How do I make a beat online for free?
Open MusoKit's drum machine, tap a starter beat (rock, hip-hop, house…) or tap the grid to turn steps on, then press Play. It's a free 16-step sequencer with 808, 909 and acoustic kits, swing and four patterns, with no signup or download. The sounds are generated in your browser, so it loads instantly and works offline.
Keyboard
How to make a beat
- Pick a starting pointTap a starter beat under the grid, or start from an empty pattern. Each row is one drum: kick, snare, hi-hats, toms, clap and crash.
- Tap steps on and offEach square is a 16th note. Coral steps are drums, yellow ones are cymbals. Tap a drum name to mute that row.
- Set the grooveChange the tempo with − and +, or type it. Tap Swing for a shuffle feel (0, 25 or 50%); the settings have finer swing, the kit, 3/4 time and tap tempo.
- Use patterns A to DFour patterns save automatically in your browser. Build a verse in A and a chorus in B, then switch between them while it plays.
- Share itCopy a share link from the settings: it opens your beat, tempo, kit and swing on any device.
What is a drum machine?
A drum machine is a sequencer that triggers drum sounds in a repeating pattern. Hardware drum machines like the Roland TR-808 and TR-909 shaped hip-hop, house, techno and pop from the 1980s onward, and the synthesized voices of those machines became so iconic that producers still emulate them four decades later.
A browser-based drum machine like this one gives you the same step-sequencer workflow without installing anything. Each square on the grid is a 16th note. When the playhead reaches a lit square, that drum fires. Build patterns by tapping squares, tweak the tempo, layer kicks against open hi-hats, and you've got a beat. The audio is generated in real time with the Web Audio API, with no samples to download, so the page loads instantly and works offline once it has been opened.
Common uses: sketching ideas before opening a DAW, practising along with a steady groove instead of a click, building a quick reference loop for a band rehearsal, or learning how rhythm patterns are built.
Beats to start from
Each starter beat opens in its own pattern with a typical tempo: Rock, Pop, Hip-hop, House, Funk, Reggae one drop, Trap, Waltz. Tap one, then change a few steps to make it yours.
What does swing do?
Swing delays every second 16th note slightly, so straight 16ths start to lilt like a shuffle. Around 25% gives hip-hop and funk their lazy pocket; 50% and up sounds like a triplet shuffle. Beats on the main pulse (where the kick and snare usually sit) aren't moved, which is how classic drum machines like the MPC and TR-909 handle swing.
Further reading
Questions
Does it work offline?
Yes. Once the page has loaded, the drum machine runs entirely in your browser with no server calls during playback. Add it to your home screen, or install the MusoKit app on Android, to use it anywhere.
Can I export my beat as audio or MIDI?
Not yet; audio and MIDI export are planned for MusoKit Pro. For now, share a pattern with the share link (the URL contains the whole beat) or keep it in one of the four patterns, which save automatically.
Can I use the keyboard?
Space starts and stops, the 1 to 4 keys switch to patterns A to D, the arrow keys change the tempo (Shift for steps of 5) and T is tap tempo.
Why does it sound different on my phone?
Phone speakers reproduce almost nothing below about 300 Hz, so kicks and toms lose their low end. The kits are tuned to stay distinct on small speakers, but headphones or a speaker give you the full sound. On iPhone, the beat plays even with the silent switch on.
Why is the snare not moved by swing?
Swing only delays the off-beat 16ths (the "e" and "a" of each beat). The snare usually lands on beats 2 and 4, which stay exactly in time, as on classic drum machines.