MANUAL · 11 · VOICE
Voice commands
Control the metronome by voice, like "start" or "tempo 120", without putting your instrument down.
Start listening
Turn on VOICE in Customize footer (in the menu), and a VOICE button appears in the bar at the bottom of the screen (it's off at first; see the Display chapter). Press VOICE or ⇧Space to start listening, then make one request, like "tempo 120".
While it's listening, a panel appears above the bar and Friko nods along as it listens. The microphone level flows by as a waveform on the right (on phones, bars appear only while you're speaking).
- 01Press VOICE or ⇧Space to start listening. The first time, the browser asks for permission to use the microphone
- 02Say one request
- 03When you finish, it runs what you asked for and shows the result in the panel
Press VOICE again or the × in the panel while it's listening to stop without doing anything. If you say nothing, it stops after 4 seconds.
On a computer, the app plays a short chime when listening starts and ends. The sound differs depending on whether a command ran. On phones, the device's own voice input sounds play instead.
- Start / stop listening for a voice command⇧Space
Works in Chrome, Edge and Safari. In browsers without speech recognition (such as Firefox), the VOICE button doesn't appear.
What you can say
There's no fixed phrasing. Ask in the language the app is shown in (English or Japanese), the way you'd normally say it.
| Example | What it does |
|---|---|
| start · play | Starts playback |
| stop | Stops playback |
| tempo 120 · set the BPM to 90 | Sets the BPM to that value |
| faster · slower · up by 10 | Raises or lowers the BPM (by 5 if you don't say a number) |
| next song · previous track | Switches tracks in multi-track mode |
| set the BPM to 130 and play | Runs several commands at once |
Besides tempo, playback and tracks, you can also ask for the time signature, sound, timer and more (see "Everything you can ask for" below).
When you ask for several things at once, they run in the order stop → tempo → track → other commands → start. With "set it to 130 and play", playback is at 130 from the first beat.
Stop words take effect as soon as they're heard, without waiting for you to finish.
Things you say to yourself while practicing ("five more minutes") and anything that isn't a command are ignored. On a computer, quiet voices such as distant conversation or a TV aren't taken as requests either.
Everything you can ask for
Besides tempo, playback and tracks, you can ask for the following by voice. You don't have to use these exact words; anything that means the same will work.
Rhythm and sound:
| Command | Example |
|---|---|
| Change the time signature | switch to 3/4 · six eight please |
| Change the guide notes (subdivision) | add triplets · play eighth notes · turn off the guide notes |
| Change the sound | use the wood block · use the cowbell sound |
| Change the left / right output | play it only on the right |
| Volume up / down | louder please · turn the volume down |
| Mute / unmute | mute · unmute |
| Voice count on / off | turn on voice count · stop counting |
| Count-in length | count in 2 bars · no count-in |
Tempo:
| Command | Example |
|---|---|
| Undo | undo · go back to the previous tempo |
| Redo (do the undone change again) | redo |
| Reset to initial state | reset everything |
| Progressive (gradually faster / slower) | gradually speed up · turn off progressive mode |
| Open tap tempo | open tap tempo |
Practice tools and tracks:
| Command | Example |
|---|---|
| Timer | set a 10 minute timer · stop the timer |
| Gap click on / off | turn on gap click |
| Open / close the tuner | turn on the tuner · close the tuner |
| Open / close the drone panel | open the drone |
| Recording (REC) on / off | start recording · stop recording |
| Pick a track by number | the 3rd song please |
| Loop the tracks | loop the tracks |
| Add a track | add a track |
Display and language:
| Command | Example |
|---|---|
| Theme | switch to dark mode |
| Language | switch to Japanese |
| Accent color | make the accent color pink |
| Beat display | show the pendulum |
| Beat flash | turn on beat flash |
Opening screens and saving:
| Command | Example |
|---|---|
| Save the current setting | save this setting |
| Add to / remove from favorites | add this to favorites |
| Saved settings | open my saved settings |
| Statistical charts | show my practice stats |
| SYNC (play together across devices) | open SYNC |
| Ask AI to edit settings | make a bossa nova setting |
| Detect the BPM | detect the BPM live · find the BPM of an audio file |
| Export | export as MP3 · export the setting file |
| Settings screens | open the audio settings · open display settings · show keyboard shortcuts |
| Contact us | contact the developer |
Commands you ask to turn on or off do nothing if they're already that way. "Stop the tuner" and "stop recording" stop only that feature, not the metronome.
Saying "play" together with a settings change, as in "play eighth notes", doesn't start playback. To start, say "start" explicitly, as in "switch to 3/4 and start".
Asking AI to edit settings only opens the request screen. Type your request there.
If it isn't sure which command or value you meant, it does nothing. Asking again is better than running the wrong command.
Full screen, copying a setting's link and importing a setting from a file can't be done by voice, because the browser only allows them right after you press a button. Resetting to the initial state and deleting a track can't be undone, so they aren't accepted by voice.
Reading the result
When you finish, the result appears where the waveform was and the panel closes after a moment. Press × to close it right away.
- DONE: Lists the commands that ran, like "“set the BPM to 130 and play” → Tempo 130 → Play". Friko puts on sunglasses and strikes a pose
- NO ACTION: Shown when nothing matched a command, nothing was heard, or playback couldn't start
- ERROR: Shown when listening failed, for example when microphone access isn't allowed
Start with "Hey Friko" (experimental)
Turn on "Voice command with “Hey Friko”" in the menu, and you can start listening by saying "Hey Friko" instead of pressing a button. While it's on, the menu item is marked on the left. Select it again to turn it off.
The wake word is detected on your device, so nothing is sent anywhere while it waits for the wake word. In exchange, the microphone stays open while it's on.
The wake word is only available in browsers on a computer. On phones, the menu item doesn't appear.
What's sent, and how often you can use it
Speech is turned into text by the browser's speech recognition. In Chrome and some other browsers, the audio is sent to the browser vendor's servers. The recognized text is sent to Metronome.fm's server and an AI model to work out the command.
To prevent overuse, there's a limit on how many times per hour you can start listening. Past that limit, commands are read with simple rules only, without the AI. When you're not signed in, there's also a daily limit on how many requests the AI can read (see the Limits table in the Plans and pricing chapter). Short fixed requests like "start" or "tempo 120" don't use the AI, so they aren't counted and still work after you reach the limit. The same simple rules are used while offline.