iRig Recorder vs Drum Notation by Beat Note
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
iRig Recorder
This app provides a streamlined interface for recording and editing audio and video on mobile devices. It offers professional-grade effects, waveform editing, and easy sharing options. Enhance your recordings with intelligent processing and creative tools.
- One-touch audio/video recording
- Waveform editing
- 16 studio-quality effects
- Text and photo markers
- Non-destructive editing tools
- Multiple sharing options
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iRig Recorder 3 is a flexible and easy-to-use audio and video recording app for iPhone or iPad. Use its recording, editing and export features to create and share great sounding audio and video while on the go. iRig Recorder is extremely simple to use: click on the “record” button at the bottom of the screen to immediately start recording. To capture and monitor video, simply click on the camera icon then tap record. But don’t let the streamlined design fool you… iRig Recorder is a full-fledged, professional audio and video recorder. You can edit audio waveforms, apply creative and professional effects and share your recordings in many different ways. It offers a wide range of creative and professional effects with intelligent processing for instantly great results. iRig Recorder is also Inter-App Audio and AudioBus compatible, so you can use other apps like AmpliTube or VocaLive when capturing audio or video, for even more flexibility. Want to add a reference marker to your audio? No worries! iRig Recorder lets you add photo and text markers that can be applied in real time or in the editing timeline for quick access to important content. iRig Recorder is the perfect companion to IK Multimedia’s full line of digital microphones and audio interfaces for iPhone and iPad. Use iRig Recorder with an IK microphone or interface and you'll have everything you need to get that Hollywood-style stereo sound — iRig Recorder automatically activates the stereo option whenever a stereo recording interface is connected. Once you've captured your audio, you can use iRig Recorder’s intuitive editing tools to cut, crop or loop it. You can even do Waveform editing, using 16 studio-quality effects to optimize sound for speech, clean up background noise, increase clarity and presence, change speed without altering the pitch, apply creative effects, fades and a whole lot more. iRig Recorder organizes your recordings by date and time and also tags them with geolocation for easy and reliable file management. You can now share your audio and video files via Airdrop, Messages, DropBox, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, SoundCloud, Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, E-mail, Wi-Fi, FTP, SoundCloud or iTunes File Sharing in a variety of sizes and formats. iRig Recorder 3 features: • Convenient, easy-to-use stereo audio and video mobile recording and editing app • Completely redesigned, streamlined elegant interface • Perfect companion for all IK Multimedia microphones and mobile audio interfaces • One-touch recording/capture with real-time monitoring • Landscape and portrait mode • Intuitive, non-destructive editing tools: cut, crop and loop your recordings • Waveform editing • Text and Photo marker support with real time application • 16 intelligent effect processors to automatically optimize or creatively manipulate your recordings — Clean up, Brighten Voice, Smooth Voice, Speed Up, Speed Down, Pitch Shift, Morph, Reverb, Chorus, Delay, Normalize, Compressor, Stereo Imager, 3-Band EQ, Fade, Optimize Tone • Organize your recordings by creation date and geolocation tags • Export files as compressed .m4a or uncompressed .wav export • Inter-App Audio and AudioBus Support • Audio Copy/Paste For more information: www.ikmultimedia.com/irigrecorder
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.
- 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
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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
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Drum Notation by Beat Note at 83% against iRig Recorder's 28%. Drum Notation by Beat Note also leads on price (Free vs $14.99) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 8 months). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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
Drum Notation by Beat Note is free to download; iRig Recorder costs $14.99 up front. iRig Recorder sells 4 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.
iRig Recorder ships an update every 8 months, Drum Notation by Beat Note every 9 days. Both last shipped on October 17, 2026.
| Parameter | iRig Recorder | Drum Notation by Beat Note |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $14.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | — | 4.6 (87 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 28.2% of reviews | 82.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 87 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 26 MB | 89 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | IK Multimedia US, LLC | Kick Snare Hat Apps, LLC |
Customer experience
iRig Recorder
Drum Notation by Beat Note
Bugs and requests
iRig Recorder
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
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- 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
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- 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
iRig Recorder
- Fading$0.99
- Creative Bundle$4.99
- PRO Bundle$14.99
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- All functionality bundle$14.99
Drum Notation by Beat Note
- Educator Tier Monthly (No Trial)$6.691 Month
- Creator Tier Monthly (No Trial)$13.491 Month
- Educator Tier Annual (No Trial)$59.991 Year
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- Educator Tier Annual + Free Trial7 Days trial$59.991 Year
- Creator Tier Annual + Free Trial7 Days trial$119.991 Year
Questions
Is iRig Recorder free?
Is Drum Notation by Beat Note free?
Do iRig Recorder or Drum Notation by Beat Note have ads?
Which is updated more often, iRig Recorder or Drum Notation by Beat Note?
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