How to chop samples and build a beat in your browser
A 5-minute walkthrough of Chppr — from dropping audio to exporting your beat. No DAW required.
Chppr is built for one thing: get from "I have an audio file" to "I have a beat" as fast as possible. This tutorial walks through the full flow.
Before you start
You need a modern browser (Chrome, Edge, or Safari) and an audio file you have the right to use. A song, a vocal, a drum loop — anything works. If you do not have one ready, Chppr has built-in sample beats you can use.
Step by step
Open chppr.app. Drag your audio file onto the page, or click the source picker to choose between upload, microphone recording, or built-in sample beats.
Once the waveform loads, you can split it into pieces in two ways:
Auto-detect — Chppr analyzes transients (drum hits, note onsets) and places slice points automatically. Good for percussive material.
Manual — click directly on the waveform to add slice points where you want them. Drag existing points to adjust. Slices are non-destructive — you can change them anytime.
Each slice maps to one of 16 pads in an MPC-style grid. Tap a pad on touchscreen, click with a mouse, or trigger with your computer keyboard. This is the playable instrument view — perform takes here.
Each pad has its own settings: reverse, volume, pitch (via Key Sync). Hold a pad to access them.
Switch to the sequencer view. You get 4 tracks and 16 steps per pattern. Toggle a step on or off for each track to program when slices fire.
Tweak BPM, swing, and dilla feel to shape the groove. Generate variations automatically with the pattern generator if you want a starting point.
Single patterns are fine, but a song needs structure. BeatArc lets you chain patterns into a full arrangement — intro, verse, drop, outro.
Play the BeatArc to hear your full song in context.
When you are happy with what you have:
WAV slices — download each slice as a WAV file. Drop them into Ableton, FL Studio, Logic, or any DAW.
DAW project — export a zipped project file ready to open in your DAW.
Share URL — sign in and publish. Anyone with the link can open your project in their browser instantly.
Common questions
Do I need an account? No. You can chop, play, and export without signing in. Sign-in is only required if you want to save projects or publish a share URL.
Does it work on mobile? Yes. iPad and iPhone both work for sketching. For serious arrangement work a desktop browser is more comfortable, but you can switch between devices and share project URLs.
What file formats are supported? Common audio formats — WAV, MP3, OGG, FLAC, AAC. Anything your browser can decode.
Is my audio uploaded somewhere? When you only chop locally, everything stays in your browser. Audio is uploaded to cloud storage only when you publish a share URL. See the privacy policy for details.