What is BPM?
BPM (beats per minute) is a song's tempo: how many beats pass in one minute, so 120 BPM means two beats every second. Free in your browser, Veena sets, taps and matches tempo for you, and CoProducer picks the right BPM for whatever genre you name.
What is BPM in each genre?
Typical ranges, counted in 4/4 with the beat on the quarter note:
| Genre | Typical BPM |
|---|---|
| Lo-fi hip hop | 70–90 |
| Boom bap | 85–95 |
| Reggaeton | 90–100 |
| Afrobeats | 100–115 |
| Pop | 100–130 |
| House | 120–128 |
| Techno | 125–140 |
| Trap | 130–160, felt in half-time |
| Drum and bass | 170–175 |
Half-time and double-time
A number doesn't tell you the whole feel. Put the snare on beat 3 instead of beats 2 and 4, and a 140 BPM trap beat grooves like 70; double the hi-hats and a 70 BPM ballad feels urgent. Producers choose the BPM for the drum grid, then shape the felt tempo with where the backbeat lands. Tempo and groove explains why the same pattern changes character at different speeds.
Set, tap or match the tempo
The tempo sits in Veena's transport bar beside the time signature and key: drag it anywhere from 40 to 300 BPM, or open Tap Tempo and tap along. The metronome sits next to Snap. Audio follows tempo too: drag a clip's right edge to time-stretch it with its pitch kept, or use Match BPM to fit it to the project.
Most people don't start with a number. In Veena's own data, only 9.4% of first requests give a BPM: people name a genre instead, and on an empty project CoProducer sets that genre's tempo before writing a note. Build around your own recording and it measures the take and moves the project to its tempo, so every new part sits on your groove.
Related terms: what a time signature is and what a loop in music is. Making beats? Try the free online beat maker, or set your tempo in Veena and ask for a 174 BPM drum and bass track.
Try this in Veena
Make a 174 BPM liquid drum and bass track in F minor with fast breakbeat drums, a deep reese bass, lush pads and a soulful electric piano line, 32-bar intro into the drop
Frequently asked questions
How do I set the BPM in Veena?
Drag the tempo in the transport bar anywhere from 40 to 300 BPM, or tap it in with Tap Tempo. Veena is an AI DAW with a personal music producer built in. Describe the song you want and CoProducer builds it with you — beats, chords, melody, arrangement and mix — as real tracks you can edit, mix and export. Free, in your browser.
What BPM is a hip hop beat?
Classic boom bap usually sits between 85 and 95 BPM, while trap runs around 130 to 160 BPM with a half-time feel, so it grooves like 65 to 80. In Veena, name the genre and CoProducer sets a fitting tempo for an empty project, or state your own: 'a 92 BPM boom-bap beat'.
How do I find the BPM of a song?
Tap along with the beat: Veena's Tap Tempo turns your taps into a BPM. For your own recordings, Veena reads the tempo when you import them, and the first clip you bring in sets the project tempo. Build around a take and CoProducer matches the project to it.
Meet your personal music producer
Free, in your browser. Describe the song you want and CoProducer builds it with you.
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