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Beat analysis

Samba can analyse audio offline and build a beat grid for the clip. That grid drives musical snapping, bar estimates, and the Player BPM readout when analysis succeeds.

Timeline

What beat analysis is for

Section titled “What beat analysis is for”
Use Role
Musical snapping Align cue moves to beats, bars, or beat divisions
BPM display Compact BPM / pulse in the Player when a grid is available
Guide drawing Timeline can use analysed beats for musical guides when analysis is present

Analysis is offline and cached per media file. Samba does not require you to enter a tempo for every track, though Track Settings can still hold a manual BPM override for display / related workflows.

When analysis runs

Section titled “When analysis runs”

When a track has audio (or other analysable) media:

  1. Samba keys analysis by the media file
  2. Results are stored in a local beat-analysis cache under your Samba user data
  3. Later edits and musical snap modes reuse that cache instead of re-scanning every time

Very short, silent, or highly irregular material may fail or land in a low-confidence band. Failed analysis means musical snap modes have nothing to latch onto.

Snapping modes that need beats

Section titled “Snapping modes that need beats”

Edit -> Preferences… -> Timeline -> Snapping

Snap mode Needs beat analysis
Frames No
Milliseconds No
Seconds No
Beats Yes
Bars Yes (plus Beats per bar)
Beat divisions Yes (plus division size)

Musical modes (Beats, Bars, Beat divisions) use existing beat analysis only. Preferences shows this reminder under Snapping.

Fallback to Seconds

Section titled “Fallback to Seconds”

If analysis is unavailable (missing cache, failed analysis, or no usable beats for the current media):

  • Musical snapping falls back to Seconds
  • Cue placement still snaps, but to whole seconds - not to musical hits

That keeps editing usable when a grid is not ready yet. After media finishes analysing (or you fix Missing media so analysis can run), switch back to Beats / Bars / Beat divisions for musical placement.

Mode options (when musical modes work)

Section titled “Mode options (when musical modes work)”
Mode Options
Beats Optional Snap to downbeats only
Bars Beats per bar (1-12), for example 4 for 4/4
Beat divisions 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, or 1/16 beat

Also set Enable snapping, optional Adaptive snapping, and Max snap distance so the grid pulls only when you are near a point.

Full control reference: Timeline preferences.

BPM in the Player

Section titled “BPM in the Player”

The Player shows a compact BPM area. When no grid is available it can read No BPM. When analysis (or a valid track BPM source) is present, the value and pulse follow the current section of the piece as you play or scrub.

Track Settings can include BPM and BPM source layer for cases where you want a fixed or layer-driven tempo instead of relying only on automatic detection.

Player

Practical tips

Section titled “Practical tips”
Situation Suggestion
Labelling to music Enable snapping, mode Beats or Bars, wait until BPM is no longer No BPM
Dense hits / off-beats Beat divisions at 1/8 or 1/16
Speech / FX beds Prefer Seconds, Milliseconds, or Frames - musical modes may fall back anyway
Missing audio file Fix media first; analysis cannot build a grid from a Missing clip
Rough marks while waiting Leave musical mode on (Seconds fallback) or switch to Seconds explicitly
Section titled “Related”