HLS - Auto-Generate your Beat Track

J

JHinkle

New member
I'm betting very few knew that HLS could auto-generate a beat track.

I did the video below to show you how.

We use the DSP capability within HLS to extrack the BEAT from the audio.

Then we use Envelope Processing to make a discrete step wave of the DSP processed audio.

Then we use the envelope to identify at which Audo level to drop an Effect -- what color -- what intensity -- your decide.

Enjoy.

Joe

 
Thanks Joe for the excellent demonstration.
Back when you were implementing audio envelope processing I thought I would never use it and kind of discarded its use. This makes it easy to follow and use.
One question (I am not an audiophile so this may sound stupid), Do you have to do anything with the right channel? When you select right or left it shows 2 different sets of values. How does that play out when applying the audio envelope? Would selecting right channel and applying the audio envelope produce the same beat track as using the left channel?
 
Your audio file is stereo meaning that some information exists on the L channel that does not exist in the R channel.

That is why you can hear different instruments around the room.

Your instruments may be dominate in one channel (L or R). If so - you are golden -- just work with THAT channel.

Vocals tend to be in the middle which means they are in both.

In the DSP dialog -- there is a checkmark at the bottom to apply the DSP filtering to both channels.

Bottom line --- use the channel that holds the best envelope for the instrument you are trying to work with.

By the Way --- make sure you go under Audio and click the "Remove Filtering" before doing you show or the audio will be that obtained from the DSP filtering.

Joe
 
I have seen some people wanting a View-Meter like effect in the show.

A column of lights or maybe just a group of lights (pixels or RGB) that changes color with the audio level intensity.

Don't use DSP -- run an envelope on either channel and then assign an Envelope profile that maps audio form 0 to 100 in a certain number of steps.

Assign a different "Level" (if using incans or leds) or different colors if RGB and you have an automatic view meter.

Hope that helps.

Joe
 
That is a great idea! I was looking at NC to do this very thing with their Piano effect and setting to equalizer bars but could never get it to work with the current piano shapes. I believe the problem for me was that the model I was using was too small (only 8 X 8 pixels). I wanted to use each column of single pixels as a bar. I will have to play with this after I get my Halloween show up and running. I am still building tombstones for cripes sakes and I still have to re-sequence 6 songs for new elements.
How the heck is it September 26th already??? Someone please tell me it's only June and I have my dates wrong....
:cry:
 
Right now --- the Envelope Process clears the channel of any effects and drops only the ones specified.

I could make a change that would allow you to PILE up effects from different envelope profiles --- If people would use it --- I don't like to create things no one will use.

If I did that then you could use a BandPass filter - HI Q setting (a single fileter provides a 3db roll off -- as you increase the Q -- you keep adding 3db roll offs on to each other making the skirts of the bandpass very steep instead of very broad (3 db - very broad --- 30db --- very steep).

You could then set the center frequency of the Bandpass to the piano note wanted -- generate an envelope and place effect based on the envelope level.

Do this for multiple note frequencies -- dropping effects of different colors based on each note and PILING them onto the channel. If effects collided -- the last effect placed would win -- but you could produce a piano effect.

Joe
 
So to get the visualizer bar effect I was thinking, I could use segments and copy those generated effects onto the segment channels.
I could take a 30 pixel pole and divide it into 6 segments of 5 pixels. Have each segment be an envelope level and have as many poles dancing to the song as I wanted going up and down as the song changed....and to mix it up have every other pole different levels to make it look random.
I think I can "visualize " this in my head working....
But.....
Do me a favor and don't work on this for 2014, I'd be too tempted to make it work...... :shy:
I'll bring it up AFTER Christmas.....getting too close and I am scatter brained enough as is.
:biggrin2:

P.S. Very cool idea!
 
Joe, on the new envelope profile screen, I don't have the enable level bar slider. Did I miss a step for that to be present? Thanks!

Donny

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The idea of a View Meter --- several people PM'd me on this so I thought I would demonstrate how one might be done.

This is a quicky -- start to end in 14 minutes + 5 minutes off screen --- total arounf 20 minutes.

As I state in the video --- spend a little more time and you can make a Better one.

Enjoy.

Joe

 
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