Comparison

Simmons Drums Advanced 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

Simmons Drums Advanced

Record, edit, and add custom sounds to your electronic drum kits. This app allows you to create a personalized sound library and improve your playing with playback manipulation tools.

Highlights
  • Record real-world sounds
  • Edit custom samples
  • Add sounds to drum kits
  • Create a personal sound library
  • Remote kit and sound editing
  • Play Along function with speed manipulation
Features
Read full description

Simmons Drums Advanced is designed to extend the capabilities of the SD1200, SD1250, and SD2000 electronic drum kits. Use this app to record real-world sounds with your iPhone or iPad — anytime, anywhere. Later, edit your unique samples and add them to your kit. The result is a nearly a limitless personal library of samples and soundscapes for your Simmons Module. You can now remotely edit and save your drum kits and sounds with your iOS device using a user-friendly interface. There are also some great tools for improving your playing such as the “Play Along"" function that allows you to choose songs from your iOS's music library and manipulate the playback speed so you can slow down a song to learn the groove. SD2000 Users will need an Apple Lightning to USB Camera Adapter and USB cable to connect the kit drum module to their iOS device.

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

Simmons Drums Advanced4 screens
Drum Notation by Beat Note4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Drum Notation by Beat Note at 83% against Simmons Drums Advanced's 20%. Drum Notation by Beat Note also leads on rating (4.7 vs 2.4) and update cadence (every 9 days vs monthly). Simmons Drums Advanced's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and iOS requirement (12.3 vs 15.6). On price, ads 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

Both are free to download. Drum Notation by Beat Note sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $6.69 per month. Simmons Drums Advanced asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Drum Notation by Beat Note holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Drum Notation by Beat Note has 83 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 20% of Simmons Drums Advanced's written reviews are positive against 83% of Drum Notation by Beat Note's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Simmons Drums Advanced ships an update monthly, Drum Notation by Beat Note every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 10, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Simmons Drums Advanced versus Drum Notation by Beat Note: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimmons Drums AdvancedDrum Notation by Beat Note
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.4 (9 ratings)4.7 (83 ratings) — better
Positive reviews20.0% of reviews83.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings983 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.3 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size93 MB87 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSimmons Innovations LtdKick Snare Hat Apps, LLC

Customer experience

Simmons Drums Advanced

All ratings9 ratings
Positive22.2%
Neutral22.2%
Negative55.6%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive20.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative60.0%

Drum Notation by Beat Note

All ratings83 ratings
Positive89.2%
Neutral4.8%
Negative6.0%
Written reviews120 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral7.5%
Negative9.2%

Bugs and requests

Simmons Drums Advanced

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

None

Simmons Drums Advanced

No in-app purchases

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 Simmons Drums Advanced free?
Simmons Drums Advanced is free to download, with no 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, Simmons Drums Advanced or Drum Notation by Beat Note?
Drum Notation by Beat Note is rated higher. Simmons Drums Advanced averages 2.4 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while Drum Notation by Beat Note averages 4.7 from 83 ratings.
Do Simmons Drums Advanced or Drum Notation by Beat Note have ads?
Neither Simmons Drums Advanced nor Drum Notation by Beat Note shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Simmons Drums Advanced or Drum Notation by Beat Note?
Simmons Drums Advanced ships an update monthly, and Drum Notation by Beat Note every 9 days. Most recently, Simmons Drums Advanced was updated on September 10, 2026 and Drum Notation by Beat Note on September 19, 2026.

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