Drum Charter

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.