Point it at the band. Read the BPM.
TempoSense listens through a laptop mic, a phone or a line feed from the desk, and shows the tempo as one big number. Delay times and the ÷2 / ÷4 / ÷8 layers are already worked out, and MIDI sends it straight to Ableton, LiveProfessor or the lighting desk. Nobody has to tap.
30-second signup, no card. Runs in the browser, nothing is uploaded. The same login opens 17 more tools.
Press play to hear a groove and watch the tempo lock, or try your own microphone. Nothing is recorded.
Default 124 BPM · Press play above
One number. Light and sound in step.
Everything below runs on the tempo in the card above. Play the demo groove or use your mic, then change the groove and watch the layers and delay times follow.
Movers on ÷4, a chase on ÷2, strobes on the beat.
Each layer goes out as its own MIDI note into the desk’s speed masters, so every fixture group keeps its own rate on the same grid.
The echo for the song that’s playing now.
| Note | Straight | Dotted | Triplet |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/2 | |||
| 1/4 | |||
| 1/8 | |||
| 1/16 |
Whole notes to sixteenths, dotted and triplet, plus ÷4 and ÷8 columns. Or send the delay time as a MIDI controller so the plugin follows without host sync.
Four detectors + Auto
Drums, full mix or a choir. It finds the beat.
Four detectors listen at once and Auto follows the clearest one. Speech, crowd noise and pads don’t lock, so the number only lights up on a real beat.
Transient Auto picks
Drums, clicks and anything with a sharp attack.
Groove Auto picks
The full mix, when the whole band carries the beat.
Low-end Auto picks
Kick and bass alone, ignoring the rest of the room.
Harmonic Auto picks
Piano, strings and choir, following the chord changes.
The bars show which detector usually wins for each kind of source. They are an illustration, not a live measurement.
Send it on
Your gear follows the band. Not the other way round.
grandMA · ChamSys
Beat pulses for ÷1 / ÷2 / ÷4 / ÷8 as MIDI notes into the speed masters.
note on every ÷4 → 31.0 BPMAbleton Live
Tempo as a controller mapped to your range, or MIDI clock if a receiver must slave.
124.0 BPM → CCLiveProfessor
Delay time as a controller, so the delay plugin follows without host sync.
1/4 = 483.9 msBPM Forge
One button hands the tempo over for a click at exactly that speed.
Send 124.0 BPM →Fullscreen display
The number and the layers big on any monitor at the desk.
124.0 · 62.0 · 31.0Set log
One line per tempo with start, end and duration, exported as CSV.
CSV · start · end · BPMWeb MIDI works in Chrome, Edge and Firefox on a laptop. Detection works everywhere with a microphone, phones included.
The real app
Stop. Start. Locked again in a few beats.
Straight out of TempoSense on a laptop next to a band: 124.0 BPM, the layers underneath, the bar dots running with the music. Your account adds what this page can’t do: interface and channel choice, Set 1, Hold, MIDI out, the set log and the fullscreen FOH display.
The same on a phone, built-in mic only. Use a laptop with an interface for a line feed and MIDI.
Why TempoSense
Tapping works until your hands are busy. Then there’s this.
| TempoSenseFree | Tap tempo | BPM apps for files | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reads the tempo with no tapping | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| Works on a live band through a mic | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Line feed from the desk, raw signal | ✓ | — | — |
| ÷2 / ÷4 / ÷8 layers | ✓ | — | — |
| Full delay-time table | ✓ | sometimes | — |
| MIDI to DAW and lighting desk | ✓ | — | — |
| Bar tracking with beat 1 | ✓ | — | sometimes |
| Hands stay on the faders | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| Price | €0 | free | varies |
For anyone whose gear needs to know the tempo.
Lighting designers & operators
Layer the movement on the DJ’s tempo.
Movers on ÷4, a chase on ÷2, strobes on the beat, as notes into the speed masters.
FOH & monitor engineers
The right delay for this song, now.
Read the time, or send a controller into the delay plugin so it follows on its own.
DJs, MDs & bands
Know the tempo before you move.
Before you mix in or count in, or hand the number to BPM Forge for a click at exactly that speed.
Same free account · No extra signup
Heard the tempo? Put it to work.
TempoSense hands the number to BPM Forge with one button. From there, your login opens the rest of the show.
- SoundcheckFree TempoSense Hears the tempo live from the room or the desk. You are here
- One buttonFree BPM Forge Takes the number for a click, a count-in and the setlist. Tempo handed over
- PrepFree ClickSmith Any song to an L/R click track for in-ears. Click for the show
- Set prep€29 SetlistForge Setlists with timing, keys and royalty reports. The set, timed
- Showtime€49 Show Clock Countdown and running order on every crew phone. Everyone on the same second
Also free with your account
Straight answers.
Is anything recorded or uploaded?
No. All analysis happens in your browser and no audio leaves the device. Only your settings and, if you switch it on, the set log are stored.
Why does it show half or double the tempo?
A click every 345 ms is 174 or 87 BPM, and no detector can tell which. The range decides (80–160 by default). When the music fits both, TempoSense offers the other one: tap it, or use ½× / 2×.
Which detector should I use?
Leave it on Auto. It runs Transient, Groove, Low-end and Harmonic at once and follows the clearest beat. Pick one yourself if the room is unusual, for example Low-end when the kick is the only steady part.
Which browsers send MIDI?
Chrome, Edge and Firefox on a laptop. Safari and iOS have no Web MIDI; detection itself works everywhere with a microphone.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. Detection, layers, delay table and set log all work on the phone’s built-in mic. Use a laptop with an interface for a line feed and for MIDI.
Is it really free?
Yes. TempoSense is free with a Squaresmile account. The same login opens BPM Forge, ClickSmith and every other Squaresmile tool.
Know the tempo within a few bars.
Free account, 30 seconds, no card. Nothing to install and no audio leaves your device. One login opens TempoSense and every other Squaresmile tool.
Create your free account Already have an account? Open TempoSense