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More => Old Versions => Media Center 11 (Development Ended) => Topic started by: EpF on June 14, 2004, 04:02:32 pm

Title: Audio Analysis - why does it make mistakes?
Post by: EpF on June 14, 2004, 04:02:32 pm
I've been compiling music for a wedding, and putting it in order of BPM, and I notice that sometimes audio analysis gets it  very wrong.

For example, it says both 'Clint Eastwood' by Gorillaz and 'Ever Fallen In Love With Someone' by The Buzzcocks are 85 bpm, but I'd say the Gorillaz tune is around half as fast as The Buzzcocks one.  Anyone know why that happened?

Is there anything I can do to 'help' it?
Title: Re:Audio Analysis - why does it make mistakes?
Post by: pipsqueak on June 14, 2004, 07:00:19 pm
i dont know how the softwae is structured exactly, but it will apply a series of algorithms to the audio wave and unfortunately sometimes it can get these wrong. i have learnt to use the audio analysis tool as a guide, nothing more (i have some beatless ambient stuff coming out at close to 200bpm!).
Title: Re:Audio Analysis - why does it make mistakes?
Post by: hit_ny on June 14, 2004, 11:06:14 pm
Correct, its better to have a guide than none. I find BPM in AA to be 80% accurate. Which is pretty good given the wide range of genres in my library.

Its possible to correct the BPM, if its off (Editable by clicking at the field and doing a F2). I find many times it gets it either half as fast or twice as fast and sometimes 1.5 times as fast.

If you want to check, just tap beats for 15 seconds and multiply by 4. As you listen to your library you will develop a ear for the beat and be able to spot the errors. Helps if you display BPM coulumn in playing Now. Additionally you can create smartlists that do a random selection of tracks in different decade BPMs (80, 90, 100, etc) and hear the difference easier.
Title: Re:Audio Analysis - why does it make mistakes?
Post by: pipsqueak on June 14, 2004, 11:47:23 pm
the reason for the exactly 2x multiples is probably due to harmonics

http://www.harmony-central.com/Guitar/harmonics.html

but thats really way out of my knowledge