Plug-In Power: Practical and Creative Uses for Tempo Sync
by Dave Crane

UA CS-1 Channel Strip

While last month's Plug-In Power focused on the Dimension D as the greatest offering in Version 4.0 of the UAD-1 drivers and software, developers at UA were feverishly working behind the scenes to deliver what many of you have been asking for: Tempo Sync!

Figure 1: Tempo Sync enable button.

For those who are not familiar with Tempo Sync, this feature gives you the ability to synchronize the delays and modulation rates of UAD-1 plug-ins to the host application tempo. You can select delay times and LFO rates in fractional beat values, as well as quantize delay times to the closest beat value.

Now, the CS-1, Nigel and their associated modules all have a "sync" button that enables tempo sync for different parameters, depending on the mode of the plug-in. If you're an artist making electronic music, Tempo Sync is a lifesaver. Changes in tempo no longer mean having to go back and automate delay and LFO values to match the new tempo. If you record acoustic instruments to a click, Tempo Sync makes it easy to set up delay effects. Tempo Sync is also a great way to help you out of a creative rut; it can turn an ordinary drum beat or looping phrase into something totally unique, especially when used with the pitch-shifting capabilities of the DM-1 and TremModEcho plug-ins.

For this first example, I am using the CS-1 to modify a drum loop. I start out with more utility-type presets, and then move into the bizarre. In many of these presets, all of the modules of the CS-1 are on. You may also notice that the CS-1 now supports preset banks, which it did not do until Version 4.0.

In the next example, I am using The TremModEcho plug-in. Notice how enabling Tempo Sync changes the display from milliseconds and hertz to fractional beat values. I am taking the track and adding tremolo and flanger, and using Tempo Sync to time the rate of the Tremolo and flanger to the song's tempo.

Example 1
Example 2