Simple Visual Metronome

Before making music becomes a fun activity, heavy knowledge first needs to be assimilated. There are various key aspects in every composition, and even live performance. For instance, keeping the rhythm synchronized can be done with the help of a metronome, which is exactly the purpose of Simple Visual Metronome.

The application comes in a pretty lightweight package, and does not require installation in order to function. As such, you can just download and save it on a thumb drive in case you always want to have a metronome at hand. However, the computer you use it on needs to be equipped with Java Runtime Environment.

A pretty simple main window shows up on launch, with the default counting method kicking in right away. As the name suggests, most emphasis is put on visual style, but the application comes with a disappointing variety of styles. You can choose from three different metronome types, such as bouncing, jumping, or flashing.

Each metronome style is fitted with its own animation, such as continuous color flash, or horizontal movement. Needless to say that speed is dictated by the BMP slider which you can adjust to apply new values in real time. The range lets you set BMP between 10 and 250. There’s also a steps slider, but only the bouncing metronome benefits from it.

It’s completely dedicated to providing visual support, which isn’t really of much help, having to keep your eyes on the metronome for every beat is frustrating, and it could have used at least a simple tune for audio support as well.

All things considered, Simple Visual Metronome is exactly what the name suggests, and nothing more. A few metronome styles can be used, with animation speed determined by BMP. However, without audio notifications for beats, the application can do more harm than help you synchronize beats.