Tap to find the tempo
Tap along with a song using the button, spacebar or Enter. Read the BPM and calculate delay times without uploading a track.
Start at low volume if you play music alongside this tool. Tap tempo itself makes no sound.
Tap along with the beat to begin.
Stability: keep tapping for at least four beats. 0 taps in this run. A pause longer than 2 seconds starts a new run on your next tap. Unusually short or long intervals are ignored once there are enough taps.
| Note | Straight | Dotted | Triplet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarter | 500.0 | 750.0 | 333.3 |
| Eighth | 250.0 | 375.0 | 166.7 |
| Sixteenth | 125.0 | 187.5 | 83.3 |
Recent intervals are averaged to estimate tempo. Half and double time help choose the musical pulse. No microphone access or song analysis is needed.
Tap tempo estimates beats per minute from the rhythm you enter. Play a song in your usual player, listen for its steady pulse and tap the large button along with it. You can also use the spacebar or Enter. The first tap starts a sequence and the second gives an initial estimate. Keep going through several beats rather than trusting the first number, especially if you joined the song between beats.
The estimate uses the average of up to eight recent intervals. Once there are enough intervals, clearly unusual gaps are filtered using their distance from the median. This reduces the effect of an accidental extra tap, but it cannot decide which musical pulse you intended. The stability indicator describes consistency among accepted intervals. A steady reading means your recent taps agree with one another, not that the song has been automatically analyzed.
A pause longer than two seconds starts a new sequence on the next tap. The last BPM stays visible until two new taps provide another estimate. Use Reset when you want to clear the sequence immediately. If a track changes tempo, tap along with the new section for several beats. Very slow pulses with gaps above two seconds need a faster subdivision or manual entry because each long gap starts a fresh run.
Half time and double time help resolve a common musical ambiguity. The same passage can feel like 70 BPM or 140 BPM depending on whether you follow a slower pulse or its subdivision. Choose the value that matches your project grid, then check it against several bars of the song. You can also enter a BPM directly when you already know the tempo. Manual changes clear the tap sequence so later taps start a fresh estimate.
The delay table converts BPM into milliseconds for quarter, eighth and sixteenth notes. Each row includes straight, dotted and triplet timing, which you can enter into a delay effect or use while editing rhythmic events. At a fixed BPM these values come from simple ratios, so they update immediately when the tempo changes. The tool makes no sound, requests no microphone access and uploads nothing. Use the tone generator for a reference signal, or check your headphones, speakers and microphone with the related tools before recording.
FAQ
How do I find the BPM of a song? +
Play the song in your usual player and tap along with its steady beat. After several taps, read the BPM estimate. Follow the pulse rather than every drum hit, and use half or double time if another beat grouping fits better.
Why does the tempo reset after a pause? +
A gap longer than two seconds starts a fresh tap sequence on the next tap. This prevents a break from becoming a very slow interval in the estimate. The last BPM remains visible until a new estimate is available.
How many taps should I use? +
Two taps give an initial estimate. Four or more let the stability indicator compare intervals. Continue for several beats and use a steady section of the song; the tool averages up to eight recent intervals and filters clear outliers.
What are dotted and triplet delay times? +
A dotted delay lasts one and a half times the straight note value. A triplet delay lasts two thirds of it. At 120 BPM, a straight quarter note is 500 ms, a dotted quarter is 750 ms and a quarter-note triplet is about 333.3 ms.
Does this listen to my song? +
No. It calculates tempo from your tap timing. There is no microphone access, song upload or automatic audio analysis. Manual BPM entry also works without tapping.