Lane Breakers

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====== ☆ TEMPOMAPPING ======

:!: ** WORK IN PROGRESS! ** :!:

Tempomapping is one of the most important parts of your chart; it is what makes it so the beat of the song syncs up to the audio. You should not chart anything until the tempo map is fully done, as you want your notes to follow the beat. Not only is this to make the charting itself much more sensible, but it also affects elements such as Overdrive, crowd clapping and the animation speed in-game, as they're all synced to it directly.

{{ :wiki_-_tempo_markers.jpg?400|}}This is done via Tempo markers in Reaper. There is already one at the start of the song with a Beats Per Minute (BPM) of 120 which can be changed, and you can add in additional ones to make sure the beat syncs with the audio throughout.

Before starting, it is also recommended to understand the basic music theory of the beat of the song, and also understanding the basics of such things as downbeats, upbeats and syncopation.

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==== ☆ Where to start ====

Before you start you'll want to make sure [[tools|Reaper is set up for charting]], and that you have your [[audio|audio ready; both the lossless main audio file and Demucs DIY stems, or the studio multies if you have them]].

{{ :wiki_-_bpm_toolbar.jpg?400|}}Now you'll want to find out the general BPM of the song. You can Google it or you can try tapping along to the sound of the audio by clicking the BPM button on the toolbar in Reaper. Once you have a general BPM, edit the tempo marker at 1.1 and put it into there.

Now its time to line up the start of the audio:

{{ :wiki_-_waveform_alignment.jpg?300|}}Mark all your audio files, and try and find out where the first played note in the audio will be. Having studio multi-tracks or DIY Demucs stems makes this process easier, as you can more clearly see where the waveform begins. For most songs you should sync up the very start of this first note to the beginning of measure 3.1. For songs outside the 90bpm to 160bpm range, check the section below on how to handle it.

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=== Variables on where to put the start of the audio ===

Sometimes you'll need to start the audio earlier or later than at 3.1 if the structure of the song doesn't fit the standard structure. Here are some examples and what to do:

== Very high or very low BPM ==

Between 90 and 160bpm having the first playable note at 3.1 is fine, as it gives you around 3 seconds before the song truly starts. This gives you space to add a count-in to the audio, and the time for all the game elements to load in when playing the song.

  * If a song is above 160bpm, you'll want to have the start of the playable audio on 4.1 instead.

  * If a song is below 90bpm, its fine to have the start of the playable audio on 2.1 instead.

== Notes before the downbeat ==

Sometimes a song has a short little drum fill or the like that starts mid-measure before the rest of the band comes in (think [[https://youtu.be/avA0BjZUyqo?si=vJryOXKA1WD1mbk0|Werewolves of London]], for example). Make sure the first downbeat on measure 3.1 is still when the band comes in, and chart the fill beforehand during measure 2.1. In cases like this its also sometimes a good idea to have the first playable downbeat be at 4.1, at least if the BPM of the song is above 120.

== Time signatures ==

{{ :wiki_-_time_signatures.jpg?200|}}While most songs are in a 4/4 time signature (4 beats per measure), some songs have different ones. Be sure to find out what time signature the song you're charting has to begin with, and change the very first tempo marker to that before continuing. You can do so by double-clicking on the tempo marker, checking the box that says "Set time signature", and adding in the correct time signature.

== Syncopated first note ==

On very rare occasions the first playable note might be syncopated instead of being on the downbeat. This mostly happens in songs with a swing or jazzy triplet rhythm, so not super common in rock music. In cases where this is, have the first playable note be before 3.1 where the first syncopated note is, and see if the part after it syncs up fine or not to the main beat. This is a complex situation, and we recommend to not start out with any songs that are like this.

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==== ☆ Tempomapping the song ====

Once the audio is lined up at the start perfectly, its time to make sure it stays synced up throughout the song. First take a glance and see if everything seems to sync up perfectly as is, as sometimes a song has a static tempo throughout. This is common with electronic music, hip-hop beats, modern rock recorded to a metronome and other highly produced music.

{{ :wiki_-_bpm_adjust.jpg?300|}}If the audio doesn't sync up with the beat throughout, then its time to get your hands dirty.

First, look at where the beat starts desyncing from the audio. Then, add a new tempo marker on the previous beat and adjust the tempo of it to try and make things go back into sync. You can do this by having your cursor on the beat, then using the scroll wheel while hovering over the BPM button the toolbar below to change BPM for that marker only.

This process is often made much easier with the help of DIY Demucs or studio stems; in most cases you wanna sync the beat to the drums, as they're the rhythm section that everyone else is following in the song. In some cases of very sloppy playing you might need to adjust the tempo marker to instead be what the full band intended to be at; using a metronome helps a lot in such cases.

=== Time signature changes ===

Sometimes there might be a change in time signature mid-song. This is most common in complex music like prog and jazz, but it also happens in more traditionally structured songs at times. Be on a lookout for changes like this by familiarizing yourself with how time signatures work.

To change time signature mid-song, add a tempo marker, then double-click on it, check the box that says "Set time signature", and add in the correct time signature. Be aware time signature changes can *only be on a downbeat*, as otherwise Reaper glitches out and starts "eating" measures, meaning you might have to undo parts of the tempo map and remake it from scratch.

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==== ☆ THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND ====

A few other things that aren't vital to understanding the basics of tempomapping, but good to think about to improve your authoring skills.

=== Overmapping vs. undermapping ===

In cases where a song is played very sloppily, you sometimes need to fudge the tempo a little bit here and there. When doing this you should try and find a good balance between charting things too much to what is played and too much to intention:

  * If its fully mapped to what is played for a song that is so sloppy the band consistently falls out of step with each other, you risk the tempo map feeling off for certain instruments. If you over-correct this and add a ton of tiny abrupt tempo changes it can make it look visually strange in-game, and be confusing to the player.

  * If you keep the same tempo over a stretch of small tempo fluxuations its more predictable, but you risk making the tempo map feel off and too strict during said fluxuations.

Finding a good balance between playability and accuracy in cases like this is crucial; use subtle changes to keep the beat on track enough to feel good to play without looking off. Try and keep most of the tempo changes on the beat lines.