# Percussive Synth — The Jamming Machine > Virtual analog synthesizer with a unique sequencer for music creation and export. (iPhone/iPad app by Vadym Rostok.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/percussive-synth/id1586110300 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Vadym Rostok](https://appshunter.io/developer/1530671556) - Category: Music, Music, Entertainment - Price: Free (on sale, was $8.99) - Rating: 3.89/5 from 9 App Store ratings · 10 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 12 · 94 MB - Released: 2022-05-11 - Data updated: 2026-08-10 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/percussive-synth/id1586110300/reviews.md ## What is Percussive Synth? Percussive synth will accompany you while you jam, be your groove experimentation space, or be your source of recording material you may export and mix in a DAW. Fine control over many virtual analog synth parameters allows for vast sonic experimentation potential. And unique sequencer implementation equipped with such potential creates an exceptional user experience. The app consists of the sequencer and the synths engine: SEQUENCER A rhythm or a melody can be created using the sequencer. Tap notes into one of the four tracks, one track for each voice of the synthesizer. Set note's pitch and velocity using knobs. Or don't, and rely on a global track's pitch setting. Each synthesizer voice has a completely independent set of parameter values, so you get four different synths playing polyphony. One of the cool features of the sequencer is the ability to switch between straight and odd subdivisions - a note can be one-fourth of the bar, but also one-sixth, and one-tenth. Also, notes can overlap and re-trigger after overlap ends, which allows for creating weird rhythms when used with odd subdivisions. And if you're into drone music - BPM can go over 9000. SYNTHS The basis of each voice is two oscillators and a white noise generator. Each oscillator can produce a square, saw, triangle, or sine wave shape. The second oscillator's frequency can be discretely shifted from -2 to +2 octaves, or smoothly offset using the "osc2 freq" knob. Oscillators' frequency can glide to a higher or a lower value - "decay time" will set the duration of this glide, and "decay amt" the frequency destination - it's quantized to octaves and fifths. A mix of these sound sources goes into the low-pass filter. The filter's cut-off frequency can be dynamically controlled by ADSR (attack, decay, sustain, release) module. The amount and direction of this control are set by the "env" knob. The second ADSR module controls the volume envelope. OTHER FEATURES - Sequencer and synths modules have separate preset managers and undo histories - Audio can be recorded and exported as .wav files from the app - Recording's start and end time can be quantized to the sequencer transport's start and stop - Synth can be used as separate AudioUnit - Ableton Link support - MIDI io, CC mapping - Export preset files - Toggle between quadratic and linear ADSR - Toggle velocity sensitivity in knobs Some of the amazing feedback from our precious users: "I can’t stop playing with the app and love using Record in stand-alone for doing quick exports with live tweaks" "Really Good work man, different from my habitual drums seq plays, and this is good" "Definitely some lovely sound coming out of this" "The sequencer looks very unique and interesting for odd and glitchy tunes" "I have only scratched the surface of it. Going to be awesome for sure. Wow high praise indeed. Can hardly wait to play some more. Enjoy!" "The sequencer in the standalone is really interesting and fun to play" "Still diving in. Lots of fun. The flexible simplicity of the sequencer with wide range of bpm is really cool. So far the sounds make me believe i am existing in an apocalyptic 80s film" "Recently purchased your app and i love it so so much. I do all my jams in AUM and have been looking for an interesting sequencer, found yours and i love it! " ## Key features - Virtual analog synth engine - Unique sequencer with odd subdivisions - Four independent synth voices - Record and export audio as .wav - Ableton Link support - MIDI input/output - Synth as AudioUnit ## Recent user reviews (10 of 10) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/percussive-synth/id1586110300/reviews.md ### 3/5 — Interessantes kleines Programm *2026-02-26, version 1.4.2* Bin noch am testen. ### 2/5 — Too. Low bit *2025-06-07, version 1.4.1* Upping the beats for a minute is the only interesting thing so far, I wish it was midi OH IT IS NOTE so I could play other instruments with it, I found it to be disappointing, especially when it crashed the first time out of the box…IDK WDIK? ### 2/5 — Separate Synth and SEQUENCER??? *2024-11-25, version 1.4* There is NO separate sequencer as an audio unit😡 ### 1/5 — I’m sorry, but I’ll stick to the truth *2024-08-16, version 1.3.1* This seems like a scam, doesn’t even open, might be related to the personal information scamming, deleting! Sigh! ### 5/5 — A pleasant surprise. Very versatile. *2024-01-27, version 1.3.1* I just purchased Percussive Synth for iOS and in minutes I was making some strange sounds! The UI is good for the iPhone, a real treat these days! I love making soundscapes and Drones. The BPM setting is a droner’s dream. Font is fairly easy to read on the iPhone. Good contrast (not the ridiculous shades of gray color schemes the Corp World adopted) and acceptable font label size. I can see that I’m going to be up late tonight! LOL. It’s been a while since I’ve been this excited by an Apple app! Good manual (another item that developers have been reticent to make). The touch controls are excellent! I’m not distracted futzing with them with getting a control’s setting right and the two different undo’s is a nice touch. And as another reviewer said, thanks for not making it sample based but the more versatile percussion synth. ### 3/5 — Amazing stand alone app almost useless as an AUV *2023-08-11, version 1.3.1* I bought this to use in AUM but turns out the app is extremely limited when not used as a stand alone app sadly… I rarely use stand alone apps for music so if I knew that beforehand I definitely wouldn’t have purchased… ### 5/5 — Very good drum synth *2023-04-09, version 1.3.1* This a great drum synth for low bit and experimental music. ### 4/5 — Dope poly rhythms and gangster synth *2022-09-28, version 1.2.2* This great, the interface took a moment but then ita off to creating. Very glad its a perc synth and not samples there is alot u can do. 4 au lines are sick too. Hails! ### 5/5 — So far so good *2022-09-19, version 1.2.2* I haven’t figured the sequencer piece yet but the synth is super Kewl! ### 5/5 — Percussion Synth GEM *2022-05-16, version 1.1.1* Great app and great developer who’s been implementing new features quickly. More than just a drum machine this is something of an experimental rhythmic four voice synth which has enough parameter control to create tuned percussion and beyond. The sequencer is unique and expressive and the learning curve is quick. Can’t put it down here! ## Frequently asked questions about Percussive Synth ### What kind of sounds can Percussive Synth create? Percussive Synth features a virtual analog synth engine with two oscillators per voice, offering square, saw, triangle, and sine wave shapes. It also includes a white noise generator and a low-pass filter with ADSR control for dynamic sound shaping. ### How does the sequencer in Percussive Synth work? The sequencer allows you to create rhythms and melodies across four tracks, each corresponding to a synth voice. You can set note pitch and velocity, and it supports straight and odd subdivisions, overlapping notes, and re-triggering for complex rhythmic patterns. ### Can I use Percussive Synth with other music software? Yes, Percussive Synth supports Ableton Link for synchronization with other compatible devices and software. It also functions as a separate AudioUnit and supports MIDI I/O and CC mapping. ### How can I export my creations from Percussive Synth? You can record your audio directly within the app and export it as .wav files. The recording start and end times can be quantized to the sequencer's transport controls for precise exporting. ### What devices is Percussive Synth compatible with? Percussive Synth is available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod. It is designed for iOS devices. ### Is Percussive Synth suitable for beginners? While Percussive Synth offers deep sonic experimentation, its unique sequencer and extensive synth parameters may have a learning curve. However, users have praised its interesting sequencer for creating unique tunes. ### Does Percussive Synth have ads? No, Percussive Synth does not contain advertisements. It is a free application without any ads. ### How often is Percussive Synth updated? The latest version of Percussive Synth is 1.4.2, last updated on July 1, 2025. This indicates active development and regular updates. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.4.2 — 2025-07-01 This bugfix release includes: * Returned the "lost" Perc Synth Sequencer AudioUnit. * Ensured the app's default MIDI in/out works as expected. Some helpful information: Using AUM as an example, this is how you can find Perc Synth AU plugins: Perc Synth Plugin - audio channel -> inserts/effects (middle "+" button) -> Audio Unit Extension. Perc Synth Sequencer Plugin - MIDI channel -> Audio Unit MIDI Processor. If you exchange MIDI within one device, say, in AUM, it's very straightforward, just create a route between your plugins and the Perc Synth standalone. But when you want to send MIDI over to your Mac or another remote device, select "Network Session" as MIDI Input/Output in the app's "midi io" section. On Mac, open MIDI Studio, enable a Network Session and route network MIDI traffic to the IAC Driver device. Using the IAC Driver is helpful because some apps won't provide the "Network session" option. If you encounter any issues with the app or plugins, feel free to reach out to me at vadimrostok@gmail.com ### 1.4.1 — 2024-11-26 Sequencer as an AudioUnit does not appear in AudioUnits lists. While the fix is in the works, the app description is updated to reflect that this feature is not available at the moment. ### 1.4 — 2024-10-04 Improved compatibility with the latest versions of iOS. ### 1.3.1 — 2022-10-08 v1.3.1 - Removed Google and Facebook analytics after some existing users demonstrated frustration with the addition. Dear users, your privacy is valued, hence the decision to remove the trackers ASAP v1.3 - New presets provided by an independent creator - A new UI cue intended to make it easier to get acquainted with the sequencer v1.2.2 - Stopping the app after 5 minutes of background inactivity to save battery life while keeping the state of unsaved presets - Synth params randomizer and sequence randomizer under the settings menu (want to try your luck to get a happy accident?) v1.2 - Ableton Link support - Sequencer as a separate AudioUnit - Two-column view for wide screens (iPads or iPhones in landscape mode), sequencer on the left, and synths on the right - Per-note pitch and velocity setting - BPM sync via midi clock ### 1.3 — 2022-10-03 v1.2 - Ableton Link support - Sequencer as a separate AudioUnit - Two-column view for wide screens (iPads or iPhones in landscape mode), sequencer on the left, and synths on the right - Per-note pitch and velocity setting - BPM sync via midi clock v1.2.2 - Stopping the app after 5 minutes of background inactivity to save battery life while keeping the state of unsaved presets - Synth params randomizer and sequence randomizer under the settings menu (want to try your luck to get a happy accident?) v1.3 - New presets provided by an independent creator - Google and Facebook analytics added for running app promotion - A new UI cue intended to make it easier to get acquainted with the sequencer ## More apps by Vadym Rostok - [Six Seconds Breathing](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/six-seconds-breathing/id1530671254) All apps by Vadym Rostok: https://appshunter.io/developer/1530671556 --- *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 2026-08-10.*