How to tighten a drum performance in pro tools using beat detective

Using Beat Detective and its support functions to their fullest extent requires time and practice. Thus, this article will cover basic functions of the program. Once the basics are mastered, you can then come up with additional methods and techniques that work best for you.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Pro Tools with an up to date version of Beat Detective

How to Follow the Beat!

1. Select the drum tracks you wish to modify.

2. Select several bars with the same tempo and time signature.

3. Open "Beat Detective" and click "Region Seperation".

4. Select a value of 10 using the "Trigger Padding" option.

5. Press "Capture Selection".

6. Press "Analyze".

7. Experiment with the "Sensitivity" option. The idea is to fiddle with it until you are satisfied that the trigger points are in their proper position. This can take more time for older versions, so don't get frustrated.

8. Press "Separate".

9. Go to the "Region Conform" page.

10. Select a strength and percentage.

11. Press "Conform".

12. Go to "Edit Smooth" and select "Fill and Cross Fade".

13. Press "Smooth" to finish.