Mock Band has announced a refresh of its free browser-based backing band for practicing guitar and other instruments hands-free, generating drums, bass, and comping live.
Mock Band runs entirely in the browser with no download or account required. It is controlled by voice, typed text, keyboard shortcuts, or a mapped MIDI foot controller while both hands stay on the instrument. A single spoken or typed command like “tempo 110 and swing 50% and key D” changes the whole band at once, timed to land on the next beat or bar rather than snapping mid-phrase.
The current version includes recorded acoustic drums, synthesized rhythm-guitar comping, shared harmony and four-section metal practice setups. A player can move from a main groove to a quieter bridge and back to a heavier ending with tom fills, without building every scene first. Settings remain editable and ten local scene slots can hold a player’s own arrangements.
Mock Band sits between simple practice utilities and a full music production workflow. It does not replace either; it gets a steerable rhythm section running while the idea still has momentum.
Mock Band features
- Live browser audio engine generating drums, bass, and comping together, sharing tempo, key, meter, and feel.
- Voice, text, keyboard, and WebMIDI control of the same running band.
- 10 local scene slots for saving setups, with scene export/import as JSON.
- Pre-built video backing setups for practicing along with specific riff styles (galloping metal, doom, death metal, progressive/odd-meter).
- Live MIDI output for routing the generated schedule to compatible MIDI software or hardware.
- Beat- or bar-timed changes, so instrument and scene switches land predictably.
Mock Band is available now as a free web app, best used in a current version of Chrome or Edge for full voice and MIDI support.
More information: Mock Band