Every reading
| 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 and the loudness range, to ITU‑R BS.1770‑4 |
| True peak | dBTP, to ITU‑R BS.1770‑4, with the PLR, flagged when it is hot or clips |
| Confidence | How many sections of the song agreed, with the runner-up named when it was close |
Key and tempo
Every key and tempo is checked across the whole song, and the panel says how many sections agreed: all of them is High. When the call was close, the runner-up is named. The wheel shows your key filled and the three that mix with it lit.
When the song moves, so does the reading. Key changes give every section's key and where it starts; tempo changes give every stretch its own BPM and beat grid. Here, our own 04 Undertow with its last chorus moved up two semitones:
The tempo is read to two decimal places. Half or Double switches it in one click, and a genre that lives at the edges, like drum & bass, gets its own tempo range in Settings. Reading a key → · Reading a tempo →
Loudness and streaming
−14 LUFS−3.9 dB
−15 LUFS−4.9 dB
−16 LUFS−5.9 dB
Integrated loudness in LUFS and true peak in dBTP, both to ITU‑R BS.1770‑4, the standard streaming services normalise against. Then what a mastering engineer checks next: loudness range, short-term and momentary max, PLR, sample peak, stereo correlation and loudness over time.
On streaming shows what Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Amazon Music, Tidal and Deezer will do to your level, and by how many dB each one turns it down, before you upload. How loud should a master be for Spotify? →
Delivery
Every file is checked against a spec. Streaming master by default: 44.1 kHz or more, lossless 16 or 24-bit, true peak at or under −1 dBTP, no clipping, no long silence at either end. A label or client with other numbers gets its own spec in Settings → Delivery, and a lossy file sent as a master gets flagged.
On a Mac, a PDF report of one file or the whole list goes to the label, artist or client with the files. How to check a master before you send it →
Playback
Click on beats plays a click on every detected beat while the track plays: if it stays glued to the drums, the tempo's right. Hear key plays the key's chord at the track's own tuning: if it sits, the key's right. Match loudness plays every file at the same level, so you compare the music, not the volume, through your own audio interface.
Folders
Drop a folder, up to 500 files at a time, and every file lands in one table. Sort any column, search by name, key, Camelot code or BPM, and export it all as CSV. Tag Filenames writes the key and tempo into the names, like vocal_chop_loop [11A 88].wav, after showing you every change; it never overwrites a file, and undo takes it all back.
And DropWave remembers your list. Open it tomorrow and everything's there, with no waiting for files it has already read, even ones that moved. How to sort a DJ library by key →
Local, not online
- Offline. Finding the key and BPM works with the Wi‑Fi off. DropWave goes online only for updates and its licence, and keeps working offline for 14 days at a time (30 with a bought licence).
- Private. Client stems, unreleased records and anything under NDA never leave your computer. No DropWave account or sign-in, and no analytics in the app.
- No quotas. No file-size cap and no daily limit.
- Fast. Well under a second for a full song, because nothing has to travel anywhere first.
Tech specs
| Version | 3.6.1, free beta |
|---|---|
| Runs on | macOS 14 Sonoma or later on a Mac with Apple silicon, or Windows 11 |
| Download | About 3.8 MB on a Mac, about 6 MB on Windows |
| Opens | WAV, AIFF, MP3, M4A / AAC / ALAC, FLAC, CAF, and the audio track of video files |
| Reads | Key, tempo, tuning, loudness, true peak, streaming, delivery, length |
| Standards | Loudness and true peak to ITU‑R BS.1770‑4 |
| Exports | CSV; PDF reports on a Mac |
| Plugins | DropWave Editor and DropWave Tune, AU, VST3 and CLAP on a Mac, installed from DropWave for Mac in DropWave Manager (Settings → Manager) |
| Price | Free during the beta |
Who it is for
Questions
Is DropWave an online key and BPM finder?
No. DropWave is a local key and BPM finder: an app for Mac and Windows that analyses every file on your own computer. Nothing is uploaded, and analysis works without an internet connection.
Why use a local key and BPM finder instead of a website?
Speed and privacy. 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 computer.
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.