// Use when the user is unsure about tempo, time signature, or rhythmic feel choices. Examples - "what tempo should this be?", "should I switch to 3/4?", "is 95 BPM right for lo-fi?", "how do I make this feel less stiff rhythmically?".
Use when the user has recorded vocals and wants a processing chain set up. Examples - "set up my vocal chain", "process this vocal", "make the vocal sit in the mix", "give me a pop vocal chain", "make this rap vocal aggressive".
Use when the user wants to set up sidechain compression - typically kick → bass, kick → pads, vocals → music bed. Examples - "sidechain my bass to the kick", "make the synths duck under the vocal", "add pumping to the chords".
Use when the user wants drum patterns by genre - kick, snare, hi-hat, percussion. Examples - "give me a trap beat", "house drum pattern", "DnB drums at 174", "lo-fi drums with swing", "boom-bap pattern".
Use when the user wants to generate, voice, or modify chord progressions. Examples - "give me a sad chord progression in C minor", "voice these chords for piano", "what's a good progression for cinematic music?", "extend this progression with more color tones".
Use when the user is finishing a track and wants to check it's ready to send to a mastering engineer or for self-mastering. Audits headroom, peak levels, mono compatibility, frequency balance, LUFS. Examples - "is this ready to master?", "audit my mix before export", "check my levels".
Use when the user references another track they want to emulate the vibe/sound of. Examples - "make this sound like Ólafur Arnalds", "I want a Tame Impala vibe", "match the mix of Kendrick's Money Trees". Translates artist/track references into actionable production decisions.
| name | tempo-coach |
| description | Use when the user is unsure about tempo, time signature, or rhythmic feel choices. Examples - "what tempo should this be?", "should I switch to 3/4?", "is 95 BPM right for lo-fi?", "how do I make this feel less stiff rhythmically?". |
Help the user pick the right tempo, time signature, and rhythmic feel for what they're making. Mostly conversational; minimal DAW writes.
What is the user trying to achieve? Pull from:
| Genre | Typical tempo range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ambient | 50-70 | Often beatless; tempo for harmony pulse |
| Cinematic underscore | 60-90 | Often rubato; click for sync, not feel |
| Lo-fi hip-hop | 70-90 | Half-time feel often makes it feel slower than it is |
| Boom-bap | 85-95 | The classic 90 BPM is the J Dilla sweet spot |
| Hip-hop modern | 75-115 | Trap is often half-time at 140-160 |
| Indie/folk | 80-120 | Rubato common; click vs feel tradeoff |
| Pop | 95-130 | "100 BPM ballad" or "118 BPM dance pop" |
| Rock | 100-160 | Power ballads slower (60-80) |
| House | 120-128 | 124 is the magic number |
| Tech-house | 124-128 | |
| Techno | 125-135 | |
| Trance | 132-140 | |
| EDM/Big Room | 128 | Locked. Don't deviate. |
| Hardstyle | 150-160 | |
| Drum & Bass | 165-180 | 174 is the genre default |
| Jungle | 160-175 | |
| Footwork | 160 |
| When to use | Time sig |
|---|---|
| Most popular music | 4/4 |
| Waltz, classical 3-feel | 3/4 |
| Compound (jig, gospel triplet feel) | 6/8, 12/8 |
| Odd-meter prog/math | 5/4, 7/8, 11/8 |
| Cinematic flexibility | Switch between 4/4 and 3/4 by section |
If user is unsure: default to 4/4 unless they explicitly want a 3-feel.
A common confusion:
When the user says "the drums feel slow but I want it to feel fast":
Suggest the swap; don't assume.
Ask user to play their loop and check:
If the user is recording live:
If the user accepts a recommendation:
set_tempo and set_time_signature if the MCP supports"My beat feels stiff" → Add humanization (see midi-cleanup), or check if you should add swing (8-15% on 16th notes for hip-hop, 0% for EDM).
"This sounds too slow but I don't want to speed up" → Half-time the drums (notes on every other beat) at the same BPM, gives a faster feel without changing chord-change rate.
"Can I change time signature mid-song?" → Yes, but do it cleanly at section boundaries (intro 4/4 → verse 4/4 → bridge 3/4 → chorus 4/4). Mid-bar changes are advanced and usually unintentional.