Comparison

Band Session Note vs DAW Shortcuts

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

Head to head
About

Band Session Note

This app allows musicians to handwrite musical scores and charts digitally using an Apple Pencil. It offers tools for sketching chords, rhythms, and annotating imported scores, with features for creating custom sections and setlists for band rehearsals and performances.

Highlights
  • Handwritten score sketching with Apple Pencil
  • Drum notation with standard lines
  • Annotate imported scores (PDF/photo)
  • Solfège stickers for kids
  • Create and manage setlists
  • Customizable song sections
  • Export as PNG, JPG, or PDF
Features
Read full description

Band Session Note is a light, fast music-notation app for iPad and Apple Pencil. Write charts by hand — instantly — with all the convenience of digital. ■ Made for · Session players jotting chords and rhythms on the fly during rehearsal · Musicians who annotate and edit charts they're handed · Parents and teachers teaching solfège with color and shape ■ Key features · Drum Pack — Tap a drum and the note lands on its standard line. Mix 8th, 16th, 32nd and dotted notes in one beam. Snare, kick, hi-hat, cymbals, and R/L sticking. · Gig Charts — Import scores as photos or PDFs and write pen, symbols and notes right on top. Arrange pages in any order. · Kids Music — Solfège stickers for little musicians. Circle, square, triangle and star shapes with rainbow notes; free color, text color and size. · Setlists — Bundle songs into a single set file and share it with the whole band. Reorder, and open with a tap. · Custom Sections — Intro, Verse, Chorus, and any label your band uses — create and reuse your own. ■ Editing tools · Notes, rests, accidentals, barlines, beams, triplets, chords, rehearsal marks · Apple Pencil handwriting (pressure + smoothing) · text · rainbow colors · infinite paste · Multi-page · PDF import · export as PNG, JPG or PDF · Auto-localized in 6 languages (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, German) From the rehearsal room to the stage — keep every chart your band needs in one notebook

About

DAW Shortcuts

Access and learn keyboard shortcuts for six major digital audio workstations. Search by action or key, translate shortcuts between DAWs, and train your muscle memory with spaced-repetition drills. Offers both free and a one-time purchase Pro version.

Highlights
  • Searchable shortcut database
  • Cross-DAW shortcut translation
  • Spaced-repetition training drills
  • Offline functionality
  • Multi-language search support
  • Browse by category or DAW
Features
Read full description

Stop hunting through PDF cheat sheets. KeyMap puts every keyboard shortcut for six major DAWs in one fast, searchable place — Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Ableton Live, FL Studio, Studio One, and Cubase. SEARCH • Thousands of shortcuts, indexed by name, action, and key. Type "split", "bounce", or a term in your own language and get the answer instantly — search works in English, Korean, Japanese, German, Portuguese, Spanish, French, and Chinese. • Every keystroke bound to a command, not just the main one. Record in Pro Tools shows ⌘Space, F12, and numpad 3. • Browse by category, or by DAW. TRANSLATE ACROSS DAWS • Know a shortcut in one DAW and need it in another? KeyMap maps the same action across all six. Moving from Logic to Pro Tools, or just curious how Ableton does it — the equivalent is one tap away. TRAIN YOUR MUSCLE MEMORY • Spaced-repetition drills built for shortcuts. Flashcard mode asks you to recall first, then self-check; multiple-choice mode tests you against real, plausible wrong keys. • Practice sets by category, a daily streak, and a scheduler that brings back what you keep missing. FREE & PRO • Free: full access to one DAW of your choice, plus daily training. • Pro: all six DAWs, cross-DAW translation, and unlimited training — one purchase, yours forever. No subscription. Works fully offline. No account required.

Screenshots

Band Session Note4 screens
DAW Shortcuts4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: DAW Shortcuts at Free against Band Session Note's $6.99. DAW Shortcuts also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4). Band Session Note's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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

DAW Shortcuts is free to download; Band Session Note costs $6.99 up front. Band Session Note sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. DAW Shortcuts asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Band Session Note against 5.0 for DAW Shortcuts. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Band Session Note ships an update every 6 days, DAW Shortcuts every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Band Session Note versus DAW Shortcuts: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBand Session NoteDAW Shortcuts
Price$6.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings12 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterEvery 9 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size22 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developersung ju KIMHYO SEOP LEE

Customer experience

Band Session Note

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

DAW Shortcuts

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Band Session Note

One-time4
  • 드럼팩$0.99
  • 음악놀이$0.99
  • String Pack (Guitar·Bass·Uke)$0.99
Show 1 more
  • All-in-One Bundle$3.99
None

DAW Shortcuts

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Band Session Note free?
Band Session Note costs $6.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is DAW Shortcuts free?
DAW Shortcuts is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Band Session Note or DAW Shortcuts?
Band Session Note and DAW Shortcuts are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 2 ratings respectively.
Do Band Session Note or DAW Shortcuts have ads?
Neither Band Session Note nor DAW Shortcuts shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Band Session Note or DAW Shortcuts?
Band Session Note ships an update every 6 days, and DAW Shortcuts every 9 days. Most recently, Band Session Note was updated on October 15, 2026 and DAW Shortcuts on October 16, 2026.

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