How to change the time signature of style from 4/4 to 6/8?

Martinkorg · Post by **Martinkorg** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 8:10 pm

I have a style that has been recorded in 4/4. It sounds great, and it has some tracks that i would like to copy and paste to some other styles that i have. The problem is that my other styles are in 6/8. This particular style that i'm talking about is really a 6/8 style, but for whatever reason it has a 4/4 time signature for all its variation. Is it possible to change the time signatue to 6/8? Then, i'd be able to copy the tracks to my favorite 6/8 styles easily.

Martinkorg · Post by **Martinkorg** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 9:50 pm

I forgot to mention that i also have some midi files that are not in sync with the actual tempo and sequencer's barlines. If you listen to them they sound right, but upon a closer look nothing is where it should be. For example, the tempo shows like 186 where is the song sounds more like 80. ( i tested it with my guitar's metronome). Downbeats are not synced with the barlines. i tried to cut some loops out of them to use in my songs, or even to make some styles, but it's a mess. Any tips to correct the problem would be very much appreciated.

Sam CA · Post by **Sam CA** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 11:42 pm

Martinkorg wrote:I forgot to mention that i also have some midi files that are not in sync with the actual tempo and sequencer's barlines. If you listen to them they sound right, but upon a closer look nothing is where it should be. For example, the tempo shows like 186 where is the song sounds more like 80. ( i tested it with my guitar's metronome). Downbeats are not synced with the barlines. i tried to cut some loops out of them to use in my songs, or even to make some styles, but it's a mess. Any tips to correct the problem would be very much appreciated.

The problem with the midi track is because they did a lousy job. They didn't match the tempo and time signature of the song that they were trying to record. Keyboard was playing the song let's say at 100 bpm, and the sequencer was recording it at a different tempo. That would totally mess up every thing. it would sound just like how it was played originally, but totally useless if you want to make a style out of, or copy parts from.

If the problem is only the barlines, (tempo and time signature is correct) then, all you need to do is to highlight all the tracks, and move the notes to the left until the starting poing falls where it should be.

Technically, you can record a 6/8 song using a 4/4 tims signature. Then all your quarter notes become a dotted quarter note, so everything becomes like a triplet. If you want to change that to 6/8, it's a lot easier and faster just to re-record it. Open your sequencer,set your time signature to 6/8 and run the metronome. Then play your style and try to match the tempo of your sequencer metronome with the style. A 4/4 beat at 120 bpm, would be something like 6/8 at 185 bpm. Once you figured that out, create a midi track, and then solo your drum track. Hit record and start your keyboard where you want your first note to be. If it's a loop, just a measure or two is enough. now go to your sequencer, and move everything to the left or right in case you were not on time...do the same for the rest of the tracks, and you've got yourself a 6/8 style...it shouldn't take much.

macboy · Post by **macboy** » Tue Apr 21, 2009 1:35 pm

Sam you truly know what you are doing with arrangers and sequencers !

Great man

jg:: · Post by **jg::** » Wed Apr 22, 2009 12:41 am

If you're using a computer sequencer (DAW), then it's worth pointing out that most of them have some means of changing the timing of MIDI tracks. I don't mean automatically changing from 4/4 to 6/8, I mean multiplying the time of each event by half, quarter, one-and-a-third, whatever. If you figure out what percentage multiplier you need to get the new time signature lined up, you can instantly apply it to all tracks. That would be more accurate than re-recording via MIDI.

Unfortunately, no easy way to do this conversion.

jg::

Sam CA · Post by **Sam CA** » Wed Apr 22, 2009 1:00 am

jg:: wrote:If you're using a computer sequencer (DAW), then it's worth pointing out that most of them have some means of changing the timing of MIDI tracks. I don't mean automatically changing from 4/4 to 6/8, I mean multiplying the time of each event by half, quarter, one-and-a-third, whatever. If you figure out what percentage multiplier you need to get the new time signature lined up, you can instantly apply it to all tracks. That would be more accurate than re-recording via MIDI.

Unfortunately, no easy way to do this conversion.

jg::

Yes, I know what you mean,but that would only work if the original style or midi file was recorded properly in regards to the time signature/barlines/ tempo...etc. If the original recording was out of time, and tempo , then that's not possible, or it would not be practical to spend time over it. I've seen lots of those midi files that are recorded this way. It's because they didn't know how to sync the session between keyboard and the software.