The intent of this topic is to gather information on and experiences with software to change the bpm of songs in mp3 format. There are many good popular songs for waltz, foxtrot, rhumba, etc. that have a tempo either slightly too fast or slow. There are at least two commercially available time scaling packages of which I am aware but have not yet tried. They are TimeFactory and EZTimeStretch from Prosoniq. Has anyone discovered a good shareware package? Does anyone have a recommendation on a package?

Just a quick note. I do this professionally, and if you're really serious about getting the best sounding constant-pitch tempo change, or visa-virsa, you need to look at the 'ProTools' package from DigiDesign (www.digidesign.com). They have a free version for W98 available on-line. The best tempo-change software I've seen anywhere (and I've been looking for almost three years), comes from a company in NewZealand called (of all things) 'Imaginary Gadgets' (www.ImaginaryGadgets.com). The software is called 'PitchNTime 2'. It does the change using AI techniques, and is the single most powerful piece of tempo software I've ever seen. The results are also absolutely astounding: No echo, no ailiasing, no undesirable reverb, etc.

Just FYI.

Steve Booth

[This message has been edited by SteveBooth (edited 01-14-2001).]

[This message has been edited by SteveBooth (edited 01-14-2001).]

Didn't your CD burner come with software? It actually isn't much more trouble to edit the files with one program and then burn them with another. Of course it's always nice to have an all-in-one package, but it's such a small task that I personallt find it to be a total non-issue.

Jonathan

Do any of these softwares capable of burning a CD after modifying a song? I have downloaded winamp+pacemaker based on what I've read in this thread but I haven't figured out how to "burn" some of the selections I have modified.

To BallroomDancer - Thanks for the tip. Winamp have the basics I'm looking for and it's free.

Like Jonathan, I use SoundForge XP for tempo adjustments and other music editing (the scaled-down version, not the really expensive one). Though I think the suggested retail is $50, you can get it cheaper from online vendors. I paid $30 at buy.com.

Vanessa

I have used many software packages (Sound Forge, Cool Edit, Profi's BPM software, among others) and the best solution I have found is using Winamp and the PaceMaker plug-in. PaceMaker allows you to modify the tempo without changing the pitch! It also allows you to modify the pitch without changing the tempo (so you can have all of your strict tempo songs sung by The Chipmunks!).

The best part about WinAmp+PaceMaker is that it is all free!

In addition, if you make ballroom dance mix CD's, I would recommend you use AudioStocker. AudioStocker regulates the volume of your MP3's so they all sound the same on your CD. (To use both PaceMaker and AudioStocker at the same time, you should get the MuchFX plug-in manager, which is also free).

If you have any questions, ask!

BD

Syntrillium's Cool Edit does well too.

I have never found any good shareware, but Sonic Foundry's Sound Forge is excellent. The full version is an expensive package (around $500, I think), but there's a scaled-down version for around $50. The interesting thing is, the full version isn't that much better than the scaled-down one. Both versions come with plenty of effects and processes, including reverb, chorus, envelope, time compression and expansion, and pitch shift.

For more info, try www.sonicfoundry.com.

Sincerely,
Jonathan Atkinson

P.S., Jonathan, Sound Forge is good for a number of things, but the speed change algorithms that Sonic Foundry uses are, IMHO, sorely lacking. It's great for some things, but speed (tempo) changes isn't one of them.

Steve

Rice,

The software you use to burn CDs depends on whether your CD is ATAPI or SCSI. Most ATAPI drives come with software specifically designed for the drive. The best SCSI CD software is, IMHO, Adaptec's Easy CD Creator.

Steve

[This message has been edited by SteveBooth (edited 01-14-2001).]