Metronome. A click that never drifts.
The click is synthesized locally with Web Audio, nothing about your practice session leaves your browser.
Export a click track
Render the current tempo, signature, subdivision and accent settings to a 16-bit WAV, handy as a DAW guide track.
Why this click doesn’t drift
Naive metronomes fire setTimeout for every tick, so the click wobbles whenever the browser is busy. This one uses a lookahead scheduler: a light timer wakes every 25 ms and books each click ~100 ms ahead on the Web Audio clock, which is sample-accurate. The result is a rock-steady pulse from 30 to 260 BPM, even with subdivisions running.
How to use the Metronome
This metronome plays a steady click from 30 to 260 beats per minute, with time signatures, subdivisions, an accent on the first beat and tap tempo. The click is generated by your browser's Web Audio API and booked slightly ahead on the audio clock, so it stays in time even when the page is busy. It suits musicians practicing at home and anyone who needs a WAV click track for recording.
Step by step
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Set the tempo
Drag the Tempo (BPM) slider, or type a number into Exact BPM and press Enter or click away. The range is 30 to 260 and the default is 120. Values outside the range are pulled back to the nearest limit and decimals are rounded.
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Or tap it in
Press Tap tempo in time with a song. From the second tap on, the tempo is set from the average gap between your taps, using up to the last four gaps (your last five taps). Pause for more than two seconds and the next tap starts a fresh count.
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Choose the meter and subdivision
Under Time signature pick 2/4, 3/4, 4/4 or 6/8. Under Subdivision pick Quarter for one click per beat, Eighth for two, Triplet for three or 16th for four. Subdivision clicks are lower and quieter than the main beat.
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Set accent, pendulum and volume
Leave Accent beat 1 checked to make the first beat of each bar higher and louder. Uncheck Pendulum to hide the swinging arm. Drag Volume between 0 and 100%; it starts at 80%.
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Start and stop
Press Start, or press Space when you are not typing in a field. The button turns into Stop while it plays. You can change the tempo, meter and subdivision while it runs.
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Export a click track
In the export panel, choose a Length of 4, 8, 16, 32 or 64 bars (8 by default) and press Download WAV. The file uses your current tempo, meter, subdivision, accent and volume, and is named like click-120bpm-4-4-8bars.wav. Press Copy settings to copy a one-line summary of the setup.
Reading the result
- The large number is the current tempo, and the word under it is its Italian tempo marking. 120 BPM reads Allegro, which covers 120 to 155. Andante covers 76 to 107 and Presto covers 176 to 199.
- The row of dots has one dot per beat in the bar. The larger first dot marks beat 1 and lights orange; the others light green as each beat plays.
- The pendulum swings once from side to side every two beats, so it reaches each end on a beat.
- In 6/8 the tool clicks six beats per bar, one per eighth note, and with the accent on it also gives beat 4 a medium accent. Set the BPM to the eighth note speed you want.
- Copy settings gives a line like Metronome: 120 BPM (Allegro), 4/4, quarter notes, accent on beat 1, handy for a practice log or a note to a bandmate.
Tips and common mistakes
- Most browsers keep audio silent until you press a button on the page. If you hear nothing, check the Volume slider and your device volume, then press Start again.
- To practice a hard passage, start 10 or 20 BPM below the target and raise the tempo a little once you can play it cleanly.
- Space does not toggle the click while the cursor is in a box such as Exact BPM. Click on an empty part of the page first.
- Line up the exported WAV at the very start of your DAW project. The first click sits about 0.05 seconds into the file.
- Tap at least four or five times for a steady reading. Two taps give a rough tempo that jumps around.
Privacy and limits
The click is synthesized on your device with the Web Audio API. Nothing is uploaded and no settings are saved, so the metronome starts at 120 BPM each time you open it. The WAV file is rendered in your browser as 16-bit, 44.1 kHz mono. Browsers without Web Audio see a notice instead of the metronome.
Everything a metronome should do.
Frequently asked questions.
Is the Metronome free?
Is it private? Does it upload anything?
Does it work offline?
Why does the click stay in time even with subdivisions?
setTimeout. Every 25 ms a light timer books the next few clicks roughly 100 ms ahead on the Web Audio clock, which is sample-accurate, so the pulse stays rock-steady from 30 to 260 BPM, even in background tabs.What WAV file does the export produce?
How does tap tempo work?
Published · Last updated .
