Drum machine: make beats in your browser
Tap cells in the grid, press “Play” – and the beat loops. All sounds are synthesized live in your browser. Your pattern lives in the link, so you can share it or keep working on it later.
How it is calculated
How to build a beat
- Each row is an instrument, each column a sixteenth note of a 4/4 bar. Tap a cell to switch the hit on or off.
- Press “Play” – the bar loops and the current column lights up. You can keep editing while it plays.
- Set the tempo (40–240 BPM) and swing. Swing delays every second sixteenth note and loosens the groove.
- Use the presets to start from a simple basic pattern and build on it.
- To share, just copy the link – pattern, tempo and swing are in it.
How the sounds are made
There are no samples: kick, snare, hi-hats, clap and tom are built from oscillators, noise and filters of the Web Audio API. Hits are scheduled ahead on the browser’s audio clock, as described in the article “A Tale of Two Clocks” on web.dev. That keeps the rhythm steady even when the page is busy.
Limits
One bar of 16 steps, six tracks, no export as an audio file. In a background tab the browser may throttle timers; the beat is then scheduled further ahead, but short dropouts are still possible. The presets are simple starting patterns, not exact copies of particular songs or styles.
Frequently asked questions
Is the drum machine free?
Yes, with no sign-up and nothing to install. It runs entirely in the browser, including on phones and tablets.
How do I share my beat?
The pattern, tempo and swing are automatically part of the page link. Just copy it or use the share button.
What does the swing slider do?
It pushes every second sixteenth note slightly later. At 0 % the beat is straight; with more swing it sounds looser and more shuffled.
Can I save the beat as an MP3?
No, there is no audio export. You can reopen the pattern at any time via the link, though.
Why does the beat stutter in the background?
Browsers throttle timers in inactive tabs. The drum machine then schedules further ahead, but dropouts cannot be ruled out completely.
Sources and legal basis
- Chris Wilson (web.dev) – A Tale of Two Clocks: Scheduling Web Audio with Precision
- MDN Web Docs – OscillatorNode (Web Audio API)
- MDN Web Docs – BiquadFilterNode (Web Audio API)
- W3C – Web Audio API
- WHO – Deafness and hearing loss: Safe listening
As of:
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