Click. Click. Click. Click.
Every music teacher says the same thing: practice with a metronome. It’s annoying advice because it’s true. Solid timing is the difference between sounding like a musician and sounding like someone who plays an instrument.
This one runs in your browser. Set the tempo, set the time signature, hit start. The Web Audio API generates the clicks, so it works even after you lose your internet connection. No app to install, nothing to download.
What You Can Control
- Tempo: 40 to 300 BPM via slider, with -1/+1 buttons for precise tweaks and preset buttons for common tempos.
- Time signature: 2 to 8 beats per measure. Set 4 for standard rock/pop (4/4), 3 for waltzes (3/4), 6 for jigs and compound time (6/8).
- Visual indicator: A beat display pulses alongside the audio so you can see the beat even when you can’t hear it clearly.
The first beat of every measure gets an accented (higher-pitched) click. It’s how you keep track of where you are in the bar.
How To
- Set your BPM.
- Pick beats per measure.
- Click Start.
- Play along. Adjust tempo on the fly with the +1/-1 buttons.
120 BPM in 4/4 is probably where you’ll start, it’s the default tempo of most pop and rock music. Standard “Andante” territory. Go slower for ballads, faster for punk.
Why You’d Use a Browser Metronome
Daily practice. You sit down with your guitar, your piano, your drum pad. A metronome keeps you honest about your tempo. It’s easy to rush the easy parts and drag the hard parts. The click doesn’t lie.
Learning a new piece. Start at 60% of the target tempo. Nail it clean. Bump up 5 BPM. Repeat until you’re at full speed. This is tedious and it works.
Singing practice. Vocalists need rhythm just as much as instrumentalists. Sing along with the click to lock in your timing before adding the backing track.
Dance rehearsal. Choreography is built around specific tempos. Set the metronome to your performance tempo and rehearse the movements. Much easier than cueing up the actual track every time.
Pre-recording warmup. You’re about to record with a click track in your DAW. If you haven’t practiced with a metronome, the studio click is going to feel brutal. Get comfortable with it beforehand.
Exercise pacing. Bodyweight exercises at a steady cadence, squats at 60 BPM, push-ups at 40 BPM. Not the tool’s primary purpose, but it works surprisingly well for this.
Need to figure out a song’s BPM first? The BPM Detector analyzes your audio file. For tuning your instrument before practice, the Tone Generator produces reference pitches.
FAQ
Does it work offline? Yes. The Web Audio API runs locally in your browser. Once the page loads, internet isn’t needed.
Is the timing tight enough for serious practice? For practice, absolutely. Each click is scheduled ahead of time on the Web Audio clock, so the beat stays sample-accurate even if the browser tab gets throttled or the page is busy. For studio-grade recording, most engineers still prefer a DAW’s built-in click track or a hardware metronome for the tightest possible sync.
No sound? Browsers block audio until you click something, it’s a security feature. Make sure you’ve clicked Start and your volume is up.
Can I change the click sound? It’s a synthesized click with a higher accent on beat one. You can’t customize it, but the sound is designed for clarity and low latency.
What tempo for my genre? Rough guides: 60-80 for ballads and slow jazz. 100-120 for pop and R&B. 120-140 for dance and EDM. 140-180 for punk and metal. 180+ for drum and bass and extreme metal.