Set a fixed project tempo in the LCD

Show Beats & Project in Logic Pro's LCD, then edit the tempo value by dragging or double-clicking and entering a BPM. This changes the project timing reference. MIDI regions, Drummer, tempo-synced effects, and compatible loops respond to that reference. It does not guarantee that every recorded or imported audio region will stretch, because region follow settings and Smart Tempo mode control that relationship.

Save a project alternative or duplicate before a structural change. Note the original BPM and inspect Smart Tempo mode. A fixed project built to a metronome usually belongs in Keep mode. A free recording that should define the grid may need Adapt. Automatic mode can choose behavior from context, which is convenient but should be understood before importing important material.

Understand Keep, Adapt, and Automatic modes

Keep Project Tempo preserves the project's tempo when audio is recorded or imported; eligible regions can conform to it. Adapt Project Tempo changes the project tempo to follow newly recorded or imported material. Automatic selects Keep or Adapt based on whether Logic detects an existing musical tempo reference such as active metronome or project content.

Choose according to authority. If the existing arrangement is the authority and a new vocal should join it, Keep is usually coherent. If a freely played piano performance is the authority and the grid should follow its expression, Adapt can create the map. Do not switch modes casually after assembling many tracks. Read the warning colors and prompts, and use a copy when a choice could replace existing tempo information.

Make recorded audio follow the new BPM

Select an audio region and inspect Flex & Follow in the Region inspector. Off leaves the region independent of project tempo. On enables Flex behavior so it can follow tempo changes; Bars or Beats can use Smart Tempo markers for stronger alignment at those levels. The available wording can vary with version and project configuration, but the key question is whether the region should follow.

Analyze and inspect the region before relying on it. In the Smart Tempo Editor, confirm downbeats, add hints where analysis is uncertain, and apply changes. Use Bars when preserving within-bar feel matters; beat-level following exerts more control and may alter groove. Vocals, cymbals, and complex mixes expose stretch artifacts, so audition the most demanding sections after entering the target BPM.

Create tempo changes with the Tempo track

Open the Tempo track to view and edit project tempo over time. Add points at musical positions and set their values. A jump can introduce a new section tempo; a curve can produce an accelerando or ritardando. The Tempo List provides a precise event view when exact positions and values are easier to manage numerically.

Place changes according to musical intent, not just waveform appearance. A new BPM on a downbeat can still feel abrupt if sustaining audio crosses the boundary. Test metronome, MIDI, Drummer, effects with tempo-synced delays, and every Flex-enabled region. A tempo map is global project structure, so one edit can affect far more than the track currently selected.

Use Smart Tempo for a free performance

Apple's free-tempo workflow lets you record without a metronome and then apply the region tempo to the project or apply project tempo to the region. In Adapt or suitable Automatic behavior, Logic can create a tempo map from the performance. Turn on the metronome afterward and listen to whether clicks follow the intended beats.

Analysis is editable, not infallible. Add downbeat or beat hints to correct uncertain places and lock reviewed ranges before reanalyzing other sections. For multitrack performance, use the supported multitrack Smart Tempo workflow so the map is based on a coherent downmix rather than separate, potentially conflicting detections. Preserve the original recordings and avoid destructive renders until the tempo map is approved.

Correct common half-time and alignment mistakes

If Logic analyzes a region at exactly half or double the expected tempo, use the Smart Tempo Editor's x2 or /2 controls and verify several bars. This is a metrical interpretation problem, not necessarily random error. If tempo is right but the click lands between beats, correct the downbeat marker or alignment rather than changing BPM.

If alignment begins correctly and drifts, inspect whether the recording changes tempo or whether analysis markers are misplaced. Avoid adding a hint on every transient. Start with structural downbeats, verify a span, and refine only the regions that need it. Too much correction can remove musical microtiming and leave the performance technically aligned but emotionally rigid.

Verify, export, and preserve editability

Before bouncing, play the project from before the first tempo event through the final one. Check the click, region boundaries, delay and modulation tails, automation, and any external synchronization. Solo stretched audio to hear artifacts hidden by the mix. Bounce a short proof and reimport it against a clean grid to confirm leading silence and final duration.

Keep the source project, an untouched audio copy, and a note describing the chosen tempo mode. A rendered stereo file contains the audible result but cannot restore flexible region relationships later. When sending stems, use one common start point and tell collaborators whether the tempo is fixed or mapped. A MIDI tempo map may also be needed in another DAW; an unexplained filename BPM cannot represent changes across time.