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Drum Machine
A 16-step drum sequencer with synthesised kicks, snares and hats.
Free tools that run in your browser. Nothing you type, open or create is uploaded to NerdBible or anyone else.
Mixer
Every drum is synthesised by your browser from oscillators and noise, with no samples. Steps are timed on your device's audio clock, so the groove stays tight while you edit. Your pattern, tempo, swing and mixer settings are kept in the page address after the # sign: copy the link to share or bookmark a beat. That part of an address is never sent to our server.
How to use it
- Press Play, then click the squares to switch steps on and off, or press and drag across several squares to paint or erase them in one go. Each row is a drum and each column is a sixteenth note; four columns make one beat.
- Set the tempo and add swing for a looser feel, or start from a preset or a random pattern.
- Balance the drums in the mixer, then copy the share link to keep your beat.
Questions
What does swing do?
Swing delays every second sixteenth note, so pairs of notes become long and short instead of even. A little swing, 10 to 20 percent, gives hip hop and house their bounce; around 33 percent sounds like a triplet shuffle.
Can I use the keyboard?
Yes. Tab to the grid, move between steps with the arrow keys and press Space or Enter to switch a step on or off. Home and End jump to the start and end of a row.
How do I save a pattern?
The pattern is written into the page address as you edit. Bookmark the page or press Copy share link and paste it anywhere; opening that link loads the same beat.
Why does the open hi hat stop when the closed one plays?
On a real kit, closing the hi hat pedal silences the open hat, so drum machines do the same. It is called a choke.
About this tool
About the drum machine
This is a classic step sequencer: a grid where each row is a drum and each column a sixteenth note, with four columns to a beat. Switch squares on and the pattern loops, so you can build a groove one hit at a time.
Making a beat
- Press Play, then click squares to switch steps on and off. Press and drag to paint or erase several at once.
- Set the tempo, or start from a preset or a random pattern.
- Add swing for a looser feel. It delays every second sixteenth, so pairs become long and short. 10 to 20 percent gives hip hop and house their bounce; around 33 percent sounds like a triplet shuffle.
- Balance the drums in the mixer.
The open hi-hat stops when the closed one plays, just as closing the pedal does on a real kit. This is called a choke.
Saving and sharing
Your pattern, tempo, swing and mixer settings are written into the page address after the # sign as you edit. Bookmark the page or press Copy share link to keep or send the beat; that part of an address never reaches our server.
Keyboard control
Tab to the grid, move with the arrow keys and press Space or Enter to toggle a step. Home and End jump to the ends of a row.
Every drum is synthesised in your browser and timed on the audio clock, so the groove stays tight while you edit.
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