Drum machine

In house, the kick hits every beat (that is the “four-on-the-floor”), the clap marks beats 2 and 4, and the open hat answers between the beats: that back-and-forth is what makes the groove bounce.

Choose what a click adds: a normal hit, an accent (louder), a ghost note (very soft) or a roll (two hits in the same step, for hi-hat bursts). Clicking the same cell again clears it. On a computer, Shift + click adds an accent right away, and Alt + click a ghost note. Click a sound name to hear it on its own.

Swing delays the second sixteenth note of each eighth note. At 0%, the rhythm is straight. At 55%, it lands two thirds of the way through the eighth note, as in a triplet: that is the “shuffle”. Around 30%, you get a slight sway that feels more human.