Free tool
BPM Finder: Find the Tempo of Any Song
Drop in an MP3, WAV or M4A file and get its tempo in seconds. The analysis runs in your browser, so nothing is uploaded. No file to hand? Tap along instead.
Runs in your browser. Your audio never leaves your device.
Drop an audio file here
MP3, WAV or M4A. The first 90 seconds are analysed.
Tap tempo
Tap the pad, or press the space bar, on every beat. The reading averages your last 8 taps and starts over after 2 seconds without a tap.
What is BPM?
BPM (beats per minute) is the tempo of a song: how many beats, usually quarter notes, pass in one minute. 60 BPM is one beat a second. Most pop and rock sits between 90 and 140 BPM, and drum and bass runs around 170.
How drummers use BPM
Knowing the tempo lets you set a click and practise a song at full speed, or slow it down and build back up. It is the first thing you need to chart a song, to program a backing track, or to count a band in at the right speed.
How the detection works
The page decodes your file with your browser's built-in audio engine and looks at the first 90 seconds. It measures sudden rises in energy, in the low band where the kick drum sits and across the full range for snare and cymbals, then finds the interval at which that pattern repeats most strongly between 60 and 200 BPM. The peak is refined over several beats, so the reading is precise to a fraction of a BPM.
Limitations
Detection assumes a steady tempo. Songs that speed up, rubato passages, live recordings played without a click and tracks with no clear percussion can give a rough or wrong figure. The detector can also land on half or double the tempo you would count, which is why a second reading is shown. When in doubt, tap along.
Next step
Got the Tempo? Get the Full Drum Chart.
Upload the same song and GrooveSheet writes out the drum part as sheet music: kick, snare, hi-hat and cymbals, barred at the song's tempo. Export PDF, MusicXML or MIDI. Every song starts with a free 10-second preview.