Count-in plays one to four bars of clicks before the music starts, so you can come in on time. It counts at the song’s real tempo and time signature and leads straight into the first note.
IMAGE · practice-count-in.png · 1600 × 900 px · A count-in in progress: the big 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 counting over the piano roll, and the small count-in number on the metronome icon in the top bar.
Turn on Count-in
A small number on the metronome icon shows that the count-in is on and how many bars it counts. The count-in clicks whether the metronome itself is on or off. With the metronome on, the clicks simply carry on into the song.
How it counts
Where it leads in
When | The count-in |
The song has empty bars before the first note | Skips them and leads straight into the first note. |
The song starts on an upbeat | Stops just before the pickup, so the pickup plays where it belongs. |
You press Play after a pause or after scrolling | Counts into the start of the bar you’re in, so you always come back in on a 1. |
Cancel a count-in
Press Space, Esc or Play while it counts. Nothing plays and the playhead stays where it was.
When there’s no count-in
Use case: come in on the first note
Right-click the metronome, turn Count-in on and choose 2 bars. Press Space: 1 2 3 4, 1 2 3 4, and you’re playing along with the first note.