Online Metronome

A precise, sample-accurate metronome that runs entirely in your browser — no install, nothing to sign up for. Set the tempo, choose your time signature, and the downbeat is accented so you always know where you are in the bar. Tap the tempo if you don't know the BPM.

Need tempo-synced effect times? Try the BPM to delay-time calculator.

How it works

A metronome divides a minute by the tempo to get the beat interval, then subdivides it according to the time signature.

beat interval (ms) = 60000 / BPM
bar length (ms)    = beat interval × beats per bar

This one runs on the Web Audio clock rather than JavaScript timers, which is what keeps it steady — setInterval drifts audibly within seconds.

Worked example

• 120 BPM = 500 ms per beat; a 4/4 bar = 2,000 ms
• 90 BPM = 667 ms per beat; a 3/4 bar = 2,000 ms
• 140 BPM = 429 ms per beat

In practice

• Practise on beats 2 and 4 rather than every beat. It is far more demanding and much closer to how time actually feels in most popular music.
• Slow down to fix problems. If a passage falls apart, the tempo is too high — drop it until it is clean, then raise it in small steps.
• Playing exactly on the click sounds stiff. Real performances sit slightly ahead or behind depending on feel; the click is a reference, not a target.
• Try dropping bars. Muting the metronome for every other bar exposes whether you are keeping time or following it.

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