Build your first four bars in a browser DAW
A concrete four-bar exercise covering audio import, MIDI, mixing, and saving at 120 BPM.
A useful first goal is four bars you can play on repeat, not a finished song. This exercise uses 120 BPM in 4/4: four bars contain 16 beats and last eight seconds. Use recordings or loops whose usage conditions you have checked.
1: Establish basic playback
Open the editor from Browser DAW, drag in a short WAV, and play it. If silent, check tab mute, audio output, track mute, and level. Verify this before introducing recording or AI processing.
2: Build a four-bar foundation
Set tempo to 120 and align the source downbeat to a bar boundary. An eight-second file is not automatically beat-aligned. Listen across the loop seam for silence or a truncated note.
3: Add a MIDI phrase
Assign an instrument to a MIDI track and enter about four notes. MIDI is note data and needs an instrument to sound. Check register and rhythm against the backing before adding more notes.
4: Balance levels
Lower the tracks, then bring up the main part first. If the mix distorts, locate the overloaded track or effect rather than only lowering the master. Add EQ or reverb to address a specific need.
5: Save an editable version and a listening copy
A project lets you continue editing; an audio export plays in other applications. Neither replaces the other. Open the exported audio in another player and verify its duration and sound. Check account and plan requirements for cloud saving.
Extend one idea
When four bars work, extend to eight and change one thing: add hi-hats in the second half or leave a beat of silence at the end. See the MIDI programming exercise for a concrete pattern.