Tempo and Meter Maps

Mapping tempo and meter changes so the grid follows the performance instead of forcing rubato onto a fixed click.

Related

TempoTime SignatureRubato

A grid is a convenience, not a law. A tempo map lets bars follow the performance instead of forcing a free take onto a fixed click.

The problem

Recorded without a click, a piano take drifts and bar lines miss the beat. Quantised to a fixed grid, the same take loses the push and pull that made it musical. Film cues add a problem, because hits must land on exact frames.

The practice

Choose a direction. For free material, record first, then tap or detect the beat and set bar lines to the performance. For composed material, draw tempo and meter changes on a conductor track before recording. Keep the map on one track, and change meter only at bar lines so the grid stays legible.

Settings and judgement

A hundredth of a beat per minute is enough resolution for most work. Do not map every hesitation, or the map becomes noise and editing slows. Lock audio to timecode when picture is involved, and keep a fixed-tempo copy for comparison.

What to listen for

Run the click against the map and listen for drift. It should track the performance without fighting it. If click and player disagree at the same bar every time, the map is wrong, not the player.

Common misunderstandings

A tempo map is not quantisation with extra steps. Mapping does not make a sloppy take tight, and a fixed grid does not make a free take wrong. Meter changes are not tempo changes, and confusing them shifts every following bar.

Sources

• 速度图与拍号变化的编辑方式，依通行 DAW 文档核查，未抄文本
• 自由速度与固定网格的取舍，依配乐与指挥实践通识核查，未抄文本

Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.