Find the key and BPM of any song
Drop an audio file above to find its key and tempo. The analysis runs entirely in your browser — the file is never uploaded. You get the key and mode, the relative key, the Camelot code for mixing, and the BPM with half-time and double-time alternatives, in a few seconds, free.
How the key is found
The tool listens for which of the twelve pitch classes carry the most energy across the song. That twelve-bin 'chroma' profile is compared against the classic Krumhansl-Schmuckler key profiles — the statistical fingerprint of how major and minor keys weight their scale degrees — for every possible root, and the best-matching major or minor key wins. Percussive energy is filtered out first and the recording's tuning is estimated, so a track pitched a little away from A440 still folds onto the right notes.
This is the same method IchiPitchy's own analyzer uses when you import a project, so the key you see here is the key the auto-tune picker will start on.
How the tempo is found
Tempo comes from the same estimator the studio's analyzer uses: an onset-strength curve (how much louder each moment is than the one before), its 8-second autocorrelation averaged over the song, and a gentle preference for tempos near 120 BPM. A beat tracker cannot tell a 74 BPM ballad from a 148 BPM double-time feel — the spacing is the same — so the half-time and double-time readings are always shown; the one you would tap along to is the right answer.
Songs with no steady pulse — rubato, free-time singing, ambient — may come back without a tempo. That is honest, not a bug.
What to do with the result
- Sing or write in the right key: pick a capo or transpose your instrument to match the song.
- Mix harmonically: tracks whose Camelot codes are the same number, or one step apart on the wheel, blend without clashing.
- Set up a session: give your DAW the BPM before you record so the grid, click and loops line up.
- Tune a vocal: open the song in IchiPitchy and auto-tune to the detected key instead of guessing.
Private by design
Everything on this page runs on your computer or phone using the browser's own audio engine. The file is decoded locally, analysed locally, and discarded when you leave. Nothing is sent to a server unless you choose to open the song in the studio.
Step by step
- Drop the file. Drag an audio file onto the box at the top of this page, or click it to pick one.
- Wait a few seconds. The song is decoded and analysed on your device.
- Read the result. Key, relative key and Camelot code on the left; BPM with half- and double-time alternatives on the right.
- Open it in the studio. Optionally send the same file into IchiPitchy to tune, mix or add a backing band in that key.
Ways to find a song's key and tempo, compared
| Method | Where it runs | Key | BPM | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| This page | In your browser, nothing uploaded | Key, relative, Camelot | With half/double-time | Free |
| Upload-based web tools | Their server | Usually | Usually | Free or metered |
| DAW analysis | Desktop app | Some DAWs | Yes | Requires the DAW |
| By ear | You | Takes practice | Tap along | Free |
Frequently asked questions
Is the key and BPM finder free?
Yes, completely. There is no account, no upload and no limit — the analysis happens in your browser.
Which audio formats work?
Anything your browser can decode: MP3, WAV, FLAC, M4A/AAC, OGG and AIFF cover nearly everything. Files over 15 minutes are analysed on their first three minutes.
How accurate is the key detection?
For most pop, rock, electronic and acoustic music it lands on the key or its relative major/minor. Heavily modal, atonal or key-changing songs can fool any profile-based detector, which is why the runner-up is shown when the two are close.
Why does the BPM look doubled or halved?
Beat trackers see spacing, not feel. A 70 BPM half-time groove and a 140 BPM song have the same spacing between hits, so the tool shows both readings and lets you choose the one you would tap.
What is a Camelot code?
A DJ notation for keys: the number is the position on the circle of fifths and the letter is the mode (A minor, B major). Tracks with the same number, or adjacent numbers, mix harmonically.
Does it upload my song?
No. Decoding and analysis both happen in the browser. Only pressing 'Open in IchiPitchy' starts an upload, and only after you sign in.
Do I need an account to use it?
No. The key and BPM finder is the one part of IchiPitchy that needs no sign-in at all, because there is nothing to store — the file is decoded and analysed on your own device and never reaches a server. You only need an account if you go on to open the track in the studio.
How long a track can I analyse?
Up to 200 MB. Anything longer than 15 minutes is analysed on its first 3 minutes and the result says so — decoding a full DJ set into memory would cost hundreds of megabytes, and neither a key nor a tempo reading gets more reliable after the first few minutes.
What is the relative key, and why is it shown?
Every major key shares its notes with a minor key a third below — C major and A minor use the same seven notes. Key detection frequently lands on one when a musician would name the other, so both are shown along with the Camelot code, which is the notation DJs use to find keys that mix together.
Does it work on a vocal-only recording?
It works best on material with harmony in it, because the key is estimated from the distribution of pitch classes across the whole file. A dry solo vocal gives it much less to go on, so treat the reading as a strong hint rather than a verdict. Tempo detection is the opposite way round — it needs a clear rhythmic pulse, so a free-time vocal may not give a usable BPM.
Related
Read the full user guide or open IchiPitchy.
Auto-Tune is a trademark of Antares Audio Technologies. IchiPitchy is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Antares Audio Technologies. Product names are used only to describe what IchiPitchy does.