Disposition

Tool
Lateralus (2001)
Moderate 70 BPM
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Easy, low-key calm, right in the middle of 19,209 measured songs — measures out best for focus.
70
BPM

Disposition by Tool is 70 BPM — Adagio (slow).

Half-time 35 BPM · Double-time 140 BPM · released 2001

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Fan image for "Disposition"

An abstract illustration of what this song feels like. Each image is built from a prompt — the text description fed to the image generator. Listeners submit their own prompts, upvote the ones that fit best, and the top-voted prompt drives the next regeneration. After 100 image votes, we make a new picture.

Fan-driven abstract illustration evoking the emotional arc of Disposition by Tool
The prompt that made this image Editorial abstract illustration evoking the emotional arc of a song titled "Disposition" by Tool. Noticeable climb from quiet to loud. layered composition, overlapping color planes. Mood: contemplative, introspective, melancholy. Visual style: 2000s digital editorial aesthetic. Painterly, grainy film texture, muted palette with strategic accent colors. The composition should read left-to-right like a timeline — calm on one side, intensifying toward the other. Strictly no faces, no text, no logos, no literal objects, no band imagery. Pure color-field abstraction with emotional weight. 16:9 editorial format.

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"Editorial abstract illustration evoking the emotional arc of a song titled "Disposition" by Tool. Noticeable climb from quiet to loud. layered composition, overlapping color planes. Mood: contemplative, introspective, melancholy. Visual style: 2000s digital editorial aesthetic. Painterly, grainy film texture, muted palette with strategic accent colors. The composition should read left-to-right like a timeline — calm on one side, intensifying toward the other. Strictly no faces, no text, no logos, no literal objects, no band imagery. Pure color-field abstraction with emotional weight. 16:9 editorial format."

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Song DNA

Dynamic Range6/10
Sudden Changesmild
Texturelayered
Predictabilityhigh
Vocal Stylesoft vocals
Notes: Atmospheric and ambient with swelling synths and gentle guitar layers that evoke a contemplative mood, minimal percussion keeps it smooth without harsh edges. Soft, whispered vocals add intimacy without overwhelming dynamics.

Misophonia Triggers

Mouth Soundsnone
Percussive Clicksnone
Breathing Soundsnone
Repetitive Micro-soundsnone

A short, ambient instrumental-like track with sparse lyrics about observing emotional change like shifting weather, serving as a transitional piece in Tool's Lateralus album.

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Hear it the way it was made

The right gear changes everything.

Moods: contemplative, introspective, melancholy

Traditions: art rock, progressive metal

At a glance

"Disposition" by Tool

70 BPM, dynamic range 6/10, layered texture, soft vocals. Sits in the middle band — neither built for stillness nor pitched at workout intensity. Whether it works for a given moment depends more on mood and lyrical content than on the acoustic profile. The full sensory breakdown follows.

How this song sits on each sensory axis

A dynamic range of 6/10 means this song moves. Expect a real volume climb between quiet sections and the loudest part of the arrangement — enough that you may want to set the initial volume below where you'd normally land.

Sudden changes: mild. There are one or two transitions worth knowing about, though they're musically resolved rather than surprise-driven.

Texture is layered — a full arrangement with clear separation between parts.

Predictability is high — the song telegraphs what it will do next. A sensory-sensitive listener can usually guess where it's going without close attention.

Vocal style: soft vocals.

Where this sits in Tool's catalog

We have 37 songs from Tool in the library. Of those, 0 are rated Safe, 5 Moderate, and 32 Intense. This song's dynamic range of 6/10 sits below the artist average of 8.2, making it the #35 most dynamic track of theirs in our library.

Other tracks from Lateralus

We have 8 songs from this album. Overall, the album leans intense in sensory profile.

2001 context

Released in 2001. We have 324 songs from that year in our library, averaging a dynamic range of 6.3/10. This track is about average than the year average. Explore more from the 2000s.

Explore by mood and tradition

Moods
contemplative · 3309introspective · 5733melancholy · 5408
Traditions
art rock · 244progressive metal · 77

Guides that may help

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How fast is "Disposition"?

70 BPM — Slow (downtempo / ballad)

For running

Too slow for most running; good for warm-up walks or cool-down.

For workouts

Warm-up, cool-down, yoga, stretching.

For daily life

Sleep, meditation, reading, focus work.

Browse more songs at 70 BPM.

When "Disposition" works, and when it doesn't

Use-case verdicts computed from the song's tempo, dynamics, and sensory profile.

~
Focus / studying

Maybe — fine for routine work, but the mid-song changes may pull attention during deep focus.

Running / workout

No — 70 BPM is too slow for sustained cardio.

Sleep / winding down

No — contains elements that will keep an awake nervous system engaged.

Driving / road trip

Yes — predictable enough for safe driving attention, interesting enough to stay engaged.

Cooking / dinner background

Yes — sits in the background without demanding attention.

Emotional release / catharsis

Yes — this is a song for actively feeling what you came to feel, not for background.

Related reading

Editorial guides that cover this song's use cases, moods, or artist.

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Why this rating

We rate this song Moderate because it falls between our Safe and Intense thresholds on at least one dimension. Moderate is the default for most well-produced music that has real arc but no surprise elements. Full rubric: methodology.

This song in the Music Studio
34/100 intensity

See how “Disposition” sits against your own sensitivities, or use it as a waypoint in a calmer set.

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Spotify and YouTube links go direct to the track when we have the ID; otherwise they search for it. Embed this sensory profile on your site →

Rating last reviewed: 2026-04-13. Reviewed by the Music I Want editorial team against the documented methodology.

Think this rating is wrong? Contact the editor — every message is read and ratings get revised.

By the numbers: how this song compares

Computed from this song’s place among the 19,209 songs we’ve measured.

Where it sits in 19,000 songs

On our 19k-song scale this lands in the middle band — more energetic than 22% of songs, calmer than the other 78%. Its intensity reading of 34/100 comes from a dynamic range of 6/10, layered texture, mild shifts, and soft vocals. Relatively few songs occupy this exact corner of the spectrum.

What makes it unusual

What stands out most about this song is a slow, unhurried pace: more extreme on that axis than 96% of everything we've measured. At the far opposite end of the library sit the songs built on full chaos — sudden changes, huge quiet-to-loud swings, and relentless energy — the kind of track this one is the counterpoint to.

Feels almost identical to

Closest matches by feel across all 19,209 measured songs — not by genre or artist, by how they actually move.

What it’s good for

Sleep6/10
Focus10/10
Workout2/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype2/10

Scored from this song’s tempo, intensity, dynamics and texture — not crowd votes.

2001 in context

The 324 songs we’ve measured from 2001 average a dynamic range of 6.3/10. At 6/10, this track is right in line with its year.

Mixes smoothly with

Within a few BPM and close in feel — they flow without a jarring transition.

The fingerprint

Intensity34
Dynamics56
Tempo17
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability0
Vocal force25
Trigger load0

The 8-dimension measurement behind every rating on this page.

Frequently asked about "Disposition"

Quick answers pulled from the song's sensory analysis.

What is the BPM of "Disposition" by Tool?

"Disposition" by Tool has a tempo of 70 BPM (Adagio (slow)). At half-time that is 35 BPM, and at double-time 140 BPM.

What is the sensory intensity of "Disposition" by Tool?

"Disposition" by Tool rates as Moderate intensity. Dynamic range 6/10, mild sudden changes, layered texture. Moderate is the default for well-produced music with real arc but no surprise elements.

How loud is "Disposition" — what is its dynamic range?

"Disposition" has a dynamic range of 6/10. Noticeable climb from quiet sections to loudest point. Set opening volume slightly lower than your preferred peak.

Does "Disposition" have sudden or surprising changes?

"Disposition" has mild sudden changes — one or two transitions worth knowing about, but they are musically resolved rather than surprise-driven.

What is "Disposition" best for?

In our library "Disposition" is recommended for: deep listening, meditation, relaxation. These tags are assigned only where the song's sensory profile genuinely supports the use case.

When was "Disposition" released?

"Disposition" is from 2001, on the album "Lateralus". It appears in our 2000s catalog.

What is the emotional mood of "Disposition"?

We tag "Disposition" as contemplative, introspective, melancholy. Moods are tonal descriptors based on how the song reads emotionally — separate from the sensory intensity axes.

What is the vocal style of "Disposition"?

The vocal style is soft vocals.

Is "Disposition" good for running?

Not really — at 70 BPM it's below most running cadences. Better for warm-up, cool-down, or walking. Recreational runners typically step at 140-175 BPM.

Is "Disposition" good for studying?

Only partially. The song's dynamic range (6/10) means there will be loud moments that break focus during deep work.

Can I use "Disposition" for sleep?

Not recommended for sleep. Contains transitions that will wake you up.

Should I listen to "Disposition"?

"Disposition" is Moderate intensity — fine for most listeners, but with enough dynamic activity that it works best as active listening rather than background.

Songs with the same DNA

layered texture, similar intensity — across any genre or era.

I Hold On
Dierks Bentley
moderate
DR 6
Outta Hand
Bronski Beat
moderate
DR 6
Crescendolls
Daft Punk
moderate
DR 6
Relative Fiction
Julien Baker
moderate
DR 7
The Fallen
Franz Ferdinand
moderate
DR 6
Birthday Pony
Fugazi
moderate
DR 7

Safer alternatives with a similar feel

These songs share similar moods but with a gentler sensory profile.

Blowin' in the Wind
Bob Dylan safe
It's Too Late
Carole King safe
If I Were a Boy
Beyoncé safe
What Was I Made For
Billie Eilish safe
Thumbing My Way
Pearl Jam safe

What this song means to people

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Keep exploring

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Where to next?

You know how this one feels — now go find the next one.

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