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How to Keep Acapella on Beat

The word "acapella" refers to a vocal performance without instrumental accompaniment. With the rise of modern laptop music and DJ culture, it has become common for artists to make acapella versions of their hit songs available for remix artists. Though some acapella files contain embedded tempo data, most files leave remix artists guessing. Most digital audio workstations contain tools for identifying and manipulating acapella tempos.

Instructions

  1. Ableton Live Studio

    • 1

      Open Ableton Live Studio.

    • 2

      Open the Ableton library and locate the acapella file. Click-and-drag the file onto the track labeled "1 Audio."

    • 3

      Double-click the audio file in Ableton to open the waveform in the editing window.

    • 4

      Locate the first beat in the audio file. Right-click and select "Set 1.1.1 here."

    • 5

      Right-click again and select "Warp from here" to sync the acapella to the tempo grid.

    Logic Studio

    • 6

      Open Logic Studio. Click "File" and select "Import audio file."

    • 7

      Locate the acapella file on the computer's hard drive. Click-and-drag the audio file onto the track labeled "Audio 1" in Logic Studio.

    • 8

      Double-click the audio to open the waveform in the editing window.

    • 9

      Click the "Factory" tab and select "Time and Pitch Machine" from the drop-down menu.

    • 10

      Enter the original tempo under "Original" and enter the new tempo under "Destination."

    • 11

      Set the algorithm to "Complex" and click "Process and Paste" to sync the acapella file with the new tempo.

    Digital Performer

    • 12

      Open Digital Performer and click "New" to open a new project.

    • 13

      Locate the audio file on the computer's hard drive. Click-and-drag the audio file onto the track labeled "Track 1" in Digital Performer's track window.

    • 14

      Identify the cue point in the acapella track. Align the left locator with the cue point.

    • 15

      Align the playhead with the left locator and cue point. Shorten the audio file by dragging the left end to the playhead.

    • 16

      Drag the entire audio file to the first bar in the Digital Performer sequencer.

    • 17

      Click the metronome icon and select "Play" in the transport bar. Adjust the tempo in the transport bar until the metronome plays in time with the acapella.

Digital Music

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