Getting started

1. Get in

DropWave 3.6.1 is in beta, free and with no key. Download it and it opens. Every build is posted first in the Discord, if you'd like to join.

You need macOS 14 Sonoma or later on a Mac with Apple silicon, or Windows 11.

2. Install

On a Mac:

1. Download DropWave and open the disk image.
2. Drag DropWave into Applications.
3. Open it. DropWave is notarised by Apple, so it opens straight away.
4. Want the plugins? Open DropWave Manager (Settings → Manager) and click Install next to DropWave Editor or DropWave Tune. DropWave keeps them up to date.

On Windows:

1. Download DropWave for Windows and run it. If Windows says it protected your PC, click More info → Run anyway: DropWave isn't code-signed yet. You only do this once.
2. DropWave installs itself for you (no administrator needed) and opens straight away, no key needed. From then on it's in the Start menu, and Settings → Apps removes it.

From then on DropWave keeps itself up to date. See Updates.

3. Analyse something

• Drag files or a folder onto the window, or onto DropWave in the Dock.
• File → Open… (⌘O).
• Right-click files or a folder in Finder → Analyse with DropWave. Works for video files too.

DropWave remembers your list: open it tomorrow and everything is still there, with no waiting for files it has read before. A file is only read again when it changes, and a file that moved shows as Missing, with Locate…. To start fresh, click the × beside the file count; ⌘Z brings the list back. (Settings → General turns remembering off.)

Analysis takes well under a second for a full song. DropWave never changes your audio.

4. Read the result

Key, Tempo and Length across the top. The key carries its Camelot code; the tempo has Half / As detected / Double, so you can pick the level you count in. Under the length is the tuning in cents from A = 440 Hz.

The waveform shows the beat grid, with the first beat of each bar marked, and, when a song changes key, a strip underneath with each section's key. Click the waveform to jump anywhere.

True peak and Loudness below: the two numbers worth checking before a file leaves your computer. Close to 0 dBTP it says hot; above 0 it says clips.

Confidence for key and tempo, with how many sections of the song agreed, and the runner-up when it was close. And the Camelot wheel, with the keys that mix with yours.

5. Check it by ear

• Click on beats plays a metronome along with the track, locked to the detected grid. If it stays glued to the drums, the tempo is right.
• Hear key plays the key's chord, tuned to the track. Play it over the music; if it sits, the key is right.

Folders and the table

Drop a folder and every file is listed in the sidebar and read, several at once. The Dock icon shows the progress, and if you switch to another app, a notification says when a big folder is done. Use ↑ / ↓ to go through the files; while one plays, the next one you pick plays instead. Press ⌘2 for the table: every file with its key, Camelot, tempo, loudness, true peak and length. Sort by any column and search by name, key or Camelot code. ⌘1 goes back to one file.

• Export everything as CSV with ⌘E.
• Tag Filenames (⇧⌘T) writes the key and tempo into the names, like vocal_chop_loop [11A 88].wav. You see every change first; it never overwrites a file, and ⌘Z undoes it.

6. Get the numbers out

• Copy Readings (⇧⌘C) puts the key, Camelot, tempo and levels on the clipboard.
• Show in Finder (⇧⌘R).

Keyboard

Updates

DropWave checks for updates when it starts and about twice a day. A new version downloads in the background; a small bar appears with Restart. Click it, confirm, and DropWave installs the update and reopens with your files. DropWave → Check for Updates… checks right away.

In Settings → Updates you can switch between Open Beta and Dev Beta (builds first; needs a personal code from the team).

Next

Supported formats · Key · FAQ