Kostenlose Demo starten

Managing sound and music reactivity

Some Musical Concepts

BPM and Downbeats

Music is composed of various elements, with rhythm playing a crucial role in determining the movement and flow of a composition. A fundamental rhythmic structure in music is **BPM, or “Beats Per Minute.” This measures the tempo or speed of a song. For example, a song at 60 BPM would have one beat per second, while a song at 120 BPM would have two beats per second. The higher the BPM, the faster the music.

Downbeats are another important component of rhythm. They typically refer to the first beat of a measure and are often emphasized in Western music. For example, in a 4/4 time signature (four beats per measure), the first beat is the downbeat. Musicians and dancers use these downbeats as a guide to structure their playing or dancing.

There are also upbeats, which are the beats that are not emphasized. In a 4/4 time signature, the 2nd and 4th beats are usually considered upbeats. Rhythm and rhythmic structure are essential for giving music its sense of movement and dynamism.

Frequencies

Source: Schoolmov
Lichtquelle : Schoolmov

The sound spectrum in music is generally divided into three main frequency ranges: bass, midrange, and treble. Each frequency range has a distinct impact on how we perceive music.

  • Low frequencies (approximately 20 Hz – 250 Hz) correspond to the deepest sounds we hear. They are produced by instruments like the bass, kick drum, and tuba. Low frequencies give music its body and are felt as much as heard, often perceived physically as vibrations.
  • Midrange frequencies (approximately 250 Hz – 4,000 Hz) are generally associated with the ‘body’ of the music. This frequency range encompasses most of the sounds produced by musical instruments and the human voice. It is often considered the range that gives music its warmth and richness.
  • High frequencies (approximately 4,000 Hz – 20,000 Hz) concern the highest-pitched sounds. They are produced by instruments like cymbals, flutes, and certain synthesizer sounds. High frequencies add brilliance and clarity to music.

These three frequency ranges work together to create a complete musical experience. A good balance between these three ranges is essential for high-quality sound. This is why sound engineers spend a lot of time adjusting the levels of bass, midrange, and treble when mixing and mastering a music recording.

Gain

Gain, in the context of audio and music, refers to the increase or decrease of the signal level in a piece of audio equipment or software. It is often confused with volume, but there is a subtle difference between the two. While volume controls the output sound level you hear, gain adjusts the input level of the audio signal. Proper gain setting is essential for achieving optimal sound quality and avoiding distortion. If the gain is too high, the audio signal can be “clipped” or “overdriven,” causing unwanted distortion. Conversely, if the gain is too low, the signal can be too weak, making the sound difficult to hear or record properly. In music software, gain can often be adjusted with a slider or gain control, allowing you to optimize the amplification or reduction of sound according to your specific needs.

Audio Inputs and Outputs

A computer has several types of audio inputs and outputs that allow you to connect various audio equipment for recording and playback.

  • Audio Input (Line In): This input is generally used to connect external audio sources, such as a music player, mixer, or musical instrument. The sound from these devices can then be recorded or processed by the computer.
  • Audio Output (Line Out): This output is used to send sound from the computer to external devices, such as speakers, an amplifier, or a mixer.
  • Microphone Input (Mic In): This input is specifically designed for microphones. It often includes a preamplifier to boost the microphone signal, which is typically quite low.
  • Headphone Output (Headphone Out): This output is optimized for headphones. It usually has a lower output level than the line output and is often accompanied by a volume control.
  • Digital Input/Output (SPDIF, HDMI, USB, Thunderbolt): These ports allow the transmission of digital audio signals, which can support multiple audio channels (such as surround sound) and offer better sound quality. They are typically used to connect high-end devices such as home theater systems or professional audio interfaces.
  • USB, Thunderbolt, or FireWire Audio Interfaces: These interfaces are external devices that provide additional audio inputs and outputs and are often used for professional audio recording and production.

It’s important to note that the exact ports available may vary depending on the model and brand of the computer, and some modern laptops may have fewer ports due to their compact design.

Analysis and Synchronization

In HeavyM, the Tempo and Audio Analysis module is located in the Sequencer at the bottom of the interface.

The Tempo Module

To make your mapping more dynamic, you can animate your effects to the tempo. This can be used as a trick if you don’t have a good microphone to synchronize your effects with sound: simply match HeavyM’s tempo to the rhythm of the ambient music, and you’ll create the illusion that the sound and animations are linked!

Setting a BPM Value

You can set a tempo value in the input field, or click in rhythm on the TAP button, and the value will adjust to your tempo. This value is expressed in Beats Per Minute (BPM) and must be between 20 and 999.

You can check if the tempo matches what you want using the visual indicator at the bottom of the module: the small yellow bar moves according to the set tempo. When using the TAP button, you need to click in rhythm a few times to accurately calculate the BPM value.

Der “Resync” button is also there to help you adjust to a tempo: click it on the first beat of a measure in your sound to reset the visual indicator to the first bar.

Linking the BPM Value to Another Application

Head over to this article to learn how to link HeavyM’s tempo value to other applications using Ableton Link.

Selecting an Audio Source

When you activate the sound analysis module, an audio source is selected by default (if at least one is available). Click on the gear icon to access the settings window and select a different source from the dropdown list in the title bar.

Available inputs can include:

  • Microphones: when you want to capture ambient sound during your performance.
  • Audio files that you’ve imported into the project: starting with HeavyM 2.11, choose the “HeavyM Timeline & Sequences Audio” input so that the audio files added to the Timeline or in the Sequences settings are analyzed when they play.
  • Your computer’s audio: Sometimes, your built-in microphone may not be of good quality, and you might pick up interfering noise. Or perhaps you don’t have a microphone at all, and you want to use audio directly from your computer. Your computer isn’t directly available as an audio source in HeavyM, but there are ways to achieve this functionality: on Windows, look for the Stereo Mix input in the Recording tab of the sound control panel. On Mac, there’s no native solution, but you can try audio routing solutions like Soundflower (a quick tutorial from an English-speaking user hier!).

Adjusting Gains

You can adjust the overall input gain to fine-tune the signal level sent by your audio source. You can adjust it with the yellow slider on the left side of the module or in the settings window. Additionally, the settings window includes a gain adjustment for each frequency range for greater precision. Make adjustments with your audio source active until the values in the spectrum are satisfactory.

Note: In general, audio interfaces used as inputs also have a gain or volume control. For built-in microphones, for example, you’ll find it in System Preferences… → Sound on macOS, or by right-clicking the volume icon in the taskbar to access sound settings on Windows.

Adjusting Frequency Ranges

When audio analysis is activated, you can see the small gauges in the module react when sound is detected. These bars correspond to the average values calculated for each frequency range in the settings window: Bass, Mid, High.

The limits considered for each frequency range can be adjusted on the spectrum, from low to high frequencies (from left to right). If a calculated average value bar appears high, the frequencies in that range have a high level in your sound.

You can later make your effects respond to these different ranges. By default, Bass contains the lowest frequencies, Mid covers some of the middle frequencies, and High includes the highest frequencies.

Note: A frequency range cannot be discontinuous. However, the 4 combined ranges do not need to cover the entire spectrum and can also overlap.

Making Effects Respond to Sound or Tempo

Once your tempo and ranges are set, you can start linking effect parameters to make them vary according to a rhythm or sound.

All compatible parameters have a small dropdown menu with different variations on the left. You’ll find these parameters in group effects, sequences, players, and transitions.

Unsere this article to see what these variations look like and how to find them.

To continue

Interacting live with a video mapping

This guide was written by HeavyM, a company specializing in video mapping since 2013.

For any questions, comments, advice, etc., please use this contact form: https://help.heavym.net/hc/requests/new. Response guaranteed within 24 hours.