Comparison

PercussionTutor vs QUARK Play

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

Head to head
About

PercussionTutor

Explore a vast library of world percussion rhythms and instruments. Learn through standard notation, videos, and practice tools like time-stretching and a metronome. Ideal for musicians, dancers, and rhythm enthusiasts seeking authentic global drumming traditions.

Highlights
  • Extensive library of world rhythms
  • Individual drum track control
  • Audio time-stretching
  • Integrated metronome
  • Standard notation and descriptions
  • Instructional videos
  • Authentic instrument sounds
Currently charting
Read full description

MODERN DRUMMER MAGAZINE (October 2015 issue): “This is a must-have for anyone wanting an encyclopedia of world percussion rhythms at their fingertips.” PercussionTutor is an educational app for dedicated world percussion enthusiasts. The app and its free companion book feature a unique library of world rhythms and instruments played by leading percussionists and drummers. A time stretching feature and a metronome give the users the option to practice at their own pace. NO IN-APP PURCHASES! Make sure to buy the app now and get all the future content for free. We will release updates on a regular basis adding new rhythms and videos. Damian Erskine (bassist, educator, writer for NoTreble.com): “PercussionTutor is truly fantastic and a blast to play along with”. (full review on NoTreble.com) Lincoln Goines (electric and acoustic bassist) writes: “This app is an engaging and informative way to check out the original funk. A great tool for musicians, dancers, and all lovers of rhythm”. Percussive Arts Society: “The interactive application is very thorough [...]. Navigation is simple and the layout is logical and easy to grasp.” PercussionTutor will allow you to approach South American, Caribbean and West African music in a different way. This app offers you more than a simple play-along. It includes standard notation, videos and specific claves. We also took the outmost care to capture the natural feeling of all those drumming traditions. For the batá rhythms we even developed a random playback engine that will simulate an actual batá performance. This app puts you in a live playing situation - just like you learned your mother language. You will sound more natural and more alive and you will awaken to new rhythmic possibilities. It's also a great tool for other musicians, dancers and performers who want to immerse themselves into centuries-old traditional languages. FEATURES: - Over 80 rhythms (some rhythms include a basic and a more advanced version) - Rhythms from Cuba, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Peru, West Africa, ... - ALL drums can be turned on and off individually - audio time-stretching feature - 59 videos - over 50 percussion instruments - Sheets of all the rhythms included in the app and in the free book - A description of all the rhythms - MORE RHYTMS COMING: we are working on a lot more content to be released on a regular basis! FEATURED MUSICIANS: * Louis Bauzo, performed with Tito Puente, Dizzy Gillespie, Paul Simon * Greg Askew, performed with Tito Puente * Luiz Ebert * Jérôme Goldschmidt, performed with Tito Puente, M. Santamaria & Chico O’Farrill * Marcos Napa, performed with Perú N. * M. Monaco, performed with Al Di Meola * Oswald Simmonds * Reynaldo Alcantara * Richard Byrd, performed with Babatunde Olatunji * Rudy Walker, performed with Pharaoh Saunders, Randy Weston * Victor Rendón, performed with M. Santamaria, Xavier Cugat Orchestra FEATURED RHYTHMS: **Cuba - Popular Music** - Afro - Bolero - Cha Cha Cha - Mozambique - Pachanga - Pilon - Salsa 1, 2, 3, 4 - Songo 1, 2 & 3 - Timba **Cuba - Folk Music** - Abakua Havana - Afra - Agüeito - Azogano Part 1, 2 - Columbia Part 1 - Conga - Guaguanco - Guiro - Iyesa - Makuta - Mozambique - Palo - Yambu - Yuca **Cuba - Batá Drums** - Lalubanche - Latopa - Ogun - Auguere (part 1) - Auguere (part 2) - Imbaloke - Babaluaye (part 1) - Babaluaye (part 2) - Kuru Kurubete - Ewe Masiboroñu - Borotitilawa - Dada - Oggue - Agayu Part 1,2,3 & 4 - Oferere - Ibejis - Akete Obba - Odudua - Iya Mase - Yacota - Ñongo - Chachalokafun - Iyesa - Echu - Olokun **Spain - Flamenco** - Bulerías - Soleá por Bulerías - Tangos **Brazil** - Baião - Bossa Nova - Samba Batucada - Samba Enredo - Samba Pagode - Samba Reggae - Xaxado **Dominican Republic** - Jaleo - Merengue - Pambiche **Puerto Rico** - Xica - Holandes & Holandes fast version - Plena **Peru** - Festejo - Zamacueca - Vals Peruano - Lando - Afro **West Africa** - Fanga - Saa - Lamban - Sounou

About

QUARK Play

Features
Read full description

QUARK Play easily transforms up to four iOS devices into a wireless, quadraphonic sound system. Place iPhones, iPads, and/or Macs around the space (or connect them to bluetooth speakers), hit play on the host device, and build a true, immersive surround sound environment anywhere. The Quadraphonic Universally Accessible Resource Kit (QUARK) is open source software used in Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) and similar platforms to encode four channels of discrete audio into two channel (standard stereo) audio, then back to four channels again. This allows for the distribution of four-channel spatial recordings via widely accessible two-channel formats such as vinyl, cassette, and radio, as well as digital platforms such as YouTube, Spotify, and Qobuz. QUARK is made possible by dublab & the National Endowment for the Arts.

Screenshots

PercussionTutor4 screens
QUARK Play4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: QUARK Play at Free against PercussionTutor's $14.99. QUARK Play also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs every 5 months). PercussionTutor's advantage is chart position (#88 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 16.6). 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

QUARK Play is free to download; PercussionTutor costs $14.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PercussionTutor ships an update every 5 months, QUARK Play every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
PercussionTutor versus QUARK Play: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPercussionTutorQUARK Play
Price$14.99Free — better
Rating4.9 (266 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews90.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings266 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
Best chart rank#88 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS9.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size440 MB25 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFunkyDrumTutorAKP Recordings LLC

Bugs and requests

PercussionTutor

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • Metronome timing is 2 clicks ahead of actual rhythm
  • Audio distortion when moderately increasing tempo
  • Crashes with external USB audio interfaces (RME Babyface, RME Babyface Pro, Motu 828es)
  • No audio output with some USB interfaces despite no crash
  • App crashes when opening other apps
Show 4 more
  • Audio loss when switching between audio apps
  • Incorrect sheet music for Clave Tiñosa
  • Transient smearing and rhythm attack blurring at very slow tempos
  • Occasional app crashes during normal use

Requested features

18 requests
  • More Colombian rhythms (Cumbia, Bullerengue, Vallenato, Porro, Currulao, Mapale)
  • Brazilian genres expansion (Choro, Forró, and variations)
  • Individual volume controls for each instrument
  • Visual playhead/bar indicator moving through sheet music in real-time
  • Count-in before rhythm starts
Show 13 more
  • Metronome function for all rhythms
  • Tempo adjustment without pitch change (time-stretching)
  • Higher tempo limits for certain rhythms
  • Dominican Bachata rhythm
  • West African dance rhythms
  • 6/8 bell patterns and rhythms
  • Puerto Rican rhythm corrections and additions (Cuembé, Yubá, Seis Corrido)
  • Salsa 2-3 and 3-2 pattern variations
  • Practice timer to track time per rhythm
  • Better graphics and authentic instrument photos
  • Integration with DAW apps like GarageBand
  • Free trial version before purchase
  • Middle Eastern percussion sounds

QUARK Play

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

PercussionTutor

No in-app purchases

None

QUARK Play

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PercussionTutor free?
PercussionTutor costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is QUARK Play free?
QUARK Play is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do PercussionTutor or QUARK Play have ads?
Neither PercussionTutor nor QUARK Play shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PercussionTutor or QUARK Play?
PercussionTutor ships an update every 5 months, and QUARK Play every 6 days. Most recently, PercussionTutor was updated on October 18, 2026 and QUARK Play on October 8, 2026.

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