How to Find and Change BPM in Pro Tools

1. Open the Transport window: Window > Transport (or Cmd+1 / Ctrl+1).
2. Click the Conductor button (the metronome icon) to disable Conductor mode if you want manual tempo control.
3. Click the BPM display in the Transport window and type a new value.
4. Press Enter to apply. The new tempo applies to the entire session.
5. For automated tempo changes, leave Conductor mode on and use the Tempo Track.

In Manual Tempo mode (Conductor off), click the "T" button in the Transport window or assign a key command. Tap repeatedly to set the tempo. The averaged BPM appears in the tempo field.

If you don't want to set up tap tempo inside Pro Tools, use our browser-based tap tempo tool — tap the BPM, then enter the value into your DAW.

Feature: Beat Detective / Elastic Audio

Use Beat Detective (Event > Beat Detective, Cmd+8) to analyze rhythmic content. Pro Tools detects transients and calculates BPM. For broader audio, Elastic Audio analysis can also extract tempo from a region.

1. Show the Tempo ruler: View > Rulers > Tempo (must be enabled).
2. Click the "+" button on the Tempo ruler to add a tempo event at the playhead position.
3. In the dialog, set the BPM, position, and curve type (linear or instant).
4. Multiple tempo events can be added across the session for tempo changes.

Action	Mac	Windows
Open Transport	Cmd+1	Ctrl+1
Beat Detective	Cmd+8	Ctrl+8
Show Tempo ruler	View > Rulers	View > Rulers

• Pro Tools defaults to 120 BPM in Conductor mode.
• Disable Conductor mode for live recording sessions where the musician sets the tempo.
• Use Identify Beat (Cmd+I / Ctrl+I) to align an audio region's tempo with the session.
• Time Code Rate and tempo are independent — changing one does not affect the other.