# SynthDrum Kick — AUv3 AudioUnit Kick Drum Synth

> AUv3 kick drum synthesizer for iOS, offering extensive sound design capabilities. (iPhone/iPad app by Paul Betowski.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/synthdrum-kick/id1362619238 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Paul Betowski](https://appshunter.io/developer/538476580)
- Category: Music
- Price: $2.99 (on sale, was $3.99)
- Rating: 4.90/5 from 19 App Store ratings · 14 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.6 · 3 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2018-09-08
- Data updated: 2026-08-30
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/synthdrum-kick/id1362619238/reviews.md

## What is SynthDrum Kick?

AUv3 Drum Synthesizer for iOS

SynthDrum Kick is a fast, focused Audio Unit plugin for designing punchy, modern drum sounds—fully synthesised, no samples required.

Create kicks from scratch in seconds. No digging through sample packs. No compromises. Just direct control over your sound.

Load multiple instances in your favourite AU host like GarageBand, Cubasis, AUM, or BeatMaker 3 to build full percussion setups with ease.

Go Further with the Included Sequencer App

Load up to 8 Audio Unit SynthDrum Kick instances into the included app and drive them with a powerful 64-step sequencer.

Independent channel lengths for polyrhythms
Built-in mixer
Integrated FX: reverb, delay, compressor, limiter

Create evolving patterns and complete rhythmic ideas—all in one place.

Sound Design Without Limits

From tight, punchy house kicks to deep, tuned trap bass, SynthDrum Kick gives you everything you need to shape your sound.

All sounds are 100% synth-generated, giving you total control and a unique result every time—no recycled samples.

A streamlined interface and purpose-built DSP engine keep everything fast, focused, and musical.

Designed for Percussion

Unlike general-purpose synths, SynthDrum Kick is built specifically for drum synthesis:

Fast workflow
Focused controls
No unnecessary parameters

Everything is tuned for creating powerful, mix-ready kicks quickly.

Features
AUv3 (Audio Unit Extension)
Lightweight and efficient
Multiple instances supported

Sound Engine

Oscillator: Sine, 909-style clipped triangle
Pitch Envelope (retriggered for percussive shaping)
Amp Envelope (optimised for drums)
LFO (with delay, AM/FM modulation)
Noise generator

Processing

Dual parametric EQ
Soft clipper
Velocity sensitivity
Preset system

## Key features

- AUv3 AudioUnit plugin
- Synthesized kick drum sounds
- Pitch and Amp envelopes
- Delayable LFO for AM/FM
- Dual parametric EQ
- Soft clipper
- Velocity sensitive

## Recent user reviews (10 of 14)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/synthdrum-kick/id1362619238/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Really Great and Surprising Update

*2026-04-30*

Sweet times ahead. Always liked this app and this update is pretty over the top cool. Thanks for this.

### 5/5 — Great app for making HARD kicks, that would be absolutely perfect with a few tweaks.

*2026-03-31*

This app is a pretty great kick drum app. I was put off by the reviews initially, but took the plunge as the price is so fair that it was worth the risk regardless but I was pleasantly surprised.

I’d been searching for a good kick drum generator or a bass drum synth app for a while now, and there’s only really this app and ChowKicks that seem to come close to matching the sound I want to make (which is probably closer to Acid or Techno or something like that). While ChowKicks is pretty good as well, and probably a bit easier to use than this due to the ability to manually type a value into a button, something which is missing from this app and very necessary on a smaller iPhone screen, the kicks just don’t go as hard as they can with this app.

It’s probably easier to make a standard kick sound in ChowKicks, but to make a hard bouncy kick is more difficult, and there’s only a limited range where it actually sounds good before veering off into cartoon style ridiculousness. This app allows for more of a range of different sounding kicks that are still able to actually hit hard, and some of the kicks I’ve made with this app can seriously go HARD, and there’s just more controls than there is with other apps I’ve tried, so you have more options for shaping the sound (and it can also make a variety of other percussive or drum sounds too, much like a real life synth could).

There’s some features that I think are missing that would make this app near perfect though. Mainly, like I said before, being able to manually type the various values of the different buttons instead of relying on turning the tiny little buttons, which most apps seem to allow now by double clicking on the value to edit it. I found a way around this for now though, by loading the app via Drambo and using the ‘midi map’ function to create some new buttons controllable from within Drambo tied to the functions in the app. These buttons are easier to manipulate and you can be more specific with them and then you can save these settings in the preset function of the app to load later.

The variety of settings that allow for more variety and control, also seem to make it harder to wrangle this app too, and it’s easy to go off track fairly quickly, even if your kick sounded great a second ago. Regular saving within the app or from within AUM which allows for external saving, helps to create more starting points in case you go off track, but I would appreciate it if you could also do something like snap the knobs back to a preset position or saved value, by double clicking them or something similar like other apps, or maybe even an undo feature which would help avoid going off track too much.

Finally one feature that I would REALLY love to see added is macOS compatibility, as to be able to use this from within a DAW like Reaper or something similar, which ChowKicks allows (sorry to keep comparing this to ChowKicks, but it’s the only app I know that comes close lol), would be so amazing and hopefully it’s not too much work to port or enable the cross compatibility as I’d so love to see that happen in the future. Overall this app is pretty great if you want hard solid sounding kicks and other percussion sounds, and it is certainly worth the extremely cheap price. An app that makes hard bouncy pumping kicks has actually been pretty hard to find, and the majority of other apps I’ve used so far (which is a fair few over a good few years now) only seem to be able to make a standard weak sounding kick. This is why this is such a good addition to add to your workflow especially if you use AUM or Drambo etc, or even GarageBand, and with a few tweaks it will be perfect, so definitely worth getting. Thanks!

### 5/5 — Easy Goto

*2023-08-12*

Great sounding kick with the right controls to get what you need quick and easy.  If you need one of those “classic” kicks, this works every time .

### 5/5 — Add simple sequencer

*2021-02-26*

Please

**Developer response:** I'd recommend using this as a AUv3 plugin in a 3rd party sequencers. Though I see having a sequencer in the standalone app would be useful. Please email me to discuss it info@designbypaul.co.uk

### 5/5 — Great drum app!!

*2021-02-23*

Very intuitive app with all the functions needed to shape great drum sounds and all sorts of kicks. I have Ruisemaker, Noir, Drumcomputer and a few others, i like them all but find myself using this app just as much. Very light weight on cpu and easy to use. It can get pretty tough and dirty too. Great surprise. Highly recommended.

### 2/5 — Pointless really.

*2020-10-28*

Brilliant tool to make hardcore kicks but not if you want to use those kicks in a tune.
User presets don’t save, closing a project then reopening it causes the synth to reset all parameters.
Once you make a kick, there is literally nothing you can do with it. Even if you try to close the project then export your kick as a sample, the parameters on the synth reset so there is no way to use the sounds you make.
Looking for a full refund. Such a shame because you can make really good kicks on this.

**Developer response:** This is no longer a bug. This was due to an early iOS 14.0.1 bug effecting versus AUv3 apps. 
Thank you for having brought this to my attention and discussing it with me through email. Any other problems just email again info@designbypaul.co.uk

### 5/5 — garageband support please

*2020-10-12*

I just bought this app but I have Garageband and its not compatible, can you guys please make this app compatible for garageband.

### 5/5 — Good Job Good Price

*2019-09-07*

Fonctionne parfaitement.

Au niveau améliorations souhaitées il faudrait pouvoir mettre à 0 start et speed dans PITCH EG.il faudrait aussi pouvoir mettre à 0 
Freq et delay dans PITCH MOD.

### 5/5 — Essential Business

*2019-07-26*

Bass Drum not a kick drum, you won’t find anything as programmable. It makes perfect sense and teaches the dynamics of what is the most essential element in electronic music production.

### 2/5 — Not quite there

*2019-04-29*

I initially thought this was good but I never really use it at all. Basically, it’s just too difficult to get anything good-sounding out of it. The Ruismaker apps beat this by a country mile, which is a shame because it does have promise.

**Developer response:** Sorry to hear you are having difficulty synthesizing the sounds you want. You might like the manual https://designbypaul.co.uk/SynthDrumKickManual.pdf

## Frequently asked questions about SynthDrum Kick

### What is SynthDrum Kick?

SynthDrum Kick is an AUv3 AudioUnit plugin for iOS designed to synthesize unique kick drum sounds. It allows users to create custom percussion without relying on pre-made samples, offering a fast and efficient workflow within compatible DAWs.

### How does SynthDrum Kick work with other apps?

SynthDrum Kick is an AUv3 plugin, meaning it's designed to be used inside a host application like GarageBand, AUM, Cubasis, or BeatMaker 3. You can create multiple instances to layer different kick drum sounds for your tracks.

### What kind of kick drum sounds can I create with SynthDrum Kick?

SynthDrum Kick is versatile and can create a wide range of kick drum sounds, from punchy house kicks to deep, tuned trap bass kicks. Its synth-generated sounds and extensive controls cater to various EDM genres.

### Does SynthDrum Kick have presets?

Yes, SynthDrum Kick includes presets to help you get started quickly. However, its primary focus is on allowing users to synthesize their own unique sounds from scratch rather than being limited to preset options.

### What are the technical specifications of SynthDrum Kick?

SynthDrum Kick features a sinusoid and 909-style clipped triangular oscillator, pitch and amp envelopes, a delayable LFO for AM/FM, noise generation, two parametric EQs, and a soft clipper. It is also velocity sensitive.

### Is SynthDrum Kick suitable for beginners?

While it offers advanced synthesis capabilities, SynthDrum Kick is designed to be intuitive and user-friendly. Its focus on kick drum synthesis and efficient workflow can make it accessible for producers looking to expand their sound design toolkit.

### What devices does SynthDrum Kick support?

SynthDrum Kick is supported on iPhone, iPad, and iPod. It requires iOS and functions as an AUv3 AudioUnit extension within compatible host applications.

### How often is SynthDrum Kick updated?

SynthDrum Kick was last updated to version 1.0.3 on March 21, 2020. While the last update was in 2020, the app's core functionality as a stable AUv3 plugin remains effective for its intended purpose.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.1.0 — 2026-04-28

64-Step Sequencer
Independent Channel Lengths
Built-in FX
Load 8x SynthDrum Kick AU Instances
Mixer

### 1.0.3 — 2020-03-21

Fixes a bug in v1.0.2 that didn't save amp decay inside of app

### 1.0.2 — 2019-09-05

– Smaller memory footprint on initialization
– Improved labeling consistency 
– Knob simplification

### 1.0.1 — 2018-09-21

Important​ bug fixes and audio improvements​.

### 1.0 — 2018-09-07

No release notes.

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## More apps by Paul Betowski

- [DUBSTEP / Loops / Keyboard / Drums](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dubstep-loops-keyboard-drums/id557267838)
- [E Theremin – Electro Theremin](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/e-theremin-electro-theremin/id591471950)
- [SynthDrum Pads](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/synthdrum-pads/id657577819)
- [DNB / Loops / Synth](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dnb-loops-synth/id670737604)
- [E–Theremin MKII](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/etheremin-mkii/id905407070)
- [WubSynth](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wubsynth/id1074423582)

All apps by Paul Betowski: https://appshunter.io/developer/538476580

## Related topics

[synth drum](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/synth-drum) · [kick drum](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/kick-drum)

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*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 2026-08-30.*