Build drum beats on a 16-step grid with kick, snare, hi-hat and clap, and hear them loop instantly. Free, no sign-up, no music software needed.
A drum pattern is the skeleton of a song. Four sounds, repeated in a loop, can carry a whole track: a kick for weight, a snare for snap, a hi-hat for speed, and a clap for crowd energy. This free drum pattern maker gives you a 16-step sequencer in your browser, with no sign-up and no music software to install.
Sixteen steps means one bar of music split into sixteenth notes. Each row is one drum sound, and each square is one moment in the bar. Tap a square to turn that hit on, tap again to turn it off, and press Play to hear the loop. The playing step lights up in orange, so you can see exactly which hit is making which sound, which makes this tool as much a learning aid as a toy.
How to make your first beat
- Press Play and listen to the starter pattern: kick on every beat, snare on beats two and four, hi-hats in between.
- Tap squares to add or remove hits. Try moving one snare hit one step earlier and hear how the groove changes.
- Change the tempo slider. Slow beats near 70 BPM feel heavy and relaxed; fast beats near 140 BPM feel urgent and danceable.
- Press Clear and build from silence. Start with the kick alone, add the snare, then fill in hi-hats last.
The sound is made live in your browser with the Tone.js music library, falling back to plain Web Audio if that library cannot load. Nothing is recorded or uploaded. The pattern exists only on your page, so if you find a beat you love, take a screenshot of the grid or write down the step numbers before you close the tab.
What each drum does
- Kick: the low thump. It usually lands on the beat and gives the track its pulse. Too many kicks make a track feel crowded.
- Snare: the sharp crack. In most pop, rock and hip-hop, it lands on beats two and four and makes people nod.
- Hi-hat: the fast ticking. It fills the gaps between kick and snare and controls how busy the beat feels.
- Clap: the wide handclap sound. Layered on the snare, it makes choruses feel bigger.
A good beginner rule is to leave space. A beat with every square filled sounds like noise, not music. The gaps are where the listener breathes, and a single unexpected hit in an empty spot is worth more than ten predictable ones. If your beat sounds messy, remove hits until it sounds clean, then add one back.
Honest limitations
First, this is a sketchpad, not a studio. You cannot save projects, export audio files, or add melodies, bass, or vocals. Second, there are only four sounds and one bar, so complex songs with changing sections need real music software. Third, sound timing in a browser can wobble slightly on very old devices, especially if other tabs are busy. For practice and ideas, though, four sounds and sixteen steps are plenty.
Finally, patterns you make here are yours to use. Drum patterns are short rhythmic ideas, not songs, so a beat you build from scratch is a fine starting point for your own music.
Frequently asked questions
Why 16 steps?
Because most popular music divides one bar into sixteen equal parts. That grid fits hip-hop, pop, rock and dance music, and it is the same layout used by classic drum machines.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. Tap the squares and press Play. Sound requires one tap first, because browsers block audio until the user interacts with the page.
Can I save my beat?
Not inside the tool. Screenshot the grid, or note the step numbers for each row, and rebuild it later in seconds.