Comparison

Different Drummer vs Note to Be

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

Head to head
About

Different Drummer

This app generates unique and complex rhythmic music patterns for any instrument, including drums. It offers extensive control over rhythm, harmony, and expression through wave-based synthesis. Explore endless possibilities for creating innovative beats and sequences.

Highlights
  • Rhythmic music generation for any instrument
  • Complex pattern and rhythm creation
  • MIDI controller and file creator
  • Wave-based control for expression
  • Multi-track music output
  • Audiobus 3 and Ableton Link 3 support
  • Progression Composer for arpeggios
Features
Read full description

"Different Drummer blows my mind and that's pretty hard to do."—Dave Taub, drummer for Billy Idol, John Lennon, Yes and many more. Don't let the name fool you. Different Drummer is a powerful rhythmic MUSIC generator for ANY instruments or samples (with harmonies) that happens to work Very Well for drums too. It's also an amazing Midi Controller and MIDI file creator. Create everything from simple or complex patterns, non-repeating music, straight or poly rhythms, human or robot feel, arpeggios, chord progressions, fills, sequences and much at your fingertips using this one-of-a-kind app. This may be the best music idea finder anywhere in the galaxy! This is an essential tool for those seeking new beats and sequences but our customers say it best: Most used app in the toolbox ***** "I have plenty of music apps...synths, DAWs, sequencers, beat boxes, effects, drum machines...you name it, but Different Drummer has been the MOST used of all of them." by Sattech27 This is your secret weapon in the quest for innovative beats and music that make sense yet defy the status quo. Different Drummer taps into the primal source of all rhythm—waves. DD puts out multi-track music which is lifelike and primal at times and out of this world at others. It's a rhythmic music synthesizer that uses waves to play any sound in astonishing ways that vary from electro to dubstep to tribal to classical. This software was created with music in mind—but in the spirit of discovering what is next in music, not just finding a new way to do the same thing like so many music apps do so well. If you are a pioneer or care about where music is going, this app is for you. Easy to start learning, always discovering more. Adjust note, rest, tie, panning, beat and dynamics waves for the ultimate range of expression. You will never exhaust the endless possibilities of Different Drummer and you are guaranteed to discover legit beats that no one has ever heard before. No matter how many apps you have...not having Different Drummer is a loss. To not possess this musical wonder is committing a Groove Crime in your studio or live setup! Features: • 8 Sampler Tracks + Jam-along track with 6-wave Cyclophone Controls plus 2 harmonies on each main track. • AudioBus 3 with State Saving, Remote Triggers and Inter-App audio out & background play • Stereo audio recording. Export via Audioshare, Dropbox or iTunes or AudioCopy or General Pasteboard (to GarageBand for example) • Ableton Link 3 enabled • Zenterface™ let's you work in a more simplified radial view and is just fun! • Progression Composer makes it easy to create guide tracks or multi-track arpeggios • Jammer panel to play along with the music • Jamlets panel lets you create endless action buttons for live jamming, saved with your presets • Control drum pitches, rests, ties, dynamics, panning and beat value using additive waves • Instant Capture in case you hear a killer beat you want saved on auto random • Save Wave Presets to Wave Library and share with other users in Community • 37 Preset Drum styles you can fully mess with (these are for fun, not the main purpose) • String Wave Sets together in saved Sequences and share in Community • Export Wave Sets or Sequences as MIDI Files (via iTunes, AudioShare, Email or Dropbox) • Over 190 drum and sound FX samples with more added every update • Add your own 24-bit samples via iTunes (WAV or CAF), AudioPaste or DropBox • Over 75 musical scales to assign drums or instruments to as well as key • Channel Volume, Filter, Distortion and Reverb Mixer • Set Key, Tempo, Swing and Time Signature • Automation for randomizing and morphing playback with snap-back option • MIDI Sync Out and In • Up to 8 Channels of MIDI Out • Dedicated Wave for any Midi CC with Learn • Core MIDI lets you play other synthesizers and drum machines on your iPad such as Animoog and NLog Pro or external hardware To hear Different Drummer in action and learn more please go to www.technemedia.com

About

Note to Be

This app offers advanced MIDI quantization for iOS musicians. It allows precise control over note selection, octave flexibility, and MIDI CC integration for crafting harmonious compositions and dynamic live performances. Supports microtonal scales and multi-synth setups.

Highlights
  • Customizable note and octave selection
  • MIDI CC to note conversion
  • Multi-synth channel assignment
  • Live performance toggles
  • Microtonal scale support (Scala Library)
  • MPE polyphonic playback
Features
Read full description

Take full control of your MIDI experience with Note to Be—the powerful iOS app designed to transform how you interact with your music. Whether you're working with a MIDI keyboard, sequencer, or MIDI CC input, Note to Be ensures your notes are perfectly quantized to the nearest selected note, allowing you to craft precise, harmonious compositions with ease. Key Features: - Customizable Note Selection: Choose individual notes from any octave, or apply your selection across the full -1 to +8 octave range. - Octave Flexibility: Work within the entire octave spectrum, selecting and unselecting notes with a simple tap. - MIDI CC Integration: Use MIDI CC from hardware controllers or apps like ShiftBud to convert control changes into quantized notes. Easily create chord voicings and dynamic live performances. - Multi-Synth Support: Assign different MIDI channels to multiple synths, allowing each to respond to the quantized MIDI output independently. - Live Performance Enhancement: Engage the 'all notes' toggle to instantly apply note selections across all octaves or quickly select notes in a specific key and scale. - Microtonality: Select a microtonal scale from the Scala Library with +5000 microtonal scales, or import your own to the iCloud folder. Play the MPE supported synths polyphonically. With Note to Be, your music becomes a canvas, and every note is a brushstroke. Unlock new creative possibilities and refine your sound with the precision of MIDI quantization, right from your iOS device. Note to Be is a MIDI app and does not produce any sound on its own. You need a MIDI input source and an audio output destination in order to work with Note to Be. The AUv3 plugin requires an AUv3 host app such as AUM, Logic Pro for iPad, Loopy Pro, Cubasis, Nanostudio, apeMatrix, Audiobus etc.

Screenshots

Different Drummer4 screens
Note to Be4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Different Drummer at 81% against Note to Be's 50%. Different Drummer also leads on price ($2.99 vs $4.99) and ratings volume (31 vs 7). Note to Be's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 4.5) and update cadence (weekly vs monthly). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Different Drummer costs $2.99 and Note to Be $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Note to Be holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 31 and 7 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 81% of Different Drummer's written reviews are positive against 50% of Note to Be's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Different Drummer ships an update monthly, Note to Be weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Different Drummer versus Note to Be: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDifferent DrummerNote to Be
Price$2.99 — better$4.99
Rating4.5 (31 ratings)4.9 (7 ratings) — better
Positive reviews81.5% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings31 — better7
Update frequencyMonthlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.013.0
Further details — not scored
Size93 MB71 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTechné MediaCem Olcay

Customer experience

Different Drummer

All ratings31 ratings
Positive83.9%
Neutral9.7%
Negative6.5%
Written reviews54 reviews
Positive81.5%
Neutral9.3%
Negative9.3%

Note to Be

All ratings7 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Bugs and requests

Different Drummer

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • Crashes with IAA/Audiobus
  • Doesn't sync MIDI clock / Ableton Link properly
  • Hanging MIDI notes with automation
  • Crashes when sending to Dropbox
  • Emailing MIDI file issues
Show 3 more
  • Audio doesn't start playing until wave is tweaked
  • Inaccurate sliders
  • Buggy with iOS 7 (older review)

Requested features

8 requests
  • AUv3 support
  • MIDI clock / Ableton Link sync improvements
  • Revamp sample import (e.g., zip support)
  • Add presets
  • MIDI-in support
Show 3 more
  • Landscape view
  • Grid mode
  • Dark mode option

Note to Be

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Different Drummer

No in-app purchases

None

Note to Be

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Different Drummer free?
Different Drummer costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Note to Be free?
Note to Be costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Different Drummer or Note to Be?
Note to Be is rated higher. Different Drummer averages 4.5 out of 5 from 31 ratings, while Note to Be averages 4.9 from 7 ratings.
Do Different Drummer or Note to Be have ads?
Neither Different Drummer nor Note to Be shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Different Drummer or Note to Be?
Different Drummer ships an update monthly, and Note to Be weekly. Most recently, Different Drummer was updated on October 5, 2026 and Note to Be on October 7, 2026.

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