Chronal
Chronal is a free, ad-free Android metronome and tuner for beginner and advanced musicians.
What Chronal is
Chronal is a free, ad-free Android metronome and tuner for beginner and advanced musicians. Its timing tools include beat and subdivision visualization, tap tempo, custom time signatures, and a notation editor for creating rhythms. Two synchronized metronomes support polyrhythms, and the app includes seven sound packs. Users can play audio files at custom tempos or switch to a fullscreen display with large visuals intended to be seen from a distance. Conductor mode combines the metronome and tuner. The tuner supports transposition for any instrument and custom tuning frequencies, and it can detect BPM from percussion through the microphone in real time. Chronal also provides an A4 reference tone with adjustable frequency. It is available through F-Droid and Google Play, with source code on GitHub. The listed F-Droid version requires Android 6.0 or newer and offers builds for four processor architectures. F-Droid lists audio-recording permission for microphone use while the app is in use; Google Play reports the developer declares no data collected or shared. The app is funded by donations.
Good
- Metronome supports tap tempo and custom time signatures.
- Two synchronized metronomes enable polyrhythms.
- Seven sound packs are included.
- Tuner supports custom frequencies and instrument transposition.
- Ad-free and funded by donations.
Watch out
- Requires Android 6.0 or newer in the listed F-Droid version.
- Microphone permission is listed for audio recording.
- Direct APK installation through F-Droid does not provide update notifications.
Who it suits
Chronal suits Android musicians who want timing and tuning tools, from basic beat keeping to custom rhythms and polyrhythms. Its tuner and tempo detection may also suit players who use microphone-based practice tools.
Verdict
Chronal brings metronome, rhythm editing, and tuning tools together in a free Android app. Consider its microphone permission and F-Droid’s update caveat when choosing how to install it.
Plans and prices
From Chronal's own pricing page, checked 7 Oct 2001.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Chronal | Free | Free app; ad-free; donation-funded |
The facts
Each one read from Chronal's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Ads and funding
- The app listing says Chronal is ad-free, open-source, and funded solely by donations.checked 7 Oct 2001
- Audience
- The maker describes Chronal as built for beginner and advanced musicians.checked 7 Oct 2001
- Audio playback
- Users can play audio files at custom tempos.checked 7 Oct 2001
- Availability
- Chronal is available through F-Droid and Google Play, and the maker publishes source code on GitHub.checked 7 Oct 2001
- Beat visualization
- The metronome includes beat visualization.checked 7 Oct 2001
- BPM detection
- The tuner provides real-time BPM detection from the microphone.checked 7 Oct 2001
- Conductor mode
- Conductor mode combines the metronome and tuner.checked 7 Oct 2001
- Custom rhythms
- A notation editor lets users create custom rhythms.checked 7 Oct 2001
- Distribution caveat
- F-Droid notes that directly installing its APK will not provide update notifications and recommends installing its client instead.checked 7 Oct 2001
- Fullscreen display
- A fullscreen mode provides large visuals intended to be visible from a distance.checked 7 Oct 2001
- Integrations
- The product pages opened list no third-party integrations.checked 7 Oct 2001
- License
- The F-Droid listing identifies the app license as Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal.checked 7 Oct 2001
- Microphone permission
- F-Droid lists audio recording permission and says the app can use the microphone while it is in use.checked 7 Oct 2001
- Polyrhythms
- It supports two synchronized metronomes for polyrhythms.checked 7 Oct 2001
- Pricing
- The product pages opened do not state a price or subscription plan.checked 7 Oct 2001
- Privacy disclosure
- Google Play reports that the developer declares no data collected and no data shared with third parties.checked 7 Oct 2001
- Product
- Chronal is a metronome and tuner app for Android made for beginner and advanced musicians.checked 7 Oct 2001
- Reference tone
- The app provides an A4 reference tone and custom A4 frequencies.checked 7 Oct 2001
- Rhythm tools
- It offers a notation editor, synchronized metronomes for polyrhythms, beat and subdivision visualization, and conductor mode.checked 7 Oct 2001
- Sound packs
- The app includes seven custom sound packs.checked 7 Oct 2001
- Support
- The opened product pages provide no stated customer support channel.checked 7 Oct 2001
- Tempo detection
- It can detect the tempo of percussion patterns using the microphone in real time.checked 7 Oct 2001
Where it runs
- Android support
- The listed F-Droid version requires Android 6.0 or newer and provides builds for arm64-v8a, armeabi-v7a, x86, and x86_64.checked 7 Oct 2001
The company
- Maker profile
- The GitHub maker profile lists New Hampshire.checked 7 Oct 2001
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