User guide

21
Chapter
1
English
21
English
Chapter
5
SYNCHRONIZATION
A
t most of today’s dance clubs and events, the DJ will mix the songs together
using a technique called beat-matching. The goal is to fade the volumes
between two songs while keeping them perfectly in beat with one another. If done
properly, the audience will never have to stop dancing as the beat of one song will
blend in with the beat of the new song—sounding like one single song. DJs will do this
for hours at a time, creating one gigantic non-stop mix from the individual songs they
have in their collection. Proper execution of this technique requires the mastery of two
tasks: matching tempo and matching phase.
Automatic Tempo and Phase Detection
As mentioned before, tempo is the measurement of speed of a song expressed as
BPM. Torq automatically determines the tempo of a song when you load it onto a
Deck, so matching tempos is as simple as moving the Speed slider on a Deck until
the BPM Display shows the same value as the other Deck.
Once you have matched the tempos of two songs, you need to start both songs at
precisely the right moment, or in-phase with each other. Phase refers to the starting
point within a cycle. In terms of music, it refers to where the beats are located in
a song, such as the downbeat of a measure. When beat-matching songs, you’ll
normally want the downbeats of both songs aligned with each other. When aligned
properly, the beats of both songs will blend together into one larger beat. If the songs
are misaligned or out-of-phase, it will sound terrible as the beats of the two songs
will be playing at different times (in DJ jargon, this is known as a “train wreck” and is
something that should be avoided at all times).
Torq’s Scrolling Waveforms will help you match the phases of the two songs. Not only
can you visually align the transients in the waveforms, you can also use the Phase
Grid for automatic synchronization.
Phase Grid Manipulations
Torq LE also places a Phase Grid over the Scrolling Waveforms to help you see
where the beats are, even during a breakdown or rhythmless intro of a song. In order
for Torq’s automatic synchronization to work, the Phase Grid will need to be aligned
properly with the music. With the Phase Grids of both songs aligned properly, Torq
will be able to sync the two songs together without creating train wrecks. Torq will
attempt to place the Phase Grid in the proper location during song analysis. If Torq
positions the Grid incorrectly, it will be up to you to re-align it to the proper beat.
SYNCHRONIZATION . . . . . . . . 21
Automatic Tempo and Phase
Detection
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Phase Grid Manipulations
. . . . . 21
Adjusting with the Mouse
. . . 22
Adjusting with Nudge
Buttons
. . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Adjusting with Offset
Buttons
. . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Sync Button . . . . . . . . . . . . .
23
Locked Sync
. . . . . . . . . . 23
Momentary Sync . . . . . . . .
23