How this BPM finder works
There is nothing to install and nothing to sign up for. Your file is read by your own browser, so the audio never leaves your computer.
- 1.Drop in an audio file: MP3, WAV, FLAC, M4A, AAC or OGG.
- 2.We scan a section from the middle of the track, where the beat is usually clearest, and count how many beats fall in a minute.
- 3.You get the tempo as a whole number in BPM, plus the song's key as a bonus.
Why two tools can say 70 BPM and 140 BPM about the same song
Tempo is partly a judgement call. A song at 140 BPM with a slow, heavy snare can honestly be counted as 70, because you are simply tapping on every other beat. Producers call this half-time and double-time, and both answers describe the same music.
If the number here feels twice as fast or half as fast as what you were expecting, try doubling or halving it and see which one you can comfortably tap along to. Neither is wrong; pick the one that matches how you count the song.
When tempo detection gets it wrong
The tempo moves
Music played by hand (classical, jazz, a live band without a click track) speeds up and slows down. A single BPM number is an average of something that is genuinely changing.
There is barely a beat
Solo piano, ambient pads, a cappella vocals and spoken word give the detector almost nothing to lock onto. You will usually get no answer rather than a wrong one.
Noisy or crowded recordings
Crowd noise, heavy distortion and very loud mastering can blur the transients that mark each beat.
Very short clips
A few seconds of audio may not contain enough beats to be sure. Ten seconds or more gives a much steadier reading.
Who needs a BPM finder
DJs
Beatmatching starts with knowing both tempos. Find the BPM of the incoming track before you decide where it fits in the set.
Musicians practising
Set your metronome to the song's real tempo, then work up to it from something slower.
Dancers and instructors
Build a class playlist where the energy rises instead of jumping around.
Producers and remixers
Match your session tempo to the sample or acapella you are working with before you start chopping.
BPM finder: frequently asked questions
How do I find the BPM of a song?
Upload the audio file above. The tempo appears within a few seconds. If you do not have the file, you can tap along in time on our Tap BPM tool instead.
Is this BPM finder free?
Yes. It is free, there is no sign-up, and there is no limit on how many songs you check.
Is my music uploaded anywhere?
No. The analysis runs inside your own browser, so the audio never leaves your computer and we never store it.
How accurate is it?
On music with a steady, clear beat it is usually exact. On hand-played, sparse or live material it is an estimate, and it may report half or double the tempo you had in mind.
Which file types can I use?
MP3, WAV, FLAC, M4A, AAC and OGG, up to 100 MB.
Can I change the tempo once I know it?
Yes. Our speed changer lets you speed a song up or slow it down without making it sound higher or lower in pitch.
Now you know the tempo
Find the song's key too, or change its speed without changing its pitch.
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