dubstep isn't hard quantised to the beat like techno is, it's the fact that the hits don't quite match the beat that makes it so funky. All I do is match up the first beat of every bar, because it's usually a kick and kicks are easy to spot in the waveform, and because it doesn't matter what crazy groove is going on within the bar, the first hit is almost always right on the beat.

[djake]

i started workin on my first ableton mix 2day after playin about with warping and all dat for a while

i basically do the same as whats been said

[manray]

Ableton is so long its not even funny.

[rancor]

manray wrote :

Ableton is so long its not even funny.

Ha too right! reli need to hav a crack at it tho... don't hav the money for decks at the moment you see.

[nospin]

one thing i learned from a youtube tutorial:

when you are warping each one of your tracks, make a default 4/4 loop with just a kick.
save that 4/4 loop and use it to warp all your tracks along with it.
if every one of your tracks sound great with that 4/4 loop you made,
they should all sync up with one another perfectly.
if you use a different loop, or even a different kick drum to warp each track, then some of your tracks might be slightly off and sound bad when mixed together.


i've never really had trouble with matching them to a 4/4 loop, but some dubstep beats just shouldnt be going at the same time.

and listen to sapphic, her last mix was insane

[djshiva]

one thing i learned from a youtube tutorial:

when you are warping each one of your tracks, make a default 4/4 loop with just a kick.
save that 4/4 loop and use it to warp all your tracks along with it.
if every one of your tracks sound great with that 4/4 loop you made,
they should all sync up with one another perfectly.
if you use a different loop, or even a different kick drum to warp each track, then some of your tracks might be slightly off and sound bad when mixed together.


i've never really had trouble with matching them to a 4/4 loop, but some dubstep beats just shouldnt be going at the same time.

and listen to sapphic, her last mix was insane

good idea there with the 4x4 loop! and thanks for the props!

also check this forum: http://www.abletonlivedj.com/forum/

LOTS of great info there, and a few dubstep mixes. add yours!

[vadarfone]

Blimey.

Seems like a lot of effort to go to just to mix tracks!

I would just get Traktor and a Kaos pad (could get both for about the same price as Ableton)

Warping. Pah!

[auan]

Only four channels. Pah!

[whineo]

Personally find warping a really swift process.

[djshiva]

Blimey.

Seems like a lot of effort to go to just to mix tracks!

I would just get Traktor and a Kaos pad (could get both for about the same price as Ableton)

Warping. Pah!

yeah, multiple channels, whatever effects units you desire, ability to chop up tunes in whatever configuration you want, instruments that you can use to add your own live bits to the mix, play 120 bpm tunes at 140 (if you so desire), unlimited creativity...yeah i dunno why anyone would do that when they could have 2 channels and a handful of effects.

[nospin]

Blimey.

Seems like a lot of effort to go to just to mix tracks!

I would just get Traktor and a Kaos pad (could get both for about the same price as Ableton)

Warping. Pah!

yeah, multiple channels, whatever effects units you desire, ability to chop up tunes in whatever configuration you want, instruments that you can use to add your own live bits to the mix, play 120 bpm tunes at 140 (if you so desire), unlimited creativity...yeah i dunno why anyone would do that when they could have 2 channels and a handful of effects.

if you're using ableton just to replace 2 decks and a mixer... no real point is there (maybe save cash on vinyl)... but clearly theres much more you can do

[time nice]

nice explaination sapphic, I never thought about it all to that degree of detail before!