# Shruti Laya — Tambura and Tala Instruments

> Indian Classical Music practice tool with drone and rhythm counter. (iPhone/iPad app by Ramachandra Mallappa.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shruti-laya/id1497345955 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Ramachandra Mallappa](https://appshunter.io/developer/1132878012)
- Category: Music, Education
- Price: Free (on sale, was $2.99)
- Rating: 5.00/5 from 3 App Store ratings · 6 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.0 · 12 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2020-02-01
- Data updated: 2026-07-19
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shruti-laya/id1497345955/reviews.md

## What is Shruti Laya?

Shruti-Laya is a Carnatic music practice companion. Three independent,
  perfectly phase-locked voices — tanpura, mrudangam, and manjira — play
  together against the tala grid you choose, for steady, musical
  accompaniment any time.

  TANPURA DRONE
  • Choose your tonic (Sa) across a wide range and the supporting string —                                                                       
    pancham (Pa), madhyama (Ma), nishada (Ni), or upper Sa.
  • Adjust pluck rate and volume.

  MRUDANGAM
  • Tala-driven stroke playback with adjustable tempo (40–150 BPM).
  • Optional pattern variations for a more lifelike accompaniment.

  MANJIRA
  • Cymbal strokes on every beat, on claps, on sam, or off.

  PICK YOUR TALA
  • All seven Suladi Sapta Talas — Dhruva, Matya, Rupaka, Jhampa, Triputa,
    Ata, Eka.
  • Set jaati and gati/nadai — Tisra, Chatusra, Khanda, Misra, Sankeerna —
    plus a kalai multiplier. (Adi tala = Triputa with Chatusra jaati.)

  BUILT-IN TUNER (new)
  • Tune your voice or instrument to your selected tonic.
  • Live swara name and a sharp/flat cents bar, right in the display.

  Practice-friendly: pause and resume from the lock screen and Control
  Center, and the drone keeps playing when the screen sleeps. Works on
  iPhone and iPad.

NOTE: The Tuner feature uses the microphone to detect the pitch of the user's
  voice or instrument and show how it compares to the selected tonic. Tap
  "Tuner" above the on-screen display to try it; the app requests microphone
  permission on first use. No audio is recorded, stored, or transmitted.

## Key features

- Shruti (Tuning) reference
- Laya (Rhythm) counter
- Tambura drone sound
- Adjustable tempo
- Practice anywhere

## Recent user reviews (6 of 6)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shruti-laya/id1497345955/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Вылетает

*2025-12-27, version 2.10*

Вылетает сразу при запуске

### 1/5 — Fraud

*2025-04-25*

App doesn’t open

**Developer response:** App has been completely rewritten and works well on many devices tested. Could you please download the new version?

### 1/5 — This app doesn’t open and there is no support.

*2024-12-17*

Don’t buy this app. It is completely nonfunctional. It doesn’t open.

**Developer response:** App has been completely rewritten and works well on many devices tested. Could you please download the new version?

### 1/5 — Such a cheating

*2024-11-15*

I paid 299 n the app doesn’t even open. Shame on you

**Developer response:** Please redownload and try. It has been test for devices with iOS 15+

### 1/5 — Не советую.

*2021-07-09, version 1.5*

Тамбура ужасно механический не приятный звук. Вместо ритма, просто метроном. Сожалею, что потратила деньги.

### 4/5 — Waste for money

*2020-11-07*

If you’re looking Sruti with thala jathi ,this is the perfect app.This has all the thalas and Jathis with tempo adjustment.

**Developer response:** App has been completely rewritten and works well on many devices tested. Could you please download the new version?

## Frequently asked questions about Shruti Laya

### What is Shruti Laya used for?

Shruti Laya is used by musicians practicing Indian Classical Music to provide a drone sound (Shruti) and a rhythm counter (Tala) at a selected tempo. It helps in practicing tuning and rhythm simultaneously.

### Does Shruti Laya have ads?

No, Shruti Laya does not contain advertisements. It is a completely ad-free application.

### What devices is Shruti Laya available on?

Shruti Laya is available for both iPhone and iPad devices.

### How often is Shruti Laya updated?

The latest version of Shruti Laya is 3.1, and it was last updated on January 26, 2026. This indicates a commitment to ongoing development and improvements.

### What is the age rating for Shruti Laya?

Shruti Laya has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide range of users interested in music.

### What is the user sentiment for Shruti Laya?

Shruti Laya has received an excellent rating of 5.0 stars from one review, suggesting a highly positive user experience.

### Can Shruti Laya be used offline?

The app description mentions that users can now practice anywhere, implying offline functionality for its core features like the Tambura drone and rhythm counter.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 5.13 — 2026-07-09

- Double-speed strokes are now possible. StrokeSpec.matraOffset changed from Int to Double, so a stroke can land between two matras (e.g. 24.5). adiCadence's beats 7–8 now play at double density (8 strokes instead of 4) as a worked example.
- Cadence plays more often. The Mrudangam variation phrase length dropped from 8 avartanas to 2, so the cadence-into-sam now shows up every other avartana instead of every 8th. (Trade-off: the other two Adi variations — "Ornamented fingers" and "Ta dhin dhin na" — no longer get a turn, since the only non-base slot is now always claimed by the cadence.)

Rhythm count-in (new feature)
- Pressing Rhythm Play now always plays a 4-click count-in before the avartana starts — and always starts fresh at sam, never mid-cycle from wherever a quick pause/resume left off.
- The LCD (both the small always-on display and the full-screen Performance LCD) shows 4 dots during the count-in instead of a confusing "beat 1": one dot disappears per click, and a "GET READY" label appears in bright yellow.
- The count-in uses the non-clap tick sound, so it doesn't get confused with the actual clap on sam.
- Under the hood, several correctness passes: the dots now track the same audio clock the clicks are scheduled on (so they can never drift out of sync), and a stale-engine-anchor bug that occasionally made the avartana restart at a random beat after a stop/start is fixed.

### 5.03 — 2026-06-23

Few enhancements.

### 5.02 — 2026-06-20

Minor improvements

### 5.01 — 2026-06-15

- Lock screen and Control Center now show play/pause controls for the drone.
  - The Tuner now exits cleanly if you switch away or lock the screen, so
    playback returns to normal automatically.
  - Refreshed app icon.

### 5.0 — 2026-06-12

New in 5.0 — Built-in Tuner

  Tune your voice or instrument to the same Sa your tanpura is playing,
  without leaving the app.

  • Tap "Tuner" above the display to start. It listens through the
    microphone and shows the detected swara plus a sharp/flat cents bar
    right inside the LCD.
  • It tunes against your currently selected tonic, so what you hear and
    what you tune to always match.
  • Works with or without headphones — with no headphones, the rhythm
    pauses and the tanpura drops to a soft reference level so the mic
    hears you, not the app.

  Also in this release:
  • Refreshed mrudangam stroke samples for a cleaner, more natural tone.
  • Stability and audio-engine fixes.
  • Pause and resume the drone right from the lock screen and Control Center.

## Apps similar to Shruti Laya

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [RagaMalika Carnatic](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ragamalika-carnatic/id6743681026) | — | Free | Music |
| [Chopin Études - SyncScore](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chopin-etudes-syncscore/id495443185) | 5.0 (1) | $3.99 | Music |
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| [Shruti Box](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shruti-box/id301042349) | 2.5 (8) | $0.99 | Music |
| [Talanome - Carnatic Metronome](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/talanome-carnatic-metronome/id418862562) | 4.3 (105) | $9.99 | Music |

## More apps by Ramachandra Mallappa

- [Carnatic Tuner](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/carnatic-tuner/id1132878013)
- [Sunny - Music Player](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sunny-music-player/id6763420597)
- [Shruti - Musical Tuner](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shruti-musical-tuner/id6772645275)

All apps by Ramachandra Mallappa: https://appshunter.io/developer/1132878012

## Related topics

[shruti laya](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/shruti-laya) · [tala shruti](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/tala-shruti)

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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 2026-07-19.*