Phase Offset: Shift All Beat Markers Left or Right

Beat detection identifies where beats fall in the music, but sometimes you want to shift all the beat markers slightly earlier or later. Phase offset lets you nudge every beat by the same amount, so they line up exactly where you want your cuts to land.

Why Adjust Phase?

There are two common reasons to adjust phase offset:

  • Anticipation cuts — some editors prefer cuts to land slightly before the beat (1-2 frames early), so the new visual arrives just as the beat hits. Shift the phase slightly left.
  • Alignment correction — if the beat dots don't feel perfectly aligned with the musical accents you hear, a small phase adjustment can fix the alignment across the entire track.

How to Adjust

1

Open the music panel

Tap the music note icon in the editor toolbar.

2

Find the phase offset slider

Below the volume control, you'll see the phase offset slider. It defaults to zero (no offset).

3

Drag to shift beats

Drag the slider left or right. All beat dots on the timeline shift in real time. Play the timeline while adjusting to hear whether cuts align with the beats the way you want.

Phase offset applies globally. The shift affects every beat marker in the project at once. This keeps all beats in their relative positions — the rhythm pattern stays the same, just shifted in time.

Resetting Phase

To return to the original beat positions, drag the phase slider back to center (zero). The beat dots snap back to their detected positions.