# DM1 - The Drum Machine — user reviews > 240 indexed App Store user reviews of DM1 by Fingerlab SARL, rated 4.54/5 from 138 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dm1-the-drum-machine/id431573951/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dm1-the-drum-machine/id431573951.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 107 · 4★ 17 · 3★ 3 · 2★ 3 · 1★ 8 ## What do users think of DM1? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - 🚀 Powerful and feature-rich - 👍 Intuitive and easy to use - 💯 Excellent sound quality - 🎨 Versatile with many drum kits - 🎢 Fun and engaging to play with **Cons** - 🐛 Crashes and stability issues - 🔊 Distortion and audio quality problems - 🕰️ Inaccurate tempo and sync issues - 🔀 Difficulty with pattern and song management - 🔒 Limited import/export and sharing options **Commonly reported bugs** - Crashes on startup or during use - Audio distortion and quality degradation - Inaccurate tempo and timing issues - Inability to save or load custom patterns - Incompatibility with newer iOS versions **Most requested features** - Custom sample import and kit creation - Expanded time signature and subdivision options - Independent pattern tempo and effects control - Improved MIDI and inter-app connectivity - Ability to rearrange and loop song sections ## Newest reviews (15 of 240) ### 3/5 — Not bad *2025-11-06, version 6.2.4* One thing that would be a game changer for this is to be able to assign the drums to the channels that you want.And also having more editing for the Drums so you can actually get right into the sounds and edit the sounds not just the time but overall pretty good ### 2/5 — Great drum machine, in an alternate universe *2024-11-03, version 6.2.2* Near worthless for professional use. Getting separated tracks out of this app is near impossible(for mixing and mastering in a DAW). Constant crashes on even the smallest of projects. Getting mixed down projects is hit or miss. Thankfully there are more options with master mix down, but on3 has to wonder about the code base. Must be a mess of unnecessary repetition. Some options work great and some crash reliably when creating the audio. It’s fun to play with, but if you were aspiring to use it in a professional context, it will probably break your heart. ### 4/5 — Really love this just hope you make it auv3 and work with midi *2023-11-19, version 6.2* It has amazing sounds so not being auv I got it to think of it like hardware, but no midi sequencer has worked that I tried that has midi mapping for dm1. Even though it works for all the other midi mapping. Please update the app so it works with midi . Also If you made this auv it would truly become the most popular drum machine on iOS for many many people. Will update to. 5 stars once midi is fixed ### 2/5 — Seem to recall i used this app … *2023-11-08, version 6.2* … years ago, but not that much. Maybe with the then current audio copy/audiobus features. But no updates in years suggests this apps been abandoned .. ### 4/5 — Bpm issues *2022-01-05, version 6.2* Tap tempo is hard to use. But more importantly, I’m not sure the bpm metronome is accurate. I’ve tried to beat match it to other apps and I can’t get it to line up at all. Love the app tho, but That’s a big issue for me. Good luck. I’ll still keep using if I can find a work around. Thanks ### 2/5 — can’t import samples from audio share *2021-08-31, version 6.2* Title says it all. Impossible to import drum samples from my library into app. ### 4/5 — Not working on iPad Pro 1st edition *2020-10-29, version 6.1.6* It’s a great DMC but has stopped starting on an iPad Pro 1st edition... ### 5/5 — What, a drum machine with no accidental deletes? Pfft *2020-07-14, version 6.1.4* First time I can ever recall trying a new drum machine/beatbox and not walking away from the first session frustrated after spending a bunch of time, only to somehow accidentally deleting a part or a whole track (or dubbing over, etc) This is my favorite drum app on iOS by far. I’m a tad surprised I hadn’t found it before but I’m happy I found it now! Makes me feel like a fizzy soda ### 5/5 — You've come a long way baby ! *2020-07-09, version 6.1.3* Wow. Two years since I used this. Spent at least four hours and upgraded too. Stunned. Very intuitive. Very sophisticated. Loving it. ### 5/5 — SIMPLE QUICK BUT DEEP *2020-06-15, version 6.1.4* I freakin love this app. Used it constantly for years now and it still my first stop on the drum train. Super simple, easy & quick to throw a beat together but has some much depth if you wanna get right in and really make your beat unique. If you want a 4 bar basic backer or complex song arrangements this is the one. Gets the balance between instant gratification and deep tweakage just RIGHT! On/Off quantise switch? ### 5/5 — “Stay tuned” ? 😮 *2020-05-30, version 6.1.4* I like the sound of that! AUv3?? We can only hope! Decided to take a look again. I really liked it way back in the beginning. Then things went awry. Looks like it’s back on track. The kits are great and it feels right again. I say get it! If it was AUv3 it would be better but since it’s so easy to export I’ll take it. Definitely back on the keeper list. FX section messed up. Seems like they fix one thing and break something else that was working. Oh well…can't recommend as it is now. With the new update AudioCopy works like it's supposed to. Export to DropBox still opens DFX. Not perfect but I'm OK with it I guess. I like it otherwise. I want to love DM1 however it does not export properly. I can record into AudioShare by using AudioBus but exporting just doesn't work. When I try to export to Dropbox it opens the DFX app... you get the picture. Hope they fix it soon. I don't suggest buying this until they do. ### 3/5 — Please fix the timing on iPad Pro *2020-05-25, version 6.1.3* One of my fav apps until.... won’t work properly as other reviewers said on iPad Pro. The timing /bpm is wrong and not in sync with other apps bpm. Please fix then a 5 stars. ### 4/5 — Bpm manual dial please *2020-03-02, version 6.1.3* I really enjoy the app overall. I use it mostly for practicing. I love those drum sounds and the intuitive layout. Things to improve : 1) Make the bpm adjustable with manual dial. The slider is quite imprecise and not suitable at all for professional use, neither for amateur. 2) Please make it possible to adjust the velocity of each step of an instrument. Having 3 to 5 level of dynamics per note, for a start, would be a good improvement. 3) I'd love to have the tempo saved per pattern instead of per whole song. Often time the different parts of a song can change tempo, sometimes even just slightly, but it makes a huge difference. ### 3/5 — DM1 Drum machine.... *2020-02-19, version 6.1.3* Great drum machine for iOS Would be even better if it was AUv3. Maybe this will happen soon????? Can't complain though .... ### 5/5 — I’m not a musician *2019-12-28, version 6.1.3* ....but I love playing with this app. I’ve used it for my own amusement. I’ve made sound effects and soundtracks for my own personal videos. I have more fun with this app than any game I’ve ever played. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Why did you change it? *2023-07-18, version 6.2* I use this app for teaching… Guitar and bass. It used to default to the last pattern I wrote, which was useful… now it always goes to this “song,” and I have to go through a few more steps and rewrite my pattern. By default distortion is turned on… I don’t know if it just doesn’t make sense. ### 1/5 — What a waste of time and money *2022-02-09, version 6.2* The acoustic sounds are totally useless. Only 9 sounds at a time? And no even two samples per sound. This is literally a toy and it's advertised as a professional tool. MIDI control doesn't work every time you open the app. You have to go to Song>MIDI and then it works, every single time. Labels on the pads are nonsense and useless. ### 1/5 — Improper time signature *2020-11-15, version 6.1.8* Currently using iPad 5th Gen latest software. I've used this app for a few years, and it's always been fairly reliable. However recently, I try to setup a 5/4, or 3/4 time signature. And it continually sets up in 4/4. Which makes mapping out the beat quickly, a rather pain and headache. ### 1/5 — Stay away. Could be great but... *2020-07-01, version 6.1.4* So easy to use and for less than a tenner all in (incl iap) you get a lot of sounds and functionality but unfortunately everyone else is correct: the timing is off (on iPad Pro at least) which makes it virtually unusable without a lot of extra faff. Such a shame. As someone requested a fix for this OVER A YEAR AGO I guess I may as well ask for my money back. ### 1/5 — So Much Potential, NO Consistency *2020-04-05, version 6.1.3* This app could be amazing and is when it works. I get 2 different sounds when playing through the iPad speakers but then when I plug in a, eighth inch jack to lay down a simple beat in a demo, it completely changes, half the sounds disappear, and the other half perform for a fraction of a second or become nearly muted. It worked really well for a week but now it won’t work while plugged in. If you wanna just tap out some beats and play around, great, but trying to record anything with this is a complete waste of time. ### 1/5 — Something has gone wrong *2019-11-28, version 6.1.3* Something has gone wrong with this app. It used to be great but now it doesn’t seem to hold saved drum patterns which is embarrassing in the middle of a show. Fix this right away as I recall paying for this app. ### 1/5 — Awful *2019-10-18, version 6.1.3* Not clear how anything is done and asking for a refund has resulted in this because you don’t make it simple. please give me my money back. ### 1/5 — Do not update *2019-04-01, version 6.1.3* The last update causes mine not to function. Was fine previously. ### 1/5 — Crashes. *2018-01-07, version 6.1* Was excited for update, but it keeps crashing as soon as the red bar finishes across the top of the screen when loading. ### 1/5 — Treble ! *2017-06-17, version 6.0* I just purchase the acoustic drums pack, they are all almost the same with just changing the pitches and some touches in their effects. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — DM 1 *2024-12-19, version 6.2.2* One of my best applications ### 5/5 — Twinned with MODX *2024-10-16, version 6.2.2* The midi connectivity works so well with the Yamaha. Control start and stop, tempo and supplies audio over usb. Really getting into this powerful little machine. ### 5/5 — Great app *2024-10-07, version 6.2.2* This is easy to use great sounds ### 5/5 — Best Drum Machine Ever *2024-04-06, version 6.2* the DM1 is the Best Drum Machine on the appstore and it’s Free i got this app since the first time and really enjoyed it even today on ipad pro and new ios it’s still running great . I really recommend this music & Drum app, spread the virus to your friends and family, a Big thanks to the developers who did an awesome job on this project ! ### 5/5 — This is darned good!! *2022-06-16, version 6.2* One of the best drum apps I’ve played with ### 5/5 — Great drum machine *2021-10-21, version 6.2* Excellent collection of kits and sound. Plus you can build your own kits. Lots of options for sequencing and patterns. Built in fox and mixer make it great for composing on the sly. It’s not perfect. Can’t get the midi to work, but could be user /developers error. Who knows. Exporting midi and audio has been no problem. Not sure if it would be a live tool, but it also supports ableton sync so my thoughts could change. Even with shortcomings, use it more than any of my instruments because it’s so handy for working out ideas and just jamming along with the grooves. For the price, definitely worth every cent. ### 5/5 — Easy Peasy and rich with features *2021-10-18, version 6.2* I’ve been frustrated to find an inexpensive simple to use drum beats product till I found DM1. Within 20 minutes, I customized a beat pattern for multiple songs, learned how to select a song to load, change the tone of the beat using a different kit. I’ll connect my iPad to my battery powered portable amp and I’m in business to go busking or lead my jam sessions. ### 5/5 — Blue Tooth Foot Controller *2021-07-28, version 6.2* I have been trying to connect a blue tooth foot controller, To the DM1. An, Air Turn, BT-200 S2. With no luck at all! I seem to have no difficulty connecting the BT-200 To the iPad, Bluetooth. But there seems to be no information, on what settings are required for the DM1? I sure wish I could find a way to contact FingerLab, For assistance? ### 5/5 — Great *2021-04-19, version 6.2* Tons of great kits and sounds. Easy to use. Would like to see a note repeat function to be able to make 8th note triplets on hi hats, for example, similar to the beat sequencer in GarageBand. ### 5/5 — Superb Drum Machine *2020-09-18, version 6.1.4* We are spoiled these days. This is a phenomenal drum machine - released as hardware you’d easily look at paying £500 for this much functionality. This is amongst the best music-based apps out there. --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-09.*