And pls for all similar / related items here in the forum as well.
In the meantime here in the forum are some items, and it will be too much work for the moderators to merge the posts. On the other hand, if the posts will be merged, the given votes will pass away.
It’s a long, long and stony way to become perfect.
My problem is mainly part 1 proper beatgrid from the get go, and automatic. For whatever reason the Denon algorithm can’t do dnb/Jungle properly in MOST cases. Maybe the only workaround for the time being is to use a third party software to analyze tracks that can also export into engine format.
I understand for songs and music styles with variable/irregular cadence it maybe more difficult to analyze the beatgrid with an algorithm. Manual intervention maybe required.
That brings me to the second problem you mention, I managed to manually correct a beatgrid for one track where I have irregular cadence using the ankor feature. One just has to set the ankor, then beat jump until the song is off, adjust, set ankor and so one. Everything on the left of the ankor should be set and not change even if you change the Bpm or other on the right side of the ankor. Hopefully I got that right, but to me that works.
But it’s definitely not automatic. I still think Denon did a great job with the manual beatgrid adjustments using the jog wheels and ankor points on the fly. I will give them that!
The video I followed was this one, at 1min59s he starts to put an ankor on the first beat, then he moves along the track either hitting play or using the beat jump button, or jog wheel.
Here the video
Here the beat jump button (#22) on the hardware (to move in bars), can be amended to 4 bars, 8 bars etc by turning the loop knob.
Then move until you reach another offbeat, adjust grid, then put ankor, and so one. Hope that clarifies. Does that address your point 2? “On the fly flexible beatgridding” was implemented since Engine 2.4 (If I understand correctly)
thank’s for the video, which I didn’t know yet.
The video assists with this issue
I will act accordingly asap, but this procedure I already followed advised by the manual and common sense.
I had the problem, when adjusting the beatgrid by moving the jogwheel (being aware that the top of the wheel and the edge of the wheel are working different and are producing different results) that at left side of the anchor the beatgrid has been changed again. With other words: What you just amended, had been changed again.
Back to the video:
I aggree with the steps, but pls be so kind as to watch by yourself —phps. with another track— what will happen with the red bar (proper downbeat #3) when dropping anchor at downbeat #4?
In the video you can see that are at that moment when yo drop anchor at downbeat #4 on the left side of the downbeat #4 the grid is moving as well. But you can’t see, what will happen to downbeat #3. This downbeat was adjusted properly before dropping anchor at downbeat prime4
I’m afraid that downbeat #3 will move as well, but I will peruse it, before I will post about.
As said before, this adjustment works properly in the gear Prime 4 (Engine OS) and on the desktop (Engine DJ) as well, but inconvenience.
My weak point with this isssue is that if you are not working very carefully, the beatgrid you just have amended, will become disorder again at the next point of amendment (Workaround: drop anchor at every single down beat).
But be assured, I will train it asap, when I have some minutes and keep you posted.
The other issue
imo you can’t improve with this procedure.
But thanks again for posting the video, the screenshot of the manual, and taking time to assist me.
For me it worked to arrange a dnb track that changed the Bpm slightly back and forth, which I would call cadence but maybe I use/understand this terminology incorrectly.
I still have to play with flexible beat grids but the idea is really to move the grid to the correct beat, ankor and move further along track until the grid changes too much again. According to the video and corresponding article this should work for things link funk and other music styles maybe more difficult to beatgrid. I hope it helped you if you didn’t know this feature yet. Cheers!
If you don’t want beatgrid 3 to move then drop an anchor on it.
The manual beatgrid adjustment works as it should once you understand it.
It’s normal for the automatic grids to the left to move to align with the bpm based on the where you drop the manual anchor
Eg say you analyse a track.
You notice that the grids don’t line up at grid 5, then you drop an anchor manual on 5, the grids to the left may change to to reflect the bpm of the section between grid 1 and grid 5.
If the grids between 1 and 5 are not lined up, then it means the bpm of the section is not stable.
In this scenario you are better dropping an anchor on 1,2,3,4 and 5
Hope that helps.
Here is an example of the same thing is Serato studio
You can see at 1:57 when OP added another anchor the grids to the left move to line up with the beat.
I am aware Rekordbox approach is different. Maybe thats your baseline.
Most important will be that there is significant difference between these two tools
I think the rest of the procedure is now self explaning, when watching the video, reading the posts and the manual and train, train and train again.
A cadence as I understood contains over all 32 beats and you can strip this cadence into 2x16, or 4x8 or 8x4 beats.
Here in the beatgrid pattern you see every 4 beats a red downbeat. 8 of these red downbeats are imo a “cadence”. The experience a DJ needs, is to detect the proper point, when the next cadence is starting and where to start counting.
I hope I could assist you a little bit with this theory.
I think this item is of the essence and the rest is hard training.
Thank you very much for your SERATO Video. The procedure is similar to DENON’s.
As you advised absolutely correct is to drop anchor every 4 beats (red down beat) and in the most of the cases to be amended it works, but it needs time to handle.
This way I did in some elder disco tracks, last in Bruni Pagan’S “Fantasy”. One of my favourite songs. As I worked as a DJ long time ago, this track always failed when beatmatching, now with the new technic and hand adjustment every 4 beats it’S a pleasure for me to relaunch this track. Bruni r. i. p., tears from my side
Ok got it, it’s then also called “phrasing”. 4 beats in one bar, 4-8 bars in one phrase. Took an online DJ/theory class at some point to level up a bit my knowledge
Maybe Lexikon or Mixo could be alternatives in the meantime depending on how it analyzes dnb tracks, then export to Engine.
and especially to DENON’s staff 
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