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liveBPM - Beat Detector app for iPhone and iPad


4.0 ( 640 ratings )
Utilities Music
Developer: Daniel Bach
3.99 USD
Current version: 1.2.1, last update: 5 years ago
First release : 31 Aug 2012
App size: 860 Kb

Sharpen your sense of time! liveBPM is the tempo monitoring tool for drummers, bands and DJs. It detects music and beats via the microphone and continuously displays the current tempo in beats per minute (BPM). It is easy to use and delivers high-quality results while being energy efficient.


=== What users said about liveBPM ===


John Walden, freelance musician and music technology journalist at musicappblog.com:
"There are three obvious applications for the app. First, it would make a brilliant practice tool for a drummer, allowing them to monitor just how good they are at keeping a steady tempo without the aid of a click track to guide them. Second, sat beside your kit during a performance, it would allow you to judge just how well you are hitting the ideal tempo for each song in your set. It’s not just drummers that can benefit for liveBPM as the third use is in mapping the tempo – and any tempo changes – in commercial recordings. While this is useful for drummers, it is instructional for almost any musician."


JonLong:
"I used this at my last band practice and wasnt expecting it to work. I couldnt believe how quickly and accurately it started tracking the bpm, even despite the very loud volume of our music."


PocketDrummer82:
"I am a professional drummer and I have been looking for something like this for years! Unless your playing with backing tracks or recording, Playing with a Click is too Mechanical. This app allows the tempo to breathe, and its like a little angel on your shoulder telling you the band is speeding up or slowing down. It is totally worth the money."


Chris Walther:
"I have used this about five gigs now and have quit using my previous tempo meter. I used both for a few gigs to test the accuracy. Dead on. Thanks! Every drummer should use this."


magrec:
"This has been very helpful for recording. thanks!"




=== Detailed Description ===


This is a tool designed for professional use:
- Well-tested beat detection engine guarantees trustworthiness
- Can handle most genres
- Produces results accurate to within 0.1 BPM under the following conditions:
-- The tempo is constant or almost constant
-- Strong impulses are defining the beat (drums, accentuated rhythm instruments like bass/guitar, etc.)


Further features:
- Tempo curve shows the development of tempo over time
- Multiple zoom modes to show last 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 15, 20 or 30 minutes
- Advanced audio spectrum analysis via FFT
- More accessible and usually more accurate than BPM counters that function through tapping
- Low battery drain thanks to high performance code and efficient algorithms


Using it as a musician:
- Use it as an objective tempo reference like a metronome
- It actually has several advantages over a metronome:
-- You are not tied to a click, giving you more flexibility
-- Helps you use tempo changes to enhance your musical expression
-- With blind tests, it can massively improve your timing confidence, which is especially important if you are in a tempo leading role (e.g. drummer)
- Discover how/whether your favorite artists use tempo changes
- Measure and improve your time-keeping skills
- Identify slowdowns and speedups while practicing your instrument
- Always be in control of the tempo during your live gigs and rehearsals


Controls:
- Power Button: For freezing the tempo curve and minimizing battery drain
- Clear Button: Clears the tempo curve
- Slider: Adjusts the target tempo range (i.e. 80-160 BPM)
- Zoom Buttons: Switch between zoom modes for the tempo curve. (2-30 minutes)


Note:
- You can check and improve the detection by clapping loud to the beat. Also, results can be improved by plugging in a suitable external microphone.
- You can support my work by rating it on the App Store. If you have questions and/or suggestions, feel free to contact me via e-mail or facebook.

Pros and cons of liveBPM - Beat Detector app for iPhone and iPad

liveBPM - Beat Detector app good for

Top Bpm counter, fast and accurate even at low volume! The ui could be improved, rather low-level design.
As a drummer, I always dreamed of having a gadget for real-time feedback of my tempo. As an electrical engineer, it seemed a mobile app would be the perfect way to go. But to reliably extract the bpm from whatever acoustic sounds the mic is picking up? Wow, thats a tough problem. While looking around for ideas and tools on how I might make my own, I stumbled upon liveBPM. There must be a lot more under the hood than the simple interface would suggest, because this app is very robust. Im very impressed with how it responds to changes in volume, rhythm pattern or tempo. Clap a simple rhythm along to a metronome in the background, then turn off the metronome to watch your how your internal tempo drifts. Its fun to watch the bpm graph with your eyes open or closed. If new releases of liveBPM are planned Id love to add a second graph displaying the position of individual claps relative to the current measure. An excellent, well-engineered app.
I took to this app the first time I ever used it. I have it installed on an old 3GS for back up. Sometimes I put the extra (the 3Gs) on the floor close to the bass player so he can have his own reference. I use it on my iPad for non-singing gigs and on my iPhone for all the rest. A must have for any serious drummer or bass player wanting to rein-in an errant drummer! It works on the floor, sitting on my bass drum or mounted on a stand!
The others Ive tried were grossly inaccurate or required tapping.
Simple Tool, does exacly what it should. im a dj and this really simplyfies syncronization! Thx!
This beat tracker enables live measurement of your beat performances and rehearsals. It works very well and is extremely usable to monitor your drummer. An export function for the tempo graph would be desirable as well as the ability to run in background. This software should not be missing in any musicians collection.

Some bad moments

This app seems nice in principle, but it cant count very high. Its counting every Coltrane tune I put on in halftime (160 vs. the actual quarter note speed of 320, etc.). If the developers are going to charge four dollars for this, youd think they might have listened to a jazz album once or twice. If you play jazz, save your money.
Thanks to Daniel for creating this! This app is a great tool for performances, rehearsal and practice sessions. I am certain that working with this app will surely improve ones time and confidence. I highly recommend this app and I cant wait to see where Daniel takes this. A must have for any rhythm section player!
I am a professional drummer, and I am in love with this app. I have used it with numerous styles and various rhythms, and it works perfectly. I have also checked it with my metronome to ensure accuracy, and its dead on. It even is able to figure out 2/2 as opposed to 4/4. I dont know how, but Im impressed!!!!
Brought it to last nights gig on an iPod Touch. I play bass. Set it up where the drummer and I could both see it. Way more useful than a metronome in this application, because its not forcing anything. It just tells you which way youre drifting.
I heard a lot about the accuracy of this app. Was exited to do a trail run. Paid my money. Then nothing but a blank screen. Ive got a IPod touch running iOs 5.0.5. And would really like to have this app.
I usually dont rate apps. I wanted to rate this one because I was so impressed. Im using it on an iPhone 5 with the latest OS. Its not optimized for the taller screen, but that doesnt affect functionality. I used this at my last band practice and wasnt expecting it work. I couldnt believe how quickly and accurately it started tracking the bpm, even despite the very loud volume of our music. One thing I noticed is that it sometimes loses the time signature. For example, it might be reading at 120bpm, but then a change in drum pattern will cause it to read at half or double tempo. This happens very rarely and doesnt affect the usefulness of the app. The only change Id like to see in future updates, other than being optimized for iPhone 5 screen, is the ability to tap something to indicate where a song starts and stops. Sort of like a lap timer on a stopwatch. That way I could go back and look at the tempo graph for various songs. All in all, its a great app.

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