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  3. BPM Detector
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BPM Detector

Detect the tempo (BPM) of any audio file. Includes tap tempo feature and genre reference guide.

Drop in a song and find out its tempo. The BPM Detector analyzes rhythmic patterns in the audio and reports the beats per minute. Results appear in seconds for most tracks. If the automatic detection is not quite right, you can tap along to manually set the tempo.

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BPM Detector: a worked example

You want the tempo of a track to beat-match it or set a metronome for practice.

Input

track.mp3 (4-on-the-floor dance)
BPM Detector produces

Result

Estimated tempo: 128 BPM (confidence high)

Onset/energy peaks are analysed to find the dominant periodicity, which on strongly rhythmic music is reliably the tempo. The confidence indicator warns when rubato or sparse percussion makes the estimate shaky.

About the BPM Detector

Drop in a song and find out its tempo. The BPM Detector analyzes rhythmic patterns in the audio and reports the beats per minute. Results appear in seconds for most tracks. If the automatic detection is not quite right, you can tap along to manually set the tempo.

How to use

  1. 1Upload a music file
  2. 2Wait for the analysis to complete
  3. 3Read the detected BPM value
  4. 4Use tap-tempo to verify or correct manually

Key features

  • Automatic tempo detection from audio analysis
  • Tap-tempo manual fallback
  • Confidence indicator for the detected value
  • Works with any common audio format

Tips & best practices

  • If the reported BPM looks like half or double the real tempo, it is the 60-200 BPM fold locking onto every other kick (half) or the subdivision (double) - confirm with the tap-tempo pad.
  • Low confidence (yellow or red bar) usually means the beat intervals were inconsistent, as with live-drummed, rubato or sparse material; the 150 Hz low-pass works best on tracks with a strong, steady kick and bass.
  • The tap pad keeps only taps from the last 5 seconds, so tap steadily for a few seconds and let the average settle rather than tapping once.

When to use it

  • DJing

    Find the BPM of tracks in your library to plan mixes and beatmatching.

  • Music production

    Determine the tempo of a sample or reference track before building a project around it.

  • Fitness playlists

    Sort songs by tempo to build workout playlists at specific BPM ranges.

How BPM detection works

The detector decodes your file with the browser's Web Audio API (AudioContext.decodeAudioData) and analyzes the first channel only (getChannelData(0)). Before looking for beats it runs the signal through a one-pole IIR low-pass filter with a 150 Hz cutoff (computed as alpha = dt / (rc + dt)), which strips away vocals, hi-hats and cymbals and leaves the kick drum and bassline that carry the clearest pulse. It then slides a 100 millisecond energy window across the filtered audio (hopping a quarter window at a time), sums the squared samples in each window, and marks a beat wherever a window's energy is a local maximum AND exceeds 1.5 times the track's average energy. The spacing between those energy peaks, averaged and converted with 60 / (interval in seconds), gives the tempo.

Because raw peak spacing can land outside musical territory, the result is folded into a 60-200 BPM range: anything below 60 is repeatedly doubled and anything above 200 is repeatedly halved. This same fold is exactly why half-time and double-time errors happen. If the energy detector locks onto only every other kick it reports half the real tempo, and on busy subdivided sections it can lock onto the off-beats and report double. The confidence figure shown next to the BPM is computed as 1 minus the standard deviation of the beat intervals divided by their mean (clamped at 0), so a metronomic four-on-the-floor house track scores high while a rubato or live-drummed piece scores low. The bar is colored green at 80% and up, yellow from 50%, and red below that, giving you an honest read on whether to trust the number.

Alongside the automatic analysis there is a manual tap-tempo pad that averages the intervals between your taps within a rolling 5-second window (older taps are filtered out, so the reading follows tempo changes) and needs at least 2 taps before it shows a value. Because the pad is a focusable button labeled 'or press spacebar', pressing space activates it whenever it has keyboard focus. This is the recommended fallback when confidence is low or when the automatic detector reports a suspected half/double value. The result panel renders a 200-bar amplitude waveform of the file and labels the detected tempo with a genre bucket (for example 'Pop / House' under 125 BPM, 'Drum & Bass' under 180), and a built-in reference grid lists typical ranges (Hip-Hop 85-115, Pop 100-130, House 120-130, Techno 130-150, Dubstep 140-150, Trance 130-145, Drum & Bass 160-180, Reggae 60-90) so you can sanity-check the detection against the music you expect.

Frequently asked questions

Why is the detected BPM double or half the expected value?

BPM detection algorithms can lock onto half-time or double-time patterns. If the result seems off by a factor of two, simply halve or double it.

Does it work with live recordings?

It works best with music that has a clear, steady beat. Rubato performances or free-time recordings may produce unreliable results.

Private by design

Audio is decoded and processed locally with the Web Audio API. Your files are never uploaded to a server.