Tempo randomization to add feel?

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Phuturistic

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My sequencer (Digital Performer) allows me to write tempo automation, as well as randomize tempo changes over time by a range of values I set. I'm working on a project right now with the tempo originally set at 103.00 bpm. I decided to try randomizing the tempo for the entire length of the song by a range of (+ or -).25 bpm, which means the tempo constantly changes in realtime during playback from anywhere between 102.75 and 103.25. I felt that by having the tempo change constantly by a slight degree through the length of the song, I could give the song more of a human feel and make it sound less mechanical. Does this make sense, or does anybody do anything similar to this?

Since the range is only .25 bpm, the difference is subtle at best and not very noticeable, at least not to my ears. I'm sequencing MIDI so I'm trying to find new ways of "humanizing" my mixes.

Thanks
 
Random tempo changes?

I'm not sure that will add a 'real' human feel to your music... Many times when there's fluctuations in the tempo, it's due to a change in energy in the song (volume, emotion, etc) and the players tend to rush or slow down through those changes... Maybe program your sequencer to fluctuate in your songs in similar areas rather than just have random changes?

Just my .02

:)
 
I guess what I'm trying to do is create a MIDI drum mix that sounds slightly imperfect, just as a real drummer would play. I already use slight velocity changes on snare hits and hats, etc., so that every hi hat or snare doesn't sound the exact same. I'm trying to acheive slight variations in the timing so everything isn't lined up perfectly in my MIDI performance. I suppose moving certain snares, toms, slightly forward or back in time would help that. I just figured that if the tempo wasn't always exactly at 103.00 bpm, then it might help simulate the effect of a live performance. Maybe I'm approaching this the wrong way?
 
I guess it depends what skill level of 'real' you want to emulate :D
I do find that not hard quantizing everything makes for a more natural sound, but as Rabbit said, you'd probably be better off musically to plan your tempo shifts along with the feel of the song.
Now, if you're going for an ultra-real (but not necessarily well played) feel, you could play around with mistakes/imperfections musicians often make, like rushing notes or imperfectly timed runs... but from what i've found, to make things sound real and natural, you need to do a lot of painstaking manual shifting of notes - it's worth it in the end though.
 
I do the same thing in Sonar, but my range is usually (depending on the song) + or - 1 bpm or less. I agree with the others though. It depends on the song. If it's a very dynamic song, that swells at the end, I'll usually up the bpm slowly as the song goes along, so at the end it's a little quicker for more energy...and then after you're done playing everything else (if you are playing instruments, and not just using MIDI), you can drag notes around as needed.

shit...I need a real drummer.
 
blueroommusic said:
shit...I need a real drummer.
Click to expand...

Ya, but they you have to feed them and take them out for walks and stuff.... :p
 
tempo changes can add or detract from music.. adding random changes is more likely to detract because it's 'random i think...
what about riding the tempo while recording the track to another recorder or midi recorder... then you can decide where the drums get a little faster and 'race' or where the tempo gets slow and more 'mellow' ... that seems like a better way to have some controll.. and you can get more extreme with your tempo changes because 'part 1' is fast then (click) 'the slow part'... or just dragging a few drum samples back behind the beat can work well too
 
It depends too on what kind/type/genre of music you do.

If you do anything that could widely be catagorized as playable by a DJ --- and many genres are catchable in that ever-widening net --- then you want to play with tempo as little as possible. DJ's say there's nothing worse than a song/track/tune that starts at one tempo and then drifts to another. I know that's not exactly what's on the front burner here, but it is something you should take into consideration.

Shifts in the internal timing and velocity of drum parts or in individual pitch of single drum hits have, in my experience, a whole lot more impact than subtle shifts in tempo. And you can have a wider swing between settings without destabilizing the song.
 
I agree that tempo variation is a part of human music, but as already pointed out, those variations are much better employed in a non-random fashion.
 
I don't think it will hurt, but honestly I don't think it will make a difference. A good drummer playing to a click hardly fluctuates, and if he does, it should be indiscernable. I would concentrate more on dynamic volume changes (leading into a chorus, for ex.) than slight tempo changes.
 
RAMI said:
I don't think it will hurt, but honestly I don't think it will make a difference.
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That's sort of how I felt as well. I agree with what most of you have said that if I'm going to add feel to the song, then the tempo needs to varied in a musically pleasing way, and that probably won't be acheived by just randomizing the tempo without concern of what the song is asking for. But since my tempo changes are so subtle, it probably wouldn't be noticeable anyway.
 
Phuturistic said:
it probably wouldn't be noticeable anyway.
Click to expand...
This may be too obvious, but if it wouldn't be noticeable why bother?

Why not move on and start a new song or tune or track?




:confused:
 
You might enjoy this article about the groove in James Brown's I Feel Good from SoundOnSound:

The tempo in that song (which I'm sure you'd agree sounds "human") varies between 136 BPM and 153 BPM, a much wider swing than what you've tried. But like BentRabbit said, the changes also aren't random. A human is more likely to push the beat as the song's energy builds, and pull it back for the softer parts.
 
This last post hit the nail on the head. There are several reasons why using "randomization" is inferior to actually mapping out your tempo changes in a very meticulous fashion. The reason live playing feels live is because of the energy and emotion. It doesn't follow a rigid tempo (even if this tempo varies by 1-2 bpm), it has builds and crescendos that depend heavily on the song itself to dictate where these changes occur.

Furthermore, slight tempo changes in the wrong spot can really f up delays on midi synths, which would otherwise have a very great groove.. instead you end up with a kind of mushy sound. Also makes it harder to keep rhythm guitars and bass tightly in time with the drums.. remember the drums should lead the beat, therefore it is best to establish the needed tempo changes before final tracking everything else, and not fart around with it after other rhythmic instruments are in place. This is why drums are always the very first thing recorded in studios.. So you can lay scratch tracks for guitars to find the sweet spot, then go back and re-record them.
 
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