BPM stands for beats per minute, the unit of tempo that tells you how many beats pass in one minute. At 120 BPM, 120 beats pass per minute. Your DAW’s tempo setting is the reference for the metronome, the MIDI grid, loop material, and tempo-synced effects.
It expresses how fast a song is
The higher the BPM, the shorter the gap between beats, and generally the faster it feels. Perceived speed also depends on rhythmic subdivision and time signature, though. Do not decide a genre from the number alone; check by clapping or playing along with a metronome.
Its role in a DAW
Changing the tempo in a DAW changes the beat ruler, the metronome, and where MIDI notes sit relative to each other. Tempo-synced delays and LFOs are affected too. Deciding the tempo before you record or program keeps your editing reference consistent.
Changing it mid-song
You can also vary the tempo within a song, speeding up gradually or slowing down in an interlude. When you are using several pieces of audio material, check afterwards that they follow the change as intended.
Tap Tempo
Some DAWs offer Tap Tempo, where you press a button on each beat along with the music to estimate the tempo. Tapping several times and averaging gives a more stable result. Use the estimate as a starting point and fine-tune it against the song. When you want candidate BPM and key values from an audio file, you can also use BPM and key detection.
The basics of checking
Once the tempo is set, start programming or recording along with the metronome. The basics of the production environment are covered in the DAW article.
