In music, BPM means: Short for beats per minute: the number of beats in one minute, used to measure tempo. A slow ballad might be around 70 BPM and a dance track around 125 BPM.
In Turkish: dakikadaki vuruş sayısı, BPM
How it is used
The standard tempo unit in studios, DAWs, DJ software and drum programming. People ask 'What's the BPM?' and say a track is 'at 128 BPM'. DJs match the BPM of two tracks to mix them smoothly.
Example sentences
The original demo was at 92 BPM, but the producer pushed it up to 100.
Most house music sits between 120 and 130 BPM.
Common collocations
at 120 BPM
set the BPM
match the BPM
BPM range
slow down the BPM
Related terms
tempoThe speed of a piece of music, usually measured in beats per minute (BPM) or shown with Italian words such as allegro (fast) or adagio (slow).
metronomeA device or app that clicks at a steady, adjustable speed so that musicians can practise keeping an even tempo.
click trackA metronome sound that musicians hear in their headphones or in-ear monitors while recording or performing, so that everyone stays at exactly the same tempo.
DAWShort for digital audio workstation: software used to record, edit, arrange, mix and produce music on a computer, such as Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Ableton Live or Cubase.
beatThe steady pulse that you tap your foot to in a piece of music. Beats are grouped into bars, and their speed is the tempo.
