Tutorial 01
daBEAT User Manual Walk-Through
Get oriented with the built-in manual, feature explanations, and help for everyday workflows.
Watch on YouTube →daBEAT 1.0 · Help & video guides
Get into
the groove.
Learn to check a tempo, prepare MIDI copies, and give your audio library useful BPM tags.
Available Soon on the Apple App Store
From first file to useful tempo.
- Drop in supported audio. Drag a file onto daBEAT’s sine-wave area, or choose File → Open. Wait for analysis or tempo-tag verification to finish.
- Listen and check. Use Play/Pause and the scrub slider. Enable Click to compare the selected BPM with the song; adjust the click sound and volume in Settings.
- Choose the pulse that fits. Review available candidates, try half-time or double-time, or enter Manual BPM. Treat low-confidence results and local tempo estimates as prompts to listen.
- Put the tempo to work. Save a tempo-tagged audio copy, correct a mismatched tag when offered, or load a supported MIDI file and choose Apply Tempo to MIDI. Choose where to save the new copy.
Preparing a library? Drop a folder or multiple supported files to open Batch Processing. Review the proposed actions and file selections before processing.
Watch, learn, make music
All 9 daBEAT video tutorials
Play a tutorial here or follow its direct YouTube link. Embedded videos use YouTube’s privacy-enhanced domain. Watching videos requires an internet connection; daBEAT’s core file processing runs locally on your Mac.
Tutorial 02
About daBEAT and Click Track Settings
Meet daBEAT and set up the click sound and volume for checking a recording’s pulse.
Watch on YouTube →Tutorial 03
Single Audio File Beat Detection
Load audio, review the BPM result, and use listening and tempo choices to decide what fits.
Watch on YouTube →Tutorial 04
Analyze Tempo Changes Within a Song
Explore local tempo evidence across a longer recording and listen to the sections that need a closer check.
Watch on YouTube →Tutorial 05
Convert a Rex File to a BPM-Tagged WAV File
Turn a supported REX2 loop into a WAV copy with its embedded loop tempo stored as a BPM tag.
Watch on YouTube →Tutorial 06
Loading a MIDI 2.0 File Into daBEAT
See how supported MIDI 2.0 clips fit into daBEAT’s file-based tempo workflow.
Watch on YouTube →Tutorial 07
Applying a Detected Tempo to a MIDI File
Use a selected audio BPM to save a separate MIDI copy with the chosen tempo.
Watch on YouTube →Tutorial 08
Batch Tagging a Folder of Audio Files
Scan a folder, review tagging and correction plans, and choose which audio copies to write.
Watch on YouTube →Tutorial 09
Batch Convert and Tag Rex Files
Prepare a collection of REX2 loops as BPM-tagged WAV copies in one batch.
Watch on YouTube →System & file compatibility
- Minimum Mac
- An Apple silicon or Intel Mac capable of running macOS 14 Sonoma or later.
- Operating system
- macOS 14 Sonoma or later. daBEAT is a Mac app.
- Storage
- Free space for output copies in your chosen destination. REX2-to-WAV conversion can increase file size.
- Audio inputs
- WAV (.wav), MP3 (.mp3), AIFF (.aiff, .aif), FLAC (.flac), and M4A (.m4a), including supported AAC audio in an M4A container. Standalone .aac files are not accepted.
- Audio analysis limits
- Up to 256 MiB per source file and 67,108,864 decoded frames—about 25 minutes at 44.1 kHz or 23 minutes at 48 kHz. Supported analysis formats extend to 384 kHz and 32 channels; decodability depends on the codec and file layout.
- Selected BPM range
- 35–300 BPM. Decimal display precision does not guarantee detection accuracy. M4A tempo tags store rounded integer BPM.
- MIDI inputs
- MIDI 1.0 (.mid, .midi) and supported MIDI 2.0 SMF2CLIP (.midi2) files. MIDI input and saved copies are limited to 64 MiB and four million events or packets.
- MIDI 2.0 scope
- Tempo reading and supported clip sequence-tempo editing. Clips with unsupported timing or data structures can be read-only. daBEAT does not provide general MIDI 1.0/2.0 conversion, live MIDI routing, MIDI-CI, or a MIDI synthesizer.
- REX2 conversion
- Supported .rx2 loops convert to BPM-tagged WAV copies using embedded REX tempo. Open the resulting WAV for audio playback. .rex and .rcy inputs are not accepted.
- Internet
- Required for the App Store, online videos, and website links. Core audio, MIDI, and REX2 processing takes place locally.
A few useful answers.
What if the detected BPM sounds wrong?
Try an alternate candidate, half-time or double-time, or a related-rhythm correction. Listen with the click track and enter Manual BPM when you know the correct value. Syncopation, sparse audio, and changing tempo can make detection ambiguous.
Does the click track follow every tempo change?
The click uses your selected BPM as a fixed-tempo listening reference. It does not follow local timeline changes, and it is never mixed into saved audio. The flashing beat indicator follows that click. Listen to judge whether the pulse fits the music.
Does applying audio BPM synchronize MIDI notes to the recording?
Apply Tempo sets supported sequence-tempo events in a new MIDI copy to one selected BPM, flattening existing tempo changes. It does not transcribe audio, align individual notes, or create a tempo map from the recording. In SMPTE-timed MIDI files, it changes tempo metadata rather than absolute playback timing.
Why is Apply Tempo to MIDI disabled?
Load a supported, editable MIDI file and choose a BPM. Some MIDI 2.0 clips are read-only because of their timing or data structures. Hover over the MIDI filename or Apply Tempo button for the explanation. Manual BPM does not bypass that compatibility boundary.
Does saving a BPM tag change audio speed or overwrite my file?
No. Tempo tagging writes metadata into a separate output copy. It does not time-stretch the recording or change playback speed. The click also stays out of exported files. Save Tempo Tag is offered for files without usable tags; Fix The Tempo Tag is offered through the mismatch workflow.
What does “Already tagged (unverified)” mean in a batch?
A plausible existing BPM tag could not be verified against the audio. That file is skipped, rather than confirmed as correct. Review the batch results and inspect uncertain files individually before relying on their tags.
Can I export the song’s tempo timeline?
The tempo timeline is read-only evidence for checking local estimates. It does not automatically change your selected BPM or export an editable variable tempo map. An empty timeline means changes were not confirmed.
Where can I find the complete manual?
Inside daBEAT, choose Help → daBEAT User Manual. Search by feature or file format, or start with Start Here First. The built-in manual is available offline.
Need a hand with daBEAT?
Email contact@newtoysoftware.com with your daBEAT version, macOS version, Mac model or processor, input file type, and a short description of what happened. Include the exact error message when available.