Electronome

As far as music creation is concerned, it depends less and less on instruments nowadays, given the computer can emulate sound with the right software and hardware components. However, a computer is also a suitable place to learn and you can use applications like Electronome to keep up the pace when playing, and get to know a few things about notes and tempo.

The application’s visual design is pretty intuitive, with several ways to configure the tempo, and multiple visual skins to choose from to make it better blend with your desktop. The tempo can either be automatically configured, or manually routed to one of the available audio devices or drivers.

Moreover, there’s a slider which helps you set the value of the tempo between 30 and 250, number which can also be manually written down, or you can use the tap function for manual rhythm coordination. It’s possible to configure a tempo for two separate channels, with a dedicated statistics panel showing tempo difference.

Several options can be used to enhance both the pace, and the visual style of feedback. The measure configurator lets you select from several time signature options, and each beat can be customized with a different color label, and whether or not it’s an accent beat.

The application comes with an extra tool to help understand how notes blend together. Showing up in a dedicated window, the harmonic key mixing tool provides a wheel chart with all chords, and keys, showing compatible results for your selection. Sadly, there’s no audio feedback for this interaction.

All things considered, we can state that Electronome is a practical tempo assistant which lets you configure in through several different means, and route audio through the device of your choice. Visual styles enhance the whole experience, while the harmonic key mixer teaches you what chords actually go well together.