Tap tempo

Tap along to any song to find its BPM: click, tap or press any key on each beat. A free BPM tapper that steadies as you tap, and follows a tempo change.

AudioRinse · tap tempoOn-device · nothing sent

The more beats you tap, the closer it gets: after 16 it follows only your latest taps, so you can follow a tempo change. Stop for two seconds and it starts a new count.

Have the song as a file? The BPM finder counts the beat for you, and finds the key.BPM finder →

How it works

  1. Play the song, or count the beat in your head.
  2. Tap the pad, or press any key, on each beat: four taps give a first reading.
  3. Keep tapping: every tap counts, so the BPM steadies the longer you go.
  4. Stop for two seconds to start over, or press Reset.

Getting an accurate count

  • Tap on the kick drum or the snare, whichever you hear most clearly, and keep it up for 8 to 16 beats.
  • Use the keyboard on a computer: a key press is timed more precisely than a mouse click, and a phone's touch screen adds its own delay, the same for every tap, so it doesn't change the BPM.
  • The ± figure is how evenly you're tapping. Below 1 BPM, the reading is good to a whole number.
  • After 16 taps the counter keeps only your latest 16, so if the song speeds up, the reading follows.

Or let it hear the beat

If you have the song as a file, the BPM finder counts the beat for you to a tenth of a BPM, finds the key too, and plays the song with a click on every beat so you can check it. It also takes a whole folder at once.

What BPM means

BPM is beats per minute: how many times you'd tap your foot in a minute of the song. Most pop, house and rock sits between 90 and 130; hip-hop often between 80 and 100; drum and bass near 170, which many people tap at half-time, 85. Both counts are right: they're the same pulse.

Questions

How does tap tempo work?

Each tap's time is recorded, and the BPM is the steady tempo that best fits all of your taps, not just the gap between the last two. That's why it settles as you keep going, and why one late tap doesn't throw it off.

Why does my tapped BPM jump around?

The first few taps carry most of the error: tap at least eight beats. If it still wanders by more than a beat or two, you may be tapping off-beats or switching between kick and snare. Pick one sound and stay on it.

Can it find the BPM from the song itself?

Yes, on the BPM finder: drop the file and it hears the beat for you, with the key and Camelot code too. Nothing is uploaded.

Does it work on a phone?

Yes. Tap the pad with a finger; the delay a touch screen adds is the same on every tap, so the tempo comes out right.

Is it free?

Yes, with no limit, no account and no ads. It runs in your browser and sends nothing anywhere.

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