Tempo question

[nomiyah]

What is the number range for up tempo, mid tempo or ballad? I know what they sound like, but is there a standard number range to put in the tempo field when I'm recording?Nomi

[roughly]

Hi Nomi,That's always a tough one for me. In my opinion it can vary wildly depending on the genre and the speed of the rhythm. e.g. What might sound uptempo in country would be slow for punk. Broadjam's general descriptions are:Slow - Below 90Medium - 90-150Fast - Above 150Those are pretty big ranges. Personally, I think above 120 is uptempo, maybe even above 100 depending on the rhythm. Ballads for me are usually between 70-100. Midtempo could be 80-120. Again, big ranges, but so much depends on how its being played. Hope this gives you some insights, sorry I had no exact numbers to give.-Theresa

[nomiyah]

Theresa,I wasn't expecting exact, but it helps to have some ideas to see if I'm in a normal range. Thanks for your answer.Nomi

[ernstinen]

When I think of "Midtempo," I think of quarter note = 120. That's known as the "walking tempo."But if I ever am trying to figure out a tempo and have no reference to check out, the "120" in my head is "Billie Jean." For some reason, that rhythm track has been burned into my brain! 120, though, would not be midtempo (as has been said) for punk, or even country. Tempos are all relative for ballads, too because some ballads are in 6/8 and the "click" is a dotted quarter, not a quarter note.Sorry --- this is probably more confusing than helpful! Ern

[nomiyah]

Ern,Actually that's helpful. I was working on a very uptempo dance song that sounded good around 175. It seemed like such a high number but after reading the responses on this thread it seems my intuition is appropriate. Helps to have that measuring stick.Nomi

[matto]

Numbers mean nothing, it's all about what the song feels like. A song at 120 can feel slow, mid or up depending on factors such as style, rhythmic subdivision, chord and melody rhythm etc.Go by what feels right...your audience has never even heard of BPM's matto

[nickbatzdorf]

Yeah, this is a "how long is a piece of string" question. All you have to do is use a lower-pitched snare drum or play toms on 2 and 4 to create a much heavier feel than using a '90s piccolo snare pushing the beat.

[nomiyah]

You're right matto (tired of hearing that yet?). I always ignored the number until one day I went to an outside studio to work on a collaboration. They loaded the track and it was going at 188 and it was a ballad. I had doubled the rhythm so the feel was 94. The other producer was ribbing me about it so that's why I started this thread to see what others are doing. But when you come down to it, it doesn't make a difference.Nomi

[nomiyah]

Nick,You have a good point that the tone of instruments, not just tempo. affects our perception of whether a song is upbeat or heavy.Nomi