Browser groovebox and sampler · 0.9 beta
Record a bird. Make a beat.
Record any sound (a blackbird, a door, your voice), chop it onto pads and turn it into a beat. On your phone, held upright. No install, no account, no personal tracking.
Every letter above is a pad. Tap one.
Four steps
From a field recording to a loop
Scroll on: the playhead above runs with you.
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REC
01 Record anything
Hold the record button and capture a sound with your microphone: a bird outside, a door, a pan lid, your voice. Or import an audio file you already have.
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CHOP
02 Chop it onto pads
CHOP puts every hit of your sound on its own pad, right after you record. Or mark a range by hand. 12 sample pads plus 4 drum pads.
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STEPS
03 Tap a pattern
A 16-step sequencer with per-step locks for pitch, volume, nudge and repeats, four banks you can chain, and nine synthesized drum kits.
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EXPORT
04 Share it
Layer loops on four perches, set a level for every track and play filter, delay, tape stop and stutter live in PERCH › FX. Then EXPORT: an upright video clip to post, your song as WAV and MIDI, or stems for your DAW.
Fifteen demos, fifteen styles
Hear it before you open it
Tap a card. The bird is synthesized in your browser, chopped onto pads and played as a beat, exactly as in the app. Tap the next card to switch, tap again to stop.
Things you would not expect
An instrument that plays back
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One tap, a finished beat
After a recording, TRY A BEAT shows three styles. Tap one and your recording is chopped and played as a beat in that style. ↻ shows three others.
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Shake for a variation
Switch on SHAKE on the home screen, then shake your phone while the beat plays and it changes: a hi-hat fill, a ghost snare, a shifted slice. Not good? Tap UNDO.
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Tilt to play the room
Switch on TILT and the phone becomes the XY pad: tilt sideways for the filter, forwards and back for delay and reverb.
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The bird shows you how
Your first beat in three steps: record, chop, tap four steps. The bird points the way and falls asleep when you take a break.
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Undo instead of "Are you sure?"
Removing a pad, clearing a perch or a pattern: it just happens, with UNDO right there. The UNDO key in the header undoes everything else.
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A level for every track
Turn a single track down or up, mute it or play it solo. The mix is saved with the project and goes into the stems and the MIDI file.
Privacy first
Everything stays on your device
The only server involved is the one that delivers the app files, and it keeps the usual access log. Details are in the privacy policy.
No account, no cloud
There is nothing to sign up for. Your projects and recordings are saved in your browser on your device.
No cookies, no ads
No cookies, no fingerprinting, no third-party scripts, fonts or embeds. The app itself sends no personal data. It only counts anonymous steps (like “a beat was made”) to see what to fix, and you can switch that off.
Your microphone stays yours
The microphone is only on while you record, never in the background. The audio is processed on your device and never sent anywhere.
Motion sensors, locally
Shake and tilt read the phone's motion sensors in the moment, on the device. Nothing is stored or sent. Shaking is off until you switch it on.
Works offline
Once loaded, BirdBeat keeps working without a connection. You can add it to your home screen like an app.
Your data, your file
Export a backup of all projects and samples as one file at any time and import it again later.
Compatibility
Runs in current browsers
| Browser | Status |
|---|---|
| Chrome (Android) | Tested on one phone so far, held upright |
| Safari (iPhone) | Beta: not tested on an iPhone yet. Should work held upright; switch off silent mode for sound. |
| Tablets (Android, iPad) | Not tested yet. Should work held upright. |
| Desktop browsers | Not available yet. A computer shows the address to open on your phone. |
Needs the Web Audio API, and a microphone for recording. Private browsing modes may not keep your projects. The video clip has only been tried on Android Chrome so far; some apps only take MP4.
FAQ
Questions
Is BirdBeat free?
Yes. BirdBeat is free to use in your browser. There are no ads and no paid tier.
Does it work on my phone?
It is made for phones, held upright. So far it has been tried on one Android phone. The phone gets its own layout with big steps and pads: tap to play or select, hold for options. Held sideways, it asks you to turn it back.
Where are my projects stored?
Only in your browser on this device (IndexedDB). They are not uploaded, so they are not available on other devices unless you move a backup file yourself.
Can I lose my work?
Browsers can delete site data, for example when you clear your history, in private windows, or when storage runs low. BirdBeat asks the browser to keep its data, but please export a backup regularly, especially during the beta.
Why does it need the microphone?
Only to record sounds, and only while a recording runs. You can also use BirdBeat without a microphone: import audio files or start with one of the fifteen demos.
The microphone does not work. What can I do?
Your browser asks for the microphone the first time you tap REC. If it never asks and BirdBeat says "Microphone blocked":
- Android: Settings › Apps › Chrome (or your browser) › Permissions › Microphone: choose Allow only while using the app. With Ask every time, Chrome refuses every website without asking.
- Blocked for this site: tap the icon left of the address › Permissions › Microphone › Allow, then reload.
- iPhone and iPad: Settings › Apps › Safari › Microphone › Ask or Allow, then reload.
When the microphone does not start, BirdBeat shows the steps for your device. All cases are in the guide.
Can I continue in my DAW?
Yes. Export the pattern as a MIDI file and every track as a separate WAV file (stems), all starting at bar 1.
Who owns the beats I make?
You do. Your recordings and the music you make with BirdBeat are yours. The drum sounds and the demo birds are synthesized in your browser.
How can I give feedback?
Use the contact page or write to hainz@birdbeat.eu. The counts are anonymous, so your message is the best way to know what works and what does not.