I know...
I've been there.
toca.la started as a personal frustration. When writing lyrics, I need to hear the beat — on repeat — but not the whole song. I want JUST the part I'm writing to so I can stay in the zone, WITHOUT having to scrub the beat back to a certain point. I've had this idea brewing for some time now, and I'm proud to finally have a solution — not just for myself, but for other songwriters as well.
- Lady Daisey
The beat was great.
The words were everywhere.
I've been writing songs for decades. I work the way most independent artists do — a producer sends me a beat, I load it into my headphones, and I write. The process is mostly in my head, with whatever's in front of me: a phone, a notebook, a napkin.
The problem is that a beat isn't just sound — it's structure. There's an intro, a verse, a chorus, a bridge. The song has a shape. But every tool I used treated it like a flat audio file. I was constantly scrubbing, trying to find where the hook dropped. My lyrics were spread across three apps. Notes from last Tuesday were labeled “voice memo 47.”
One night I sat down and thought: there should be a tool that knows the song the way I know the song. Something that lives at the intersection of the beat and the blank page. Something built for writers, not engineers.
So… I built it.”
toca.la started as a personal tool — just something to make my own writing sessions less chaotic. Then I showed it to a few other writers, and the reaction was immediate. They knew the problem. They'd all been there.
I'm Daisey, a soul/funk artist. I've put out albums, toured the world, and my producer Batsauce and I have been married 20+ years. 💛 toca.la is my attempt to give every songwriter — from bedroom writers to touring artists — the environment their process deserves.
Anyone who writes
to a beat.
toca.la isn't just for one genre or one type of writer. It's for anyone who has an audio file and writes on top of it — whether that's a rapper, a pop vocalist, an R&B singer, a singer-songwriter, a voice actor writing to a soundtrack, or a co-writer working remotely.
If you've ever lost a lyric between your notes app and your audio player, toca.la was made for you.
Questions about the tool.
Is toca.la free?+
Yes — the core studio is free for every songwriter. No account required. Your audio never leaves your device. Pro adds save, cloud sync, export, and share.
What are the plans?+
- Unlimited use
- BPM + key detection
- Section mapping
- Cues + playback
- Loop + rehearse mode
- Save sessions
- Export lyrics
- Share sessions
- Everything in Free
- Save unlimited sessions
- Cloud sync across devices
- Export lyrics (txt/pdf)
- Share sessions via link
- Team features
- Everything in Pro
- Multi-user sharing
- Producer + writer roles
- Session comments
- Priority support
- Early feature access
Does my audio get uploaded to a server?+
No. Your audio file never leaves your device. toca.la processes everything in your browser using the Web Audio API. Your beats stay yours.
What audio formats are supported?+
MP3, WAV, AAC, M4A, FLAC, OGG — anything your browser can decode, which covers everything you're likely to get from a producer.
How does toca.la detect BPM and key?+
Automatically — the moment you load a track, toca.la analyzes the audio and displays the detected BPM and key on the Song Map. You can edit the BPM manually (tap the BPM pill); it's saved with the session.
What does the bar/beats display do?+
With BPM set, the timeline shows bar numbers; section cards show length in bars. You can edit a section's length by bars and the divider updates automatically.
What are cues?+
Cues are jump points inside a section. Move the playhead and tap “+ cue” on the section card to add one; jump straight there anytime. The active cue lights up as the track plays.
What is pre-roll?+
Pre-roll is a lead-in before a section (off, 1 bar, or 2 bars). It applies to Loop and Record — when you hit REC, the beat counts you in.
How does recording work?+
Hit REC on any section in the Write tab; the beat plays with pre-roll and your mic is recorded. Takes are saved as waveforms; you can have multiple takes per section. They're saved with the session. Requires a microphone and HTTPS (or localhost).
Are my vocal takes saved?+
Yes. When you save a session (Pro), your recorded takes are stored locally with that session. When you reopen the session, they load back. Deleting a session also removes its takes.
Does undo work everywhere?+
Undo/redo (⌘Z / ⌘⇧Z or header buttons) covers structural changes: add/delete sections, move dividers, edit bar lengths. Lyrics and cues are not undoable — they save as you type.
I shared a session via QR/link but the audio didn't transfer. Why?+
Audio isn't in the link. Structure, lyrics, colors, cues, BPM, and pre-roll transfer; the other device just re-uploads the same audio file to unlock playback.
Will my sessions disappear if I clear my browser?+
Free: sessions live in your browser, so clearing data removes them. Pro: sessions sync to the cloud and are available on any device. Use Share to back up sessions you care about.
Can I cancel my Pro subscription?+
Yes — cancel anytime. Click the ★ icon in the studio header and choose “manage subscription” to open your billing portal. Cancel, change plans, or update payment there.
Can I use toca.la on my phone?+
Yes. The app is responsive and mobile-friendly. Rehearse view is built for big text and movement. Recording on mobile requires HTTPS.
Can I collaborate with another writer in real time?+
Not yet. You can share sessions via link/QR and work back and forth asynchronously.
What's the difference between toca.la and a DAW?+
A DAW (Logic, Pro Tools, Ableton) is for making the beat. toca.la is for writing to the beat. Complementary: your producer exports from their DAW, you write in toca.la.
I have a feature idea or found a bug — how do I tell you?+
Email info@toca.la or find us on Facebook at facebook.com/tocalala. We read everything and feedback has made this app better.
Load a beat.
Start writing.
Under 60 seconds from landing to writing. Free forever for the core studio — upgrade to Pro when you're ready to save everything to the cloud.
Open toca.la — it's free