# Ensemble Composer — Create drumline beats!

> Mobile application for composing and playing drumline music with realistic sounds. (iPhone/iPad app by N. Wheeler.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ensemble-composer/id724167960 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [N. Wheeler](https://appshunter.io/developer/312350021)
- Category: Music, Entertainment
- Price: $14.99
- Rating: 4.60/5 from 275 App Store ratings · 84 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 17.6 · 15 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2013-12-03
- Data updated: 2026-09-01
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ensemble-composer/id724167960/reviews.md

## What is Ensemble Composer?

A whole drumline in the palm of your hand! Compose a street beat, a stand jam, or even your whole book. Play along, practice, share, and edit. With amazing real recorded drum sounds and the ability to create any rhythm over any time signature, this is the real deal.

Compose and play along with the actual battery drum line sounds of the Paul Rennick 2012 Santa Clara Vanguard, as recorded by bass tech Brian Lowe - tuned the way they sounded on finals night. 

Best used with Headphones

About Telephonic Amusements: Nicholas Wheeler, software engineer, marched Sky Ryders, Velvet Knights, and UNT - taught at Pioneer and UNT; David Croy, designer, marched Sky Ryders and tech’ed under Paul Rennick at Sky, VK, and has provided visual consulting for UNT and Dynasty Drums.

Like us at https://www.facebook.com/DrumlineApps

## Key features

- Compose drumline music
- Realistic recorded drum sounds
- Play along and practice
- Share and edit compositions
- Support for any time signature
- Customizable rhythms

## Chart rankings

- #199 in Top Paid · Music (US App Store)

## What do users think of Ensemble Composer?

Overall sentiment: negative

**Pros**

- 🎵 Authentic drum sounds and audio quality (older versions)
- ✍️ Intuitive composition interface for writing cadences
- 📱 All-in-one drumline app combining multiple sections
- 💾 Export functionality to sheet music and audio formats
- 🎯 Useful for educators and students to practice rhythms
- 🔄 Regular updates and developer responsiveness
- 🎨 Unique feature set with no direct competitors

**Cons**

- 🐛 Severe audio quality degradation after recent update
- 🐛 Choppy scrolling and laggy performance
- 🐛 Audio stuttering and cutting off during playback
- 🐛 Files not saving or disappearing after updates
- 🐛 Backward compatibility issues with legacy files
- 🔊 Snare sounds changed to low-pitched field drum tone
- 🔊 Overall audio output sounds weak and compressed
- ⚠️ No audio output without headphones/Bluetooth
- 📈 File sizes doubled after recent update
- 💰 Premium pricing for limited functionality

**Commonly reported bugs**

- New update prevents opening older files
- Audio stutters and cuts off in faster rhythms
- Triplet rolls don't sound even
- Bass drum subdivisions not working
- Tenor section drums moved to incorrect positions
- Scroll feature is choppy and laggy
- Rhythmic accuracy issues
- Cymbal sounds bleed into each other
- App crashes with certain subdivisions
- Polyrhythm and odd time signature issues
- Saving functionality fails intermittently
- Split feature freezes and causes progress loss
- Files duplicate unexpectedly
- Export format incorrect (.mxl instead of .xml)
- Tempo synchronization issues
- App crashes on startup

**Most requested features**

- Revert snare sounds to pre-update quality
- Multiple sound option choices for drums
- Hi-hat option for cymbals
- Single tenor drum section option
- Separate tempos within drum sections
- Undo/redo functionality
- Auto-save feature
- iCloud or cloud backup support
- Different drum tuning options
- Legato and staccato buzz options
- Smoother and longer buzz roll sounds
- Sixtet tenor configuration option
- Video export/share functionality
- In-depth tutorial documentation
- Accent dynamics improvements
- Rim click sounds for tenors

## Recent user reviews (10 of 84)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ensemble-composer/id724167960/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Absolute Comeback 🔥🔥

*2026-07-12*

Well Done… This update is amazing… You must have worked really really hard to get this done and I gotta tell you …. The best Drumline mobile app EVER!!!

### 4/5 — Please 🙏🏻

*2026-06-04, version 1.9.5*

… Please fix the audio of the drums that’s all I ask for , everything else is great but it’s just the way the drums sound.

### 5/5 — One of the best

*2026-05-14, version 1.9.1*

Hello again , I had already submitted a review while back with that long long statement about the new sounds . Please take consideration of how beautiful and real the snares especially sounded before you updated them to the new audio engine. It was such a good and strong sound from them ! Please take it into consideration !!! Maybe make more sound choice options !

### 5/5 — One of the best

*2026-02-24*

I really have loved this app for so long … truly one of the best mobile Drumline apps out there for sure !!! I’ve had this app since 2022. Everything is great! However , the new update ? The sound changes ? Here’s my story : I use Medly to create Drumline/DCI like shows and Export the mp3 audio files from this app to the Medly app for The Battery parts. 
The best thing I have ever done , totally how I wanted it to turn out to be!!! Love it all! But… 

Issue #1 : the sound in general on all parts is just “different” then how it sounded before this new update. Like Snare tuning wasn’t lower, basses weren’t quiet on shots or Rim clicks. Quads are fine…

Issue #2 : Everytime I make a faster rhythm , it just doesn’t sound “together” or the sound kinda gets cut off sometimes. For example I make a triplet roll , it doesn’t sound even. 

Issue #3 : When I export the audio to Medly for my shows, before the new update, the audio sounded very clear and loud enough  to balance with the rest of the ensemble : brass and pit. 
Now with this new update, the audio on the battery from this app to Medly sounds I’m afraid to say this but “weak”. It’s like the brass and pit are overplaying the drumline and we would never want that in a real setting!! 

I apologize if it’s a lot to read but I just wanted to state my true thoughts on this app recently! Please investigate into some of this :) other than that, I love this app 🫶🏻🫶🏻

### 4/5 — Developer has listened! There’s just one more thing

*2026-02-14*

Before, the update prevented me from opening my older files, I couldn’t hear anything unless I had head phones in and everything became janky. Now, all of those issues are gone! This app is awesome and I’m glad you’re keeping it in good condition!

-my last request is to simply revert the sound of the snares. They lost the amazing tune sound they had. If there’s an option to revert, please make it available!

### 3/5 — Update this app !!!!!

*2026-02-12*

I have been using this app for some time now however recently when i have created new cadence it stop saving. I would love to keep use this app but the update is a must !!!!!!!!!!!!

**Developer response:** sorry to read that you're having issues. Please try cleaning up your files to get more space.

### 1/5 — New update is horrendous

*2026-02-10, version 1.8.9*

Love the app since I first got it. However, the new update is horrific. Extremely terrible. I can’t even make a split bass part or a quint part. Needs fixing immediately.

### 1/5 — MAKE A NEW UPDATE

*2026-02-06, version 1.8.9*

The most recent update is trash. Sound audio is terrible, music isn’t saving, it still lags and glitches out which has never been fixed for the past several years. Used to be so great and simple, now it just sucks. Please fix it! It’s worth ZERO stars. Pathetic!

### 1/5 — Really rough update

*2026-02-03*

I want to preface this by saying I loved this app for quite a while. I’d often use this to write a ton of click tracks for my students but now I don’t think that can be the case anymore. Everything sounds so compressed and awkward since they updated everything. Not entirely sure why the made updates to the audio when a lot of stuff felt really smooth prior to this latest update. This needs to be resolved big time if people are going to consistently use this again.

### 1/5 — Update

*2026-02-03, version 1.8.9*

I don’t know what happened but everything isn’t smooth, the scroll is choppy and the snare sounds like a field drum, it also bugs and won’t stay with the metronome. Could we please change this back. I think we would ALL appreciate this.

## Frequently asked questions about Ensemble Composer

### What does Ensemble Composer do?

Ensemble Composer allows you to create and compose drumline music directly on your mobile device. It features realistic recorded drum sounds and the ability to build any rhythm over any time signature, enabling you to compose street beats, stand jams, or even entire musical books.

### What are the key features of Ensemble Composer?

Key features include composing drumline music, using authentic recorded drum sounds from the Paul Rennick 2012 Santa Clara Vanguard, playing along with your compositions, practicing, sharing your creations, and editing them. It also supports creating any rhythm over any time signature.

### How much does Ensemble Composer cost?

Based on the provided information, Ensemble Composer is a paid application. There are no mentions of in-app purchases or advertisements, indicating a one-time purchase model.

### What are common use cases for Ensemble Composer?

Common use cases include composing new drumline music for marching bands or drum corps, practicing existing parts with realistic sounds, developing new beats and rhythms, and sharing musical ideas with fellow musicians or instructors. It's ideal for both individual practice and collaborative composition.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 26.06.18 — 2026-06-18

What’s New In Ensemble
Ensemble has been rebuilt around a faster, more reliable writing and playback experience for marching percussion composers. Recent updates improve audio stability, notation flexibility, MusicXML export accuracy, document handling, and the overall editor workflow.

Native Playback Engine
Playback now uses a more robust native audio path designed for tighter timing, smoother start/stop behavior, and better reliability during rapid playback changes. Practice mode volume balancing, section muting, and loop playback have all been refined to make rehearsing individual parts feel more natural.

Practice Mode
Practice Mode lets you spotlight one section or bass drum while reducing the volume of the rest of the ensemble. It now includes a clear on-screen indicator and can be turned off directly from the editor. Practice settings reset automatically when closing a file so each document opens cleanly.

Modern Editor Menus
Core editor menus have been redesigned for a cleaner, more consistent interface. 

Improved MusicXML Export
MusicXML export is more accurate for complex subdivisions, chords, rests, and unusual rhythmic divisions. Recent fixes ensure chord notes share correct durations and that longer note values, export cleanly instead of being fragmented into incorrect rests and shorter notes.

Better Document Workflow
The home screen and document browser experience have been refined with clearer branding, improved legibility, and recent-file access.

### 1.9.5 — 2026-05-29

mmmmmore fixes

### 1.9.1 — 2026-05-06

bug fixes and tweaks

### 1.8.9 — 2026-01-27

lots of tweaks to the new audio engine
fixed an issue with the split function
improved tempo changes between measures

### 1.8.7 — 2026-01-15

Fixed issue with loading files.

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| --- | --- | --- | --- |
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## More apps by N. Wheeler

- [Bass Line Composer](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bass-line-composer/id541384670)
- [StkCtrl](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stkctrl/id1529211274)
- [421Grid](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/421grid/id1598461370)
- [Student of Theater](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/student-of-theater/id6743187646)

All apps by N. Wheeler: https://appshunter.io/developer/312350021

## Related topics

[ensemble](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/ensemble) · [composer beats](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/composer-beats) · [drumline](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/drumline)

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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 2026-09-01.*