Local, not online
A browser-based key finder has to upload your file before it can tell you anything. DropWave doesn't: it is a local key and BPM finder, a native Mac app that reads every file on your own machine.
- Offline. Finding the key and BPM works with the Wi‑Fi off. The app only goes online to check for updates.
- Private. Client stems, unreleased records and anything under NDA never leave your Mac. No account, no analytics.
- No limits. No file-size cap, no queue, no daily quota. A whole folder is read in one drop.
- Fast. Well under a second for a full song, because nothing has to travel anywhere first.
The folder every producer has
A few hundred files with names like vox_loop_final_2.wav. None of them labelled. Each one useful only if you know two things about it.
The key tells you whether a sample will sit under your chords or fight them. The tempo tells you whether it needs stretching, and by how much. Between them they decide, in a second, whether a file is worth opening at all.
DropWave answers both from one drop, and adds what you would otherwise open something else for: the Camelot code for harmonic mixing, the tuning in cents, and the true peak and loudness you check before anything leaves your Mac.
What you get
| Reading | |
|---|---|
| Key | Tonic and mode, with the Camelot code, and every section's key when the song changes key |
| Tempo | BPM to two decimal places, with the beat grid on the waveform; half or double in one click |
| Tuning | How far the track sits from A = 440 Hz, in cents |
| Loudness | Integrated LUFS, to ITU‑R BS.1770‑4 |
| True peak | dBTP, to ITU‑R BS.1770‑4, flagged when it is hot or clips |
| Confidence | How many sections of the song agreed, with the runner-up named when it was close |
Three things that matter
It listens for the notes
DropWave picks out the notes actually being played, bass line included, instead of judging the overall colour of the sound. That is why it doesn't land a fifth away from the real key, the mistake key finders are known for. More on key →
You can check it by ear
Click on beats plays a metronome locked to the grid DropWave found, along with the track. Hear key plays the key's chord, tuned to the track itself. If the click drifts or the chord clashes, you know before you build on it.
It says when a call was close
Key and tempo each carry a confidence reading, counted from how many sections of the song agreed, and when two answers were close the second is named. "F minor, or A♭ major" is something you settle by ear in ten seconds.
Whole folders
Drop a folder and every file lands in one table. Sort by any column, search by name, key or Camelot code, and export it all as CSV. When you're happy, DropWave can write the key and tempo into the file names, like vocal_chop_loop [11A 88].wav, after showing you every change. ⌘Z undoes it.
Real units only
True peak in dBTP and loudness in LUFS, both to ITU‑R BS.1770‑4, the standard streaming platforms normalise against. Not an "energy" score on an invented scale.
What it runs on
- macOS 26 or later, on a Mac with Apple silicon
- about 7 MB, well under a second for a full song
- Your audio never leaves your Mac. No account, no analytics. It only goes online to check for updates.
Opens WAV, AIFF, MP3, M4A / AAC / ALAC, FLAC, CAF, and the audio track of video files. Full list →
Who it is for
- Producers sorting a sample library, working out what is in a few hundred unlabelled loops.
- Beatmakers matching a sample to a session before committing to it.
- DJs preparing a set, reading Camelot codes and what mixes against them.
- Mixing and mastering engineers checking headroom and loudness against a delivery target.
Questions
Is DropWave an online key and BPM finder?
No. DropWave is a local key and BPM finder: a native Mac app that analyses every file on your own machine. Nothing is uploaded, and it works without an internet connection.
Why use a local key and BPM finder instead of a website?
Speed, privacy and no limits. There is no upload and no queue, no file-size cap or daily limit, and material that is not yours to share, like client stems or unreleased records, never leaves your Mac.
Can I find the key and BPM of many files at once?
Yes. Drop a folder and every file is read into one table you can sort, search and export as CSV, and DropWave can write the key and tempo into the file names.
Which audio formats does it read?
WAV, AIFF, MP3, M4A / AAC / ALAC, FLAC, CAF, and the audio track of video files.