BPM - How to know the exact bpm in a track

  • Thread starter Thread starter Wilde
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miroslav said:
Everyone here seems to have their way of looking at this...don't they! ;)
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Yep - lol - and I think I am more confused now than when I started this post - lol. The conversation/discussion has deviated somehow - you guys obviously seem to have the know how but can you make it simpler for an ordinary joe soap? Simple question - I write a song - record it - and somebody asks me what's the BPM for that song? How do I go about finding the right answer - Surely there's gotta be JUST ONE answer to this question, right?
 
Wilde said:
How do I go about finding the right answer - Surely there's gotta be JUST ONE answer to this question, right?
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I posted the answer before everything went left. I posted a link to the AnalogX Tap Tempo plug-in. It's easy as hell.

Here:

Audio Downloads : TapTempo /// AnalogX

or here:

Tap for Beats Per Minute BPM

Just tap along to any song on your space bar with either of those. You can't go wrong.

Still not good enough? Here, take your pick:

https://www.google.ca/search?q=tap+...hannel=sb&gfe_rd=cr&ei=_QbVU_CiJIuN8Qfj24HgBA
 
Wilde said:
Yep - lol - and I think I am more confused now than when I started this post - lol. The conversation/discussion has deviated somehow - you guys obviously seem to have the know how but can you make it simpler for an ordinary joe soap? Simple question - I write a song - record it - and somebody asks me what's the BPM for that song? How do I go about finding the right answer - Surely there's gotta be JUST ONE answer to this question, right?
Click to expand...

I always figure out the song, use a tap tempo to find the tempo Im playing at, then I set the metronome to that tempo and play to it.

If the song has legit tempo changes, I program them into the tempo map.

I always establish the tempo before I start recording because I always record to the metronome.

The thing is, anyone who wants to know what the tempo is will be trying to put your song against a grid. If you aren't playing to a metronome, it won't really work. The "average" tempo is pointless for editing, looping and sequencing purposes.

If you are playing to the metronome, the tempo is what you set the metronome to.
 
Wilde said:
The conversation/discussion has deviated somehow -
Click to expand...

Clearly hijacked, mostly my fault. sorry.

Wilde said:
I write a song - record it - and somebody asks me what's the BPM for that song? How do I go about finding the right answer - Surely there's gotta be JUST ONE answer to this question, right?
Click to expand...

Well, Miro's way works. Especially when the tempo doesn't change in a song, which 99.9% of the time is true. Tap it out.

I use the metronome function in the DAW. I'll play along to the click and change the value until it is at the speed that works for the song.
 
Sigh...........:rolleyes:


You can lead horses to water, but you can't make them shut up long enough to read. :D
 
Chili said:
Well, Miro's way works. Especially when the tempo doesn't change in a song, which 99.9% of the time is true. Tap it out.
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Thanks....that's all was saying to the OP, since he didn't mention any intentional tempo changes.
In his case, it IS exactly what he thought...100 BPM, which he already had set in his DAW.


Chili said:
I skim.
:D
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2% or 4%...?
 
I can tell you the tempo/bpm of a song within +/- 5 bpm just by listening to it. N00bs.
 
RAMI said:
I posted the answer before everything went left. I posted a link to the AnalogX Tap Tempo plug-in. It's easy as hell.

Here:

Audio Downloads : TapTempo /// AnalogX

or here:

Tap for Beats Per Minute BPM

Just tap along to any song on your space bar with either of those. You can't go wrong.

Still not good enough? Here, take your pick:

https://www.google.ca/search?q=tap+...hannel=sb&gfe_rd=cr&ei=_QbVU_CiJIuN8Qfj24HgBA
Click to expand...

I had already replied to your post and thanked for the link - in actual fact I have already downloaded it and tried it - works well - Once again - thank you

---------- Update ----------

Chili said:
Clearly hijacked, mostly my fault. sorry.



Well, Miro's way works. Especially when the tempo doesn't change in a song, which 99.9% of the time is true. Tap it out.

I use the metronome function in the DAW. I'll play along to the click and change the value until it is at the speed that works for the song.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that - appreciated
 
I wanna thank everybody for the info shared - Your guidance is appreciated :thumbs up:
 
Run your track while running the drum machine and see if they aren't close enough. Forget auto detectors. Read what the guy said about musicians who don't know what the tempos are and then remember that the autodetector was wrong. Here's a tip. Every time you think of a sweep second hand, that is 60npm. Double that is 120. split the difference and it is 90. You can always come pretty close. Set up your 60bpm in your head seeing the second hand (or use your watch) then listen to the track and estimate. Now check it with a metronome. Auto beats are never right for matching tempos. Good luck,
Rod Norman
Engineer

Wilde said:
Hi guys - hope it is ok to post this here. Ok, I am a musician and I know the bpm of my drum tracks cuz I create them myself or I use EZ drummer which also tells me the bpm - but my doubt is - if I have song 4/4 at 100 bpm and then a couple of short breaks keeping the tempo but playing with the interplay of bass drum and snare - and the tempo of my recording session in my DAW is 100 bpm, should the BPM not read 100? The other day I was uploading stuff to a site and out of sheer curiosity I used Abyss Media BPM counter and the reading was different - it told me 133,34 - can be this right?

Or if a song is 120 bpm and then it has a couple of slower drum parts - would the overall bpm of the tune not be affected?

Thanks
Click to expand...
 
Rod Norman said:
Run your track while running the drum machine and see if they aren't close enough. Forget auto detectors. Read what the guy said about musicians who don't know what the tempos are and then remember that the autodetector was wrong. Here's a tip. Every time you think of a sweep second hand, that is 60npm. Double that is 120. split the difference and it is 90. You can always come pretty close. Set up your 60bpm in your head seeing the second hand (or use your watch) then listen to the track and estimate. Now check it with a metronome. Auto beats are never right for matching tempos. Good luck,
Rod Norman
Engineer
Click to expand...

What is a 'sweep second hand'? I bet I will never know...

:(
 
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