Find the Tempo of Any Song
You’ve got a track you want to play at your gig Saturday and you need to know the BPM for beatmatching. Or you downloaded a sample loop and need to set your DAW’s project tempo to match. Or you’re building a running playlist and want tracks between 150-170 BPM.
Upload the song. The tool analyzes the waveform and tells you the tempo. Runs entirely in your browser using the Web Audio API, your audio file never leaves your device.
How It Works Under the Hood
The browser decodes your audio file into raw PCM data. A peak detection algorithm scans the waveform for periodic amplitude spikes, those are your beats. It measures the intervals between peaks, finds the dominant pattern, and converts that interval to BPM. You also get a confidence indicator (High, Medium, or Low) so you know how much to trust the result.
Songs with a strong, steady kick drum (house, pop, hip-hop, rock) produce the most accurate readings. Jazz with tempo rubato, ambient music, or classical pieces with changing time signatures will give the algorithm a hard time.
Steps
- Upload an audio file, MP3, WAV, OGG, FLAC, AAC.
- Click Detect BPM.
- Read the BPM and confidence level.
That’s all there is to it.
Who Uses This
DJs prepping a set. You need BPM data for every track before the gig. Load them up one by one, note the BPM, organize your crate. Beatmatching between two tracks at 126 and 128 BPM is smooth. Between 120 and 140, not so much.
Producers sampling. You found a vocal loop online and want to use it in your project. If you don’t know its BPM, your DAW’s grid won’t align. Detect the tempo, set your project to match, and the sample drops right in.
Instrumentalists learning songs. Step one: find the BPM. Step two: set the Metronome to that tempo. Step three: practice at half speed and work your way up. Step one is what this tool handles.
Fitness playlist builders. Running cadence research says 160-180 BPM is optimal for jogging. You’ve got 200 songs in your library. Which ones fit? Detect the BPM of each and sort accordingly.
Choreographers. Your routine needs a 120 BPM track. You’ve got five candidate songs. Check which ones actually hit that tempo instead of guessing by feel.
Once you’ve got the BPM, set the Metronome to that tempo for practice sessions. The Tone Generator can help with tuning before you start playing.
FAQ
How accurate is it? For tracks with a clear, steady beat (most pop, rock, electronic, hip-hop), it’s usually within 1-2 BPM. For complex or irregular rhythms, accuracy drops.
What does the confidence indicator mean? High = strong beat pattern, trust the number. Medium = beat detected but less distinct, might be off by a few BPM. Low = the algorithm is guessing. The rhythm might be too complex or too subtle for reliable detection.
Does my audio get uploaded to a server? No. Everything runs in your browser via the Web Audio API. Zero data leaves your device.
Why is the result double or half what I expected? Peak detection sometimes locks onto the half-time or double-time groove. A song that’s clearly 140 BPM might show as 70 or 280. When that happens, just multiply or divide by 2.
What formats work? Whatever your browser can decode, typically MP3, WAV, OGG, FLAC, and AAC. Chrome and Firefox handle the widest range.