Comparison

Drum Notation by Beat Note vs 415 Studios

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

Head to head
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

About

415 Studios

Easily enhance the audio of your video performances directly on your device. Mix and apply professional effects, then export polished videos ready for social media sharing. Streamline your workflow without needing multiple editing applications.

Highlights
  • Import video from Photos
  • Mix audio with effect modules
  • Studio Enhance for audio cleanup
  • Mastering for TikTok, Reels, Shorts
  • Trim, loop, fade, undo/redo
  • 11 effect modules
  • Customizable presets
Features
Read full description

Your drum video looks great. The audio sounds like a phone in a room. The old fix was three apps: export the audio, mix it in a DAW, re-attach it and hope nothing drifts. 415 Studios does the whole job in one app, directly on your video, on your phone. HOW IT WORKS 1. Import a drum video from Photos. 2. Tap Studio, or mix it yourself with real effect modules, right on the video. 3. Export a finished video and post it. No bouncing files. No re-syncing. No laptop. STUDIO ENHANCE One tap cleans up and polishes your iPhone audio, including Kick Rescue, which brings your kick back on phone speakers that cannot play the low end on their own. BUILT FOR DRUMS Phone mics ruin drums specifically, so five modules exist for the kit. Smack brings the snare back. Heat adds the saturation a room mic never captured. Crush is parallel compression for weight. Air opens the cymbals. Transient sharpens the stick. MASTER FOR SOCIALS Platforms turn loud posts down and rarely lift quiet ones, and a raw phone recording sits far below the music around it. Master to a Reels, TikTok or Shorts target with a true-peak limiter and your clip sits level with the feed. SPLIT ANY SONG INTO STEMS Separate a track into drums, bass, music and vocals. Pull the drums out and your kit stands alone. Runs on your phone: no signal needed, nothing uploaded. Takes roughly half the length of the audio. 20 EFFECT MODULES Transient. Smack. Compressor with a live gain-reduction meter. Crush. 4-band visual EQ with a live spectrum and draggable bands. Reverb with six characters. Tape saturation plus vinyl crackle. Heat. Air. Stereo Width. Overdrive. Lo-Fi. Phaser with a Flanger mode. Chorus. Gain. Shape, with the kick, the snare and the tail on their own knobs. Glue, the dense three-band drum-bus squeeze. Tame, for cymbal wash. Clip. Loud, a true limiter. 8 CHAIN PRESETS Grow. Not Tight. Levee. Voodoo. Donuts. Two Star. Nevermind. Aja. One tap, a finished sound. Save your own settings as a custom preset and find it anytime. AUTOMATION Apply an effect to one section of your video with a smooth release back to your base mix. Slam the chorus, leave the verse alone. EDIT Trim, loop, fade in and out, undo and redo. Export saves to Photos and opens the share sheet so you can post right away. WHO IT'S FOR Drummers who post. Covers, practice clips, gig footage, drum cam. Filmed on an iPhone, headed for Instagram, TikTok or Shorts? This is the last step before you post. Guitar, bass, vocals and full bands work the same way. FREE, PRO AND STUDIO Free is the Studio toggle: one tap that cleans up your phone audio, and one finished export a day. The effect modules, the mic shelf, the mastering targets, presets and automation are Pro: tap one and the Pro screen opens, with the prices on it. Nothing is hidden behind a trial you have to start. Studio is everything in Pro, plus the drum and room stems as WAV for your DAW, batch export, preset packs and two more mics. Pro: $9.99 per month, or $69.99 per year with a 7-day free trial Studio: $19.99 per month, or $129.99 per year with a 7-day free trial Studio Lifetime: $199.99 once, which never renews Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple Account settings. Privacy policy: https://415porter.com/studio/privacy Terms of use: Apple's standard EULA (https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/) Questions or requests: porter@415porter.com

Screenshots

Drum Notation by Beat Note4 screens
415 Studios4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: 415 Studios at every 2 days against Drum Notation by Beat Note's every 9 days. 415 Studios also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.6). Drum Notation by Beat Note's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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 and 415 Studios sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

415 Studios holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 88 and 42 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of Drum Notation by Beat Note's written reviews are positive against 89% of 415 Studios's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Drum Notation by Beat Note ships an update every 9 days, 415 Studios every 2 days. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Drum Notation by Beat Note versus 415 Studios: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDrum Notation by Beat Note415 Studios
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (88 ratings)4.9 (42 ratings) — better
Positive reviews82.8% of reviews88.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings88 — better42
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size81 MB129 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKick Snare Hat Apps, LLCPorter Bliquez

Customer experience

Drum Notation by Beat Note

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

415 Studios

All ratings42 ratings
Positive97.6%
Neutral2.4%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews27 reviews
Positive88.9%
Neutral7.4%
Negative3.7%

Bugs and 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

415 Studios

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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
6 purchases

415 Studios

Subscriptions4
  • 415 Studios Pro Monthly$9.991 Month
  • 415 Studios Studio Monthly$19.991 Month
  • 415 Studios Pro Yearly7 Days trial$69.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • 415 Studios Studio Yearly7 Days trial$129.991 Year
One-time2
  • STUDIO Pro Lifetime$99.99
  • 415 Studios Studio Lifetime$199.99

Questions

Is Drum Notation by Beat Note free?
Drum Notation by Beat Note is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is 415 Studios free?
415 Studios is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Drum Notation by Beat Note or 415 Studios?
415 Studios is rated higher. Drum Notation by Beat Note averages 4.6 out of 5 from 88 ratings, while 415 Studios averages 4.9 from 42 ratings.
Do Drum Notation by Beat Note or 415 Studios have ads?
Neither Drum Notation by Beat Note nor 415 Studios shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Drum Notation by Beat Note or 415 Studios?
Drum Notation by Beat Note ships an update every 9 days, and 415 Studios every 2 days. Most recently, Drum Notation by Beat Note was updated on October 29, 2026 and 415 Studios on October 29, 2026.

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