Drum Charter vs Ear Training
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
Drum Charter
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Drum Charter is a professional drum notation app for creating, editing, and playing drum charts using an intuitive text-based format. Perfect for drummers, music teachers, and composers who need a fast, distraction-free way to write drum patterns. KEY FEATURES * Text-Based Notation Simple ASCII symbols represent drums: 'x' for hi-hat, 'o' for snare, 'Q' for kick. Triplet notation with the ยณ symbol for advanced rhythms. Fast to type, easy to read. * Staff Notation Read the same chart as real drum notation on a five-line staff: noteheads per instrument, beams, rests, triplets, flams, ghost notes, repeat signs and rehearsal marks. Switch per song with [notation: staff] or live in Concert Mode. * Smart Symbol Palette Context-aware buttons show only relevant symbols by cursor position. * Real-Time Audio Playback High-quality drum sounds powered by FluidR3_GM soundfont. Hear patterns instantly with professional MIDI-based playback. * Flam & Ghost Notes Two expressive symbols for snare: Flam for quick grace notes before the main hit, Ghost for subtle quiet notes. Perfect for Jazz, Funk, and dynamic playing. * Lyrics Mode Create charts without drum notation - just lyrics, chords, and cues. Perfect for multi-instrumentalists with mixed setlists. Section headers in teal, cue lines in gray. Embedded drum bars automatically detected. Chord symbols highlighted in blue. * PDF Export Export as PDF โ as the character grid, or as engraved staff notation on A4. Works on iPhone, iPad and Mac. * MusicXML Export Export to MuseScore, Sibelius, Finale and more โ with triplets, repeats, flams, ghost notes and rehearsal marks. * MIDI File Export Export as Standard MIDI Files with two-voice layout. Configurable stem grouping. Import into any DAW. * Practice Mode A full-screen practice room for your e-drums. Loop any range of bars, with an optional count-in. Every hit you play appears on the notation, colour-coded by accuracy, with missed notes marked. A calm readout shows whether you rush or drag and how even you are - the two things that actually help. Output latency is compensated automatically. Repeat counts are honoured, so you practise the phrase as written. * Concert Mode with Playback Controls Full-screen performance view with large custom font (10-40pt). Beat grouping with adjustable opacity. Metronome click. Playlist with folder navigation. Play, skip, and navigate with on-screen controls and keyboard shortcuts. Native macOS fullscreen. Multi-column lyrics with [columns: N]. * Multi-Time Signature Support Full support for 4/4, 3/4 (Waltz), and 6/8 (Compound Time). UI picker for quick time signature changes. * Swing & Shuffle Support Authentic Jazz/Blues feel with standard swing notation. Write "Shuffle" for classic 67% swing, or specify 50-75%. UI button with 5 presets. * BPM Control via Metadata Set tempo in the chart with [140 BPM], 60-200 BPM. * Smart Bar Management Auto-numbering up to 999 bars. Repeat notation (4x) for efficient charting. Move bars up/down. Section headers for song structure. * Combination Symbols Three symbols for simultaneous Snare+Tom hits: p (Snare+Tom1), d (Snare+Tom2), g (Snare+FloorTom). Perfect for complex fills. * Multi-Column Export Export in 2, 4, 6, or 8 bars per line format. Optional "Replace rests with spaces" for LogicPro compatibility. * Universal App - iPhone, iPad, Mac Native experience on all devices with seamless iCloud sync. Start on iPhone, continue on iPad or Mac. WHO IS THIS FOR? - Drummers learning new songs - Music teachers creating lesson materials - Composers sketching drum parts - Multi-instrumentalists with mixed setlists - Anyone who prefers text over complex notation software PLATFORM SUPPORT - iPhone (iOS 15.0 or later) - iPad (iPadOS 15.0 or later) - Mac (macOS 12.0 or later, Apple Silicon and Intel) - Optimized for all screen sizes Perfect for drummers who want professional results without complexity.
Ear Training
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Ear Training is built for live sound engineers first, and just as useful for mix engineers, producers and musicians who want to train their ear. Three games, all played by ear: Name the Boosted Band: pink noise, or audio you import yourself, plays with one frequency band boosted. Pick which one you hear lifted, from four options. Name the Cut Band: the same game with a band pulled down instead of boosted. Cuts are naturally harder to catch than boosts of the same size, a real asymmetry in how we hear. The app is built to train you to notice it rather than smooth it away. Find the Feedback: find the ringing feedback on a graphic EQ and pull down the correct fader to kill it. Touch the wrong fader and you lose points. Four difficulty levels for Boost and Cut: as you go up, the boost or cut gets subtler and the wrong answers sit closer together. A Bypass button lets you A/B against the unprocessed sound at every level except Expert, where it's removed and you get one chance to listen to the reference before starting the round. Every band matches the frequencies on a real hardware graphic EQ, so what you learn here carries straight onto a real desk. It's best to play with headphones, since low bands can be inaudible on a phone speaker. You can narrow the active range to match your setup. Track your scores and streaks over time. No account, works offline, nothing tracked. Every game, every difficulty, and every feature is unlocked from the start. Free play includes 3 rounds per game, per day; a one-time Pro unlock removes that daily limit if you want unlimited practice. No subscription.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Drum Charter at none against Ear Training's 1. Drum Charter also leads on device support (4 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). Ear Training's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 9 days). On price and ads there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Ear Training sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Drum Charter asks for nothing beyond the download.
Drum Charter ships an update every 9 days, Ear Training daily. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Drum Charter | Ear Training |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | Daily โ better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No โ better | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac โ better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 โ better | 17.0 |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 147 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ralf Brauchler | THOMAS JAMES LAWTON |
In-app purchases
Drum Charter
No in-app purchases
Ear Training
- Pro Unlock$2.99
Questions
Is Drum Charter free?
Is Ear Training free?
Do Drum Charter or Ear Training have ads?
Which is updated more often, Drum Charter or Ear Training?
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