Reference Guide

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Working Groove Clip audio
Working with Loops and Groove Clips
Setting the Default Project Pitch
1. If necessary display the Markers toolbar by selecting Views > Toolbars to open the Toolbars
dialog. In the toolbar dialog click Markers and OK.
2. In the Markers toolbar, click the Default Groove Clip Pitch drop-down menu and select a pitch.
Your project now uses the root note of your clips to transpose to the project pitch. Use Pitch markers
at different points in your project to change the pitch. For more information about Pitch markers, see
“Using Pitch Markers in the Track View” on page 425.
Creating and Editing Groove Clips
Any audio clip can be converted to a Groove clip. Groove clips contain tempo, beat, and pitch
information which SONAR uses to stretch and transpose the clips to match the project. Most Groove
clips are loop-enabled, meaning that you can use the mouse to drag clip repetitions in the Track
view. Groove clips can be either loop-enabled or not, although they usually are. When a Groove clip
is loop-enabled, its edges appear beveled. It is sometimes desirable to create clips that follow the
project’s tempo and key, but are not intended to loop. The following is a list of the attributes
contained in a Groove clip:
• Beats in clip. The number of quarter notes in a clip. A four measure clip in 4/4 time should have
16 beats. When you enable looping for a clip, SONAR calculates the number of beats in the clip
using an algorithm. This calculation is very often accurate, but in some cases, for instance when
the clip has a very slow or very fast tempo or if the clip has an unusual number of beats, then the
number of beats in a clip may have to be edited manually in the Beats in clip field.
• Original tempo. The original tempo of the recording. SONAR uses the original tempo to adjust
to your project’s tempo. The original tempo must be specified for stretching clips.
• Reference note. The original key of the recorded clip. SONAR uses the Reference note when it
transposes Groove clips to match your project’s pitch.
These attributes can be edited in the Loop Construction view. For more information about the Loop
Construction view, see Loop Construction view.
To Set the Number of Beats in a Groove Clip
When you open a clip in the Loop Construction view, SONAR determines the number of beats in the
clip. In some cases the beat value may not be correct. The beats in clip value can only be changed if
the clip is loop enabled.
Do the following to change value in the Beats in clip field.
• Click the Plus or Minus button to the right of the Beats in clip field until the correct value is
displayed.
Note: When you loop-enable a clip, SONAR calculates the original tempo of the clip, and
unless the clip’s length is in exact beat or measure increments, the original tempo that SONAR
calculates may vary from the recorded tempo. These fluctuations are usually quite small and do
not affect the quality of the Groove clip you create.