The product
What is DropWave?
A native audio analyzer for macOS. Drop an audio file on the window and it reports the musical key, the Camelot position, the tempo, the length, the true peak and the loudness. It also runs as a plugin inside your DAW, reading whichever channel it is inserted on. Everything is worked out on your own machine.
How do I get DropWave?
DropWave is in closed beta, and the Discord is the only way in. Builds are posted there and access is handed out there. There is no download on this site.
Does DropWave work on Windows?
No. DropWave is a native macOS application and requires macOS 13 Ventura or later.
Is there a DropWave plugin?
Yes. DropWave Analyzer ships inside the app, so launching DropWave once installs it. Insert it on any channel, play the transport and press Analyze, and it reports the key, Camelot position and tempo of what is going through that channel. It passes your audio through untouched. More →
Does DropWave use AI?
No. There is no model and no inference involved — which is also why the same file always produces the same answer, and why nothing needs to be sent anywhere to get it.
The readings
Does DropWave detect the key of detuned samples?
Yes, and it is one of the things it is best at. DropWave measures the tuning of the material rather than assuming concert pitch, so pitch-shifted and off-tune material resolves to the correct key instead of the one next to it — and the deviation is reported to you in cents. More →
Why does it say the tempo could also be double?
Because both numbers describe the same grid counted at different metrical levels, and both genuinely fit the audio. A drum & bass tune at 174 has a half-time feel at 87; a trap beat at 140 is often written as 70. DropWave names the alternative rather than picking silently. More →
What do the confidence bands mean?
How separated the winning answer was from the next one. High means it was not close. Anything lower means it was, and the alternative is named so you can decide by ear in ten seconds rather than find out two hours later.
Files
Can DropWave analyse a whole folder at once?
Not in the current beta. Drop several files and DropWave analyses the first and tells you so, rather than silently ignoring the rest.
Does DropWave change my files?
No. It reads and measures; it never writes. No tags, no sidecar files, no metadata.
What formats does DropWave open?
WAV, AIFF, MP3, M4A/AAC/ALAC, FLAC and CAF, plus the audio track of video files. The extension is not what decides: if macOS can decode it, DropWave analyses it — including files with no extension at all. Full list →
Does DropWave work with Logic Pro, FL Studio and Ableton Live?
Yes. The app sits alongside any DAW and analysed files drag straight out into a session. The plugin appears in any host that reads Audio Units — Logic Pro and GarageBand natively, FL Studio once the format is enabled.
Privacy
Does DropWave upload my music?
No. DropWave never connects to the internet. No telemetry, no analytics, no account, no licence check — so nothing about your audio ever leaves your Mac. More →
What happens if the project stops?
Nothing. There is no licence server to switch off, so a copy that runs today keeps running.