Free CEP Plugin · Adobe After Effects 2026

BeatMarker AE

Auto-detects BPM and places colored markers on your audio layers. Cut to the beat — automatically.

No subscription. No account. No dependencies.

SUPPORTS .MP3 and .WAV files

After Effects timeline with beat markers
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↓ Download Plugin (.zip) View on GitHub
BeatMarker AE plugin panel

Everything you need.
Nothing you don't.

Built by an editor, for editors. One click to analyze, one click to mark.

🎯

BPM Detection

Automatically detects tempo from any WAV or MP3 audio layer. No manual tapping, no guessing.

🎨

4 Distinct Colors

Red, Blue, Yellow and Teal — one unique color per beat position. Navigate your timeline at a glance.

📊

Confidence Indicator

See how reliable the detection was before committing. Green means rock solid. Red means check manually.

🎛️

Beat Selection

Toggle which beats to mark. Just the downbeat? Only 1 and 3? Your call — tap to toggle.

◀▶

Phase Adjustment

Grid landed off by one beat? Shift the phase without re-analyzing. Minimal flicker thanks to a differential update algorithm.

🌐

Bilingual

Full UI in English and Portuguese (PT-BR). Language detected automatically from your system.

Every beat has
a color.

Four unique colors — one per beat position. Instantly readable on both clip and timeline.

Red

Beat 1 — Downbeat

The strongest beat of the bar. Your primary cut point.

Blue

Beat 2

Where the snare hits. The pulse that drives the groove.

Yellow

Beat 3 — Secondary Downbeat

Mid-bar emphasis. Great for secondary cut points and transitions.

Teal

Beat 4

Leads back to the downbeat. Perfect for anticipation cuts.

Four steps.
Done.

01

Select your layer

Open a composition with an audio layer (WAV or MP3). Select it or let the plugin find it automatically.

02

Analyze

Click Analyze. BeatMarker AE detects the BPM and maps every beat in the file.

03

Adjust

Toggle which beats to mark. Shift the phase if the grid is off. Pick Clip or Timeline as your target.

04

Create markers

Click Create. Colored markers appear instantly — on the clip layer or on the composition timeline.

🎞️

Create on Clip

Markers are placed directly on the audio layer track. Stays with the layer wherever it goes in the composition.

📐

Create on Timeline

Markers are placed on the composition bar — separate from any layer. No interference with layer dragging.

AE Shortcuts
J Previous Marker
K Next Marker

Up and running
in 60 seconds.

Download & install

Download the .zip, extract it, right-click install_BeatMarkerAE.bat and run as Administrator. Done.

↓ Download Plugin (.zip)
  • Adobe After Effects 2026 (v26.x)
  • Windows 10 or 11
  • WAV or MP3 audio layers (4/4 time)
  • Administrator rights (install only)
  • Free & open source (GPL-3.0)