Brass Pulse KFK Manual

A practical guide to using the iOS metronome for irregular measures, changing time signatures, custom beat groupings, loops, count-ins, and rehearsal-ready song libraries.

iPhone and iPad 20-300 BPM Custom measure sequences Local storage only
Quick Start Screenshots Playback Songs Measures Loops Troubleshooting

What Brass Pulse KFK Does

Build irregular forms

Create a sequence of measures with different time signatures, display real rehearsal measure numbers, and add beat groupings such as 2+2+3 in 7/8.

Practice exact passages

Start from any measure, add an optional 4/4 count-in, loop a selected range, and follow the highlighted measure as playback advances.

Keep your setup

Songs, tempo, first measure number, loop range, count-in preference, and measure sequences are saved locally on your device.

Quick Start

Start practicing Tap the play button. To begin elsewhere, tap the measure card where you want playback to start.
Change tempo Move the BPM slider, or tap the TAP TEMPO button several times at the desired pulse.
Add a count-in Turn on count-in 4/4. Playback starts with four count-in beats before the selected measure.
Edit a measure Drag up or down on the numerator or denominator wheel, then choose a grouping preset if needed.
Loop a passage Enable loop range, set the from and to measure numbers, then press play.

Screenshots

These screenshots show the app on compact and wide layouts.

Brass Pulse KFK screenshot showing song controls, tempo, beat dots, playback controls, count-in, loop count, and measure cards.
Compact layout with transport controls and measure cards.
Brass Pulse KFK screenshot showing the split layout with transport controls on the left and sequence editing controls on the right.
Wide layout with the transport on the left and sequence editing on the right.

Playback and Tempo

Play, pause, and start from a measure

  1. Tap play to start the current song.
  2. Tap pause to stop playback and clear the active beat highlight.
  3. Tap any measure card to start from that measure. If loop range is enabled and you tap after the loop end, loop range turns off so playback can start where you tapped.

Set BPM

  1. Use the slider for direct tempo changes from 20 to 300 BPM.
  2. Tap TAP TEMPO at least twice to calculate BPM from your taps. The app averages recent taps and clamps the result to the supported tempo range.
  3. If you change BPM while playing, playback stops so the next start uses the new tempo cleanly.

Use the 4/4 count-in

  1. Enable count-in 4/4.
  2. Press play or tap a measure.
  3. The app plays four count-in beats before the selected measure, then continues into the sequence or loop.
Brass Pulse KFK screenshot showing the play button, tap tempo button, count-in toggle, loop count, and sequence measures.
The real iPhone layout keeps playback controls above the editable measure sequence.

Songs and Built-In Material

Select a song

Tap the song list button, then choose a song from the list. The checked row is the current song. Locked rows are built-in songs.

Create or duplicate

Use + for a fresh song. Use duplicate to make an editable copy of the current song, which is the easiest way to adapt a built-in sequence for rehearsal.

Rename, reset, or delete

Editable songs can be renamed directly in the song name field. Built-in songs can be reset to their original content. Delete removes the current song when at least one other song remains.

Built-in songs protect their composition edits. You can still change tempo, count-in, and loop settings. To edit measures permanently, duplicate the song. You can also long-press an edit control to temporarily unlock a built-in song for a short adjustment window.

Measures, Time Signatures, and Groupings

Set displayed measure numbers

  1. Open sequence settings if you are on the compact phone layout.
  2. Set first measure to the number printed in your score.
  3. Every later measure is numbered consecutively from that starting value.

Insert and delete measures

  1. Tap a circular + between cards to insert a copy of the neighboring measure at that position.
  2. Tap x on a measure card to delete it.
  3. The app keeps at least one measure in the song.

Edit time signatures

  1. Drag up or down on the numerator wheel to change beats per measure.
  2. Drag up or down on the denominator wheel to change the beat unit.
  3. Common numerator options are 1-12, with current custom values preserved. Common denominators are 2, 4, 8, and 16.

Choose beat groupings

  1. Tap the grouping button on a measure card.
  2. Choose None or one of the valid presets for the numerator.
  3. Grouping affects subaccent display and click emphasis inside the measure.

Grouping Examples

  • 5/8: 2+3 or 3+2
  • 7/8: 2+2+3, 2+3+2, or 3+2+2
  • 8/8: 3+3+2, 3+2+3, or 2+3+3
  • 9/8: 2+2+2+3 variants or 3+3+3
  • 12/8: 3+3+3+3, 2+2+2+2+2+2, or 4+4+4

A grouping is valid only when its parts add up to the numerator. If you change a time signature and the old grouping no longer fits, the app clears that grouping.

Loop Practice

Enable a range

Turn on loop range. The selected cards gain a subtle left marker, with repeat icons at the start and end boundaries.

Set boundaries

Use from and to steppers. The start cannot move past the end, and the end cannot move before the start.

Follow repetitions

Playback wraps inside the inclusive range. The loop count indicator increments as the passage repeats.

Changing the count-in or loop range during playback restarts playback at the active loop start so you hear the newly selected practice range predictably.

Layout Tips

Compact phones

Use the sequence settings button to show or hide first-measure and loop controls. Use the focus button to hide the larger transport and show more measure cards.

iPad and wide screens

The app switches to a split layout with transport controls on the left and the editable sequence on the right.

Accessibility

Buttons and editors include accessibility labels. Time signature wheels support adjustable actions for increment and decrement.

Troubleshooting

I cannot edit a measure

You are probably viewing a locked built-in song. Duplicate it for an editable copy, or long-press the specific edit control for a temporary unlock.

Playback stopped after a change

Tempo, measure, and grouping edits stop the current run intentionally so the next playback begins with a clean schedule.

Tap tempo returned to TAP

The tap tempo readout resets after a short pause. Tap again at least twice to calculate a new BPM.

Information and Support

Brass Pulse KFK is developed by Pieter Lambers. For questions, issues, or release notes, use the GitHub repository: irregular-measure-metronome.

The app does not collect personal data. Read the privacy policy for the full statement.