The Metronome by Soundbrenner Reviews

by Rogerw

I really love the device. I play drums and this device really helps keep me on the beat. My problem is with the application. Occasionally when the application updates it deletes my song library, and there is no way to backup the library. I had a song library with about 200 songs in it, and after an update the library is gone. Really a pain to have to re-enter all my songs.

Update October 2019
With help of support, there is a hidden menu that can restore your music library, but in my experience it only brings back about half of my songs. In my conversation with support they promised that iCloud backup of the music library was coming. This week, my music library disappeared again, and of the 200+ songs I had in the library only 90 songs restored. From what I can see there is still no iCloud backup, so I am done re-entering my songs library by hand. I love the device but TheMetronome leaves a lot to be desired.

Update December 2019
TheMetronome now deletes my song library every day, and the restore functionality no longer restores anything. Emailing support is basically useless as they have no answers, and no ideas when the library issues will be fixed.

by Bumptious B

First, I want to commend these folks for offering a free metronome with all the subdividing bells and whistles. That is mighty, mighty cool and I’m a fan on that basis alone. That said, the swing beat setting is so glitchy it is absolutely unusable at any tempo -it is, sadly, the worst I’ve ever experienced. I haven’t had it very long and haven’t explored the other subdivisions but it don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing. On a less dismal note, it would be great if, in the wide variety of sounds offered, there was an actual, simple metronome click. Tough one to rate star-wise as it is almost an incredible app but it fails on its most elementary mandate. A fix of these tempo glitches would warrant so many stars. I wish the developers well...

1 YEAR LATER

After posting my review, the developers were quick to reach out - much appreciated! The only recommendation I got was to update my iOS and app regularly - already do that. Not only did that not fix the problem, in the past weeks, the problem has gotten worse. Now, not only is the swing feature useless due to dropped beats, now the triplet feature drops beats and bounces the “1” around randomly - even at slow BPM.

Again, I love the concept but the product has moved from one setting being unusable to two. Sorry to see this great idea get worse. So many awesome options don’t mean much when the central function fails.

by A Mercer

TheMetronome is useless to me without Landscape mode for iPad. Most people have an iPad case and i have the Logitech Combo Touch with keyboard and trackpad. It’s like a mini laptop and props itself up on a side table next to my kit or anywhere. TheMetronome is probably fine on the phone but I don’t want to learn two separate apps for lack of a LANDSCAPE feature missing. The audio out plug and lightning power cord are on opposite sides of the 7th Gen iPad. Which end should I prop it up on to use? Oh, yeah it won’t work unless it’s unplugged from the audio or the power. Did anyone making TheMetronome ever use an iPad? I’ve never seen an iPad case that props it up in portrait configuration. I Googled to fine “best metronome app FOR iPad”. Your marketing team will be happy to know your app shows up first in the search. It may be the best in function, but without Landscape mode, it’s the WORST in the real world for iPad.

by Kaos_k13

When I first started using Soundbrenner I loved it. I had the pulse then bought the core steel. TheMetronome was awesome to. Then they started the subscription thing which for what they offered was a good idea. Except that before it started I was able to put as many songs as I wanted (so far , had 65) but then with the subscription it is only allowing 10 unless you subscribe. I get why with the other features like cloud service and all. But when my songs where on my app and iPad only I don’t understand why I had to subscribe. Being a drummer for a church I’m playing different songs every week so I needed to have a long list of songs. I went to add a song and they made me subscribe. So unless you only have 10 songs or want to pay either $60 or 8$ after their new launch promo is over . You may want to find a different way of using a metronome. As for myself and the members of the band who are using this with me I think we may find another way. Don’t get me wrong , if you want the cloud ability or the videos this is the way to go but if you were just wanting to do TheMetronome metronome or something similar then find something else. Thank you Soundbrenner for the few years of use though. I really did like the metronome.

by Thisnicknameislareadytacken

I find that often use of the metronome betters a musicians skill to determine tempo for a given piece of music or composition and is a crucial and key element to any aspiring musician, however, this apps’ metronome seems to go back 1 beat when left on for long periods of time (I use the metronome often when practicing and I usually practice 2-3 hours/day). I set the tempo at 100 bpm with triplets every downbeat and after a minute or so, the downbeat for 1 moved over to the second triplet of the first beat triplet, and after another minute, the downbeat landed on the 3rd triplet of the first beats’ triplet.

Decent app if you’re in middle school, but if you’re in high-school thinking about majoring in any subfield of music or a musician yourself in college or university, I highly suggest you use another metronome. I know this is not crucial to the majority of the audience, but for professionally trained musicians it is easy for us to tell when the downbeat is off, and completely messes us up in our practice.

by D>

I was planning to purchase the pulse or core at guitar center this morning. I decided to use TheMetronome by itself for a while to make sure of the functions in TheMetronome .
Well I’m glad I didn’t buy the hardware yet.
The timing in TheMetronome seems to stray rather quickly.
The 1 beat seems to move around to other beats or it skips a beat.
Also the time seems not to be steady, like a metronome is supposed to be.
I’m on the latest app version and latest iOS 14 build.
I restarted my iPhone 11 and same issues.
Weird.
Also when trying other subdivisions, the 1 seemed to skip randomly. Sometimes it was fine but the longer it played the beat seemed to shift or timing slightly strayed.
I’m so glad I didn’t shell out money for the core hardware.
Also TheMetronome dark mode display is a bit difficult to read and see in low light (like when performing on stage). The blinks are good, just the contrast of the interface should be improved.
Would also be nice to adjust the color of blinks for better viewing depending on the room environment. It is good as-is, colors is just a suggestion.
TheMetronome has much potential but doesn’t seem like there has been much improvements judging by prior reviews.
I hope there are improvements - I would buy if I knew the system was more dependable.

by Jamaica Blue

Bought the Pulse wrist metronome. It looked really good until I see I need to register my Pulse wrist metronome with TheMetronome, either with my Apple ID or email. I am not comfortable with what information it datamines. The agreement seems a little bit — cart blanche. Not so sure I want to sign over all sorts of access, including passwords. The Pulse may be going back.

“ The Company may collect personal information and/or data about the User, such as his or her name, login ID and password, address, email address, phone number, age, sex, date of birth, country of residence, nationality, education level, and work experience that is not otherwise publicly available.”

by NY Denizen

Sleek design, but a little bulky for wrist wear. However there are other body-position options. But since there seems no way to stop the metronome from flashing brightly to each beat, you may end up having a distracting light emanating from your chest, arm, foot! I also couldn’t find how to set a vibrational accent on the first beat of each measure.

Designers seem to think that anyone using the device is an experienced musician! The basic function of a metronome is to measure time by communicating beats, according to the user’s requirements. Introducing non intuitive concepts such as ‘Compose’, ‘Songs’ and ‘Playlists’ in a metronome is just confusing, and to this user, probably unnecessary.

Also, for some unspecified reason, there is but a single default setting, 4/4 at 120bpm when you shake your device. Cool idea, but useless if you’re wanting another setting.

App froze on me while doing required firmware update. Undocumented fix required from tech support took overnight since they are 12 time zones away.

Conclusion: I’d gladly take a slimmed down, single purpose vibrating, body-attaching, metronome, for less money and easier learning curve.

by Kimmy Smiles

So I love your app but some of my music I have to play in band has a dotted quarter note subdivision and I noticed that your app doesn’t have that. I would appreciate it if you would add this

Edit: Also, I noticed that in the compose section of TheMetronome , you can add how much measures the metronome will play. I think you should add this feature to the song creation part of TheMetronome so if your making a set list with multiple tempos subdivisions and time signatures. It would automatically switch to the next song so you won’t have to switch in the middle of playing. This would be really helpful if your setlist one piece of music with tempo changed and time signature changes. It’s really hard to practice a full run through of something when you have to tap the play next button.

by Mindwess Wetad

Edit: Be careful which sound you choose for the metronome, as they sometimes stutter and change the downbeat. In my initial review I forgot that I had changed the sound to Klopfgeist. There are some other sounds that act funny at higher tempos and different subdivisions, but some of them work fine. And the fact that you can change sounds, subdivisions, and time signatures is great.

(Pre-edited review): I’ll preface by saying the interface is easy to use and I like that it is one of the few free metronome apps that allows you to customize time signature, subdivisions, and click sounds. I am a drummer, and having a tool to help lock in more difficult patterns, grooves, and rudiments is wonderful. However, whenever the audible beats are at highish tempos/actual playing speeds (noticed it starting with quarter notes above 120bpm, eighth notes at 64bpm, triplets at 84bpm), there are clicks that sound like digital clipping distortion, sometimes blended with the chosen click sound, sometimes swinging on offbeats. Occasionally, the metronome will stutter off-tempo and change the downbeat, halting practice, defeating the purpose of using a metronome. I only use the standalone app as a practice tool. Be wary if you are thinking about using it in a gigging scenario or spending money on it or its affiliated products.

by Cvoyiatt

Since receiving the body band the pulse works great for me as a drummer. As I have used TheMetronome more and more in rehearsal and gig settings, some things I would love to see improved for practicality and ease of use. The ability to modify your own main screen with some options would be great. For example, when a setlist is loaded in the player, it would be nice to see five or six songs in the box i/o just one, to be able to scroll and identify tunes quickly in the case where the band goes away from the original plan. Realistically as well, for an old guy like me, the font is pretty small when using an iphone especially to see in low light settings. Like other metronomes I have used the primary button dial (watch face in your case) could be a little smaller to allow for more space above. Thanks and keep the improvements coming.

by C Stromwall

I really love the features of this free metronome app. It provides 99% of my subdivision needs, many options for the sounds, and reliably stays on when I lock my phone or record a long video. However, there are a few minor issues that hold it back.

With subdivisions on there is a tendency for the downbeat click to move around, especially at higher tempos. This can be really frustrating when trying to work through a longer piece with a metronome, as I have to stop and regroup every time.

It's a minor issue, but I am often annoyed at how small the arrow buttons are for changing the tempo up or down one click. I use them a lot and almost every time I end up hitting the number itself and the keyboard pops up for me to type in the tempo, then I have to close it. The extra few seconds just to bump the tempo once really add up. I wish I could quickly tap the screen and reliably change the tempo without pausing to make sure I'm right in the tiny hitbox.

If these two problems were both fixed, this would be the best free metronome app available by far.

by Jmcguire

I want to use Soundbrenner for all my production and live work. I really do. But the need to purchase a separate piece of hardware (that is a direct replacement for my Apple Watch - for my use case) is a non-starter.

If an “in-app upgrade,” or “pro” version existed which included Watch pulse functionality, I’d be all in. It may even lead to purchasing the proprietary device... I have no doubt it’s a better experience when you’re controlling the UEX end to end. I’d love to see some middle ground for someone like myself, who is faced with many alternate options - some new and some I’ve used for years.

Really great and beautifully built app (completely unexpected for a metronome!) but for the full “body tempo” functionality, I’m going to keep looking.

by PatrickSMcKinnis

I love using Soundbrenner as my go to metronome. There are so many things you can do with TheMetronome . Overall the experience is great. The only suggestion I have (and maybe it’s already a thing and I just don’t know how to do it) is that you are given the capability to create your own “song” per say. What I mean is that a musician would be able to take a piece he or she is working on and replicate it as a saved file. You would be able to put in the number of measures and customize it with the correct time signatures as well as beats per measure as they change throughout the piece. Other than that, this is a fantastic app and I would recommend it to any beginner and or professional.

by MatthewEBauer

I love what the Soundbrenner team is up to. I have been familiar with the product since it’s release and have tried the pulse metronome a number of times including at NAMM. I personally don’t use the vibrating bands as I like my IEMs but that mean I discredit that part of the technology. Forerunners in the field and quite a different tactile sense. The stand alone app is simple to create songs, edit playlists, add subdivisions, count ins, and more! Lighting options, light pulsing, and Bluetooth are all other useful tools as well. I have tried numerous metronome apps before the Soundbrenner team released TheMetronome and product and I have to say this is still the best hands down. Nothing negative to say.

by Majikgal

I play multiple instruments and multiple styles of music. I love how versatile and easy to use TheMetronome and wearable devices are. Especially when playing different genres if music, it’s so helpful to have subdivision of beats, and customizable colors (and vibration strength) assigned to different beats within the measure. I own a Soundbrenner Pulse, which is great, and I can’t say enough good things about the new Core as well! TheMetronome is also easy to use and totally functional without the metronome watch, so it’s good even if you don’t own one yet (but trust me, you want to buy the wearable as well. It’s AWESOME!)

Keep up the great work, Soundbrenner! I’ve recommended your products to my friends in the past, and will continue to do so. Definitely a fan for life!

by Jacob Rhymes

TheMetronome is amazing, but please add this one feature and it’s a done deal. Add custom MEASURES within songs to have an easy flow of songs and tempo changes after a certain amount of measures!! (EVEN MORE IMPORTANT)! Also, the transition between songs in a set list MUST be seamless. Meaning when I click the next button, and I still have 2 or 3 beats left in that measure, it should WAIT UNTIL the downbeat of the NEXT MEASURE in order to change. If you do this, things like Rush will be a drummers dream with this metronome, and I will be able to calculate measures in order to help with my practice for my WGI independent group I am in, for seamless movement transitions.

by Freerangecitizen

Took a few weeks of using the soundbrenner in different positions to find the right spot. I’m playing Bass so I settled on the chest rig between me and the instrument. I was mildly frustrated at first because I couldn’t enjoy playing to the pulse right off the bat. Had to use the audible click to get new material into the ballpark of being able to play with the pulse. Kept at it, all the while moving with the beat. Eventually the time just popped out like one of those 3d illusions you stare at long enough. Best way I can explain it is your more feeling like being next to a kick drum than landing on an audible click. Your body just absorbs the time and synchronizes. Further into it the pulse disappears. So neat! Thanks soundbrenner crew. Your gizmo has poked all kinda holes in my time and I’m better for it. Worth the money, worth the time. Do the work, move with it, level up.

by #.%.^.€.£

i’ve used TheMetronome for almost a year but around a week or so ago the metronome stopped working? it worked perfectly fine before, and then i didn’t use it for a month, but it was still downloaded in my phone the whole time, now, it doesn’t make any noise. I can still change the tempo and all the settings but i no longer hear the beep. what metronome doesn’t make any noise? I’m unsure if this is just a glitch but i hope it gets fixed soon.

update: i got it to work again, i’m not sure what i did but now it works!!

by Chirotay

I didn’t use a metronome for many many years and didn’t record my self either. Finally another musician suggested that I meter myself. So I started with an external metronome drum box that cost about $80 bucks. But then I found a few met apps and they helped but would shut of if I opened a recording app. So I tried this vibrating met. And it didn’t work for me but this metering app is way good. I am able to record my self while TheMetronome stays on and it doesn’t time out part way through. And it can store the names of songs and their timing and which key and has really helped me improve my singing and playing. People don’t get up and leave because I have great timing now, even when I forget the words. I don’t lose them. The price is worth a good product.

by JJDale

Used to love this, it was super helpful with my lessons. Since the most recent couple of updates, there a bug where it will count off and then stall out. I thought this might have been an iPhone 7 issue but this is happening on my iPhone 11 Pro. You can’t dial up or down the tempo. This happens whether my phone is paired with the wristband or not. Real bummer, because when this works, it is awesome! To have spent a good chunk of change on a device and not have it work consistently is an issue. And judging from some of the more measured but low-score criticism, despite quick response from TheMetronome developer, nothing seems to get fixed and the usefulness of this tool become nil.

by Dreamscapelove

So far I have been using TheMetronome as my metronome for 3-4 years. TheMetronome is amazing and I use it every time I practice on my clarinet, but one issue seems to always come up. Every time I am practicing, the met just suddenly stops for a second or two and then it starts again. Sadly this has been going on for a while and although TheMetronome is getting more improvements, this one problem just isn’t getting improved on. Not only does this happen once, but during my time of practicing it keeps happening on and off, a handful of time every time I use it. Other than that, this is app is great.

by Guitar.pickin.man

As a musician, there’s hundreds of options when looking for a metronome app. I’ve heard of this company but thought you could only use TheMetronome if you had the wearable metronome,but when I first installed TheMetronome and it gave me the option to just use it as a metronome, I was blown away!

I just recently set up my account, which wasn’t an option with the other apps out there. the way you can change the time signatures and everything is truly remarkable!

I am giving it a five star rating because that is what it deserves!

by Viunasoltani

I am a part of a colorguard team. I often use this to understand the tempo of music that is hard to understand. Sometimes I even edit the music with the metronome in the background. It really helps when I’m trying to hit something sharp. I also love how you can still play outside of TheMetronome . I have to often record videos of myself to my coaches over the break but also to improve. My fellow guardians know this helps with rifle and saber. Any ways not gonna get too in detail but I love TheMetronome and it has truly helped me. X

by Agile_GSD

My 10yo is toward the end if her first year of piano lessons. She has been struggling with speed and accuracy together. She was dreading practice and classes. I thought a metronome would help her increase speed incrementally, but am frankly running out of space!

So, I looked in TheMetronome Store and found TheMetronome. It’s absolutely perfect! It was up and running instantly — even with a middle-aged mom at the controls. ;-)

We started her exercise at 100bpm and increased it by 5bpm at a time. In less than an hour, she was accurately performing the piece at 230bpm!!! She’s once again excited about practice and classes. Her metronome app is her constant companion at the piano now.

I’m sure there are plenty of great features that will be useful one day. But those extra features often make it difficult for newbies to do the basics. Not here! The basic stuff is intuitive and simple. Love it! Thank you!

by Ramanan4

The best of all apps I have tried. I like that it does not make you buy within TheMetronome to unlock some feature. I have now composed and saved many patterns. iOS Screen time tells me i am spending 12h per week in TheMetronome. That is how useful it is to me.

One suggested feature. I would like a delay setting. That way I can hit start, count to 3 and start playing. Right now it starts playing immediately. So i have to skip some notes in the start, or wait for the next time the song pattern repeats.