Drum Charter

Text-based drum chart editor

Free

NEW: Read your charts as real drum notation — on the five-line staff, on stage and in PDF. Plus full-screen Practice Mode with hit-by-hit accuracy. 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 ³ 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 — 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 — 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.

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Version 2.3 - Lyrics Meet Notation The drum bars inside your lyrics can now be read as notes, too. LYRICS WITH NOTATION * Grooves Between the Lines When a lyrics song is set to staff notation, its embedded drum bars appear as small staves right between the text - sized to your font, without clef or time signature, with repeat signs and repeat counts. The lyrics stay exactly as they are. * Also on Paper The PDF export sets lyrics songs the same way: text as text, bars as notes, spread across A4 pages so that a section header never ends up alone at the bottom of a page. * Nothing Breaks Grid mode, lyrics without bars and any bar that is still half typed keep the familiar display. SETLISTS FROM A FOLDER * Songs from iCloud Are Fetched Songs that iCloud has not downloaded yet are now fetched when you open the folder, instead of missing from the set. * No Song Goes Missing Silently If a song still cannot be read, Drum Charter names it and the reason before the set starts - not on stage. * The Right Order Numbered songs are sorted by their number: a set from 1 to 11 no longer starts with the finale, and leading zeros are no longer needed. File extensions are recognised regardless of case (.TXT). FIXES * The font size stays in the Concert Mode settings for lyrics songs when staff notation is selected. * A saved bar template follows the chart's time signature (e.g. 3/4) instead of inserting a 4/4 bar. * Directives at the top of a chart stay together when you insert bars - previously the header could grow until [Swing] was no longer read. * A bar completed with Tab now lines up with hand-written bars. * A half-typed bar no longer swallows the section below it. * Moving a section past an incomplete last bar no longer crashes. All existing charts work unchanged. Settings preserved across updates. iPhone (iOS 15+), iPad (iPadOS 15+), Mac (macOS 12+). iCloud sync across all devices.

The developer, Ralf Brauchler, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .

  • Data Not Collected

    The developer does not collect any data from this app.

    Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More

    The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More

    Seller
    Ralf Brauchler
    Size
    154 MB
    Category
    Music
    Compatibility
    Requires iOS 15.0 or later.
    • iPhone
      Requires iOS 15.0 or later.
    • iPad
      Requires iPadOS 15.0 or later.
    • iPod touch
      Requires iOS 15.0 or later.
    • Mac
      Requires macOS 12.0 or later.
    • Apple Vision
      Requires visionOS 1.0 or later.
    Languages
    English
    Age Rating
    4+
    Copyright
    © 2026 Ralf Brauchler