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How to make beats online for free (no download, no sign-up)
You can make a complete beat online for free with EASY RAVE, a groovebox that runs in your browser. Open easyrave.com, click steps on a drum machine, add a bassline and chords, then record the result as a WAV or MP3 file. There is nothing to install, no account to create and nothing to pay.
Most "free" beat makers ask for something first: a download, an email address, a trial that ends. EASY RAVE asks for nothing. It opens in a browser tab with a beat already loaded, and every machine in it is free to use.
This guide gets you from a blank tab to a finished loop you can save as an audio file.
What do you need to make beats online?
A computer with a recent version of Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari, and a pair of headphones or speakers. That is the whole list.
A mouse helps, because knobs turn with a drag or the scroll wheel. EASY RAVE also opens on phones and tablets (turn the phone sideways), but the step buttons are small there. For your first session, use a laptop or desktop.
What is in EASY RAVE?
EASY RAVE is a rack of seven machines that play in time with each other:
- 3 drum machines: HOUSE 909, DEEP 808 and LinnBeats
- a bass synth for acid lines: AC 303
- a chord synth: POLY-6
- a lead synth you can play with a ribbon, keys or your webcam: THERE LEAD
- a sampler for your own sounds: SAMPLE KING
They share one tempo and one musical key. That is the trick that makes it hard to sound bad: the bass, the chords and the lead can only play notes that fit the key shown at the top of the screen. If the idea of a "groovebox" is new to you, what is a groovebox explains it in two minutes.
How do you make your first beat?
- Open EASY RAVE. Go to easyrave.com. If a welcome screen appears, press PLAY NOW. A song is already loaded, so press the play button (or Space) to hear it.
- Write a drum pattern. On DRUMS 1 (HOUSE 909), press CLEAR to empty the bar you are looking at. Then click steps to light them: kick on 1, 5, 9 and 13, clap on 5 and 13, closed hat on 3, 7, 11 and 15. That is a classic house beat.
- Add a bassline. On BASS (AC 303), press RANDOM. It writes a random acid line into the current bar, in key. Press it again until you like what you hear, or click notes into the piano roll yourself.
- Add chords. On CHORDS (POLY-6), open PRESETS and pick a progression, for example Pop I-V-vi-IV. The chords follow the key at the top, so they fit the bass.
- Record it. Click the red record circle next to play and choose RECORD LOOP. Pick how many bars, choose WAV or MP3, and the loop is saved to your computer.
Here is the drum pattern from step 2, as it looks on the step grid:
Your first beat (house)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KICK | ||||||||||||||||
| CLAP | ||||||||||||||||
| HAT |
Each column is a 16th note and each group of 4 is one beat. What is a step sequencer explains the grid properly, and drum patterns for beginners gives you 8 more beats to copy.
How do you make it sound better?
Three small moves make a bigger difference than any new sound:
- Swing. Turn the SWING knob next to the tempo to around 10 to 20%. The hats stop sounding like a metronome. More in what is swing.
- Sidechain. Open SOUND EFFECTS under the chords, set SIDECHAIN to Kick and turn up its AMOUNT. The chords now duck every time the kick hits, which gives you the pumping sound of dance music. Sidechain compression explained.
- Filter moves. Hold Z and turn the mouse wheel to sweep the bass cutoff while the loop plays. Filter cutoff and resonance shows what that knob does.
When the loop works, try the LIVE FX in the top bar: DROP, STUTTER, LOOP and the filter pads turn a loop into a performance. Live effects covers each one.
Is it really free?
Yes. EASY RAVE has no paid plan, no trial and no watermark on your audio. You do not need an account to make music, record audio or export a project file.
An account is optional. If you sign in with Google or an email address, you can also save songs online and open them on another computer. Without one, your songs stay in your browser on this computer, and you can always export a project file. Saving, exporting and sharing explains every option.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to download anything to make beats in EASY RAVE?
No. EASY RAVE runs inside your web browser. You open easyrave.com and start playing; there is no app, plugin or installer. Your finished beat downloads as a normal audio file when you record it.
Can I use EASY RAVE without making an account?
Yes. Every machine, effect and export works without an account. Signing in with Google or email only adds online saving, so you can open your songs on another computer.
Does EASY RAVE work on a phone?
It opens on phones and tablets: turn the phone sideways and the full rack appears. It is built for a mouse and keyboard, though, so the step buttons and knobs are small on a phone screen. A laptop is the comfortable way to use it.
What file formats can I export?
Audio records as WAV or MP3. You can also film the rack as a video with sound, or export the whole project as a single HTML file that opens and plays in any browser, even offline.