Beat Scholar Mobile

What it does

A drum sequencer that lays each bar out as a ring of segments rather than a step grid. Divisions and step counts are dragged to whatever the bar needs, then any single step is cut into further slices, which is how odd time signatures, triplets and rolls get entered. Drum, fill, velocity and slice modes set what a tap does. Each sound has pitch, filters, two reverbs, bit crusher, drive and distortion, kits are importable, and a MIDI-only version sequences other apps.

In the demo

Jade builds a beat inside one section, adds slices for double kicks and ghost snares, then runs through the preset library of progressive, jazz and hip-hop patterns. She sends its MIDI into 4Pockets DigiStix, and works through the Logic track setting needed to record its notes.

Worth knowing

This is the renamed, free re-release of the paid Beat Scholar, which still works but stops getting updates. It is iPad only, a desktop version is sold separately, and the slice-based entry takes some getting used to.