Rubber-banding/Absolute BPM Sync

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Full Spectrum
Hasn't felt like this about software in a long time
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Rubber-banding/Absolute BPM Sync

Post by Full Spectrum »

I feel like there are two extremes for how this request will be received. Either I'm completely ignorant and this already exists, or I'm out of my mind and this is a nightmare (or straight up impossible) to program.

I want to be able to tap the spacebar to establish the BPM for playback, but as I speed up or slow down, the footage not only starts playing back at the current BPM rate, but rubberbands BACK to keep up with me.

E.g. If I have footage of a timer counting up seconds, and I am tapping at a BPM that's constantly changing, no matter how fast or slow I go (within reason), when I've tapped 30 times on the spacebar, I will see "30" in the footage.

Right now, when I do a movie timed to live orchestra, I have to cut it up into hundreds of edits with tails to account for unique performance speed. This would be MASSIVE for opera and concerts. The ability to let a musician on a midi pad keep a video file in perfect time to the maestro would be game changer to the "MOVIE in Concert" genre.

(Preemptive edit: Yes, I am aware click tracks exist. No, most conductors hate them and ask for another solution.)

Thanks all.

Zoltán
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Re: Rubber-banding/Absolute BPM Sync

Post by Zoltán »

Doesn't the nudge do what you describe?
If you don't like the hard cut you get from pressing 'Resync', you can also press the 'Nudge Up' and 'Nudge Down' buttons. These will temporarily speed the tempo up or down while you have the button pressed, and set it back to where it was when you let go. This will let you catch up to the music, or let the music catch up to you.
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Full Spectrum
Hasn't felt like this about software in a long time
Posts: 74
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2016 01:55
Location: Los Angeles, CA

Re: Rubber-banding/Absolute BPM Sync

Post by Full Spectrum »

Thanks for the reply, Zoltán!

Idon't think nudge will work for me, because that requires the operator to "know" where we are in the music vs. where we are in the video.

Imagine I've given a midi pad to a member in the orchestra. That musician is looking directly at the conductor, with no information about what the video's doing (it's behind him). He's just tapping the midi pad. Given that scenario, I want to be able to keep the video in time with the orchestra.

Zoltán
Team Resolume
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Re: Rubber-banding/Absolute BPM Sync

Post by Zoltán »

Tapping tempo with a live orchestra won't ever be 100% accurate.
When I've done scenarios like this with a live band, we either used multiple clips with some loops at transition points, with musical cues to change them,
or used tweaking the video playback speed to keep the video around the position where the music was.

Without a click track, I think the operator will need to know where the music is vs the video progress, and will have to adjust the speed manually, just like as if they would be another member of the band playing an instrument.
Software developer, Sound Engineer,
Control Your show with ”Enter” - multiple Resolume servers at once - SMPTE/MTC column launch
try for free: http://programs.palffyzoltan.hu

Full Spectrum
Hasn't felt like this about software in a long time
Posts: 74
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2016 01:55
Location: Los Angeles, CA

Re: Rubber-banding/Absolute BPM Sync

Post by Full Spectrum »

Well, it would be 100% accurate with rubber-banding. That's the point. If the orchestra is on measure 56 and I've hit the pad 56 times, the video would be accurate +/- 1 measure maximum, but assuming the tempo has stayed relatively consistent, it probably wouldn't be more than 10ms off. Professional conductors have machine-like accuracy.

What you've described is exactly what I currently do. Each opera I design averages 70 cues, leveraging tails, loops, and other tricks to hide the live edits, and with a stage manager following both the score and the conductor. Ultimately, what I'm looking for is another tool in the chest to bring in some really exciting effects that I couldn't do otherwise. Advanced particle generation, for example.

In there world of musicals and opera, the reality is this: I don't stay past opening night. And not to diminish the work of stagehands... but I don't trust anyone to do anything more than push a button. Certainly not figure out if the video needs to be faster or slower. A good 1/3 of my work as a professional designer is figuring out the balance between what I want to do, and what can be maintained reliably after I leave.

Resolume gives me plenty of tools to make it amazing. I need more tools to make it simple.

(Like your amazing Linear OSC controller which everyone should buy from you #notsponsored)

Zoltán
Team Resolume
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Joined: Thu Jan 09, 2014 13:08
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Re: Rubber-banding/Absolute BPM Sync

Post by Zoltán »

What if the person hitting the beat misses one?

I appreciate striving perfection, but if there is a human factor in the sync, you can't assume it ill be 100% accurate ;)
With a live band the imperfection is part of the performance.
Software developer, Sound Engineer,
Control Your show with ”Enter” - multiple Resolume servers at once - SMPTE/MTC column launch
try for free: http://programs.palffyzoltan.hu

Full Spectrum
Hasn't felt like this about software in a long time
Posts: 74
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2016 01:55
Location: Los Angeles, CA

Re: Rubber-banding/Absolute BPM Sync

Post by Full Spectrum »

Hmm, I suppose so.

I guess I would say, in my experience, I would sooner put my faith in a professional stagehand doing a simple task a hundred times, over a complex task once or twice.

Thanks for entertaining the idea

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