Counting BPM

Tips and techniques of the trade

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Bob the Builder
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#31 Post by Bob the Builder » Wed Nov 24, 2004 3:04 pm

Thanks guys :D
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Campus Five
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#32 Post by Campus Five » Wed Nov 24, 2004 11:43 pm

Thanks Jesse.

I figured since it was freeware, it wouldn't be a bad idea.
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My boys and I have four heavy beats to the bar and no cheating!
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RaleighRob
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#33 Post by RaleighRob » Thu Dec 02, 2004 9:41 am

The iTunes-BPM Inspector mentioned on the last page is only for Macs. Is there a version or another plugin with that functionality for Windows?

Also, does anyone know if there's a way to configure iTunes to include BPM in its export or if there's an export plugin that includes BPM?
Last edited by RaleighRob on Mon Dec 06, 2004 9:31 am, edited 1 time in total.

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david
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#34 Post by david » Thu Dec 02, 2004 12:52 pm

If you're linux-based, like myself, you can use the very simple C program I wrote to count the BPM tapped on the keyboard. It should work on any unix system. Maybe a bit too technical for this forum, but I use it myself, together with a small script to scan my files and for each song that hasn't got a tempo stored, it starts a music player and this bpm counter, and stores the resulting tempo.

The C file can be found at http://www.lysator.liu.se/~davidk/bpmcount.c

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LindyChef
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#35 Post by LindyChef » Thu Dec 02, 2004 3:04 pm

RaleighRob wrote:The iTunes-BPM Inspector mentioned on the last page is only for Macs. Is there a version or another plugin with that functionality for Windows?

Also, does anyone know if there's a way to configure iTunes to include BPM in it's export or if there's an export plugin that includes BPM?
I've been playing with a free BPM analyzer called MixMeister BPM Analyzer and it's pretty accurate for 90% of the stuff I've thrown at it ... for the rest, it usually lists the song as double-time, so it's pretty easy to spot. it automatically updates the ID3 tags so iTunes can read it.

To get BPM listed in iTunes, right click on the category bar (ie Title, Artist, Comments). You'll see a whole lot of options that you can display. I've been using the bitrate field to find all of those songs that I have that I laughably encoded at much too high of a rate and tagging them for recompression.

OT, but if you're looking for a program to batch update your MP3 ID3 tags, nothing does it better than MP3 Collector. Not only does it allow you to batch update your tags, but it allows you to re-write the file names as well ...

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RaleighRob
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#36 Post by RaleighRob » Thu Dec 02, 2004 5:14 pm

I've already got a couple of utilities to calculate BPM. I don't have any that automatically update the ID3 tags. It's kind of annoying that I can't click on the BPM field to edit it the way I can for song title, artist, etc.

The main thing I need is a way to get iTunes to export BPM into its tab-delimited text export. I've got an Excel template I'm using to create CD book inserts.

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JesseMiner
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#37 Post by JesseMiner » Thu Dec 02, 2004 6:28 pm

RaleighRob wrote:It's kind of annoying that I can't click on the BPM field to edit it the way I can for song title, artist, etc.
Yeah, it is strange that iTunes doesn't allow that field to be editable. Of course I hadn't realized that you could click and edit the other fields until you just mentioned it and I tried it out.
RaleighRob wrote:The main thing I need is a way to get iTunes to export BPM into its tab-delimited text export. I've got an Excel template I'm using to create CD book inserts.
That is easy. If you copy data from your iTunes library (highlight the rows you want, right-mouse click and select "copy"), all visible fields will be copied. Just make sure the fields that you specifically want to copy are visible. That data can then be easily pasted into Excel.

Jesse

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LindyChef
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#38 Post by LindyChef » Fri Dec 03, 2004 1:46 pm

Umm, the BPM tag is editable, just not from the grid screen. Right click on the song, select the Get Info option and then the Info tab. It contains the editable information for the ID3 tag.

The other way to export your song information is to go to File > Export Song List while viewing the library. It will export the information in to a delimited file which is readable in Excel.

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JesseMiner
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#39 Post by JesseMiner » Fri Dec 03, 2004 2:16 pm

LindyChef wrote:Umm, the BPM tag is editable, just not from the grid screen. Right click on the song, select the Get Info option and then the Info tab. It contains the editable information for the ID3 tag.
Of course you can do it that way. My apologies for not being clearer. I was specifically commenting on the ability (or lack-of) to edit the BPM field, like you are able to do for many of the other fields, directly in the library.

Jesse

northbayclay
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#40 Post by northbayclay » Fri Dec 03, 2004 4:12 pm

Thanks to whom ever suggested the Itunes-BPMInspector (I can't go look right now while I'm writing this). I really like it- good application.

When you use the Itunes-BPM Inspector and set the bpm, it enters the info directly without having to go to the info window. Once you do this, the exporting to Excel should work as just described.
"If you can't hear it.... you'll never understand it." -Satchmo

northbayclay
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#41 Post by northbayclay » Fri Dec 03, 2004 4:21 pm

Thanks to whom ever suggested the Itunes-BPMInspector (I can't go look right now while I'm writing this). I really like it- good application.

When you use the Itunes-BPM Inspector and set the bpm, it enters the info directly without having to go to the info window. Once you do this, the exporting to Excel should work as just described.
"If you can't hear it.... you'll never understand it." -Satchmo

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RaleighRob
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#42 Post by RaleighRob » Mon Dec 06, 2004 9:36 am

JesseMiner wrote:That is easy. If you copy data from your iTunes library (highlight the rows you want, right-mouse click and select "copy"), all visible fields will be copied. Just make sure the fields that you specifically want to copy are visible. That data can then be easily pasted into Excel.
Sweet. Thanks for the tip.

I also found the 'next' and 'previous' buttons in the Info window to be really useful. Some smart thinking developer decided to keep the current field active when you click on 'next'. Say I've got BPMs for an entire CD. Once I've added the BPM for the first track, I can click 'next' and have the BPM field still be active. So to add the rest of the BPMs, it's 1. add the BPM for the next track, 2. click 'next', repeat till done.

Mystere88
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Tried a Metronome?

#43 Post by Mystere88 » Mon Apr 18, 2005 2:32 pm

After reading through all these posts, I'm a little surprised that no one has mentioned or confessed to sitting down with a good ol METRONOME and slugged their way around with a tune. Its not necessarily accurate to the exact BPM, but you can get a really good idea.

A cheap metronome that is electronic can typically be purchased at your local music/ band instrument store for $12.
A Wittner Super-Mini is $35 at my local store, its a smaller version (pocket size for this tool of antiquity) of a larger Metronome, but you actually crank it up and let the pendulum swing. You can only go in increments of 3, 4, or 8, and the top tempo is 208. The larger "tick tock" kinds sell for $80, which unless you're practicing you're scales and arpeggios, I don't recommend buying.

Does anyone use a reference recording for BPM? Jelly Roll's Black Bottom Stomp sits at 235-240. Ella singing "Shall be Dance?" on the complete Gershwin recordings sit nicely at 116. These are off the top of my head.

How come everyone refers to it as BPM instead of tempo? Talked to a musician lately? Although, I know my vocab doesn't often match a jazz musician's terminology.

How many DJs are still out there dancing, and more practically, Practicing their dance? Has anyone tried practicing with just a METRONOME? I like to do with friends, and you can definitely feel the difference between 120-160-200 when there is no music. Certain dances are suited to just the right tempo. I feel I don't have to know the exact BPM of any given tune because I feel what tempo zone it sits in. I typically use the divisions of a second for reference (60 - 1 beat per second, 120 - 2 beats per second, 180- 3, 240- 4.) Everything else is somewhere in between.

Really interesting discussion. Thanks.

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GemZombie
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#44 Post by GemZombie » Mon Apr 18, 2005 2:41 pm

Using a metronome would take trial and error, and would take a lot longer than using the count for 15 seconds, times by 4 method. A whole lot cheaper, and easier in my opinion.

I could never practice with a metronome. I need the feel of the music in order to feel the dance. Otherwise I could just count in my head or say the beat if my partner needs it.

Musicians use the term tempo, but on sheet music it often reads "Tempo: 180bpm". That's in Jazz. Classical uses the old italian terms that you're just supposed to know :P

Nate Dogg
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#45 Post by Nate Dogg » Mon Apr 18, 2005 2:49 pm

I have a Korg metronome that has a built in BPM Tempo reader, works about the same as tap software program.

http://www.korg.com/gear/info.asp?a_pro ... egory_id=5


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Nathan

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