Online beat maker
A 16-step drum machine in your browser. Load a groove, tap squares to change it, add swing and export a WAV. Space bar plays and stops.
Anatomy of a beat
One bar of 4/4 has four beats, each split into four 16th-note steps: 16 squares. The kick anchors the pulse, the snare or clap lands the backbeat on beats 2 and 4 (steps 5 and 13), and the hi-hats fill the space in between, setting how busy the groove feels.
Genres are mostly kick and hi-hat choices. House puts the kick on every beat; boom bap syncopates it and adds swing; trap keeps the snare on beat 3 of a half-time feel and rolls rapid hi-hats. Try loading a preset, then move one kick hit a single step and listen to how the groove changes. To play drums live instead, try the virtual drum kit; to add chords and a melody, use the music maker.
Questions
How do I make a beat online?
Each row is a drum sound and each column is a 16th-note step; four steps make one beat. Tap squares to turn hits on, press Play, and adjust tempo and swing. Start from a preset and change it to learn how grooves are built.
Can I download my beat?
Yes. “Export WAV” renders four bars of your pattern to a WAV file you can use in any DAW or video editor, free and royalty-free, since the sounds are synthesized by MelodyMake.
What does swing do?
Swing delays every second 16th note, turning straight rhythms into a shuffling, laid-back groove, the feel behind a lot of hip-hop and house.
Is my beat saved?
Your pattern is saved automatically in this browser, and you can copy a share link that contains the whole beat.