Tempo changes... Do you do it?
- Thread starter Rhys Llewellyn
- Start date
amarshism
Member
Absolutely. Big fan of the chorus speed up, and when things go halftime slowing it down just 2-5 bpm.
ahjteam
Anssi Tenhunen
This is from my first album session: It literally took me like 9 hours just to punch in the tempo tracks with the band. The worst track had over 130 changes in tempo and/or time signature. And they played grunge
But I think the end result sounded pretty decent.
And manual notes for total of 4 songs:
Nebulous
Daniel
The first time I loaded an Iced Earth song into Cubase to play along to it with a click I shat bricks at the amount of small tempo changes in their music. That was for thrashy power metal, so I can only imagine how much it's used in other genres.
Mago
Austrian Blech Machine
Arsenu,
Member
- Oct 30, 2008
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fuck this forum!
the more i read the more i realize how much far behind i am! damn it!
luckily i'm only 21 and got a lot of time to learn
about this thread, i heard about small tempo changes in analog tape recording days, didn't think it survived the digital revolution,
i'll add a question which is:
what if after recording a whole song without tempo changes, you time strech the whole thing about 2-5 BPM in different parts? will it work or sound wierd?
the more i read the more i realize how much far behind i am! damn it!
luckily i'm only 21 and got a lot of time to learn
about this thread, i heard about small tempo changes in analog tape recording days, didn't think it survived the digital revolution,
i'll add a question which is:
what if after recording a whole song without tempo changes, you time strech the whole thing about 2-5 BPM in different parts? will it work or sound wierd?
LeSedna
Mat or Mateo
I think it depends on how your daw is set up. Usually if you change nothing a bpm change will affect midi only and your wav will be fucked up. But it depends on the daw, on the algorithms etc.
About the topic, my songs always have many drastic bpm changes. In some of them there is not even a proper chorus or verse. I like them fluctuating and tempo is very important. They all have tempo/signature and key changes, and its far from being prog ala dream theater. I get easily bored with bands playing all their songs in the same key and in the same tempo range.
About the topic, my songs always have many drastic bpm changes. In some of them there is not even a proper chorus or verse. I like them fluctuating and tempo is very important. They all have tempo/signature and key changes, and its far from being prog ala dream theater. I get easily bored with bands playing all their songs in the same key and in the same tempo range.
I tried it once, but it was a bad idea. Also I do not know one song, where other tempo changes than half- or double-time happen. At least I didn't recognize them.
I'm 32 and I've still got a lot (of time?) to learn.
I think it never ends ... don't know if it's a good or bad thing though.
luckily i'm only 21 and got a lot of time to learn
I'm 32 and I've still got a lot (of time?) to learn.
I think it never ends ... don't know if it's a good or bad thing though.never wrote a song in my life that didn't include a tempo change, unless i specifically wanted it to be very simple and basic in both feel and execution!
depends on a lot of factors, including your DAW(different algorithms), what's being played, etc. etc. - but there's a good chance that it can work. only way to tell is to stretch some audio and see if you can hear the artifacts!
Arsenu,
Member
- Oct 30, 2008
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by the way - Strawberry Fields: first time-strech in history
if you listen very carfuly you can hear the change in the middle of the song which is a product of mixing the first part which was normal and the second part which was a lot faster and had to be slowed down with huge analog machinary.
a small history lesson...
if you listen very carfuly you can hear the change in the middle of the song which is a product of mixing the first part which was normal and the second part which was a lot faster and had to be slowed down with huge analog machinary.
a small history lesson...
I'll speed the chorus up a few bpm sometimes and do other minor changes where needed but I think people need to be very careful with tempo changes. A lot of metal I'm hearing now is so badly written. I'm hearing tempo change after tempo change where the band has tried to fuse together two horrible picking riffs (probably peddling on the low string and harmonising in 3rds 
uke and it just doesn't work - it never will. Transitions are so crucial in any arrangement and tempo changes need to be navigated with great care - only execute if it enhances.
I picked up Opeth's Blackwater Park recently and that album has a lot of good tempo changes (and a few dodgy ones here and there, there's a lot of cheese in that album). They mainly act to enhance the feeling in the music - it sometimes takes your mind away, sometimes goes into something heavy and crushing or something brooding - whatever enhances the listening experience. Their new album, on the other hand, is littered with dodgy transitions and it sounds quite amateurish in places.
From a songwriting point of view I'd say tempo change if it feels right. If you're writing metalcore with aforementioned picking, harmonised riffs - go ahead and tempo change every 8 bars, it all sounds like shit anyway. 2 albums that utulise tempo changes perfectly, for me, are Crack the Skye (Mastodon) and Dark Side of the Moon (Pink Floyd). They just happen to be my 2 favourite albums but its just the fact that everything they do - tempo changes included - enhances the feel/vibe/energy and musical flow.
From a production point of view, if the song needs a little bump in the chorus or a little extra room in the middle 8 - do whatever's necessary, 4 or 5 bpm increase or decrease will appear seemless but will definitely affect the listening experience.
uke and it just doesn't work - it never will. Transitions are so crucial in any arrangement and tempo changes need to be navigated with great care - only execute if it enhances.I picked up Opeth's Blackwater Park recently and that album has a lot of good tempo changes (and a few dodgy ones here and there, there's a lot of cheese in that album). They mainly act to enhance the feeling in the music - it sometimes takes your mind away, sometimes goes into something heavy and crushing or something brooding - whatever enhances the listening experience. Their new album, on the other hand, is littered with dodgy transitions and it sounds quite amateurish in places.
From a songwriting point of view I'd say tempo change if it feels right. If you're writing metalcore with aforementioned picking, harmonised riffs - go ahead and tempo change every 8 bars, it all sounds like shit anyway. 2 albums that utulise tempo changes perfectly, for me, are Crack the Skye (Mastodon) and Dark Side of the Moon (Pink Floyd). They just happen to be my 2 favourite albums but its just the fact that everything they do - tempo changes included - enhances the feel/vibe/energy and musical flow.
From a production point of view, if the song needs a little bump in the chorus or a little extra room in the middle 8 - do whatever's necessary, 4 or 5 bpm increase or decrease will appear seemless but will definitely affect the listening experience.
