Fine Metronome

User Manual for version 3.5

1 Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
2 Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
3 Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
3.1 Tempo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
3.2 Meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
4 Hotkeys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
5 Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

1 Background
We are sure that until there will be musicians, there will be need for metronomes. One of distin-
guishing characteristics of any good performer is that (s)he can maintain a steady tempo, a habit
best developed with a metronome device.
Read the article "How to Use a Metronome to Improve Your Practice" by Troy Stetina:
http://www.stetina.com/lessons/metronome.html

2 Features
Accurate and Reliable Fine Metronome gives you audio and visual reference with amazing
accuracy on your PC or laptop. You will never hear it stammering. Due to TempoDither algorithm,
developed by Fine Software, the metronome performes absolutely correctly even on blast tempos
like 999 BPM.

Easy to use You cannot think about more simple way to define musical meters then in Fine
Metronome. Using a grid, you can place strong and weak accents on each beat. You can also enter
the meter in standard notation (like 3+2).

Handy to use The interface is streamlined to distract you less from your playing. You have
hotkeys to control every important aspect of Fine Metronome performance even without looking
at the display.

Nice sound Fine Metronome ships with a dozen of carefully chosen sounds. But is only starting
point, because it recognizes .wav format, and there are millions of drum sounds on Internet!

Visual There is a flashing light synchronized with beat sound. You can enlarge it up to the full
screen.

Professional Need to insert a click track into your multitrack editor session? Or have it stored in
your mp3 player? Fine Metronome can export the sound into .wav and .mp3 formats.

Multi-functional Here are major functions and specifications not listed above:

• Tempo range 1 through 999 BPM

1
 • Intelligent Tap
• Presets for storing tempo/meter settings
• Practicing diary

3 Glossary

3.1 Tempo
The metronome is a device that produces audible clicks with constant tempo. A tempo is the reci-
procal of the time between two clicks 1.
The tempo is measured in Beats per Minute (BPM) units. For example, a metronome set to 120
BPM will generate 120 clicks per a minute, two clicks per a second. Fine Metronome default range
is 40 through 208 BPM, the same as the range of vintage mechanical devices. If you need faster
tempo, click on the tempo value on the display and type in the number (1 through 999), or expand
the slider range in the Options dialog.
The Tap feature lets you get precise BPM marking for unknown tempo. To use this feature, click
on the Tap button several times at constant rate (imagine yourself clapping along with the music).

3.2 Meter
Music is rooted in pulsaton, and pulse events are called beats. Beats can alternate in emphasis (or
accent). A sequence of beats is called meter. A measure (or bar) defines boudaries within which
the meter sequence repeats. Each measure starts from the most accented beat, called downbeat. A
common meter pattern, famous 4/4, is depicted below.

The downbeat should be emphasized most, and Fine Metronome allows to assign distinct sound
and set higher volume for it.
Fine Metronome supports additive meters, which have one major and a few minor downbeats in
a measure, and mixed meters, whose pattern spans several measures. Those complex stuff can be
specified easily by dividing beats into groups, beginning with the downbeat. For example, "3+2"
expresses the meter of the well-known "Take Five" jazz piece 2.

The metronome can also generate subbeats, also called subdivisions. They are played with the same
sound as normal beats but with lower volume and are not flashed. Shuffle is a common kind of
triple subdivision, with all subbeats omitted except the last.

1
Fine Metronome generate clicks with precision of 0.00002s and there is no drift in time due to roundoffs. When the
metronome is On for a long time, the Tempo Dither algorithm prevents drifting, while other software may accumulate
significant error.
2
The bottom number of the time signature is not really important as it affects notation side only.

2
4 Hotkeys
• Space turns the metronome On and Off

• Alt + Space turns the metronome On and Off when it is inactive

• Right increases the tempo by 1 BPM

• Left decreases the tempo by 1 BPM

• PgUp or Ctrl + Right increases the tempo by 8 BPM

• PgDn or Ctrl + Left decreases the tempo by 8 BPM

• Up increases the volume

• Down decreases the volume

• Ctrl + Up increases the volume more

• Ctrl + Down decreases the volume more

• Enter or T taps tempo

• M shows the Meter dialog

• O shows the Options dialog

• P opens the Presets window

• D shows the Diary window

• E opens the Export dialog

• Mouse wheel Up increases tempo by 1 BPM

• Mouse wheel Down decreases tempo by 1 BPM

• Ctrl + Mouse Whell up increases volume

• Ctrl + Mouse Whell Down decreases volume

• 1 sets 1 beat per measure

• 2 sets 2 beats per measure

• 3 sets 3 beats per measure

• 4 sets 4 beats per measure

• 5 sets 5 (3+2) beats per measure

• Ctrl + 1 sets meter with none subdivisions per beat

• Ctrl + 2 sets duple subdivision

• Ctrl + 3 sets triple subdivision

• Ctrl + 4 sets quadruple subdivision

• Ctrl + 5 sets quintuple subdivision

• Ctrl + 6 sets sextuple subdivision

• Ctrl + 7 sets septuple subdivision

3
• Alt + 3 sets triple subdivision with 3th note only (shuffle)

• Alt + 4 sets quadruple with 4th note only

5 Support
If you need technical support or have any comments or suggestions, fell free to contact us (even if
you are not a registered user yet) using email:
[email protected]
or the Contact Us form on the website:
http://www.finemetronome.com/contactus.html

June 12, 2009 (c) 2007, Fine Software