Tempo slow-down options...

[Buddah]

I've got the Amazing Slow Downer on my computer, and love it, but find my office a less-than inspiring place to practice. Any thoughts on stand-alone, compact devices that accomplish the same thing (i.e. tempo change, pitch manipulation, etc.)? Does the Zoom H4 allow for this? I know that the Boss Micro BR does tempo change, but seems a bit limited in other areas (compared to the Zoom). Thanks for you thoughts!

[Jill McAuley]

I don't think the Zoom H4 offers a slow down option, but Tascam does an mp3 "Guitar Trainer" that allows you to load mp3's onto it and then slow them down, it's similar to their CD Guitar player. Not sure on the exact specs for their mp3 guitar trainer but I saw it on Elderly's website.

Cheers,
Jill

[Rob Gerety]

I've heard good things about the Tascam units.

[mandolirius]

Roalnd CD2e slows without changing pitch, can also change keys and does a great many other things. But it's very expensive so if you're just wanting a slow-down method, it may be more than you need.

[Buddah]

Cool! That Tascam unit (mp-gt1) is exactly what I had in mind...so much so, that I went ahead and bought one off of Amazon just now! I'll post back once it arrives, and I've messed around with it a bit. Thanks for the tip on this...I knew that the Cafe wouldn't let me down!

[Coffeecup]

You've found your solution, that's good. Another option would be to slow down the track on your computer and save it. I don't know if Amazing Slow Downer can do that but Audacity can. Then transfer the slowed file to your other player, MP3, CD or whatever.

[Douglas McMullin]

My Edirol R-09HR (http://www.edirol.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=332&Itemid=390) will playback from 50% to 150% of recorded speed. Great portable unit for anyone in the market for these kind of devices. Quite a bit more expensive that the Zoom and Tascam units that I have seen, but it is a really nice device.

As mentioned above Audacity is a great free option.

[craig.collas]

Hi
What is a good computer slow down tool? How do I do it? I tried audacity but it doesnt recognise files like media player or i tunes where my music is stored and the importing is a bit beyond me. Thanks -you guys seem to know how some of this stuff works and it is something I had just about given up on-frustration.

[John Flynn]

The latest versions of Windows Media Player will do slow downs, but the functionality is limited. The best computer slow down tools seem to "The Amazing Slow Downer" and "Transcribe!" However, tunes bought from the iTunes store cannot be accessed by most of these tools. They are stored in a proprietary format to prevent copying. You can, however, access tunes that you loaded into iTunes from CDs or mp3 downloads. They get stored in an accessible format.

[Mike Bunting]

deleted

[Coffeecup]

A free alternative to Slow Downer is Best Practice - http://bestpractice.sourceforge.net/
It will handle MP3s and direct from CD. I don't know about other formats.

[mandozilla]

I use the Tascam "Vocal Trainer" and I love it. Can slow to half speed and still be in pitch. Slow downer is great, and I use it, but the Tascam unit can run on batteries. That and its small size make it very portable. :grin:

~o):popcorn:

[Phil Goodson]

Hi
..... I tried audacity but it doesnt recognise files like media player or i tunes where my music is stored and the importing is a bit beyond me. ....

If you set the input of Audacity (drop down just right of microphone image) to "Stereo Mix" or "What I hear", or something similar (depending on your software), it will pick up WHATEVER is coming out your computer speakers. This includes CDs you play, youtube sound, and EVERYTHING that comes through your speakers. No import or fancy techniques needed.

Hope that helps.