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Tempo and BPM guides
What the numbers mean and how to use them — with charts computed from the same engine that runs the detector.
- How BPM detection worksA plain-English walk through automatic tempo detection: onset strength, spectral flux, autocorrelation, octave errors, comb filters and why live music is harder.
- Half-time and double-time BPM explainedWhy the same song can be 70, 140 or 280 BPM, how producers and DJs decide which number to use, and how to settle octave errors with tapping and context.
- BPM for DJ mixing: matching tempo, pitch and keyHow DJs use BPM: pitch-fader percentages, how far you can stretch a track, key lock, harmonic mixing with Camelot codes, and planning tempo across a set.
- Delay and reverb times from BPMCalculate tempo-synced delay and reverb times: the 60,000 ÷ BPM formula, dotted and triplet notes, pre-delay and decay, LFO rates and sample-accurate loop lengths.
- Finding the tempo of live recordingsLive bands, rehearsals and old records drift in tempo. How to measure the average BPM, see where it speeds up or slows down, and make it usable in a DAW or DJ set.
- BPM vs time signatureBPM measures speed; a time signature describes how beats are grouped. How they interact in 4/4, 3/4, 6/8 and odd meters, and how to convert BPM between beat units.