Taptronome is a beautifully executed metronome for iOS.

Start off by tapping on the screen to set the tempo. As you tap, your tempo is shown in beats per minute, along with the tempo marking (like adagio or allegro). Once you settle on a tempo, you can tweak it by sliding up (to increase) or down (to decrease) on the screen. You can adjust the time signature (3/4, 4/4, 7/8, etc) by swiping to the left or right.

Once you’ve got things just so, double-tap to start the metronome. A series of tones starts with an initial accent beat, then once per beat through the end of the measure. There’s also a flashing sequence of vertical bars, one per beat, as well, so you can use this in an environment where a live metronome is not appropriate (or not loud enough to be heard).

As I mentioned, Taptronome is free. How do they do it? Volume.

(Have I mentioned how much I’d really love a rimshot emoji?)

Actually, the free version of Taptronome is iAd supported. There’s an ad-free version for $2.99. If you’ve got the need and the cash, you can find Taptronome Pro here.