Find the BPM
Tap along with the music and I will tell you the tempo — plus the milliseconds for your delay and reverb.
BPM
Delay times at this tempo
| Value | Milliseconds |
|---|---|
| Whole bar | -- |
| Half (1/2) | -- |
| Quarter (1/4) | -- |
| Dotted eighth | -- |
| Eighth (1/8) | -- |
| Eighth triplet | -- |
| Sixteenth (1/16) | -- |
How to use it
- Start the track and tap the big button, or the space bar, following the kick drum.
- Four taps already give a usable number; eight make it solid.
- Stop for more than two seconds and the count resets on its own.
- Below you get the delay times in milliseconds for that tempo: copy them into your pedal or plugin.
BPM means beats per minute: how many foot taps fit into sixty seconds. A ballad sits around 60-75, classic rock around 110-130, punk above 170. If your number comes out double or half of what you expected, you are tapping eighths or half notes — no harm done, divide or multiply by two.
The table under the counter is what you want when a delay has to sit in time. The quarter note is the pulse, the eighth is half of it, and the dotted eighth is that sound everyone knows from U2: it makes one guitar sound like two chasing each other.
The same numbers work for reverb: a pre-delay around the eighth note keeps the sound separate from its tail, and a tail as long as one bar fills the space without turning to mud. If your pedal or plugin already syncs to tempo, this table just tells you what it is doing.
Questions people ask
How many taps do I need?
Four give an estimate, eight make it stable. The calculation averages your recent taps, so the longer you stay in time the steadier the number gets.
Why do I get half the real BPM?
Because you are tapping every other beat, usually following the snare instead of the kick. Multiply by two: same tempo, read differently.
What is the dotted eighth delay for?
It fills the gaps between notes without landing on the next beat. Over a simple arpeggio it sounds like two players. Try it around 35% feedback.
Can I send the BPM to the metronome?
Yes: the button under the counter opens the metronome already set to that tempo.
The other tools
Online tuner
Tune by ear or with the microphone: it names the note and tells you how many cents you are off.
Online metronome
40 to 240 BPM, with an accent on the downbeat and subdivisions. Actually keep time.
Find the note on the neck
Sixty seconds to find as many notes on the neck as you can. Your best score stays on your machine.
What guitarist are you?
Eight questions and you find out what kind of player you are. With a result image to post.
Want the theory behind it?
Ten free guitar courses, one day at a time: scales, chords, rhythm and improvisation.