CAKEWALK sonar x3, Reference Manual

Page: 708 / 2094

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Working with loops and Groove Clips
Working with Groove Clip audio
Creating and editing Groove Clips
Any audio clip can be converted to a Groove clip. Groove clips contain tempo, beat, and pitch
information which SONAR uses to stretch and transpose the clips to match the project. Most Groove
clips are loop-enabled, meaning that you can use the mouse to drag clip repetitions in the Track
view. Groove clips can be either loop-enabled or not, although they usually are. When a Groove clip
is loop-enabled, its edges appear beveled. It is sometimes desirable to create clips that follow the
project’s tempo and key, but are not intended to loop. The following is a list of the attributes
contained in a Groove clip:
•
Beats in clip. The number of quarter notes in a clip. A four measure clip in 4/4 time should have
16 beats. When you enable looping for a clip, SONAR calculates the number of beats in the clip
using an algorithm. This calculation is very often accurate, but in some cases, for instance when
the clip has a very slow or very fast tempo or if the clip has an unusual number of beats, then the
number of beats in a clip may have to be edited manually in the
Beats in clip field.
• Original tempo. The original tempo of the recording. SONAR uses the original tempo to adjust
to your project’s tempo. The original tempo must be specified for stretching clips.
• Reference note. The original key of the recorded clip. SONAR uses the Reference note when it
transposes Groove clips to match your project’s pitch.
These attributes can be edited in the Loop Construction view. For more information about the Loop
Construction view, see
“Loop Construction view” on page 2009.
To set the number of beats in a Groove Clip
When you open a clip in the Loop Construction view, SONAR determines the number of beats in the
clip. In some cases the beat value may not be correct. The beats in clip value can only be changed if
the clip is loop enabled.
Do the following to change value in the
Beats field.
• Click the Plus or Minus button to the right of the Beats field until the correct value is displayed.
To change the Loop Construction view Time ruler display
You can display the Loop Construction view Time Ruler in measures or in samples. To toggle
between the two modes, double-click the Time Ruler.
Note: When you loop-enable a clip, SONAR calculates the original tempo of the clip, and unless
the clip’s length is in exact beat or measure increments, the original tempo that SONAR
calculates may vary from the recorded tempo. These fluctuations are usually quite small and do
not affect the quality of the Groove clip you create.