The Amazing Slow downer ......?

[Dr. Tweedbucket]

Has anyone ever heard of this? Supposedly it is software that allows you to slow a fast solo down, yet keep it in pitch making it easier to analyze what is being played.

I think there is a fee for the software..... anyone here ever use it or recommend it? :confused:

[Mondoslug]

Download the demo...it's free. It'll let you hear the first quarter of a tune up to 3 minutes.

It works great.

[hucklebee]

Great software.... does anyone have problems playing cd's through it that are burned copies?

[Dickie Fredericks]

Do a search Tweed LOL

J/K

Yeah its a good app. I use it.

[Mondoslug]

Great software.... does anyone have problems playing cd's through it that are burned copies?
I rip the tunes first...never tried it right off the CD.

[GuitaristZ]

Windows Media Player has a plugin that does something like that...

just click View -> Enhancements -> Play Speed Settings


doesn't change the pitch either...so yeah...

[TehSuperFox]

I have used the ASD before but now I use Transcribe. No particular reason, I was just more used to Transcribe. They serve pretty much the same purpose and I use it all the time for transcriptions.

[maxVsf]

You might want to look at Transcribe, also.

[krbentley]

I use it everyday. It's a very good program and has saved me a bunch of time.

[CaptainCrunch]

I have one called Song Surgeon. Can't remember how it compares feature-wise, I had the demo of Slowdowner as well, but basically does the same thing - lets you adjust speed, pitch, set a loop, has an EQ so you can better isolate a lead guitar, etc. Very useful in my opinion.

[tomb]

Windows Media Player has a plugin that does something like that...


WMP is ok if you need something quick and free but Amazing Slow Downer really works much better and gives you more control. The sound quality is much better also. For me it was worth the $50 or so that they charge.

[dkaplowitz]

Which is the one that plays the reverse satanic messages slower?

[tomb]

Ask Tipper Gore...

[TonyV]

I use it on Mac OSX, it works great

[jtwang]

Very cool programs...would have saved me a couple of cassette decks if I had these apps 20 years ago.

I have a question though: Is there any way to reduce echo/delay that is bleeding into the original notes?

[bradfordtpanek]

WinAmp is a free MP3 player that you can download and then you can download one of two slow-down plug-ins.
Here is the link to the slow-donw plug-ins
http://www.winamp.com/plugins/search/?q=slow
Worth taking a look at since they don't cost anything.

[mark norwine]

ASD is great! Pay the small fee, and it will play most anything.

Change tempo, change pitch, play loops, it's great!

[pinner]

I like transcribe better. It analyzes pitchs and suggests chords for you too!
http://www.seventhstring.com/

[ruach1]

ASD is a great little piece of software. And Mac friendly too!

[jzucker]

Has anyone ever heard of this? Supposedly it is software that allows you to slow a fast solo down, yet keep it in pitch making it easier to analyze what is being played.

I think there is a fee for the software..... anyone here ever use it or recommend it? :confused:

Transcribe is better and it slows down videos as well as audio.

[McGas]

Probably the best 50 bucks spent on music ever! having trouble saving the altered tunes to mp3 tho, [OSX] it says to download some software but I cant get it to work:confused:

[IanS]

There's also Open Source, free slow down software: BestPractice

http://www.xs4all.nl/~mp2004/bp/

[jaybee]

what about... http://chameleon.vo.llnwd.net/o1/GC_iPerform3d_JoinRevolution3.html?utm_source=gcem ail&source=4NL8BL

Just saw it this morning and want some thoughts...

[gennation]

Yes, Amazing Slower Downer is good, as is Transcribe, but Windows Media does a fine job too...but if you are using MP3's, read this...

You need to understand that MP3's are compressed files, and usually you are only getting about 10% of the original fidelity/files.

MP3 has such a killer algorithm that you hardly ever notice the missing data with a 128K and above resolution. So, at regular speed this sounds great, again due to the algorithm. BUT....

when you start slowing down this compressed file you are not going to be able to slow down too far before you start noticing the missing data...I'm seriously notice to missing date. You know, that funky, wrabbly, scratchy sound you get when slowing MP3's down...compression is the reason.

Even with a 320K res MP3 you can only slow it down about 75% before it starts sounding horrible.

Now, if you're learning BB King licks this isn't too bad, but if you are learning some Page, Beck, etc...and especially something like Mclaughlin or Dimeola...MP3 is pretty much useless for slowing down.

Also if you are learning stuff like Chet Atkins, Joe Pass, or something like that where there's a A LOT harmony movement, that blending of notes becomes undistinguishable really quick.

My suggestion, and I know MP3's are easy to get, is to get the original CD for slowing down the hard stuff. Or at least get it as a 1:1 WAV file.

Transcribe is nice for the fact that it note only slows down, but also gives you a note (really a frequency) readout. But again, with MP3's you are going to be missing A LOT of frequencies and it's note perception is usually a crap shoot.

Use 1:1 WAV or the original CD.

Now, this doesn't mean take an MP3 and convert it to WAV, because now you have a 1:1 file from a compressed original. This is no better than the MP3 you started with.

The WAV I'm talking about is an uncompressed copy of the original CD file/song. Yes, the WAV is larger...because it retains the closest to 100% of the original file. But, you will be able to slow it down at much lower speeds and have it still sound intact, because all the dat information is still intact.

I just mention this because a lot of people by these tools to slow down MP3's, and they don't do much better than the slow down piece that's right in Windows Media Player, for free. And for the iPod, well you are going to pay for a junky sounding, slowed down, MP3/WMA. And in extreme speed cases, it will be useless.

[jzucker]

I haven't had any issues slowing down compressed MP3s and even captured youtube videos of really fast stuff by Guthrie or Benson.

Transcribe is it as far as i'm concerned. Playback controls are poor with WMP so I don't recommend that.

[dkaplowitz]

Just chiming in here, Windows Media Player totally sucks, even before you get to the problems with their stupid and draconian DRM tricks, it doesn't slow everything down, when it does, the quality is iffy, the interface is not intuitive or pleasant to use, etc. etc. If you're broke, it's an option (albeit a sucky one), but having an app that is designed specifically for transcribing helps you focus more on using your ears than on using some crummy piece of software. Just my $0.02.

[gennation]

Yeah, WMP is not the greatest interface. But a 10% file is about what you're working with. Even the 320K res is pretty bad below 75%. Sure you can hear a ton of stuff but for the good paced stuff the fidelity craps out quick.

Try pulling it off CD as a 1:1 Wav and see, er hear, the difference. I don't own one but I can see were that CD slow downer by Tascam would be worlds better than anything with an MP3...if it tracks great...but I've never used it. But just dealing with the uncompressed file will fill in the gaps that show up when slowing down an MP3 file.

[jtwang]

Interesting tips, gennation.

I was trying to figure out some EJ licks from 320k MP3s that I ripped from the CD. It sounds perfectly ok down to 70% or so, but slower than that I get all this enhanced echo bleeding plus some things that actually sounds like artefacts, not like a slow track. I'm still not sure if it actually is some junk due to the MP3 compression + slow speed, but below a certain speed the sound changes A LOT, that's for sure. It's like tiny, tiny ghost notes and noises that are barely noticeable at slightly slowed speed gets a huge volume boost and get kicked up to the same level as the actual notes played. Very weird.

I'll try the uncompressed WAV from the CD and see if it works better.

[triple_vee]

I use Transkriber from http://www.reedkotler.com. Apparently this is what a lot of the magazine transcribers use.

I like it because I can pitch shift (if the song is not exactly at A-440) and then slow down.

But mostly I like it because I can set loops over the phrase I'm trying to cop. You can be very precise about setting the endpoints of the loop so that the loop sounds very musical from a groove/phrase perspective...which makes it easy on the ears to listen to the loop as many times as you need.

I'm not sure if the other software gives you this functionality but I would be interested in finding out.

[jzucker]

Gee Mike,

I think you're going off on a tangent. I've used ASD and Transcribe for years and have *NEVER EVER* had an issue with the mp3 quality. I've transcribed tons of fast sax, piano and guitar stuff. I use transcribe every day and it rocks. I would never consider the tascam product. It'd be like going backwards to me...

[triple_vee]

Oh, btw, Transkriber only works on WAV files which might be a good/bad thing for you. There is no MP3 compression issue so the quality of the slowdown is as good as you can get. But you have to rip the WAV files from a CD that you own.

[dkaplowitz]

That's interesting to note. I'm going to rip a .wav and compare the sound to that of an .mp3 in Transcribe. If the sound quality of the .wav is markedly better, I may use that for some of the marathon sessions, b/c my ears do get tired from some of the unfriendliness of/in the slowed down music, though to be honest I've never really tried to do much EQ'ing. I pretty much slap a file in and start transcribing it, it's pretty nice to be able to start working ASAP.

[tvegas99]

it's the best $50 you'll spend on gear this year, never any problems, I've had it over a year and use it weekly, enjoy!:BEER

[spjoker]

Transcribe !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Scott Auld]

Cool app, but don't listen to Axl Rose slowed down if you want to keep thinking of him as a good singer. His pitch fluctuates more than a whammy bar at a hair metal concert, and ASD reveals it hardcore.

[Blauserk]

I also love Amazing Slow Downer. It also allows you to pitch shift (I love not having to retune for one song) and set particular pieces on an endless loop so you can just keep hacking away until you figure it out.

The upside of the "Axl Rose effect" is that you can listen to Billy Gibbons' outrageous vibrato on some pieces slowed down to 20% of real time. That boy is really wigglin' that string around, let me tell you.

[robelinda2]

ASD is a great great program, spend the money, you wont regret it.

[jzucker]

by the way, I like transcribe much better

[MisterTV]

WinAmp is a free MP3 player that you can download and then you can download one of two slow-down plug-ins.
Here is the link to the slow-donw plug-ins
http://www.winamp.com/plugins/search/?q=slow
Worth taking a look at since they don't cost anything.

+1

I would start here before spending any money....

[jzucker]

winamp's plugin is vastly inferior to transcribe which can slow down videos, allows looping, bookmarks, automation, etc. Not even close. If you're serious about transcribing, get the right tool.

[redtoploader]

I love transcribe, very user friendly. Didnt really care for ASD or SlowGold...but some folks really like it. YMMV....try demos before you buy.

[JonR]

I agree with Jack. Transcribe does everything claimed here for the other programs (eg you can tune tracks any way you want, cycle sections to rehearse, etc), and more.

It costs money, sure. But you get the whole thing on free trial for a month (not a reduced demo version). And then it's $50 to register. Hardly expensive, and probably the best $50 I ever spent (although actually I paid £25 in UK ;) ). I used it for a second month without registering, but I got fed up with the messages, and decided it was well worth the money. That was some years ago now. I still use it almost every day.

I've never had a problem with MP3s either. I don't often slow down to 25%, and you certainly notice a big drop in quality if you do, but you can still identify pitches. And at 50%, no problem at all.

You can slow down any % you want, btw; load various EQ patches, eg isolating the bass; remove centre vocals on stereo tracks (karaoke); etc.
The only thing it's not much good at is identifying chords. It does as well as any computer software can, which is not as good as your ear. I never pay attention to its suggestions. When it's right, I already know what the chord is (because the sound is clear). When I can't tell, Transcribe can't tell either. And it often can't tell when I can. But this is a tiny drawback. The program was perfect in previous versions before it tried offering this assistance.

Mike is right CDs/WAVs are better, of course. At least, it seems to take longer for Transcribe to load MP3s, and they often glitch more when playing back. But MP3s will do if you can't get a WAV.

I had some problems with its video function - formats need to be changed from youtube, and I had to find a couple of other (free) programs to download and convert, which is a pain. But it works fine.