Metronomes are devices that are designed to do one thing: click. That works until you’re practicing loud, in a bright room, or with the sound off, and you can’t tell whether you’re ahead of the beat or behind it.
I wanted to design one you could hear, see, and feel, without a screen full of knobs.
I built Arsis, a dynamic metronome for iPhone, re-experiencing the functionality of mechanical metronomes audibly, visually, and physically.
What started off as a personal project to simply encourage myself to use a metronome more often turned into an exercise: how could something that does one thing, click, be experienced in different ways? And better yet, set itself apart from the wide range of free metronomes currently available?
Arsis is a very simple tool. It does one thing well, it helps the user keep time.
It is not just a clicker. At its core, a metronome is a pulse, a repeated signal that tells the user whether or not they are in time. Arsis prioritizes musicianship at its heart. I wanted users to be able to have as much access to this signal as possible.
Every beat can land in three ways: a click you can choose from a few soundkits, a pulse of color that fills the screen, and a tap from the haptic engine in case you need it in your pocket.
The screen itself is the interface; your phone becomes the metronome. Tap to start, hold for menu.
Three pulse animations, one beat. Halftone sends a wave of dots across the screen, Ring creates a shockwave growing outward, closing back when you pause, and Flash fills the screen with color and fades.
Setting the tempo on a mechanical metronome requires constant fiddling until you get it right. Tap Mode lets the user tap along, whether counting in 4/4, 3/4, or 6/8, you can set the rhythm naturally.
If you need extra help keeping time, allow yourself some accent notes or ghost notes. Accent notes fire off an accented beat, ghost notes are silent. Pick a color for regular beats and another for accent. A single slider can set the intensity color, from a soft wash to a full bleed.
Having good time is of huge importance to any musician. Because of this, I wanted to encourage them to keep this app open for long periods of time.
There had to be a design that was genuinely attractive, and dynamic.
A static screen makes users feel the need to turn off their devices. To combat this, I added a faint glow that rests around the edge of the screen when paused. Letting users alter the color of this glow further reinforces the habit of keeping it up. This movement gives life to the app even when not in use... and it looks awesome.
Free for iPhone. No accounts, no ads and no tracking. Coming to the App Store.