Contents - Index


Tempo Tracker, Timing Tab
User Level: Basic, Advanced
MIDI File Usage: Playback, Notate

For best results, especially for music that changes tempo or otherwise has a non-steady beat, you should use the Tempo Tracker to tell intelliScore where the beats fall in the music, rather than relying on the Tempo Auto Detect feature to find the tempo for you.  However, if you do not intend to convert the MIDI file to notation and do not need the notes to line up with the beats and measures, you should enable the Easy Timing feature, which makes setting the tempo with the Tempo Tracker unnecessary.

Close all unnecessary programs before using the Tempo Tracker.  Click the arrow Play button.  The audio file will begin playing.  Click on the button to the right of the Play button or press the <SPACE BAR> in time with the music, starting with the first downbeat of the portion you want converted.  (The downbeat is the first beat of the measure or bar.)  If you find it difficult to start tapping on the first beat, wait and being tapping on the first beat of the next measure; we'll adjust it later.  Tap at a steady rate as if you were tapping your foot or clapping your hands in time with the music.  You do not need to click at the same speed as the notes are being played; several notes can play in between each tap.  One rule of thumb that applies to most modern music is to listen to the rhythm.  The rhythm usually consists of a repeating pattern.  If you tap four times per pattern, you will notice that the loudest drum hit occurs on the third of every four beats.  As you tap you will notice a counter over the tapper buttons.  If you specified you intend to notate the MIDI file in the Options window, the counter is in the format m:b, where m is the current measure and b is the current beat within that measure.  If you specified you did not intend to notate the MIDI file, the counter simply increments with each tap.  You will also notice during tapping that the average tempo of your taps is displayed.  You can stop tapping when this value stabilizes, but for best accuracy, you should tap the entire portion of the song that you want converted; this ensures synchronization is maintained even if the music changes tempo.  Only the tapped portion of the audio file will be converted; clicking the arrow Start and square Stop buttons do not count as taps.  As a result you must tap at least twice.  When you are finished, press the square Stop button or wait for the audio file to finish playing.  If you miss a beat, just start over.

Once you finish tapping, the Tap Extender window will appear.  If you later select a different audio file or change the Start Time, you should record the tempo again to maintain synchronization.  This setting is not applicable to live performance mode.