Real Darbuka

What the app covers and who it suits

Real Darbuka is a drum app for Android that turns the screen into a set of Middle Eastern hand drums. The listing names darbuka, doumbek, tabla, African djembe, baraban, bongos, riq and bandir among the instruments it covers. It suits people who want to play or practise oriental rhythms on a phone without owning the drums.

Playing darbuka and other drums by touch

You play the drums by tapping the screen. The listing says multitouch is supported, so several drums can be struck at once. Over 20 darbuka and oriental drum sounds are included, and a standard drum set is included alongside them.

A reverb effect adds room sound to the drums. An ululation sound is also listed among the included sounds.

Building grooves and playing along

The groove maker lets you build your own rhythms and save them as custom grooves. The app also includes example rhythms from common oriental styles, which you can play or use as a starting point.

The listing says you can play with any song, so you can drum along to music of your choice.

Tempo, mixing and recording loops

Tempo can be changed in real time. A tap tempo detector sets the BPM from your tapping, and the app takes an average BPM to give a steadier reading. A multi-channel mixer lets you balance the different sounds in a beat.

Loops can be recorded as WAV files for use in other projects. Screen recording with external microphone input is also supported. The listing recommends connecting speakers or headphones for the best sound.