Free, no account needed

Free online drum machine

Build a beat in your browser on a 16-step grid, with six sounds, adjustable tempo and swing. Start from one of eight preset grooves or from an empty grid, then share your pattern with a link. It is a practice partner for guitarists, bassists and anyone learning rhythm.

What this beat maker does

A 16-step sequencer: one bar of 4/4 split into sixteenth notes. Click a cell to switch a hit on or off.
Six synthesised sounds: kick, snare, closed hi-hat, open hi-hat, clap and tom.
Tempo and swing: set the speed of the loop, then add swing for a looser, bouncing feel.
Eight preset grooves: rock, pop, funk, hip-hop, bossa nova, shuffle, reggae and metal.
Clear and randomise: start from nothing, or let chance give you an idea to edit.
Share with a link: the pattern is stored in the link, so a bandmate or student opens exactly your beat.

How to read a 16-step grid

Each beat of a 4/4 bar takes four steps, so the beats fall on steps 1, 5, 9 and 13. Counting aloud helps: 1 e and a, 2 e and a, 3 e and a, 4 e and a. Steps 3, 7, 11 and 15 are the "and" of each beat (the eighth-note offbeats), and the even steps are the sixteenth notes in between.

Here is the most important groove in popular music, the basic rock beat, written step by step:

Step	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
Hi-hat	x	.	x	.	x	.	x	.	x	.	x	.	x	.	x	.
Snare	.	.	.	.	x	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	x	.	.	.
Kick	x	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	x	.	.	.	.	.	.	.

The snare on steps 5 and 13 is the backbeat (beats 2 and 4). Add a kick on step 11 and the groove already moves forward.

Classic grooves explained by step numbers

Program these on an empty grid to understand how each style works. They are textbook versions; the presets may differ in the details.

Four on the floor (disco, house): kick on 1, 5, 9, 13; clap on 5 and 13; open hi-hat on 3, 7, 11, 15. The offbeat open hi-hat is what makes it dance.
Half-time feel: same hi-hat and kick as the rock beat, but a single snare on step 9. The tempo stays the same, the groove feels twice as slow, common in heavy rock and trap.
Funk: closed hi-hat on all 16 steps, snare on 5 and 13, kick on 1, 4, 7 and 11. The kicks on even and offbeat steps create the syncopation.
Boom bap hip-hop: kick on 1, 8 and 11, snare on 5 and 13, hi-hat on the odd steps, then a little swing.
Reggae one drop: nothing on step 1. Kick and snare together on step 9 only, hi-hat on the offbeats. The empty downbeat is the style.
Bossa nova: kick on 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 12, 13, 16 (a long-short heartbeat on every beat), and a rim-like pattern on 1, 4, 7, 11, 14 played with the snare or tom, the bossa clave.
Metal: kick on all 16 steps for double-bass drumming, snare on 5 and 13.

Swing delays the in-between steps so straight notes turn long-short, which is the heart of the shuffle and of much hip-hop.

Practising with a drum machine

A groove teaches what a click cannot: where the accents fall. Some routines:

Strum against the backbeat. Play a down-up strumming pattern on the rock beat, accenting the strums that land with the snare on 5 and 13.
Lock with the kick. Bassists and guitarists playing riffs should play their root note exactly with every kick hit. Program the funk groove and follow the kick on 1, 4, 7 and 11.
Loop a progression. Play a four-chord progression, one chord per loop, at a slow tempo. If the groove feels too busy, the free online metronome is the plain alternative.

Need chords to jam over? With a free account, the GuitarHarmony workshop has a library of chord progressions by style in Roman numerals; Roman numeral progressions explains how to read them in any key.

How to use it

Load a preset or clear the grid. Pick one of the eight grooves to hear a style, or clear the grid to build your own from step 1.
Place the hits. Click cells on each row: start with kick on 1 and 9, snare on 5 and 13, then add hi-hats. Press play and edit while it loops.
Set tempo and swing. Choose a tempo that suits the style, then add swing little by little until the groove breathes.
Share or play along. Copy the share link to send the exact pattern, or leave the loop running and pick up your instrument.

What you can do with it

A practice partner for rhythm guitar

Strumming alone at home often drifts. Run the pop or rock preset at 80 BPM and play your chords with it: the snare tells you immediately if you rush.

Sketching a song idea

Found a riff? Program a beat that fits, share the link with your bandmates, and everyone hears the same groove before rehearsal.

Teaching rhythm in a lesson

Students see where each hit sits in the bar. Ask them to clap the kick pattern, then the snare, then play both with hands and feet on their legs before picking up the guitar.

Frequently asked questions

Is this drum machine really free?

Yes. It runs in your browser with no account, no download and no limit on the number of beats you make.

Which sounds are available?

Six synthesised sounds: kick, snare, closed hi-hat, open hi-hat, clap and tom. They are generated in the browser rather than recorded samples.

How do I share a beat?

Use the share option to copy the pattern's link. Anyone who opens it gets the same grid, ready to play.

What does the swing setting do?

It delays the in-between steps so even notes become long-short. A little swing loosens a hip-hop or funk groove; a lot gives a shuffle feel.

Can I make beats in 3/4 or 6/8?

Not directly: the grid is one bar of 4/4 in sixteenth notes. For a 12/8 or triplet feel, the shuffle preset and a high swing setting get close. For a waltz, the online metronome in 3/4 is the better partner.

More free tools

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