BPM Counter
Tap along to any song and this BPM counter finds its tempo in beats per minute. Use your mouse, a touchscreen or the spacebar — the reading settles as you keep tapping, and note and delay times update live.
Tempo reference
Shown at the 120 BPM reference until you tap a tempo.
| Note | Length |
|---|---|
| Whole (1/1) | 2000 ms |
| Half (1/2) | 1000 ms |
| Quarter (1/4) | 500 ms |
| Eighth (1/8) | 250 ms |
| Sixteenth (1/16) | 125 ms |
| Dotted eighth | 375 ms |
| Triplet eighth | 167 ms |
| Division | Delay |
|---|---|
| 1/4 note | 500 ms |
| 1/8 note | 250 ms |
| 1/8 dotted | 375 ms |
| 1/8 triplet | 167 ms |
| 1/16 note | 125 ms |
| 1/16 dotted | 188 ms |
How the BPM Counter works
A BPM counter measures the tempo of music by timing how fast you tap along to the beat. Start the song, then tap the big TAP button — or press the spacebar — once on every beat. The tool records the exact time of each tap and works out the beats per minute from the average gap between them. It uses a rolling average of your most recent taps, so a slightly early or late tap barely moves the number and the reading settles the longer you keep going. Pause for a couple of seconds and it resets for a fresh count-in. Once you have a tempo, the reference tables convert it into note lengths and delay times in milliseconds — handy for setting delay, reverb and LFO times that lock to the track. Want a steady click to play against instead? Try the Metronome, or build a pattern at your tapped tempo in the Drum Machine. To go the other way and set an exact frequency rather than a tempo, use the Tone Generator.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does a tap tempo BPM counter work?
You tap the button (or press the spacebar) in time with the beat of a song. The tool records the moment of each tap and measures the time between them. Beats per minute is 60,000 divided by the average gap in milliseconds. Because it averages your most recent taps, the reading settles down and becomes more accurate the longer you keep tapping — usually within four to eight taps.
How many times should I tap to get an accurate BPM?
Two taps give a rough estimate and the tool shows a collecting hint until it has a few intervals to work with. For a reliable number, tap steadily for at least eight beats. This tool uses a rolling average of the last several intervals, so small timing slips even out and the BPM stabilises as you go.
Why did the count reset while I was tapping?
If you pause for more than about two and a half seconds between taps, the tool assumes you are starting a new count-in and clears the sequence so an old, unrelated gap does not throw off the average. Just start tapping again in time with the beat and the BPM will build back up. The reading is an average of the tap intervals still in the sequence, so a longer run of steady taps gives a steadier number.
What are the note durations and delay times used for?
Once you know the tempo, the reference table converts it into the length in milliseconds of whole, half, quarter, eighth, sixteenth, dotted and triplet notes, plus common delay times. Producers use these values to set delay and reverb times, LFO rates and gate lengths so effects lock to the tempo of the track. A quarter note at 120 BPM is 500 ms, and every other value in the table scales from that.
Last updated: