Online drum machine
Click squares to place drum hits and press Play. Sixteen steps make one bar, eight drums are ready, and the sounds are made in this page. Send the beat to a MIDI output while it plays, or save it as a MIDI file for a music app.
The numbered columns are the four beats of the bar.
On a phone, turn it sideways for bigger squares.
Make a beat
- You: Click squares to switch hits on and off, then press Play. Start from one of the beats in the menu if you like.
- The page: Plays the grid in a loop, with a marker moving across the steps.
- Check: The kick on step 1 lands as the marker returns to the left edge.
A beat is only a grid of yes and no, which is why it is quick to change.
Read the grid
- Rows. One drum each, with the kick at the bottom and the cymbals at the top, the way drum notation is laid out.
- Columns. Sixteen steps make one bar of four beats. Each step is a sixteenth note.
- Beats. The numbered columns, steps 1, 5, 9 and 13, are the four beats. Step 3 is the and of one.
Kick on the beats and snare on two and four is the frame most beats hang on.
Start from a classic beat
| Beat | Tempo | Where the hits go, by step |
|---|---|---|
| Rock | 110 | Kick on 1, 9, 11. Snare on 5, 13. Closed hat on 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15. Crash on 1 |
| House | 124 | Kick on 1, 5, 9, 13. Clap on 5, 13. Closed hat on 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15. Open hat on 3, 7, 11, 15 |
| Hip hop | 90 | Kick on 1, 8, 11. Snare on 5, 13. Closed hat on 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15. Open hat on 16 |
| Funk | 100 | Kick on 1, 4, 9, 11. Snare on 5, 8, 13, 16. Closed hat on every step |
| Disco | 118 | Kick on 1, 5, 9, 13. Snare on 5, 13. Closed hat on 1, 5, 9, 13. Open hat on 3, 7, 11, 15 |
Load a beat, then move one or two hits: that is how most new patterns start. Swing delays every second step: Light gives a shuffle, and Heavy is close to a triplet feel.
Send the beat to a music app or a drum module
- Open this page in Chrome, Edge or Firefox.
- Press Send to a MIDI output and allow MIDI.
- Pick the output: a drum module, an interface, or a virtual cable to an app on the same computer.
- Press Play. Turn Sound off here if the other end is making the sound.
Every hit goes out as a note on channel 10. On a Mac the virtual cable is the IAC Driver, and the IAC Driver page turns it on. The grid can drive any instrument that listens for drums on channel 10.
Save the beat as a MIDI file
Choose how many bars and press Download .mid. The file holds the pattern at your tempo and swing, on channel 10, with the General MIDI drum notes below, so a music app plays it with whichever drum kit you load.
| Drum | MIDI note |
|---|---|
| Kick | 36 |
| Snare | 38 |
| Clap | 39 |
| Low tom | 45 |
| High tom | 50 |
| Closed hat | 42 |
| Open hat | 46 |
| Crash | 49 |
A MIDI drum part can be given any kit later, which an audio loop cannot. The GM drum map lists every drum note, and the MIDI file viewer and player opens the file you saved.
Play drums from a game controller
InputConfig, the free Mac app I make, turns a game controller into a drum pad. Its built-in MIDI: Drum Pad preset puts the kick, snare and hi-hats on the face buttons, sends them on channel 10, and rolls when you hold a button. Program a beat on the grid, or play one by hand on a controller. Gamepad to MIDI on a Mac has the setup.
Questions
How do I make a drum beat online?
Click the squares in the grid to place drum hits, then press Play. Each row is a drum and each column is a sixteenth note, so the four numbered columns are the four beats of the bar.
Can I export the beat as a MIDI file?
Yes. Choose how many bars and press Download .mid. The file uses channel 10 and the General MIDI drum notes, so any music app plays it with its own drum kit.
Can it send MIDI to my DAW or a drum machine?
Yes, in Chrome, Edge and Firefox. Press Send to a MIDI output, pick the output, and every hit is sent as a note on channel 10 while the pattern plays.
What is a step sequencer?
A grid where time runs left to right in equal steps. You switch steps on for each sound, and the machine plays the grid in a loop.
What does swing do?
It delays every second sixteenth note a little, which turns a stiff, even pattern into a shuffle. Light swing suits funk and hip hop.
Which MIDI notes do the drums use?
The General MIDI drum map: kick 36, snare 38, clap 39, closed hi-hat 42, low tom 45, open hi-hat 46, crash 49 and high tom 50.
Related
Free. macOS 14 or later. No account, nothing leaves your Mac. Open source on GitHub.
Updated