Do any DAWs have custom beatmapping/ Custom Time Signature basically?

To give an example of what I mean. In this video there really is no static time signature, but yet still a coherent rhythm: 

Let's say I took this and instead of forcing a specific time signature, I just customly placed the beats where each new beat or rhythm would be, and then the DAW would be able to snap to these new chosen rhythms.
 

Most obvious way to get this sound is to have a static time signature, but automate the tempo. Or instead of using a normal DAW sequencer, just throw it in audacity or something and use the drum placements as where I should be mapping the changing beats to.

But it would be much better if I could just map out the time signatures rhythm beat by beat manually, and have it snap to these rhythms.

that just takes talent and/or patience in a DAW. basically any modern DAW can do time sig changes necessary for this, but you’ve gotta do the programming…but there are some tricks like turning audio into MIDI events that Ableton and probably other DAWs have which could do some/most of that work.

video editing software have cue marks that might could help in lining up things like in the above clip, at which point you could use those marks as points for percussion/etc.

also reminded me of this clip from Rob Clouth, i’m not familiar with the software he’s using but maybe could be related if you could feed it external audio:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CW_9OEaofwt/?utm_medium=copy_link

  On 12/7/2021 at 8:09 PM, Brisbot said:

To give an example of what I mean. In this video there really is no static time signature, but yet still a coherent rhythm

No DAW expert here, but I do play the drums; and what this guy is doing here is mostly strings of short phrases in 4/4.  What throws off and simultaneously intrigues the listener (myself included) is that he's constantly killing off each phrase, then unexpectedly starting the "1" of the next phrase (at a different tempo) to mesh with the dialogue.  So if it's this type of thing you're trying to replicate, I'd think of it more as a several 4/4 passages of varying tempo, some of which are strung together with some very ungridded pauses inserted between the stop of the last and start of the next.

several DAWs have beat maps and tempo maps.. you can import/export them and remap midi parts to them. 

i think "groove pool" is what ableton calls it but i can't remember. 

Every traditional DAW I've used has this in some form or other. I don't sequence ITB very often so I can't really help you with specifics.  I know there are at least 3 or 4 different ways to accomplish it in Reaper that are all suited to different workflows.

and w/the various 'audio to midi' functions you can convert everything to midi and then make that a 'groove' or whatever.. even after editing the midi etc. then it'll be saved as a groove and you can use it on anything. 

  On 12/7/2021 at 10:02 PM, BobDobalina said:

No DAW expert here, but I do play the drums; and what this guy is doing here is mostly strings of short phrases in 4/4.  What throws off and simultaneously intrigues the listener (myself included) is that he's constantly killing off each phrase, then unexpectedly starting the "1" of the next phrase (at a different tempo) to mesh with the dialogue.  So if it's this type of thing you're trying to replicate, I'd think of it more as a several 4/4 passages of varying tempo, some of which are strung together with some very ungridded pauses inserted between the stop of the last and start of the next.

yeah I know it's in a time sig as short phrases, but even then the tempo is very loose and still natural, and better for it.  So it makes me interested in having customizable beats  where I can basically just place the rhythm I want and the DAW will adhere to it and snap to it. 

I don't necessarily want to use a specific time sig either. Just the ability to place the rhythm down and adhere to it without thinking about whatever time signature it would be. Thanks for the advice!

 

  On 12/7/2021 at 10:39 PM, TubularCorporation said:

Every traditional DAW I've used has this in some form or other. I don't sequence ITB very often so I can't really help you with specifics.  I know there are at least 3 or 4 different ways to accomplish it in Reaper that are all suited to different workflows.

You would think, but in Fl Studio it seems that you only can tell it specific time signatures. Probably due to the fact it is pattern based. I've only been able to kinda get the loose time sig by automating the tempo. But that makes it more difficult to place down audio samples as sample length and pitch are tricky to make sound right this way. so I mostly just use midi when I have to do this.

  On 12/8/2021 at 3:24 AM, Brisbot said:

You would think, but in Fl Studio it seems that you only can tell it specific time signatures. Probably due to the fact it is pattern based. I've only been able to kinda get the loose time sig by automating the tempo. But that makes it more difficult to place down audio samples as sample length and pitch are tricky to make sound right this way. so I mostly just use midi when I have to do this.

Yeah, that kind of makes sense.  I was really just thinking of linear DAWs. AFAIK ReNoise and Reason can't really do it, either.

Reaper can, all the Steinberg stuff can, I'm sure Logic and Samplitude can, I think even Pro Tools can (I stopped at 10 and I can't remember if Beat Detective or whatever it was called was part of it or if you had to buy that $2000 DLC that you used to need to bring it up to a similar feature set to what all the other major DAWs had offered for a decade alread; but don't let me get going on Pro Tools, using it for work for a couple years traumatized me).

Tidal Cycles can manipulate tempo and time signatures in the most creative ways if you want.