Last edit by cstoll, Atomix Productions on Tue 02 Sep 08 @ 7:46 am
Rhythm Window
Above the players, a window posts curves corresponding to the two rates/rhythms of the music. These curves are represented in a waveform, allowing you to see your music. The peaks in the curve represent beats. In order to synchronize the music, these peaks should occur at the same time. The present is represented by the feature in the middle of the screen. All on the left was already played, while what is on the right represents the next seconds of the track.
You can zoom in or zoom out the display using the slider on the left, or the three preset buttons (1, 2, 3) on the right side of the rhythm window. You can also change the zoom of the Waveform by moving the mouse cursor over it and using the mouse wheel.
By clicking on the Waveform and moving the mouse, you can shift the track (of the default deck with a left clik, or of the other deck with a right clik). This can be used to start the music from a specific place, or to rephase the two tracks together while playing.
If the mouse cursor reaches an end of the window while moving, it will reappear on the other side. Thus, you can apply a continuous motion without worrying about the screen limits.
Below the curves there are small squares, named CBG (Computed Beat Grid), which represent the position of measures. The large squares represent the beginning of a measure 4:4 time. The CBG is particularly useful, for example, when mixing a track at the time of an intro where the beat is not yet present.
In the picture above, you can see that the beats are completely synchronized – it is easy to see that the peaks (beats) of the music are lined up. However, some music does not have the very obvious single beat peaks that most house and techno music has. This is when the CBG is very useful. If you look at the following graphics, it is not exactly clear where the beats should sync up by just observing the waveform visually. However, with the help of the CBG, it becomes much easier to synchronize the two tracks:
Image:Rhythm_Example1.jpg
<center>NOT BEAT MATCHED – CBG NOT ALIGNED</center>
Image:Rhythm_Example2.jpg
<center>BEAT MATCHED – CBG NOT ALIGNED</center>
Image:Rhythm_Example3.jpg
<center>BEAT MATCHED – CBG ALIGNED</center>
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