Groove Conform

Instead of using a grid based on the session’s tempo map, Groove Conform uses a grid based on a groove template, or DigiGroove. DigiGrooves can be used to apply the feel of a captured passage to the selected audio clips. For information about creating DigiGroove templates, see DigiGroove Templates.

To conform clips using Groove Conform:

1 In the Beat Detective window, select Clip Conform.

2 Select Groove.

3 In the Edit window, if not already selected, select the separated clips you want to conform. Make sure the selection’s start and end points fall cleanly on the beat.

4 In the Beat Detective window, define or recapture the selection as described in Defining a Beat Detective Selection.

When using Groove Conform, the captured selection must not include Bar|Beat Markers. Otherwise, the accuracy of the Groove Template will be compromised.

5 From the Groove Template pop-up menu, select the Groove Clipboard or a saved groove template (for information on creating groove templates, see DigiGroove Templates).

6 To see comments about the selected template, click Show Info.

7 To affect how strongly the clips are conformed to the groove template, select the Timing option and specify a percentage value with either the slider or by typing in a value:

Lower percentage values preserve the original feel of the clips.

Higher percentage values align the clips more tightly to the groove templates grid, with 100% aligning precisely to the template grid.

If the slider is set to 200%, clips move to a location that is twice the difference between the original clip location and the position of the referenced template event.

For example, if a note was played at Bar 1|1|060 (a 16th note), and the corresponding template event is at 1|1|073, a slider value of 100% results in the note being shifted to 1|1|073; a slider value of 200% shifts the note to 1|1|086.

8 To conform the material before applying the groove template, enable the Pre-Process Using Standard Conform option.

With this option enabled, Beat Detective conforms clips to the current Standard Conform settings before applying the groove template. For material in which the performance was not accurate, enabling Pre-Process Using Standard Conform can lead to better results by ensuring that the performance is accurately mapped to the correct bars, beats, and sub-beats before the groove template is applied. Experimentation is the best way to determine when it is appropriate to use this option.

When conforming an audio passage to a heavily swung groove template, enabling Pre-Process using Standard Conform will often yield better results.

9 Click Conform to automatically conform all clips in the selection.

10 Audition the new conformed clips by clicking Play in the Transport.

11 Do one of the following:

If necessary, select Edit > Undo, and repeat steps 4–9 trying a different groove template or Groove Conform settings.

– or – 

If necessary, apply Edit Smoothing (see Edit Smoothing).