Comparison

DTX402 Touch 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

DTX402 Touch

This app enhances your electronic drum experience by allowing you to create custom drum kits, access 10 training modes to improve timing and technique, and even earn a "Drummer's Certificate" by completing challenges. It offers an intuitive interface for sound editing and kit customization.

Highlights
  • Create custom drum kits
  • 10 training modes
  • Challenge Mode with Drummer's Certificate
  • Record and self-assess performance
  • Intuitive sound editing
  • Firmware updates
Features
Read full description

DTX402 Touch is a dedicated iOS app for Yamaha DTX402 series electronic drums. To use the app, you will need to connect your smart device to DTX using a USB cable and Lightning USB adapter. Get a Drummer’s Certificate “Challenge Mode” is a new function on the DTX402 Touch that tests your skill. If you can play all 10 practice songs without making a mistake, you will receive a “Drummer’s Certificate” from the Yamaha DTX drum team that you can share via social media. Learn While Having Fun Specially designed for drummers at any skill level, the DTX402 Touch has 10 Training Modes designed to make you a better player, faster. The exercises are a fun way to learn to read drum music notation, play with dynamics and develop your sense of timing. "Rhythm Gate" improves your timing accuracy by only allowing you to play rhythms in time with the metronome. “Song Part Gate" teaches you to play each part of the song with correct timing while the "Recorder" function lets you record a drum solo or play along with a song to self-assess your performance. You can also use "Fast Blast" to count the number of drum stokes made within a set period of time. This helps to increase your speed and build stamina. Make Customized Drum Kits Personalize each of the 10 drum kits with over 280 drum and percussion sounds. Simply touch the drum pads on your screen to change or select a sound, and edit them with tuning, volume, panning, mute and reverb to create your own sound quickly and easily. Simple and Intuitive Control With a simple swipe, you can select and customize kits, song numbers, set up metronome and adjust the trigging parameters for your playing style. You can view this information while playing in Training Mode and learn how to play preset songs with instructional videos featuring industry professionals. Update Utility By connecting DTX402 with your smart device, DTX402 Touch App starts up to date automatically. Or by selecting the “Version” tab on the “Menu” screen, the app ensures that your firmware is up to date manually, so there is no need to download firmware data or connect DTX to your PC.

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

DTX402 Touch4 screens
Drum Notation by Beat Note4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Drum Notation by Beat Note at 83% against DTX402 Touch's 28%. Drum Notation by Beat Note also leads on rating (4.7 vs 2.3) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 14 months). DTX402 Touch's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and iOS requirement (13.0 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. DTX402 Touch 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 2.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 20 and 83 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 28% of DTX402 Touch's written reviews are positive against 83% of Drum Notation by Beat Note's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DTX402 Touch ships an update every 14 months, Drum Notation by Beat Note every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
DTX402 Touch versus Drum Notation by Beat Note: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDTX402 TouchDrum Notation by Beat Note
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.3 (20 ratings)4.7 (83 ratings) — better
Positive reviews28.1% of reviews83.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2083 — better
Update frequencyEvery 14 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size47 MB87 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYamaha CorporationKick Snare Hat Apps, LLC

Customer experience

DTX402 Touch

All ratings20 ratings
Positive35.0%
Neutral5.0%
Negative60.0%
Written reviews32 reviews
Positive28.1%
Neutral9.4%
Negative62.5%

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

DTX402 Touch

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

DTX402 Touch

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 DTX402 Touch free?
DTX402 Touch 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, DTX402 Touch or Drum Notation by Beat Note?
Drum Notation by Beat Note is rated higher. DTX402 Touch averages 2.3 out of 5 from 20 ratings, while Drum Notation by Beat Note averages 4.7 from 83 ratings.
Do DTX402 Touch or Drum Notation by Beat Note have ads?
Neither DTX402 Touch nor Drum Notation by Beat Note shows ads.
Which is updated more often, DTX402 Touch or Drum Notation by Beat Note?
DTX402 Touch ships an update every 14 months, and Drum Notation by Beat Note every 9 days. Most recently, DTX402 Touch was updated on September 21, 2026 and Drum Notation by Beat Note on September 23, 2026.

Other comparisons