BPM Tapper & Metronome
Tap along to any track to find its tempo in seconds, then practise to a real metronome with time signatures and accents. Free, instant, and everything runs on your device.
Tap intervals (ms)
The click is generated live with the Web Audio API — no audio files are downloaded, and the timing is scheduled ahead of the audio clock, so it stays rock-steady even if the page is busy. Press Space to start or stop.
How to use the BPM Tapper
- Play the track you want to measure, on any device.
- Tap the big button — or press the space bar — once on every beat, in time with the music.
- The BPM appears after your second tap and refines itself with each additional tap.
- Keep tapping for 8-16 beats for a reliable figure, or hit Reset and start again if you lose the beat.
- Switch to the Metronome tab (or click "Send to metronome") to practise at that exact tempo.
Why use ZillaKit's BPM Tapper and Metronome?
Knowing a track's tempo is the first step in almost every music task: beat-matching a DJ set, choosing a workout playlist, setting a click track for recording, transcribing a drum part, or simply practising a piece at the speed the composer intended. This tapper uses a rolling average of your most recent tap intervals rather than a naive first-to-last calculation, so a single early or late tap does not wreck the reading, and it shows a steadiness figure so you can see how consistent your tapping actually was. The built-in metronome generates its click with the Web Audio API and schedules every beat against the audio hardware clock, which means it does not drift the way a naive setInterval metronome does when the browser tab gets busy. You get time signatures for 2/4, 3/4, 4/4 and 6/8, an optional accent on the downbeat, a large visual pulse for silent practice, and a volume control. No signup, no app to install, no ads inside the tool itself, and nothing leaves your device — the whole thing is a single HTML page running in your browser.
Tempo markings, from Largo to Presto
Classical tempo markings map roughly onto BPM ranges, and the tapper names yours automatically: Largo is very slow at 40-60 BPM, Adagio is slow and stately at 66-76, Andante is a walking pace at 76-108, Moderato is moderate at 108-120, Allegro is fast and bright at 120-168, and Presto is very fast at 168-200 and above. Popular music clusters more tightly: most pop and rock sits between 100 and 130 BPM, house music is famously around 120-128, hip-hop typically lands between 80 and 100, drum and bass runs at 160-180, and a typical running cadence is 170-180 steps per minute — which is why so many running playlists are built around tracks near 85 or 170 BPM.
FAQ
How many times do I need to tap?
Two taps give a first estimate, four give a usable one, and eight or more give an accurate figure. The tool averages your most recent intervals, so keep tapping until the number settles — it usually stabilises within a few beats.
The BPM keeps jumping around. What am I doing wrong?
Nothing — that is your tapping steadiness, and it is visible in the Steadiness stat. Tap on the strong beat only (the one you would clap on), not on every drum hit, and try to anticipate the beat rather than react to it. If you stop for more than three seconds the tapper resets automatically so a pause does not corrupt the average.
Is the metronome accurate?
Yes. Rather than firing a timer for each click, it schedules the clicks a short way ahead directly on the Web Audio clock, which is driven by the audio hardware. That is the same technique used in browser-based digital audio workstations, and it keeps time even when JavaScript is momentarily busy.
Why is 6/8 different from 3/4?
They both have six eighth-notes per bar, but the feel differs: 3/4 is three beats grouped in twos (ONE-and two-and three-and), while 6/8 is two beats grouped in threes (ONE-two-three FOUR-five-six). The metronome accents them accordingly, so pick the one that matches the music rather than the one with the same-looking numbers.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. Tap the button with your thumb; the tap zone is deliberately large. On iOS you may need to tap once to allow audio before the metronome click is audible — that is a browser rule, not a tool limitation.
Can it detect the BPM of a song automatically?
Not in this tool. Automatic detection needs the audio file itself and a beat-tracking algorithm, and it still gets confused by half-time and double-time. Tapping along is faster, and it is right for the beat you actually care about.