C.U.L.T.The Studio · Playground

Beat & Chord Sandbox

A simulator. Tap rhythms. Try chord progressions. Nothing leaves the page — build the muscle here before opening a real DAW.

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PRACTICE · NO ACCOUNT · NO DATA SENT

Make a beat. Hear a chord move.

Two tools. A 16-step beat grid for rhythm. A four-chord progression player for harmony. Both are real audio — played in your browser, never uploaded.

This is a teaching simulator. Sounds are generated in your browser using Web Audio — no recordings, no servers, no accounts. Make noise freely.
SANDBOX 01

Build a beat

Tap any cell to turn it on. Three rows: Kick (deep, low), Snare (sharp, mid), Hat (light, high). Tap Play to hear it loop.

BPM
Presets:
Listen for: the kick on beat 1 and 3 is the heart. The snare on 2 and 4 is the backbone. The hat fills in between. Move one pattern around and the whole feel changes.
SANDBOX 02

Try a chord progression

Pick four chords by tapping the chips below — they fill the four slots in order. Then tap Play to hear them loop.

Tap chords to add

Your progression

1
—
empty
2
—
empty
3
—
empty
4
—
empty
Tempo
Famous progressions:
Listen for: some chord moves feel like questions, some feel like answers. The "Pop" progression has been used in thousands of hits because it pulls the listener forward. Try the same four chords in a different order — same notes, totally different feel.

Here's the cheat code: both rhythm and harmony are about tension and release. The beat builds anticipation; the snare lands. The chords pull you somewhere; the home chord brings you back. Every song you love does this.

When you've got a beat you like and a chord progression you like, you're already 60% of the way to a song. The rest is melody and lyrics — and those are what the workshops on this planet teach. Take Your Own Song next, and put it together.