BPM detection and pitch detection for samples

Automatic BPM detection

When SampleStack analyses a loop it estimates the tempo and writes it to the sample's BPM field. The tempo is in the inspector as soon as you select the loop, and you can correct any value by typing over it.

Tempo detection is reliable on drum loops and other material with clear, regular hits. It is less sure of itself on pads, rubato performances, and loops with heavy swing, and like every tempo detector it can land on half or double the real tempo. A 170 BPM drum and bass loop read as 85 BPM is the common case. BPM detection explained covers why that happens.

ReCycle loops are a special case. When you import a .rx2, .rex, or .rcy file, SampleStack reports the tempo stored in the file, so there is nothing to estimate.

A beat grid in the editor

With a tempo known, the expanded player shows a beat grid over the waveform and can snap selections to it. Cropping a loop to exactly one bar or cutting it into beats lands on the grid instead of a few milliseconds either side.

Pitch and root note detection

Drop pitched samples into a multisample instrument and SampleStack detects each one's root note, then maps it across the keyboard. It reads the note from the filename when the filename names one, and from the audio when it does not. Sample packs that number octaves differently are handled, so C3 in one pack and C4 in another land on the same key when they are the same pitch.

If a detection is wrong, change the root note by hand, or select the instrument and re-detect every sample's root note in one pass. How sample pitch detection works explains what makes a sample easy or hard to read.

Pitched copies

Create Pitched Copy writes a new file transposed from the original, which is useful for hardware that has no per-sample tuning, or for building a set of notes from a single recording. The original file is left as it was.

What SampleStack does not detect

SampleStack does not detect musical key. The key field is there for you to fill in, and many sample packs put the key in the filename, which you can copy across. It also does not preview samples in your DAW's key and tempo. Playback is the file as recorded.

Further reading

• BPM detection explained
• How sample pitch detection works
• How pitch shifting works

More features

• Sample library manager Browse, tag, rate, and search every sample you own in one window.
• Drag into your DAW A companion window that sits beside Ableton Live, Logic Pro, or FL Studio.
• Sample editor and slicer Chop, slice, fade, and loop samples without leaving the browser.
• Batch sample converter Convert sample rate, bit depth, and channels for a whole folder at once.