DropWave 3.6.1 is in a free open beta for Mac and Windows: download it and it opens. No key, no account.
Get started
From the download to your first reading in two minutes, on a Mac or a PC.
Guides: Find the key of a song · Find the BPM of a song · Find the key of a sample
The readings
What every number in the window means, and what to do with it.
| Reading | Unit | |
|---|---|---|
| Key | Tonic and mode, and the key of each section when it changes | Key |
| Camelot | 1A–12A, 1B–12B | Camelot wheel |
| Tempo | BPM, two decimal places, with the beat grid | BPM |
| Tuning | Cents from A = 440 Hz | Key |
| Loudness | LUFS integrated, loudness range, short-term and momentary max, PLR | Loudness |
| True peak | dBTP | True peak |
| Streaming | What Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Amazon Music, Tidal and Deezer do to the level | Loudness |
| Delivery | Each file checked against a spec you set (Settings → Delivery) | Loudness |
Key and tempo each carry a confidence, counted from how many sections of the song agreed, and when two answers were close DropWave names the second one. Check both by ear: Click on beats plays a click on the detected grid, and Hear key plays the key's chord at the track's own tuning. Loudness and true peak are measured to ITU‑R BS.1770‑4, the standard streaming platforms normalise against.
Guides: Does a song change key? · Plan a DJ set by key · Sort a DJ library by key · How loud for Spotify? · True peak vs sample peak · Check a master
The plugins
Two plugins for your DAW on a Mac. DropWave for Mac installs them and keeps them up to date: DropWave Manager (Settings → Manager).
Guides: Tune a vocal in real time · Split a song into stems · Change a song's key, not its tempo