How to use it
- Pick a style preset, or start from scratch with Clear.
- Tap the cells: the first tap adds a hit, the second makes it an accent, the third clears it.
- Set the tempo (BPM) and swing, then press Play.
- Tap a track name to mute it – for example to hear the kick on its own.
- Play the virtual drums live over the beat by tapping or with keys 1–8.
How does a step sequencer work?
One bar is split into 16 equal sixteenth notes: the numbers mark the four beats, each with four cells. Each row is an instrument: kick, snare, clap, closed and open hi-hat, low and high tom, rimshot. Most pop songs start from a simple pattern – kick on beats 1 and 3, snare on 2 and 4, hi-hat on every eighth – and it's easy to build your own variation from there.
Swing, accents and tempo
Swing delays every other sixteenth: 50% is straight, while around 58–66% gives the laid-back feel of hip-hop and shuffle grooves. Accented cells play louder, which brings hi-hats and snare ghost notes to life. Tempo runs from 40 to 220 BPM; for practice, start slow and speed up gradually.
Why use it for practice?
A drum machine is a more musical backing than a click: practise chord changes in time on guitar or piano, or try fills on the pads over the groove if you play drums. The sounds are generated by your browser, so there is no sample pack to download, and your last pattern is remembered in this browser.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to download anything?
No. The drum sounds are generated by your browser on the fly, and your pattern stays in your browser's storage.
What does the swing percentage mean?
How much of each eighth-note pair goes to the first sixteenth. 50% is straight; around 66% is a triplet, shuffle feel.
Can I play with the keyboard?
Yes: keys 1–8 trigger the eight drums, and space starts and stops playback.