Hearing a song on the radio, in a club or on someone else’s phone? You don’t need the file to find its tempo. Tap the button in time with the beat and this tap tempo tool works out the BPM as you go.
How it works
- Tap the big button (or press T or the space bar) in time with the beat. Four or more taps give a steady reading.
- We fit a straight line through your tap times, so one early or late tap doesn't throw the result.
- Stop tapping for three seconds and the next tap starts a new count.
- Use half-time and double-time if the number feels too slow or too fast, then switch on the metronome to check it against the music.
Frequently asked questions
How many times should I tap?
At least four taps for a rough reading, and eight to sixteen for a precise one. The result settles as you keep tapping in time.
How do I convert BPM to milliseconds?
Divide 60,000 by the BPM to get one beat in milliseconds. At 100 BPM a beat is 600 ms, an eighth note 300 ms and a sixteenth 150 ms. The tool shows these values for delay and reverb settings.
Is tap tempo accurate?
It is as accurate as your tapping. Because we fit a line through all your taps instead of using only the last two, small timing errors cancel out. For an exact figure from a file, use our BPM finder.
Why does it say 70 BPM when my beat is 140?
Tempo has an octave problem: a beat at 140 BPM with a snare on every third beat can feel like 70, and 140 is also a valid reading of a 70 BPM groove. Detectors, and people, often disagree by exactly half or double. Tap the half-time or double-time value to switch to the one your DAW or genre uses.
Does tap tempo work offline?
Once the page has loaded, yes. Tapping and the metronome run in your browser and don't need a connection.
Getting a steady reading
Tap on the main beat, the one you would clap to, rather than every hi-hat. Four taps give a rough number and eight to sixteen give a precise one. Instead of using only your last two taps, we fit a line through all of them, so a single early or late tap barely moves the result. Pause for three seconds and the next tap starts a fresh count.
Check it with the metronome
Switch on the metronome and listen. If the clicks drift ahead of the music, your tempo is slightly fast; if they fall behind, it’s slow. Keep tapping and the metronome follows the new reading. You can also type a BPM to hear it.
BPM to milliseconds
Producers often need beat lengths for delay and reverb times. Every result shows one beat, an eighth note and a sixteenth note in milliseconds, and one bar in seconds. The maths is simple: 60,000 divided by the BPM gives one beat in milliseconds.
Have the audio file? The BPM finder reads the tempo automatically, and the full Beat Lab gives you the key as well.