Changing BPM to auto set tempo

[GeneralGilliam]

Is there any way to place the first tempo marker and then input the BPM and let that create a tempo map automatically? There is a program called EOF which is a MUCH simpler program that can do that, so I figure if cheap little program can do that, then one that I had to pay $60 for should be able to do it too right?

[HMXEnosity]

Well if you doubleclick on the first Tempo Marker in Reaper you can enter in the BPM. This works great for tempo mapping electronica but not so great for rock. I would highly suggest tempo mapping manually measure by measure for rock music.

[GeneralGilliam]

Alright thanks. May I ask why it doesn't work too great for rock songs? I don't understand?

[trg007]

Alright thanks. May I ask why it doesn't work too great for rock songs? I don't understand?

Because drummers are human and therefore not perfect. The tempo of a song will slightly change a little bit every measure, even if it doesn't sound that way when you're just listening to the song. If the drummer used a click track when they recorded, the tempo should stay very consistent but you still want to map it measure-by-measure as outlined in the docs.

[HMXEnosity]

Rock songs vary in BPM over the course of a song. Drummers even playing to a click track will vary ever so slightly. Chances are that each measure will have a slightly BPM. Tempo maps need to be as perfect as possible for Rock Band.

EDIT: oh you trg00ninja!

[buckaroobart]

The drummer in our band is a professional (as in, earns his living) percussionist here in NYC. He's a monster and we all stand in awe of him. We practiced like crazy to a click track in preparation for recording and when we recorded he had a click in his headphones. The music is straight ahead rock, often 4/4. Despite every reason to believe that his playing would be absolutely dead on timing-wise, he still swings a few BPM around musical transitions. Very hard or even impossible to notice by ear, but lining it all up in a sequencer lays it bare. It's especially noticeable around drum fills.

So that's why you have to make a tempo map. Because the players will presumably be swinging the tempo around the same way and ideally you want what they hear and what they see on screen to jive so that they have a good gameplay experience.

[wesjett08]

This is why I loved using midi drums for my song,Played on an e-kit,Loaded into reaper and cleaned up,Rendered with EZdrummer and it's always perfectly in time.I set the tempo at the start of the song and didn't have to ever change it.

The song is a 175Bpm punk-rock song,No way I could have been that perfect with an acoustic set.