OFFBEAT is a rhythm training app built for ska punk and jazz musicians.
■ Train the "gap" a metronome can't teach you
Just tapping along with a metronome doesn't build the feel you need on stage.
OFFBEAT focuses on the genre-specific placement of rhythm — offbeats only,
the third note of the swing triplet, the 2 & 4 backbeat — and visualizes
your timing error in milliseconds.
■ 6 specialized training modes
- Offbeat Master — the 8th-note offbeat that underpins ska cutting
- Swing Pocket — the "third triplet" feel of jazz time
- 2 & 4 Backbeat — the shared backbone of jazz and ska
- Silent Keep — hold your internal groove through bars of silence
- Tempo Sprint — survive accelerating tempos without rushing
- Call & Response — hear a phrase, play it back
■ Practise with real instrument sounds
Tap "Sound" on the start screen to switch from the click to recorded drums, bass, guitar or percussion (the choices depend on the mode). Available in the two free modes too.
■ Laid-back Pack (sold separately)
Practise placing your notes a set amount behind a band that stays on the beat.
Work through three styles (Bass Pocket, Drag Backbeat, Swing 16) from a
drum-and-bass guide to playing on your own. The app checks your average
position, spread and drift to show whether you sit back and whether you
hold that spot. You can try the introduction and the comparison before buying.
■ Output latency calibration
Measures the output delay of your earphones/speaker and folds it into
the judgment, resolving the feeling of being "off" when you're actually
on time. That said, since Bluetooth latency itself fluctuates, please
use wired earphones or a speaker.
■ Built to keep you coming back
- Three 30-day lesson courses (All-round / Ska focus / Jazz focus)
- Day-streak tracking with a weekly one-day protection freeze
- Timing diagnosis after every session: are you rushing or dragging?
- Score, accuracy and average offset recorded every run
[Pricing]
- The app is free to download.
- "Offbeat Master" and "Swing Pocket" are free forever, with no time limit.
- Base pack (one-time purchase): unlocks the other four modes (2 & 4 Backbeat, Silent Keep, Tempo Sprint, Call & Response) and the three 30-day lesson courses (All-round, Ska, Jazz).
- Laid-back Pack (one-time purchase): unlocks the three Laid-back styles (Bass Pocket, Drag Backbeat, Swing 16). It is separate from the base pack and can be bought on its own.
- Neither is a subscription. Once you buy one, the content listed for it is yours to keep.
- After reinstalling or switching devices, use "Restore Purchase" in Settings.
■ Privacy
All play data stays on your device. Nothing is transmitted
(see the privacy policy for details).
For you if:
- You play in (or want to join) a ska punk or jazz band
- You can follow a metronome but can't sit in the groove
- You've ever been told you rush on the offbeats
- You want to sit behind the beat, not just on it
— From the developer
I've played in a ska punk band and spent years touring the jazz cafés of Japan,
yet I never trusted my own sense of rhythm. Metronomes and method books
didn't fix it. "It isn't talent — there has to be a way to train this."
So I built it with the one skill I did have: programming. That's how OFFBEAT began.
Not for people who already have rhythm, but for those who struggle, like I did.
Starting with ska and jazz — and someday, for every player, in every genre.
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