Comparison

Drum Session vs Roxsyn Guitar Synthesizer

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Drum Session

Create complete drum tracks quickly with a vast library of editable patterns and loops. Easily arrange beats on a timeline, record your own rhythms, and export your creations in various formats. Supports integration with other music apps and hardware.

Highlights
  • 3600 preset patterns
  • 36 acoustic drum sample sets
  • Record custom beats
  • Piano roll editing
  • MIDI in/out
  • Export MIDI or audio
Features
Read full description

We are currently supporting this app with bug fix updates only. We are not planning to add new features or make major modifications to support new hardware or new operating system features. With a library of 3600 editable patterns, loops, and fills, Drum Session is a very fast, simple way to put together a complete drum track. Workflow 1. Select a pattern 2. Drag it onto the timeline 3. Press play Features: - 3600 preset patterns - 36 complete sets of acoustic drum samples - Record your own beats - Piano roll style editing - MIDI in / out - Inter-app-audio (IAA) - Audiobus - Ableton Link - AudioCopy - Export beats as MIDI or audio files - Connect to external drum kits or keyboards by MIDI

About

Roxsyn Guitar Synthesizer

Transform your guitar or bass into a powerful, expressive polyphonic synthesizer without MIDI. This app synthesizes your instrument directly, capturing every nuance of your playing for rich, responsive synth sounds. No special pickups or hardware needed, just connect to your audio interface.

Highlights
  • Direct guitar synthesis (no MIDI)
  • Metamorphic signal generators (oscillators)
  • Dual filter banks with custom virtual-analog filters
  • Guitar-optimized envelopes with adjustable triggers
  • Powerful arpeggiator with multiple algorithms
  • Modulation matrix for parameter control
Read full description

Introducing a revolutionary new way to turn your guitar or bass into a fully featured polyphonic synth: Roxsyn, the world’s first metamorphic guitar synthesizer. Expressive, fast and responsive to every nuance, it is a league apart from all other guitar synths to date. Unhappy with cold and temperamental guitar-to-MIDI synths that dominate the market, we developed a completely new approach to guitar synthesis. Our all-original technology synthesizes your guitar directly, without the use of MIDI notes. Rescued from being a poor keyboard substitute, your guitar suddenly becomes an integral part of the synth. It's alive! There is no pitch tracking involved. There are no pitch estimation errors, octave glitches, or garbled chords. There is no over-complicated G2M between your guitar and synth to destroy everything human about your playing. Instead, Roxsyn’s metamorphic sound generation technology retains all the personality of your sound: vibrato, slides, bends, dynamics, even extended technique. The result is a polyphonic synthesizer that is as fast and accurate as it is richly expressive. No need for special MIDI pickups or hardware, either: just plug into your favorite Lightning/USB audio interface, and start synthing! ::Powerful Synth Engine:: Roxsyn’s big synth heart is its three metamorphic signal generators (AKA oscillators). Each generator offers 5 unique waveforms, and has a 4+ octave range to cover a wide spectrum of frequencies. They also feature stereo panning, and can route into either of Roxsyn’s dual filter banks. You can even dial in your guitar directly into the synth engine for even bigger sounds. ::Dual Filter Banks:: Each containing four custom virtual-analog filter types and dedicated envelopes, the filter banks help sculpt the synth generators in countless new ways. The envelopes are specially designed for the guitar, and are driven by a fully adjustable automatic trigger generator controlled by your playing dynamics. Envelopes offer original features like finite-duration sustain stages, as well as the ability to receive or ignore trigger-off messages. They can also be triggered externally via MIDI controllers like an expression pedal. An additonal envelope controls the amplitude of the signal, giving you even more options in creating synth sounds. ::Arpeggiator:: Instantly transform sustained guitar notes into fast (or slow), complex patterns with Roxsyn’s powerful yet easy to use arp. There are 8 stepping algorithms to choose from, as well as settable note value, swing, and note repeats. You can even route the arp to any combination of the 3 voice generators — enabling you to layer a non-arpeggiated sound with an arp pattern. What's more, the arp can send trigger signals into any of Roxsyn’s 4 envelopes, and even reset the LFOs. So it’s also a handy rhythmic / trance tool as well! ::Modulation & FX:: Roxsyn’s user friendly modulation matrix lets you manipulate parameters (pitch, amplitude, filters, etc) using its two LFOs and mod envelope. Add subtle vibrato, even glide simulation, or go full-on berserk. LFOs each have 9 waveforms, and feature beat syncing. Each matrix row can take LFOs or the mod envelope as a modulator or control, and can even use external control sources. And if you like your synths on the spicy side, Roxsyn comes with top-notch stereo FX specially developed to evoke extra synthiness: Powerful algorithmic reverb with the sound of countless rooms, phasing, modulating, 2-channel delay, and graphic EQ. ::Pro Features:: 500+ factory presets with bass, lead, pad, arp sounds & more. Easily create & share your own presets. Audio Unit v3, Ableton Link. Native 64-bit processing at up to 96kHz. 160+ MIDI controllable parameters; MIDI learn & map save/share; tapedeck (in the standalone app), so you can record, loop & share your ideas on the go, and many more handy features.

Screenshots

Drum Session4 screens
Roxsyn Guitar Synthesizer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Drum Session at $9.99 against Roxsyn Guitar Synthesizer's $19.99. Drum Session also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 9 months) and iOS requirement (10.3 vs 15.6). Roxsyn Guitar Synthesizer's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 3.3) and review sentiment (72% vs 58%). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Drum Session costs $9.99 and Roxsyn Guitar Synthesizer $19.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Roxsyn Guitar Synthesizer holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Roxsyn Guitar Synthesizer has 90 ratings behind it against 15, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 58% of Drum Session's written reviews are positive against 72% of Roxsyn Guitar Synthesizer's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Drum Session ships an update every 2 months, Roxsyn Guitar Synthesizer every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Drum Session versus Roxsyn Guitar Synthesizer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDrum SessionRoxsyn Guitar Synthesizer
Price$9.99 — better$19.99
Rating3.3 (15 ratings)4.7 (90 ratings) — better
Positive reviews58.0% of reviews72.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1590 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 9 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS10.3 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size210 MB32 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperNgo Minh NgocYonac Inc.

Customer experience

Drum Session

All ratings15 ratings
Positive53.3%
Neutral13.3%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews50 reviews
Positive58.0%
Neutral18.0%
Negative24.0%

Roxsyn Guitar Synthesizer

All ratings90 ratings
Positive92.2%
Neutral3.3%
Negative4.4%
Written reviews61 reviews
Positive72.1%
Neutral9.8%
Negative18.0%

In-app purchases

None

Drum Session

No in-app purchases

None

Roxsyn Guitar Synthesizer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Drum Session free?
Drum Session costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Roxsyn Guitar Synthesizer free?
Roxsyn Guitar Synthesizer costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Drum Session or Roxsyn Guitar Synthesizer?
Roxsyn Guitar Synthesizer is rated higher. Drum Session averages 3.3 out of 5 from 15 ratings, while Roxsyn Guitar Synthesizer averages 4.7 from 90 ratings.
Do Drum Session or Roxsyn Guitar Synthesizer have ads?
Neither Drum Session nor Roxsyn Guitar Synthesizer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Drum Session or Roxsyn Guitar Synthesizer?
Drum Session ships an update every 2 months, and Roxsyn Guitar Synthesizer every 9 months. Most recently, Drum Session was updated on October 21, 2026 and Roxsyn Guitar Synthesizer on October 24, 2026.

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