Let’s say I have a drum loop sample and the BPM isn’t included in the file name. The project’s BPM is 174, but the sample seems to have a slower tempo, so I need to pitch-shift the sample in order for it to work.
This problem can be solved with trial and error, but I found that to be a bit tedious. Then again, I don’t want to start solving complex equations in the middle of making music. There are some online calculators for this, but the ones I found didn’t have the kind of UI that would work well on mobile. So I made one: tracker-tools
There’s a preview version online - with a warning screen. I’ll figure out a better hosting option at some point…
So how does the calculator work?
We listen to our drum loop sample and count it having 16 beats. Under the “Duration > BPM” section, we put the sample’s length in seconds (6.00s) and in beats (16). This calculates the sample’s BPM and displays it underneath (160 BPM).
Next, we ensure the BPM under “Project settings” section is set to match our song (174 BPM), and change the sample BPM under “Tempo > Pitch” to match our drum loop sample (160 BPM). This calculates how many semitones the sample needs to be shifted, in order for it to match the song’s tempo. (the note display doesn’t work yet, I’ll fix it soon) (fixed.)
There are some other functions as well, which I thougt would be useful.
I’m sure there are lots of things that would make this even nicer to use, and I’ve already made a few TODOs for improvements.
If you think this could be useful in your workflow, please send your ideas and impressions! I can’t guarantee to implement all of them, but the source code is there, if you want to modify it