Setting the Tempo of a Song
Tell Pliris what tempo the song is — for click, count-in, the grid, and Ableton export. This does not speed up or slow down your stems.
When you change Tempo on an arrangement, you are not changing how fast the audio plays.
You are telling Pliris™ what tempo the song is — so the click, count-in, beat grid, section math, and Ableton export all line up with the music you already uploaded. Stems keep playing at their recorded speed; Pliris does not time-stretch them when you type a new BPM.
How to set the tempo
- Open the song's arrangement page.
- Click Edit in the header.
- Click the Tempo chip (it shows something like 126 BPM).
- Type the correct BPM and confirm the field.
- Click Done.
Outside Edit mode, clicking a tempo chip often copies the value — it does not edit it. If nothing becomes a text field, click Edit first.
Why this matters
Pliris uses the arrangement tempo for:
- Click timing and feel against the grid
- Count-in length in real time (bars × tempo)
- Jumping and labeling sections on the timeline
- Ableton export — the Live set's tempo (and tempo map, when you have one)
If the BPM is wrong, the click and count-in feel early or late even though the stems sound fine. Fix the tempo metadata; don't re-upload audio just to "change the speed."
Other ways tempo gets set
| Source | What happens |
|---|---|
| Analyze on upload | Analysis fills tempo (and often a tempo map) from the audio — costs credits |
| Manual entry | You type BPM in Edit mode — free, no credits |
Ableton .als update |
Dropping a set can update tempo / tempo automation; stems stay put → Updating an Arrangement from Ableton |
| Variable tempo | If the arrangement has a multi-point tempo map, use the Variable tempo control to pick which map export and the player should follow |
Pro tip: Warped Ableton projects sometimes show a tempo range even when the song is basically one BPM. Prefer the project's Manual/base tempo as the authority, then set that value in Pliris if the chip looks off.
Frequently asked questions
Does changing tempo in Pliris speed up or slow down my stems?
No. Editing Tempo only updates arrangement metadata (click, count-in, grid, export). Your stem audio keeps playing at its original speed — Pliris is not time-stretching the files.
Why does the click feel wrong even though the song sounds right?
The stems are fine; the Tempo (or tempo map) Pliris is using doesn't match the music. Open Edit, set the correct BPM, click Done, then try count-in and click again.
Do I spend analysis credits to type a BPM?
No. Typing the tempo in Edit mode is free. Credits apply when you run Analyze on audio, not when you set metadata by hand.
Can Ableton overwrite the tempo I set?
Yes — if you drop an updated .als and confirm Update arrangement, Pliris can adopt the tempo (and tempo automation) from that file. Review the summary in the dialog before confirming, and use Snapshot History if you need to roll back.
Where to go next
- Count-in depends on this BPM → Changing Count-In.
- Full arrangement tour → How to Use the Song Arrangement Page.
- Structure + tempo from Ableton → Updating an Arrangement from Ableton.
Stuck at any point, click the support bubble in the bottom-right corner of any page, or email support@fromstudiotostage.com.