BPM
Exposes the global BPM clock as a signal. Use it to read the tempo, drive animations off the beat phase, or sync envelopes and oscillators to bars without manually configuring sync rates.
The BPM clock is shared across the whole project and can be set by tap tempo, MIDI clock, or Ableton Link. See BPM Sync for setup.
Inputs
This node has no inputs.
Outputs
| Port | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| BPM | Scalar | Current tempo in beats per minute |
| Beat Phase | Scalar | Position within the current beat as a 0–1 ramp; resets every beat |
| Bar Phase | Scalar | Position within the current bar (4 beats) as a 0–1 ramp; resets every bar |
| Beat Position | Scalar | Continuous beat count from the global clock. It keeps rising and doesn't wrap at the beat or bar |
Ideas
- Wire Beat Phase into an Oscillator's Phase input for waveforms that align to every beat.
- Use Bar Phase as the trigger for a 4-beat sweep. Drive a From Polar node's angle for a full rotation per bar.
- Multiply BPM by a constant to drive an animation rate that scales with tempo: slow when the song is slow, fast when it's fast.
- Compare Beat Phase to a threshold (via Clamp or math) to gate signals on specific beats.
Tips
- Beat Phase and Bar Phase are continuous 0–1 ramps that wrap on each cycle, not stepped values. They match a BPM-synced Phasor at a Rate of 2×bpm (one cycle per beat) or bpm/2 (one cycle per bar).
- BPM updates as the tempo changes, so anything wired to it tracks tempo changes live.
- For BPM-synced motion, switch a Phasor to BPM. The Sequencer already follows the beat clock, so neither needs a BPM node wired in.