Can someone help with dotted eighth notes?

bvaughn0402

bvaughn0402

Inspired
I'm trying to wrap my mind around this. I've seen different YouTube videos in an attempt to get this. They seem to contradict each other.

Is there any audio or video example to hear the accenting?

I'm trying to do a tap tempo in the Axe.

Thanks
Brandon
 
I don't get it. What's the problem? Just set the tap tempo to dotted eights, and tap the tempo. It should be that simple, that's the only way I know of doing it.
 
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Please explain what the problem is or the difference between the videos you have seen.
 
Brandon - delay times can be set in ms, or they can be set as fractions of the global tempo. Select dotted 8ths in the delay block (check the manual if you don't know how to do this) and then hit the tempo button on the front panel. Set "tempo to use" to "global". You can now tap the tempo in using the tempo button (in quarter notes) and your delay will be in dotted 8ths.
 
Thanks guys ... sorry for my cryptic message. I typed it out on an iPad.

Here is my dilemma ... I'm playing live ... not against a click ... as such I have a patch with dotted 1/8ths to give that U2 sound. But I need to adjust the timing ... live on the spot using tap tempo. Or worst case, the song tempo changes in the middle of the song enough where I need to adjust the tempo mid song.

Now, I can adjust the time via BPM/ms calculations ... which I would prefer and do in a studio environment. That makes sense to me.

But when I'm live ... and realize the drummer started the song just a little bit "faster" than rehearsed ... my delays are a bit too out of sink.

So, what I'm trying to do is drill into my head how a dotted eighth rhythm sounds so live I can first catch the down beat .... 1 2 3 4 ... then move over to the dotted eighth rhythm and then tap tempo it in.

Does that make better sense?

About 3/4 of the YouTube videos I pulled up are either showcasing a dotted 1/8 patch, or diving into the BPM/ms conversion.

For the others, that focus more on a tap tempo approach, I'm hearing different things:

Dotted 8th Delay (with David Blakeman) - YouTube

This is suggesting accenting (*) on the following: 1* & 2 &* 3 & 4*

That just seems uneven to me, and also doesn't seem to be dotted 1/8 (maybe dotted 1/4?).

Here is another video: Tone Tips: The Dotted Eighth Delay - YouTube

He speaks of thinking of dotted eighth in terms of 16ths ... so dotted eighth = 3/16.

He actually sounds out the pattern around 1:30.

There is another video I can't find right now that suggests the following accent (*): 1* e & a*

And maybe that is right if extended out? 1* e & a* 2 e &* a 3 e* & a 4* e & a*

Could be I answered my own question. :) Because if that first video was more dotted 1/4, then the last pattern seems to match up. Maybe I'm getting confused because I was thinking a dotted eighth should resolve on the 1 beat in the next measure. But it seems to take 3 measures for it to resolve on the 1 beat?

So, the actual accenting (music theory) is probably what I need. But I'm more hoping to hear this accenting against a down beat to get it engrained in my head so that live I can tap tempo it out.

Thanks for any suggestions guys!

Brandon
 
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Let the delay do the talking. That's the point of the dotted 8th setting. You tap tempo on the beat of the song. 1, 2, 3, 4 and then with your pick you ONLY play the 1/4 notes. The delay will do the rest. If you try to play the pattern, you defeat the delay's purpose.
 
Why don't you just set the delay time to "Dotted 8th". When you tap out 1/4 notes on your tap tempo, the resulting delay pattern will be dotted 8ths!

It seems like your tempo is set to 1/4 notes and you are trying to press the tap button in a way that results in dotted 8ths.

Right?
 
Wow ... maybe I'm making this harder than I thought! So if the delay is set on dotted 1/8, then I can just tap in the 1/4 note beat and it will do this for me? Jesh, I feel stupid if that is the case! :) I honestly thought I had to tap in the dotted eighth. But like you both said, could be I have the delay set on 1/4 and thus I would have to tap in dotted 1/8.
 
Yeap, that's how it works~ Have you tried going to more settings on the Delay? There should be 'Tempo' field where you can select the value of how your delay notes should play. 1/4. 1/4 dot. 1/8. 1/8 dot. 1/16. 1/16 dot. etc etc and all you gotta do is tap tempo to the rhythm of the song :)
 
I will definitely look at it later. Gotta say, feel "dumber than dirt" with that! But thankful it is easier than what I was making it out to be. I was worried if I would always "hear" that dotted eighth in the middle of a performance. Good to know I was making it harder than it had to be! :)

Thanks!
 
Did you actually read my post? :)

All you need to do is tie a footswitch to tap tempo so you can make adjustments on the fly by hitting it on the beat.
 
yea.... just get yourself a tap tempo switch assigned to ur delay. And simply "tap the tempo" Then make sure your wearing your edge skully cap, that also can affect .8ths =D
 
Just for kicks... It's actually pretty easy to tap dotted values. I do this on the SL Remote app on my iPad when controlling the Presonus Studio Live console. I like dotted values and the iPad app only has a tap tempo button and not a subdivision menu.

To tap a dotted 8th you simply tap 16th notes. I do this to the side somewhere i.e. not on the button... Then I go...

1. e. +. a. 2. e. +. a. 3. e. +. a. 4. e. +. a.
Tap Tap Tap Tap Tap Tap


To keep the proper feel I tap the 'in between' notes next to the tempo button.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
simeon said:
Brandon - delay times can be set in ms, or they can be set as fractions of the global tempo. Select dotted 8ths in the delay block (check the manual if you don't know how to do this) and then hit the tempo button on the front panel. Set "tempo to use" to "global". You can now tap the tempo in using the tempo button (in quarter notes) and your delay will be in dotted 8ths.
Click to expand...

Simeon,

Apologies ... I read this, but in honesty stopped reading at the very end. I thought you were saying how to set it up, and that I could tap the tempo ... but ... stupid me took it to mean tapping the 1/8 dotted ... ;) And of course you plainly stated that tap the 1/4 and they would be 1/8 dotted.

So, thank you.

This is actually a preset I'm working with from the Ultra days ... the Streets patch that came with the unit. I need to check, but wonder if it isn't set for 1/8 dotted.

Anyway, thanks again.

Brandon
 
Wanna hear how U2 actually does it? Listen to just about any live Version of Pride (in the name of love). Before counting in, Edge will usually strike the strings a couple times with a muted strike. This gives the band the tempo to play. Drummer (larry) doesn't decide the tempo (he does click the band in though). The delay is already set properly so he counts to that and the band HAS to play to the delay.

They also use a click/shaker in their IEM for virtually every song too. This is to keep the show in sync with video among other things.

IMO the band (drummer?) needs to learn to play to the delay. If the tempo is drifting THAT much then there's more going on than just the need for tap tempo.

But, having said all that.... if your set the delay to dotted 1/8 and tap 1/4 notes.... it will now match and away you go.
 
yeah, we do "streets" and "still haven't found" and i set the tempo on both. just looked at the streets patch on the ultra and it's set to 1/4 notes for some reason....and it's ping pong, which it shouldn't be, the ratio should be set to 100%.

the actual tempo of the delay is 344ms. you could just set it to that, as you set the tempo over the keys intro anyway.

if you're drummer can't play in time with you, then he's a numpty.

:)
 
even if there isn't, it's pretty easy to set one up. the II even has the 2290 setting in the delay block.
 
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