Can Mixxx do what I need? (tempo and beat grid questions)

[Aurongroove]

Hy, I've been.... kinda pulling my hair out looking for DJ Software that adequately deals with the music I might typically use in a set.

Right now I use Virtual DJ, which, despite it's.... short comings, DOES have functions that I was shocked Traktor absolutely, completely does not have when it comes to manually setting tempo information.


The best way to explain what I'm looking for is to give you an example.

Hypothetical Track 1:

5 minutes long, 4/4 meter, constant 120 BPM easy-peasy for algorhythms to scan for tempo/grid etc.
ahh, but there's a breakdown near the beginning that lasts '9 beats' so the down beat doesn't come back "with the grid" but rather, it comes back on what appears to be beat 2. and carries on in 4/4.
Then, near the end, there is a breakdown that lasts 7-and-a-bit beats, meaning the down beat comes back off grid, AND off beat.

Can I set a cue marker when/where new downbeats appear, and will mixxx remember that information?

Traktor does handle this task.


Hypothetical track 2:

5 minutes long, 4/4, first 3 minutes is 130 BPM, after a short feature in the middle, it comes back in break-beat at 124 BPM and stays like that for the rest of the track.

Can I set up a marker where the tempo changes, and give it the new tempo, and save the information?


Trakor absolutely cannot comprehend gridding for a track changing tempo.



Bonus round:
Less important, or maybe something I'll worry about in future, but can mixxx deal with unusual time signatures and/or odd time signatures? i.e. 3/4, 6/8, 7/8, or can it only grid 4/4?
(nothing I have ever used seems to be able to grid for non 4/4 tracks.



Sorry for the "sudden and demanding" first post.
I've had a long confusing day with Traktor.

[pi r squared]

Mixxx can handle non-constant tempos when the beat detection is done, but it is generated algorithmically and may not be perfect, is not editable further down the line, and the BPM figure quoted is then an average (I believe) rather than the "main" BPM of the track.

I'm always pleased to see people using Mixxx, but if Virtual DJ does the specific things you need it to, why are you looking to change?

[daschuer]

Hi Aurongroove,

pi r squared is right, Mixxx cannot exactly do this.
But the good news is that we can tweak Mixxx to do this.

There is currently work in progress that allow to define regions of constant beats in a track.
I am currently working on a improved version if the QM beat detector used in Mixxx.

Your help is very welcome to improve this region.
Do you have interests?

Do you have hanonic Mixing experiences as well? Here we have already an improved algorithm that still needs some love and test.

Thank you,

Kind regards, Daniel.

[Aurongroove]

Ahh I see.

Yeah I would love to help, if I can.
I did some programming in my Masters, but it was mostly synthetic/creative (i.e., making sounds with coding)
Besides which it was a long time ago, I wouldn't be any good on the "back end" of development, but at the very least I am AWARE of it!