How to make a beat
- Press Play to hear the starter rock beat, or pick a pattern: rock, hip-hop, house, trap or bossa nova.
- Tap squares in the grid to add or remove hits. Each row is a drum sound and each column a 16th note; shaded groups mark the four beats of the bar.
- Set the tempo in BPM and add swing for a laid-back groove.
- Share the beat as a link, or download four bars as a WAV file to use in a video or music app.
About the drum machine
This is a 16-step sequencer in the tradition of classic drum machines like the Roland TR-808 and TR-909. All eight sounds (kick, snare, clap, closed and open hi-hat, tom, rim shot and cowbell) are synthesised live with the Web Audio API: kicks are a sine wave with a fast pitch drop, snares mix filtered noise with a short tone, and hi-hats are high-passed noise. Steps are scheduled ahead of time on the audio clock, so timing stays tight even when the browser is busy.
Swing delays every second 16th note slightly, the groove behind much hip-hop, funk and house. The whole pattern, tempo and swing are encoded in the page address (a compact 32-character code), so a shared link plays exactly the same beat for anyone. Nothing is recorded or uploaded. It is a great way to learn rhythm, sketch ideas, make backing beats for practice or teach music in class.
Can I export my beat?
Yes. Download four bars as a WAV file and loop it in any editor.
How do I share a beat?
Press Share beat to copy a link that contains your pattern and tempo.
What is swing?
Delaying every other 16th note slightly, which gives a bouncy, human feel.