BeatMaker 3 vs AudioKit Digital D1 Synth
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
BeatMaker 3
This music production studio offers an intuitive audio and MIDI workstation, combining desktop software power with hardware efficiency. Create, perform, and record your musical ideas with advanced sampling, sequencing, and mixing tools. Integrate external apps and export your finished tracks.
- Streamlined performance and recording workflow
- Advanced sampling engine with live stretching
- Classic timeline and flexible scene-based sequencing
- Full-fledged mixer with multi-channel routing
- AUv3 and IAA app integration
- Inspirational sound library and export options
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▸ REDEFINING MUSIC PRODUCTION BeatMaker brings unmatched efficiency and depth in an intuitive audio and MIDI workstation. Look no further, the power of traditional desktop software and real hardware is now united into one single production studio. ▸ PLAY • PERFORM • RECORD Its streamlined workflow lets you perform and shape your ideas quickly and effectively, turning your instruments into full productions. Inspirational performance tools such as repeat, roll, swing, key scales & chords and macro controls will boost your creativity tenfold. Take control of it all with your MIDI gear and the new smart binding system. ▸ CRAFT YOUR OWN INSTRUMENTS 128 banks of 128 pads, where each one of them is a full-fledged instrument with multiple dimensions. Record and chop live, assemble, mangle and resample: our state of the art sampling engine will sculpt your ideas, giving life to your instruments with a full modulation and layering system. With ZPlane’s Elastique live stretch and pitch shift, adjust your loops and instruments to match the tempo or go experimental. You can even integrate your favorite synth & effect apps with full AUv3 and IAA support. ▸ PRECISE SEQUENCING The classic timeline based pattern & song editor gives all the modern sequencing features you‘d want to arrange complete tracks. Adding to this foundation, the new flexible Scene Mode opens up opportunities for remixing and live performances, looping and arranging clips in new ways. All the patterns, automations and sequencing tools are available right where you would expect. Add audio tracks to the mix, stretch them, turn your arrangements into a complete masterpiece. You can even play in sync with other software using Ableton Link. ▸ INSPIRATIONAL LIBRARY The ever growing sound store will bring premium and exclusive content to your own library. The genius of our sound designers will enhance your productions instantly, whether you’re looking for a classic 808 bass or exploring new musical genres. ▸ FULL FLEDGED MIXER Multi-channel recording & input/output routing is now a reality with the support of USB audio interfaces. Fine-tune your mix with the modern mixing board: every track, every pad has its own channel with unlimited effects and up to 8 sends. Add new depths to your sound with our palette of effects (internal or external AUv3/IAA). ▸ EXPORT AND SHARE Export your compositions and separated elements into single stems to share, re-use, re-work, re-master within a traditional studio setup Read the full specs on http://intua.net ! ▸ COMPATIBILITY - Works with 32-bits and 64-bits iPads. - Native iPad Pro support - iOS 9.3+ required - Best experience on newer models - iPhone version coming soon ▸ Documentation - Full documentation and tutorials available at http://support.intua.net
AudioKit Digital D1 Synth
This app is a virtual analog and PCM synthesizer for iPad, inspired by the digital synthesizers of the 80s and 90s. It offers a vast library of presets, advanced synthesis features, and built-in effects for creating rich, retro-inspired sounds.
- 64-voice hybrid digital poly synthesis
- 1GB+ of original samples
- Stand-alone, IAA, and AUv3 support
- Vintage-style arp/step sequencer
- 3 LFOs with fun routings
- Dual independent per-layer filters
- Built-in FX suite
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Epic 64-voice Virtual Analog / PCM iPad Synth Inspired by the Digital Synths of the 80s and 90s - ** TOP 3 iOS MUSIC APPS OF 2018 *** - Music Radar Awards (Computer Music & Future Music Magazine) - * Featured By Apple in "New Apps We Love!" ** "Fans of the D-50, JD-990, 01/W, Wavestation... Rejoice!" - Music Radar FULLY LOADED w/ 500+ presets by Brice Beasley, Matthew Fecher, Red Sky Lullaby, Jakob Haq, Dean Daughters (Electronisounds), Sound of Izrael, Brian Funk, and more DIGITAL D1 is AWESOME: - 64-voice Hybrid Digital Poly Synthesis. - Full 1+ Gigabyte of original samples recorded from analog & fm synths over 30+ years old - Stand-alone iPad Synth, plus IAA & Audiobus - Basic AUv3 Plugin support. Works best with AUM. We're working on upgrading Audio Unit support. - Space-saving Compression - The whole app is under 200mb! - Dual layers per voice. Keyboard splits. Velocity Scaling. - Vintage-style Arp/Step Sequencer that can be routed to specific layers. - 3 LFOs. Fun Routings. LFOs can modify other LFOs. - Dual Independent per-Layer filters - Plus, per-voice Harmonic key-tracked Envelope filters. "Digital D1 Sounds and plays AMAZING!" - The Sound Test Room "Rad retro synth sounds" - Cult of Mac, App of the Week "AudioKit Digital D1 is a beautiful Synthesizer app that recreates the spirit of legendary synths" - Synth Anatomy ADDITIONAL FEATURES: - FX: Glorious Reverb, Phaser, Digital Delay, Distortion, Flanger, Chorus, Crush, and more. - Perfect with a MIDI Keyboard - Ableton Link - All kinds of awesome stuff - The Sound. Oh, the sound. You won't believe it. "Digital D1 synth is pure ‘80s and ‘90s digital lushness" - Computer Music/Music Radar "Beautiful. Lush. Modern and Amazing… An Instant Classic." REQUIREMENTS: Requires newer iPads for best performance. May be slow on iPad 4. IAA is being deprecated by Apple in iOS 13. We're moving to AUv3 as well. Please replace IAA with AUv3 in your projects. GarageBand Audio Unit (AUv3): You can run one instance of D1 as an AUv3 in GarageBand. With a host like AUM, you can run 3 or more instances at once. TROUBLESHOOTING: For iPad 4 - Open the "Settings" button (to the upper left above the keyboard). Turn the buffer to 512 or above. And turn the "CPU Efficient" toggle to on. If still having trouble, try closing other music apps and/or rebooting your iPad. Thanks! - * NOMINATED: Best iOS Music Apps of 2018 ** by Computer Music & Future Music magazine. Subscribe to access to premium app features; subscription details are the following: - Length: weekly or yearly - Free trial: only on selected subscriptions - Your payment will be charged to your iTunes Account as soon as you confirm your purchase - You can manage your subscriptions and turn off auto-renewal from your Account Settings after the purchase - Your subscription will renew automatically, unless you turn off auto-renew at least 24 hours before the end of the current period - The cost of renewal will be charged to your account in the 24 hours prior to the end of the current period - When canceling a subscription, your subscription will stay active until the end of the period. Auto-renewal will be disabled, but the current subscription will not be refunded - Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when purchasing a subscription Terms & Conditions: [https://magic-cake-e95.notion.site/AudioKit-Digital-D1-Synth-Terms-Conditions-14dcf6557a0880beb991f20561329664?pvs=4](https://www.notion.so/AudioKit-Digital-D1-Synth-Terms-Conditions-14dcf6557a0880beb991f20561329664?pvs=21) Privacy Policy: [https://magic-cake-e95.notion.site/AudioKit-Digital-D1-Synth-Privacy-Policy-14dcf6557a088042b2beee2382f5d62f?pvs=4](https://www.notion.so/AudioKit-Digital-D1-Synth-Privacy-Policy-14dcf6557a088042b2beee2382f5d62f?pvs=21) - * NOTE: This app has no official affiliation with AudioKit Pro, LLC. It was built using the free AudioKit source code.
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: AudioKit Digital D1 Synth at Free against BeatMaker 3's $24.99. AudioKit Digital D1 Synth also leads on review sentiment (76% vs 62%). BeatMaker 3's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.0). On rating, ratings volume, update cadence and in-app purchases 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
AudioKit Digital D1 Synth is free to download; BeatMaker 3 costs $24.99 up front. BeatMaker 3 sells 11 one-off in-app purchases and AudioKit Digital D1 Synth sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for BeatMaker 3 against 4.8 for AudioKit Digital D1 Synth. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4.5K and 2K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 62% of BeatMaker 3's written reviews are positive against 76% of AudioKit Digital D1 Synth's.
BeatMaker 3 ships an update monthly, AudioKit Digital D1 Synth every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on September 25, 2026.
| Parameter | BeatMaker 3 | AudioKit Digital D1 Synth |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $24.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (4.5K ratings) | 4.8 (2K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 62.3% of reviews | 76.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 4.5K — better | 2K |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Subscription |
| Devices | iPad | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 216 MB | 636 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | INTUA | Audiobus Pty Ltd |
Customer experience
BeatMaker 3
AudioKit Digital D1 Synth
User reviews
BeatMaker 3
From 4.5K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Powerful sampler
- 🚀 Versatile DAW capabilities
- 👍 Great for live performance
- 👍 Excellent value for money
- 👍 Seamless AUv3 integration
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes
- 🐛 Stability issues with plugins
- 🐛 Buggy MIDI functionality
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 👎 Confusing file management
AudioKit Digital D1 Synth
From 2K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🎨 Excellent sound quality
- 🎹 Versatile and inspiring presets
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- 💰 Great value for the price
- 🔥 Cutting-edge digital synthesis
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and stability issues
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 🔒 Lack of Audio Unit (AUv3) support
- 🤔 Some presets not easily usable
- 🕰️ Slow loading times in certain DAWs
Bugs and requests
BeatMaker 3
Reported bugs
5 issues- Crashes when switching sound banks
- MIDI keyboard disconnects on stop
- Samples losing sync after export
- Glitches with AUv3 plugin loading
- Inconsistent behavior with touch controls
Requested features
6 requests- Ability to rearrange pads
- Improved MIDI sync and control
- More sound packs and updates
- Custom color themes
- Streamlined project management
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- Expanded piano roll functionality
AudioKit Digital D1 Synth
Reported bugs
4 issues- Presets not loading correctly
- MIDI note dropouts and latency
- Crashes when used with certain DAWs
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
Requested features
5 requests- Add Audio Unit (AUv3) support
- Improve MIDI integration and responsiveness
- Implement a built-in recording/sampling feature
- Expand preset library with more genres and styles
- Add more sound design controls and modulation options
In-app purchases
BeatMaker 3
- Starter Pack #1: July 2017Free
- Starter Pack #2: August 2017Free
- ThudRumble Gigantic Balls BassFree
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- Modularism$0.99
- Aquatronika$0.99
- Beatlab$0.99
- Ashes II$0.99
- Arpism$0.99
- INTUA 808 Science$1.99
- MSXII The Constituent$1.99
- MSXII The Fly Life$1.99
AudioKit Digital D1 Synth
- Weekly premium$4.997 Days
- Weekly premium7 Days trial$4.997 Days
- Yearly premium7 Days trial$9.991 Year
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Yearly premium$9.991 Year
- D1 PCM Expansion-01Free
- Platinum Expansion PCM EXP-01Free
Questions
Is BeatMaker 3 free?
Is AudioKit Digital D1 Synth free?
Which has better reviews, BeatMaker 3 or AudioKit Digital D1 Synth?
Do BeatMaker 3 or AudioKit Digital D1 Synth have ads?
Which is updated more often, BeatMaker 3 or AudioKit Digital D1 Synth?
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