Definitions
- Tempo map: the map of a song's BPM over time, that is, the list of all changes (abrupt or gradual) stored in the DAW project.
- Rubato (from the Italian “rubato,” “stolen” time): expressive flexibility of tempo, in which the musician speeds up and slows down within the phrase. In Romantic rubato (Chopin) the left hand tends to stay steady while the melody rushes or lags; in “global” rubato the whole ensemble breathes together.
- Accelerando / ritardando (rallentando): gradual changes; fermata: a hold on a note or rest; a tempo: return to the previous tempo; tempo primo: return to the initial tempo.
Why you need a tempo map
- To work on a grid with non-metronomic music (a pianist recorded without a click): if you map the tempo, the DAW grid follows the performance and you can add drums, synced delays, quantized MIDI.
- To write intentional tempo changes: a faster chorus, a slowed-down outro, a true half-time section.
- For soundtracks: tempo changes align the picture's “hit points” with the bars (see “Spotting and hit points”).
Types of change
| Type | Effect | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Sharp step | surprise, section change | Billie Eilish — bad guy (2019), slower and heavier coda |
| Short ramp (1–2 bars) | end-of-phrase ritardando | ballads, song endings |
| Long ramp | build-up accelerando | Balkan music, crescendo finales |
| Local breathing (± 2–5%) | expressive rubato | solo piano, voice and guitar |
| Metric modulation | precise ratio (3:2, 2:1) | see the dedicated card |
Mapping a free performance
- Manual method: mark the perceived beats (marker on the first beat of each bar), then calculate the BPM between one marker and the next: BPM = 60 × number of beats ÷ elapsed seconds. A bar of 4/4 lasting 2.1 s → 60 × 4 ÷ 2.1 = 114.3 BPM.
- Automatic methods: Logic (Smart Tempo), Ableton (Warp markers, “Set Song Tempo”), Cubase (Tempo Detection), Pro Tools (Beat Detective). FL Studio has no comparable automatic tempo map detection: you create a tempo automation clip (right-click the project tempo → Create automation clip) and draw the points by hand while watching the waveform, or you use Newtime to warp the audio onto a fixed grid.
Tempo changes and processors
- Synced delays and LFOs follow the tempo map; reverbs do not (the pre-delay does, if synced).
- Audio clips that are not “stretched” do not follow the changes: in FL Studio set the clip's stretch (Channel settings → Time → Stretch/Resample) if it must follow the tempo.
- Arpeggiators and MIDI patterns adapt.
- Exporting stems with variable tempo: state the tempo map in the name or in a text file, or also deliver the MIDI with the changes.
Credible rubato in programming
- Slow down by 2–6% in the last bar of a slow phrase; return to tempo on the next 1.
- Slightly anticipate the culminating note of the melody, then “delay” the descent.
- The final ritardando of a song can reach 20–40% below the tempo, spread over 2–4 bars, stronger in the last beats (exponential curve, not linear).
Example in A minor
Piano and voice ballad at 72 BPM: Am – Fmaj7 – C/G – G. Free verse with small breaths (70–74), stable chorus at 74 with drums, last bar of the bridge with a fermata on E7sus4 → E7, resuming “a tempo.” Ending: last two bars from 72 to 54 BPM with a curve, final chord Am(add9) held.
Exercise
- Record a chord progression on piano without a click, with rubato. In FL Studio create a tempo automation that follows your performance (one point per bar), then add an in-tempo hi-hat and check the alignment.
- Program a 4-bar final ritardando in three versions (linear, exponential, stepped): listen to which seems most natural.
Connections
“Agogics and tempo markings”, “Metric modulation”, “Metronome and click”, “Quantization”.