tempo(1)
tempo is a command-line tool for managing and playing back music files with tempo adjustment capabilities.
Synopsis
tempo [OPTION]... [FILE]...Description
tempo adjusts the playback speed of audio files without changing their pitch, allowing you to slow down or speed up music for practice, learning, or analysis. It supports common audio formats and can process multiple files or read from standard input.
This tool is particularly useful for musicians learning to play along with recordings, language learners practicing listening comprehension, or anyone needing to change playback speed without affecting the musical key.
Common options
| Flag | What it does |
|---|---|
-s, --speed FACTOR | set playback speed as a multiplication factor (e.g., 0.5 for half speed, 2.0 for double speed) |
-o, --output FILE | write processed audio to output file instead of playing back |
-f, --format FORMAT | specify output audio format (wav, mp3, flac, etc.) |
-r, --rate SAMPLERATE | set output sample rate in Hz (e.g., 44100, 48000) |
-b, --bits BITDEPTH | set output bit depth (16, 24, 32) |
-q, --quiet | suppress status messages and progress output |
-v, --verbose | enable detailed logging and diagnostic information |
--help | display help message and exit |
Examples
play song.mp3 at 75% normal speed (slowed down) without changing pitch
tempo -s 0.75 song.mp3speed up input.mp3 to 150% speed and save as output.wav
tempo -s 1.5 -o output.wav input.mp3slow down a guitar solo to half speed for easier learning
tempo -s 0.5 -o practice.wav guitar_solo.flacspeed up a podcast by 20% and convert to MP3 format
tempo -s 1.2 -f mp3 -o fast.mp3 podcast.wavslow audio to 80% speed and output at 48kHz, 24-bit depth
tempo -s 0.8 -r 48000 -b 24 input.flac -o output.flac