Comparison

Mintzer Big Band Essentials vs Drum Notation by Beat Note

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Mintzer Big Band Essentials

This music app offers an immersive big band experience, allowing users to isolate or mute individual instrument tracks from a library of 10 tunes. Charts and parts can be printed or emailed directly from the application.

Highlights
  • Isolate or mute individual instrument tracks
  • Play along with a big band
  • Library of 10 tunes
  • Print or email charts and parts
  • Supports multiple instruments
Features
Read full description

Welcome to the Mintzer Big Band App. This is, by far, the most ambitious app production and undertaking ever for us here at Fuzzy Music Mobile. But we know that the hard work and expense is worth it, because this app does more to bring the big band experience to everyone anywhere than any other product.. How? While most “play-along” products allow for the user to “music-minus” two or three tracks, this app allows the user to minus (or solo) .. 1st (Lead) Trumpet 2nd Trumpet 1st Trombone Bass Trombone Lead Alto Lead Tenor Baritone Sax Piano Bass Guitar (2 tunes) Percussion (4 tunes) Drums Instrument Solos Each chart/part can be printed or emailed from the app. The are 10 tunes total in the Mintzer Big Band App library and store. Our hope is that you’ll dig the experience and the music so much that you’ll want to play along with all of this great music, played so well by so many great musicians.

About

Drum Notation by Beat Note

Create, practice, and share drum music notation with ease. This app transforms sequenced beats into professional sheet music, offering tools for composition, transcription, and interactive teaching. Enhance your drumming journey with customizable practice sessions and high-quality export options.

Highlights
  • Sequencer to notation conversion
  • Compose and transcribe drum beats
  • Customizable practice sessions
  • Interactive teaching tools
  • High-quality PDF and image export
  • Multiple notation voicing options
Features
Read full description

Beat Note — Drum Notation for Drummers, Teachers, and Content Creators The fastest way to write, hear, practice, and share drum notation. Built by a drummer, for drummers. FOR DRUMMERS — FROM YOUR HEAD TO THE PAGE IN SECONDS You have a groove idea. Beat Note gets it down before you lose it. Tap the sequencer grid to build beats. Watch them turn into clean, professional drum notation in real time. Hit play and hear exactly what you wrote — at any tempo, with a click track, on loop. - Transcribe songs to check your ear and lock in what you hear - Compose your own grooves, fills, and exercises from scratch - Count in with a visual on-screen "1, 2, 3, 4" so your eyes and ears are ready together - Use Beat Note as your in-ear metronome during rehearsals — your beats, not just clicks "Been waiting a long time for an app like this. Clearly built by a drummer." — App Store review FOR TEACHERS — WRITE IT, PLAY IT, SEND IT What used to take 30 minutes in a desktop notation program now takes 2 minutes on your phone or iPad. Write exercises on the fly — during the lesson, not after it. Play back the notation so students hear exactly how it should sound. Share a link so they can listen at home. Export a PDF they can print and bring to the kit. - Use the sequencer as a live music whiteboard, in person or online - Build a library of exercises organized by tag, ready for any student - Send a shareable link or export a high-quality PDF in one tap "What would normally take 30 minutes on a computer has become 2 minutes from my mobile device. My students love it." — App Store review FOR CONTENT CREATORS — PROFESSIONAL NOTATION VIDEOS, IN MINUTES Export your beat as an animated MP4 — portrait for Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts, or landscape for YouTube and Vimeo. Choose 720p, 1080p, or 4K. Pick a color theme. Preview before you export. PDF, PNG, WAV or AAC audio, shareable link, and animated MP4 — all from one app. NOTATION THAT LOOKS RIGHT Professional drum notation, consistent across every format you export. What you see on screen is what your students get in the PDF, what your followers see in the video, and what you hear in playback. - All standard drums, cymbals, and articulations - Subdivisions from 8th notes to 32nd notes, plus triplets, quintuplets (5s), and septuplets (7s) - Common and compound time signatures, including 6/8, 9/8, and 12/8 - Linear, split hands/feet, or split drums/cymbals voicing - Sticking annotations (R, L) - Single-measure repeat symbol (%) — renders automatically when measures repeat ORGANIZE AND DISCOVER - Tags, search, and sort to manage your beat library - Discover tab: curated educational beats for all skill levels - Beat templates to get started fast - Customize tempo, click track, count-in, and timer MADE BY A DRUMMER, SHAPED BY THE COMMUNITY Beat Note was built by me — an independent developer with 35+ years behind the kit. But the direction comes from the community. Every major feature on the roadmap has been voted on, requested, and refined by drummers, teachers, and creators just like you. Join the conversation at roadmap.beat-note.app — vote on upcoming features, share ideas, and see what's coming next. I'm here to make sure it all comes together into something that actually works. Premium subscription required for full access. Educator and Creator tiers available. Free trial included. Payment is charged through your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription auto-renews unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period via iTunes Account Settings. Terms and Privacy Policy: https://www.beat-note.app/privacy-and-terms

Screenshots

Mintzer Big Band Essentials4 screens
Drum Notation by Beat Note4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Drum Notation by Beat Note at Free against Mintzer Big Band Essentials's $7.99. Drum Notation by Beat Note also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 19 months) and review sentiment (83% vs 58%). Mintzer Big Band Essentials's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.6). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Drum Notation by Beat Note is free to download; Mintzer Big Band Essentials costs $7.99 up front. Mintzer Big Band Essentials sells 9 one-off in-app purchases and Drum Notation by Beat Note sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $6.69 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Drum Notation by Beat Note holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 20 and 87 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 58% of Mintzer Big Band Essentials's written reviews are positive against 83% of Drum Notation by Beat Note's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mintzer Big Band Essentials ships an update every 19 months, Drum Notation by Beat Note every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Mintzer Big Band Essentials versus Drum Notation by Beat Note: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMintzer Big Band EssentialsDrum Notation by Beat Note
Price$7.99Free — better
Rating4.4 (20 ratings)4.6 (87 ratings) — better
Positive reviews58.3% of reviews82.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2087 — better
Update frequencyEvery 19 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size700 MB81 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFuzzy Music, LLCKick Snare Hat Apps, LLC

Customer experience

Mintzer Big Band Essentials

All ratings20 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral5.0%
Negative15.0%
Written reviews24 reviews
Positive58.3%
Neutral8.3%
Negative33.3%

Drum Notation by Beat Note

All ratings87 ratings
Positive88.5%
Neutral4.6%
Negative6.9%
Written reviews122 reviews
Positive82.8%
Neutral7.4%
Negative9.8%

Bugs and requests

Mintzer Big Band Essentials

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Drum Notation by Beat Note

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • Preview rarely matches notes on staff
  • Sometimes doesn't play any notes
  • Sounds not always appropriate for instrument voicing
  • Editing measures is inconvenient
  • Free trial charged immediately
Show 3 more
  • iCloud data sync issues for subscription confirmation
  • Not stable in loopings, slow delay on first note
  • Measure lines on PDFs too thick and close

Requested features

27 requests
  • 7/8 time signature support
  • Syncing between devices
  • Web version
  • Native Mac/Windows apps
  • Add text or notes to notations
Show 22 more
  • Cowbell instrument
  • More drum samples and pitch control
  • Ability to work on spaces longer than a measure
  • Add 32nd notes
  • Duplicate multiple bars at once
  • Copy/paste large sections
  • Option to drag duplicated bars to the end
  • Add melody track
  • More instrument options
  • Ability to manage volumes of different instruments
  • Add quintuplets and sextuplets to a bar
  • Add repetition options for measures
  • Add text to music sheets
  • Improve loop stability and reduce delay
  • Allow monthly subscription option
  • More free beats/unlimited free version
  • Add sticking for grace notes
  • More advanced editing options for multiple bars
  • Improve PDF export readability
  • Add virtual drum kit for accessibility
  • AI-powered automatic notation
  • Auto-sync to track

In-app purchases

9 purchases

Mintzer Big Band Essentials

One-time9
  • El Caborojeño$2.99
  • Havin' Some Fun Package$2.99
  • Ellis Island Package$2.99
Show 6 more
  • Original People Package$2.99
  • New Rochelle Package$2.99
  • Runferyerlife Package$2.99
  • Latin Dance Package$2.99
  • Tribute Package$2.99
  • All Songs Bundle$19.99
5 purchases

Drum Notation by Beat Note

Subscriptions5
  • Educator Tier Monthly (No Trial)$6.691 Month
  • Creator Tier Monthly (No Trial)$13.491 Month
  • Educator Tier Annual (No Trial)$59.991 Year
Show 2 more
  • Educator Tier Annual + Free Trial7 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • Creator Tier Annual + Free Trial7 Days trial$119.991 Year

Questions

Is Mintzer Big Band Essentials free?
Mintzer Big Band Essentials costs $7.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Drum Notation by Beat Note free?
Drum Notation by Beat Note is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Mintzer Big Band Essentials or Drum Notation by Beat Note?
Drum Notation by Beat Note is rated higher. Mintzer Big Band Essentials averages 4.4 out of 5 from 20 ratings, while Drum Notation by Beat Note averages 4.6 from 87 ratings.
Do Mintzer Big Band Essentials or Drum Notation by Beat Note have ads?
Neither Mintzer Big Band Essentials nor Drum Notation by Beat Note shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Mintzer Big Band Essentials or Drum Notation by Beat Note?
Mintzer Big Band Essentials ships an update every 19 months, and Drum Notation by Beat Note every 9 days. Most recently, Mintzer Big Band Essentials was updated on October 26, 2026 and Drum Notation by Beat Note on October 27, 2026.

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