BPM TO MS Plugin & Standalone Manual

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Overview

  • Home Page: https://tuneform.com/audio-plugins/bpm-to-ms-plugin-and-app
  • This guide is current with the latest version (Version 1.0.0) of BPM TO MS. It is the comprehensive resource detailing installation, licensing, usage, and operation of the BPM TO MS plugin and standalone application.
  • BPM TO MS is a tempo utility for converting BPM-based note lengths into millisecond values, copying exact millisecond durations, and exporting note-length audio or MIDI files that can be dragged into a DAW or file system location.
  • BPM TO MS can run as an audio plugin inside a DAW, or as a standalone desktop application.
  • In hosted plugin formats, BPM TO MS can read the current project tempo and time signature from supported DAWs. In standalone mode, BPM TO MS uses Custom BPM because there is no host project tempo to read.

System Requirements

  • BPM TO MS is compatible with macOS and Windows operating systems that meet the following requirements.
  • macOS System Requirements
    • macOS Version 10.13 or newer
    • Intel or Apple Silicon CPU
    • A DAW/Host that supports one or more of the following plugin formats, if using BPM TO MS as a plugin:
      • AU
      • VST3
      • CLAP
      • AAX
    • The standalone BPM TO MS application can be used without a DAW.
  • Windows System Requirements
    • Windows 10 or Windows 11
    • x64 Architecture Only. Windows on ARM is not supported.
    • A DAW/Host that supports one or more of the following plugin formats, if using BPM TO MS as a plugin:
      • VST3
      • CLAP
      • AAX
    • The standalone BPM TO MS application can be used without a DAW.

Downloading the Installer

  • The BPM TO MS installer can be downloaded from your Tuneform Account at any time.
  • To access the installer for download:
    • Log in to your Tuneform Account
    • In the site toolbar, click "My Account" and then click "My Media"
    • Locate and click the "My Plugins" button
    • In the "owned" section of the "My Plugins" page, you should see a section titled "BPM TO MS"
    • Look for the buttons in the "Download/Install" section. Click the installer for your current operating system, and the installer will be downloaded to your machine

Installation

  • Once the installer file is downloaded on your machine, navigate to the location where you saved the installer file on your computer, and double click to run the installer.
  • On Windows, if your operating system blocks the installer executable from running, click "more info," then click "Run Anyway" to proceed with installation. Be sure to verify that the installer was signed by "Tuneform LLC"
  • Proceed through the installation wizard to complete installation.
  • The installer may allow you to choose which plugin formats and standalone application components to install.
  • Updating from an old version:
    • Follow the same instructions in Installation. The new version will overwrite the previous version on your machine.

Installation Locations

  • The installer will install each plugin type and standalone application at the following locations on your computer:
  • macOS
    • BPM TO MS.vst3: /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3
    • BPM TO MS.clap: /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/CLAP
    • BPM TO MS.component: /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components
    • BPM TO MS.aaxplugin: /Library/Application Support/Avid/Audio/Plug-Ins
    • BPM TO MS.app (Standalone): /Applications
  • Windows
    • BPM TO MS.vst3: C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\BPM TO MS.vst3
    • BPM TO MS.clap: C:\Program Files\Common Files\CLAP\BPM TO MS.clap
    • BPM TO MS.aaxplugin: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Avid\Audio\Plug-Ins\BPM TO MS.aaxplugin
    • BPM TO MS.exe (Standalone): C:\Program Files\BPM TO MS\BPM TO MS.exe

Uninstalling

  • To uninstall BPM TO MS, go to the installation location on your machine and delete the relevant plugin files and/or standalone application files for each format you installed.
  • If your DAW keeps a plugin cache, you may need to rescan plugins after uninstalling.

Activating the License

  • BPM TO MS requires a valid license key to use.
  • After installing, close and re-open your DAW, or rescan your plugins to make BPM TO MS appear in your DAW's plugin bank. If you are using the standalone application, open BPM TO MS from your applications folder or start menu.
  • With internet enabled, open BPM TO MS.
  • If BPM TO MS is not already activated on the machine, the license activation screen will appear.
  • Enter your license key into the license key field and click "ACTIVATE."
  • You can get your license key from the "My Plugins" section of your Tuneform Account.
  • To navigate to "My Plugins" in your Tuneform Account:
    • Log In
    • In the toolbar, click "My Account" and then click "My Media"
    • Locate the "My Plugins" button
    • You should see a section titled "BPM TO MS"
  • You need to use the license key in full. There is a "Copy License Key" button which will automatically copy your license key to your clipboard. You can also click "Show License Key" which will show your license key in plain text so you can highlight and copy it.
  • Once verification is complete, BPM TO MS will display "License Valid" and the activation screen will disappear.
  • Back in your Tuneform Account, you should see the machine you just activated appear in the "Current Activations" section.

Plugin and Standalone Operation

  • BPM TO MS is a utility plugin/application. It does not color, process, or transform audio.
  • In DAW-hosted plugin formats, audio passes through BPM TO MS transparently and unaltered. It can be placed on any track in a DAW session.

Main Window

  • The BPM TO MS graphical user interface is organized into the following sections:
    • BPM Source and BPM entry controls
    • Note Modifier selector
    • Note Length conversion table
    • Note Exporter
    • Temporary notification area

BPM Source Controls

  • BPM TO MS has two BPM source modes:
    • Project BPM
    • Custom BPM
  • Project BPM:
    • In plugin formats, Project BPM reads the current tempo from the DAW/Host when the host provides tempo information.
    • The Project BPM display shows the detected BPM value to two decimal places.
    • If the host does not provide BPM information, BPM TO MS uses 120 BPM as the fallback value.
    • In standalone mode, Project BPM is disabled because there is no DAW project tempo to read.
  • Custom BPM:
    • Custom BPM allows you to type a BPM value manually.
    • Custom BPM is the default BPM source in the standalone application.
    • The default custom BPM value is 120.00.
    • The Custom BPM field accepts numeric values and decimal values.
    • BPM values are clamped from 1.0 BPM to 999.0 BPM.
    • If you enter a value below 1.0, BPM TO MS will clamp it to 1.0.
    • If you enter a value above 999.0, BPM TO MS will clamp it to 999.0.
    • The "+" and "-" buttons increase or decrease the Custom BPM value by 1 BPM.

Note Modifier

  • The Note Modifier selector changes the timing values shown in the table.
  • Available modifiers:
    • None: Uses the base note length.
    • Dotted: Multiplies the base note length by 1.5.
    • Double Dotted: Multiplies the base note length by 1.75.
    • Triplets: Multiplies the base note length by 2/3.
  • Changing the Note Modifier updates all table values.
  • If a note is loaded into the Note Exporter, changing the Note Modifier also updates the loaded note duration.

Note Length Conversion Table

  • The Note Length conversion table displays musical note lengths and calculates their equivalent duration in milliseconds at the current BPM.
  • The table includes the following note lengths:
    • 4/1
    • 3/1
    • 2/1
    • 1/1
    • 1/2
    • 1/4
    • 1/8
    • 1/16
    • 1/32
    • 1/64
    • 1/128
    • 1/256
    • 1/512
    • 1/1024
  • The table columns are:
    • Note Length: The musical note length, including the currently selected note modifier.
    • Time (ms): The calculated duration in milliseconds.
    • Copy Value: Copies the millisecond value to the clipboard when clicked.
    • Load Note: Loads the note into the Note Exporter when clicked.
  • Millisecond values are displayed to two decimal places.

Copying Millisecond Values

  • To copy a millisecond value:
    • Select the BPM source you want to use.
    • Set the desired Note Modifier.
    • Locate the desired row in the Note Length conversion table.
    • Click the "COPY" button in that row.
  • BPM TO MS copies the numeric millisecond value without the ms suffix.
  • After copying, BPM TO MS displays a temporary message showing the copied value.

Loading Notes

  • To load a note into the Note Exporter:
    • Select the BPM source you want to use.
    • Set the desired Note Modifier.
    • Locate the desired row in the Note Length conversion table.
    • Click the "LOAD" button in that row.
  • Loading a note highlights the selected row and sends the selected note duration to the Note Exporter.
  • To clear the loaded note, click the "Clear Note" button in the Note Exporter.

Note Exporter

  • The Note Exporter allows you to turn a loaded note duration into a draggable WAV or MIDI file.
  • The Note Exporter becomes active after a note has been loaded from the Note Length conversion table.
  • The Note Exporter displays a timing ruler and a note block to show the loaded note duration against the selected time signature and bar length.
  • If the loaded note is longer than one bar, the display expands to show enough bars to contain the note.

Sample Rate

  • The Sample Rate selector controls the sample rate used for WAV exports.
  • Available sample rates:
    • 44100
    • 48000
    • 88200
    • 96000
    • 176400
    • 192000
  • MIDI exports do not use audio sample rate.

Time Signature

  • The Time Signature selector controls the Note Exporter ruler, bar length calculations, and MIDI file metadata.
  • Available time signatures:
    • 2/4
    • 3/4
    • 4/4
    • 5/4
    • 6/4
    • 2/2
    • 3/8
    • 6/8
    • 9/8
    • 12/8
  • In hosted plugin formats, BPM TO MS can read the host time signature when the host provides it.
  • You can change the Time Signature selector manually when you need the exporter to use a different time signature.

Envelope Types

  • The Envelope selector controls what kind of file BPM TO MS creates when you drag to export.
  • Square Wave:
    • Creates a mono 16-bit WAV file.
    • The WAV file duration matches the loaded note duration.
    • The generated audio is a square wave across the exported note duration.
  • Transient Click:
    • Creates a mono 16-bit WAV file.
    • The WAV file duration matches the loaded note duration.
    • The generated audio contains a short transient click at the start of the file, followed by silence for the rest of the note duration.
  • Midi:
    • Creates a .mid file.
    • The MIDI file includes tempo and time signature metadata.
    • The MIDI file contains one note-on event at the start and one note-off event at the selected note duration.
    • The MIDI file length is at least one bar, and extends to the next whole bar when needed.

Drag To Export

  • To export a note:
    • Activate BPM TO MS.
    • Click "LOAD" on a note in the Note Length conversion table.
    • Choose the desired Sample Rate, Time Signature, and Envelope type in the Note Exporter.
    • Drag from the Note Exporter area labeled "Drag To Export" into your DAW timeline, sample browser, desktop, or file system location.
  • Exporting files requires an active BPM TO MS license.
  • BPM TO MS creates the export file in your user application data directory before handing it to the operating system for drag-and-drop.
  • Export folders are organized by date and envelope type:
    • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/bpm2ms/YYYY-MM-DD/square
    • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/bpm2ms/YYYY-MM-DD/transient
    • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/bpm2ms/YYYY-MM-DD/midi
    • Windows: %APPDATA%\bpm2ms\YYYY-MM-DD\square
    • Windows: %APPDATA%\bpm2ms\YYYY-MM-DD\transient
    • Windows: %APPDATA%\bpm2ms\YYYY-MM-DD\midi
  • Exported file names include the BPM, note duration, export type, time signature, and audio sample rate when applicable.
  • Example WAV file name:
    • 120BPM_500.00ms_square_4x4_48kHz.wav
  • Example MIDI file name:
    • 120BPM_500.00ms_midi_4x4.mid
  • If the same export file already exists, BPM TO MS reuses the existing file for the drag-and-drop operation.

Clear Note

  • The "Clear Note" button removes the currently loaded note from the Note Exporter.
  • Clearing a note also removes the table row selection indicator.
  • After clearing the note, load another note from the conversion table to export again.

Host, Session, and Automation Behavior

  • BPM TO MS does not expose plugin parameters for DAW automation.
  • BPM TO MS reads host tempo, time signature, and sample rate when the host provides them. These values update automatically when they are changed in the DAW-host session.

Troubleshooting

BPM TO MS Does Not Appear In My DAW

  • Close and re-open your DAW after installation.
  • Rescan plugins in your DAW's plugin manager.
  • Confirm that the plugin format you installed is supported by your DAW.
  • Confirm that BPM TO MS was installed in the correct system plugin folder for your operating system.
  • On Apple Silicon Macs, confirm whether your DAW is running natively or under Rosetta if your DAW has format-specific scanning behavior.

Project BPM Shows 120 BPM

  • BPM TO MS uses 120 BPM as a fallback when the host does not provide tempo information.
  • Confirm that you are using BPM TO MS inside a DAW/Host and not the standalone application.
  • Confirm that your DAW exposes project tempo information to plugins.
  • If your DAW does not provide tempo information to BPM TO MS, use Custom BPM.

Project BPM Is Disabled

  • Project BPM is disabled in the standalone application because there is no host project tempo to read.
  • Use Custom BPM in standalone mode.

Plugin Window Is Cropped Or Overflowing

  • BPM TO MS is designed for displays with at least 1080 pixels of vertical screen resolution.
  • If the top or bottom of the plugin window is cut off, confirm that your operating system display resolution is set to at least 1920 x 1080 or another resolution with 1080 or more pixels of height.
  • On Windows, check Settings > System > Display and confirm that Scale is set to 100% when possible.
  • Higher display scaling values such as 125% or 150% reduce the amount of usable screen space available to plugin/app windows, even when the physical display is 1080p.
  • If you need to use display scaling, try lowering the scaling value, increasing the display resolution, or moving BPM TO MS to a larger external monitor.

Drag To Export Does Not Work

  • Make sure BPM TO MS is activated.
  • Make sure a note has been loaded from the Note Length conversion table.
  • Confirm that your target application supports external file drag-and-drop.
  • If dragging into a DAW does not work, try dragging to the desktop or a folder first, then import the generated file into the DAW manually.