Cutting video to the beat:tempo maths for editors

Cutting on the beat is the quickest way to make an edit feel professional. You do not need to be a musician to do it. You need one number, the tempo in beats per minute, and a little arithmetic.

From bpm to seconds

One beat lasts 60 divided by the bpm, in seconds. Most music is in 4/4 time, which means four beats to a bar.

• At 120 bpm, one beat is 0.5 seconds and one bar is 2 seconds.
• At 90 bpm, one beat is about 0.67 seconds and one bar is about 2.67 seconds.
• At 60 bpm, one beat is 1 second and one bar is 4 seconds.

Every track row in our library shows its bpm, so you can work this out before you even download anything.

Choosing how often to cut

• Every beat feels frantic. Use it for short bursts and hype moments.
• Every two beats feels energetic but watchable. Good for fast montages.
• Every bar feels confident and relaxed. Good for vlogs and travel.
• Every two bars feels calm and cinematic.

Faster tracks usually want longer cuts in beats, so the edit does not become exhausting. A fast chiptune track cut every bar can feel as quick as a slower track cut every beat.

• Wanderlust Whistle on the Travel & Vlog shelf
• Pixel Dash on the Gaming & Chiptune shelf

Compare these two. Wanderlust Whistle is a mid-tempo, sunny track that suits cuts every bar. Pixel Dash is much faster, so cutting every bar or two already feels quick.

Mark the beats in your editor

Most editors let you add markers while the music plays. Play the track and tap the marker key on each downbeat, the first beat of each bar, for the section you are cutting. Then snap your cuts to the markers. It is faster than calculating each cut.

Do not cut on every single marker

A perfectly regular edit becomes predictable. Hit the grid most of the time, then break it deliberately on your most important shot, holding it longer, to make it stand out.