Better beat tracking through robust onset aggregation

Onset detection forms the critical first stage of most beat tracking algorithms. While common spectral-difference onset detectors can work well in genres with clear rhythmic structure, they can be sensitive to loud, asynchronous events (e.g., off-beat notes in a jazz solo), which limits their general efficacy. In this paper, we investigate methods to improve the robustness of onset detection for beat tracking. Experimental results indicate that simple modifications to onset detection can produce large improvements in beat tracking accuracy.