As you are counting, pay attention to the strongest beats. This will help you get a sense of when to start over again at 1 (for example, in a 4/4 song, it will feel natural to count “1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4” and so on). [1] X Research source
You can use a simple hand-held stopwatch, look at a clock with a second hand, or use the stopwatch feature on your phone for this purpose. You might need to practice a few times to get the hang of starting the song and the stopwatch at the same time.
You may end up stopping the stopwatch partway through a measure. For example, you might count 10 and ½ bars. If this happens, indicate on the paper that the final count was for only ½ a measure.
For example, if you heard 12 measures go by and your song has 3 beats per measure, then the number of beats in 30 seconds is 36. If you ended in the middle of a measure, add however many beats you heard in the last measure to the total number of beats from the full measures. For example, if the time signature is 4/4 and you heard 10 and ½ measures, you heard 40 beats plus 2 more, for a total of 42.
You can also count the individual beats of the song if you prefer, but keep in mind that you will need to listen for the steady beat of the song. For example, if you count every beat and flourish you hear in the song’s drumline, you’ll end up with a lot of extra beats.
For example, maybe your B track has a loud bass drum beat on the first beat of each bar. Line up the first beat of the bar you choose with the first beat of another bar in the A track. Concentrate on your cue and listen for places where the beats of the 2 songs no longer line up because of changes in tempo. From there, you can decide on the perfect spot to make the transition from one song to the other. Most DJ software has built-in features to make the beatmatching process easier. However, being able to beatmatch by ear will help you deal with tempo variations the software may not pick up on.
For example, maybe your B track has a loud bass drum beat on the first beat of each bar. Line up the first beat of the bar you choose with the first beat of another bar in the A track. Concentrate on your cue and listen for places where the beats of the 2 songs no longer line up because of changes in tempo. From there, you can decide on the perfect spot to make the transition from one song to the other. Most DJ software has built-in features to make the beatmatching process easier. However, being able to beatmatch by ear will help you deal with tempo variations the software may not pick up on.
Do a search online or in your app store for “music BPM calculator” or “music BPM counter” to find a variety of user-friendly options. A few good options include apps like BPM Tap and Tap Tempo, and online beat counters like the one at Beatsperminuteonline. com.
Try programs like the MixMeister BPM Analyzer or the BeatGauge BPM Detector for iTunes.
Tunebat. com Songbpm. com BPMdatabase. com
