# Beam Music

> Digital sheet music import, annotation, and synchronized performance tool. (iPhone/iPad app by Ultimate Drill Book.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beam-music/id1572856909 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Ultimate Drill Book](https://appshunter.io/developer/1455826723)
- Category: Music
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.40/5 from 283 App Store ratings · 50 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 16.0 · 159 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2022-07-15
- Data updated: 2026-08-23
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beam-music/id1572856909/reviews.md

## What is Beam Music?

IMPORT AND ASSIGN FILES WITH EASE
- Import PDFs from Dropbox, Google Drive, and Local Storage
- Assign full files or single pages
- Crop, cut, and edit parts
- Give edit access to student leaders

ANNOTATE YOUR MUSIC
- Pencil tool: Draw on the music
- Highlighter: Mark key areas
- Text tool: Add important notes
- Shared notes: Section leaders can add notes for the entire section

STAY IN SYNC WITH LIVE MODE
Activate Live Mode to automatically connect everyone in the ensemble to your device. When you select a piece of music, everyone’s individual parts for that song are instantly displayed on their personal device. All without the need for internet.

ORGANIZE YOUR LIBRARY
- Create a collection of songs
- Add songs to a set list in a specific order
- Add the duration of the song
- Back up your library with Beam Backup

## Key features

- Import PDFs from cloud storage and local files
- Edit and crop music pages
- Annotate with pencil, highlighter, and text tools
- Collaborative notes for section leaders
- Real-time music synchronization via Live Mode
- Organize music into collections and set lists
- Backup music library

## What do users think of Beam Music?

Overall sentiment: negative

**Pros**

- 📱 Centralized music library in one app
- 🎵 Convenient for marching band use
- ✍️ Annotation and note-taking features
- 📋 Setlist functionality for quick song switching
- 🔄 Live mode for synchronized performance
- ⚡ Generally good performance when working properly
- 🎯 Vertical scrolling feature
- 👥 Responsive developer team (early adoption)

**Cons**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezing
- ⏱️ Severe lag and unresponsiveness
- 🔋 Excessive battery drain (40-90% per hour)
- 🌡️ Phone overheating during use
- 📝 Annotations randomly disappear or delete
- 🔄 Zoom level not saved when switching orientation
- 📱 Portrait mode flips music unexpectedly
- 🔍 Search feature extremely buggy
- ❌ Screenshot protection prevents workarounds
- ⚙️ Recent updates made app worse
- 🔒 No horizontal page lock feature
- 📄 Page turning is slow and unreliable
- 💾 Edits don't save properly

**Commonly reported bugs**

- App crashes constantly, especially when needed
- Lag makes page turning and note-taking difficult
- Annotations disappear after using live mode
- Zoom level resets when orientation changes
- Portrait mode activates unexpectedly
- Notes from other songs appear randomly
- Search feature fails to work reliably
- Music fails to load when switching between pieces
- Auto-download feature doesn't work
- App becomes unresponsive with frozen screen
- Battery drains excessively fast
- Phone overheats during rehearsal
- Annotations won't save, erase, or stick properly
- Screenshot returns white page instead of music

**Most requested features**

- Horizontal page lock (like FlipFolder)
- Ability to save zoom level with vertical scrolling
- Live session annotation capability
- Auto-select correct part for user
- Mass select parts instead of individual selection
- Highlighter tool for dynamics
- White pen/eraser for marking corrections
- Screenshot capability for backup
- Access to music files in Files app
- Rotation lock that maintains landscape orientation
- Better customization options
- Improved search functionality

## Recent user reviews (10 of 50)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beam-music/id1572856909/reviews.md

### 1/5 — paper sheet music works better

*2026-03-31, version 2.0.7*

beam does not work half the time. when it does work, it works poorly. paper sheet music is ultimately superior. paper sheet music does not refuse to turn the page and i can exit out of the song with ease when i need to. this app is laggy.

### 5/5 — In love ❤️

*2025-12-31, version 2.0.6*

I have no complaints other than maybe switching between music can take some time but otherwise it’s amazing!!!

### 5/5 — Love it.

*2025-11-07, version 2.0.5*

Took a little bit to get used to the interface so labeling parts didn’t take forever. But once I got the initial library up and running, I’ve never looked back!

Seriously, I love the app so much, I want to marry it and have little baby apps with it.

### 1/5 — Let me see the music in the files app

*2025-11-03, version 2.0.5*

Let me see my own music in the files app. My band only uploads the music on here and I want to mark it up  on a platform that won’t magically erase it all.

### 4/5 — One suggestion

*2025-10-24, version 2.0.4*

Please let us save zoom level with vertical scrolling!

### 5/5 — I love this app

*2025-10-18, version 2.0.4*

I find it very convenient for all my music to be all in one app, thank you to whoever made this app!

### 3/5 — Good, but bugs bring it down

*2025-10-14, version 2.0.4*

For the most part, this app is great. Not much lag, live mode works well, and it doesn’t crash all the time like the last app I used. The big problem is with music markings being deleted. It’s been happening a lot the past few weeks, and we’re pretty sure it has something to do with opening/switching over to another app, which is a problem because we need to look at another app to know what do mark in relation to drill. This problem is made worse by the fact that we can’t screenshot to have a backup. If the marking problem gets fixed it would definitely be five star.

### 1/5 — I hate this app

*2025-10-06, version 2.0.3*

Mid sucky app. If I could give it zero stars, I would.

### 1/5 — Bad

*2025-10-04, version 2.0.3*

Horrible

### 5/5 — Bema

*2025-09-10, version 2.0.3*

I luv beam I go doot doot for hour and then when im done with doot doot I’ll doot doot some more I luv bema more then my family :)

## Frequently asked questions about Beam Music

### What does Beam Music do?

Beam Music allows you to import PDF sheet music files from various sources like Dropbox and Google Drive. You can then edit, crop, and annotate your music using drawing, highlighting, and text tools. It also features a Live Mode for real-time synchronization of music across multiple devices within an ensemble.

### How does Live Mode work?

Live Mode automatically connects all ensemble members to your device without requiring an internet connection. When you select a piece of music, everyone's individual parts for that song are instantly displayed on their personal devices, ensuring everyone is playing the same music at the same time.

### Can I collaborate with others using this app?

Yes, you can give edit access to student leaders or section leaders. They can add shared notes for the entire section, facilitating collaboration and communication within the ensemble. This allows for coordinated practice and performance.

### Is Beam Music free to use?

Based on the provided information, Beam Music is a free application. There are no mentions of in-app purchases, subscriptions, or ads, suggesting it is available at no cost to users.

### What devices is Beam Music compatible with?

The description does not specify exact device compatibility. However, it mentions importing from cloud storage and local storage, and the core functionality revolves around displaying music on 'personal devices,' implying it is designed for mobile or tablet use.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2.0.7 — 2026-03-02

New Instrument Parts Added
General Fixes and Improvements

### 2.0.6 — 2025-11-19

- Updates to Individual Part Annotations
- General Fixes and Improvements

### 2.0.5 — 2025-10-30

- iOS 26 UI updates for tablets
- General fixes and improvements

### 2.0.4 — 2025-10-08

Landscape Screen Lock on mobile
Updates to Live Mode connectivity
Annotation storage capacity doubled
Stability and Performance improvements
General UI/UX fixes and improvementsBeam

### 2.0.3 — 2025-09-01

Annotation Size Limits
General Fixes and Improvements
UI Updates

## Apps similar to Beam Music

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [digitalScore, read sheet music](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/digitalscore-read-sheet-music/id1451089655) | 4.6 (614) | Free | Music |
| [Musicnotes: Sheet Music Reader](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/musicnotes-sheet-music-reader/id924050984) | 4.8 (42,708) | Free | Music |
| [MuseScore－Sheet Music & Chords](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/musescoresheet-music-and-chords/id835731296) | 4.6 (77,324) | Free | Music |
| [Score Creator: compose music](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/score-creator-compose-music/id627486149) | 3.5 (491) | Free | Music |
| [Sheet Music Direct](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sheet-music-direct/id499069309) | 4.6 (4,717) | Free | Music |
| [Sacred Music](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sacred-music/id463553380) | 4.1 (1,070) | Free | Music |

## More apps by Ultimate Drill Book

- [UDBapp Pro](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/udbapp-pro/id1455826724)
- [StrideTV](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stridetv/id1672652675)
- [UDBapp: Powered by Arc](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/udbapp-powered-by-arc/id6762600003)
- [Geo: Powered by Arc](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/geo-powered-by-arc/id6762745439)
- [Beam: Powered by Arc](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beam-powered-by-arc/id6762746253)

All apps by Ultimate Drill Book: https://appshunter.io/developer/1455826723

## Related topics

[beam music](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/beam-music) · [beam](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/beam) · [udbapp](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/udbapp) · [udb](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/udb) · [drill music](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/drill-music) · [ultimate drill book](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/ultimate-drill-book) · [photon music](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/photon-music)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-23.*