Problem with timing of pads

[Chordite]

Putting together some relaxed jazzy compositions, think "Walz for koop". I have created some gorgeous lush pads but because of the slow build the timing is tricky, they appear to be "late" So I am having to shift the pad track back in the timeline so that it hits a level that enters consciousness in the mix at the "sweet spot"

Any advice from the experienced about how to deal with this?

[Phil O'Keefe]

If you're using Pro Tools, set your nudge value to 5-10ms and just bump the track back and forth by various amounts until it feels right to you.

 

Or, if you want to get more picky about it, you can measure the amount of time it takes for the pad to swell up to the point where it starts to be audible, and then nudge the track forward in time by that precise amount.

[JazzMastaJim]

I do it the first way, in Reaper: nudge or drag the track until it sounds & feels right. If your pads' attack speeds are velocity-sensitive, you may find that you have to split the track up into sections that can be moved independently of each other to get it just the way you want it.

[Phil O'Keefe]

I do it the first way, in Reaper: nudge or drag the track until it sounds & feels right. If your pads' attack speeds are velocity-sensitive, you may find that you have to split the track up into sections that can be moved independently of each other to get it just the way you want it.

 

Very good point about the velocity-sensitivity Jim. If the velocity sensitivity is crucial or desired, slicing the part up and dealing with individual sections is a good way to go. If you're looking for more consistency and you still have the MIDI track, you can edit it to make the velocities more even.