Free Online Metronome

How does an online metronome work?

The browser audio clock schedules clicks slightly ahead of playback rather than relying on a drifting visual timer. Downbeats use a higher accent, regular beats use the main click, and each beat can be divided into two, three or four equal parts. A tap control converts recent tap intervals into a practical starting BPM.

Music Tools Lab uses the Web Audio clock and schedules oscillator clicks slightly ahead of playback in short batches. A visual timer checks what should be scheduled, but the click times themselves live on the audio timeline. The first beat of a bar can use a higher frequency, each main beat can be divided into two, three or four equal clicks, and the ear-training option suppresses every fourth or eighth bar while the visual beat continues. Tap BPM uses the robust median interval from recent taps to set—not analyze—the metronome speed.

The page generates a practice click; it does not listen to or grade a performance. Browser audio is scheduled against the audio clock, while visual changes can render later and background tabs may be suspended by the device.

How to get a useful result

Start at the slowest speed that permits correct rhythm and relaxed movement. Increase by two to five BPM after several controlled repetitions, or use silent bars to test whether the pulse continues internally. Bluetooth devices may delay what you hear relative to the screen, but the spacing between scheduled clicks should remain stable while the tab and audio context stay active.

Define the practice condition before starting: Choose or tap a BPM at which you can perform the material without tension. Decide what one click represents, use subdivision only as needed and record the BPM and meter so a later attempt is genuinely comparable.

When the click is not helping

• Keep the page visible; mobile browsers may suspend Web Audio when the screen locks.
• Use wired or built-in speakers when visual-to-audio latency matters.
• Stop and restart after changing several settings if the device has interrupted its audio context.

Make the practice condition repeatable

Write down the BPM, meter, subdivision and what one main click represents. That note turns a vague impression of progress into a practice condition you can repeat tomorrow. Begin slowly enough that movement and sound remain controlled, complete several clean repetitions and raise the tempo in small steps only while the same technique remains intact.

Use dense subdivisions to diagnose uneven spacing, then remove some support and keep the smaller grid internally. Silent bars are another useful check: an early return suggests acceleration and a late return suggests slowing. Follow the scheduled audio click rather than the screen when Bluetooth or display rendering makes the visual pulse appear offset.