OP vs Drambo
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
OP
This app provides a wireless screen for the OP-Z synthesizer, displaying real-time musical data like mixer levels and effect amounts. It enhances interaction with multi-touch controls for simultaneous adjustments and a smooth touchpad for effects.
- Wireless screen for OP-Z
- Real-time data visualization
- Mixer level monitoring
- Effect level monitoring
- Multi-touch mixer control
- Touchpad for effects/filters
Read full descriptionHide full description
This is the official OP-Z companion app. Use your iOS device as a wireless screen for the mighty OP-Z synthesizer. See the numbers and graphs behind the music you create in real time. At a glance, you know how your instruments are balanced in the mixer or just how much effect is applied to each instrument. The app adds another dimension to your interaction with the OP–Z. Unlocking multi-touch features, you can adjust multiple mixer sliders at once or use the smooth touch pad to adjust effects or filters.
Drambo
This app offers a flexible sound design experience, allowing users to build beats, create synthesizers, and process audio with effects. Its innovative modular system simplifies connections and organization, making it suitable for both beginners and experienced musicians. It functions as a standalone application or a plugin within a DAW.
- Modular sound design
- Intuitive cable-less connections
- Advanced sequencer
- Standalone and AUv3 plugin
- Over 140 modules
- Polyphonic stereo processing
Read full descriptionHide full description
"Drambo changes the face of iOS music apps." Cult of Mac Drambo is your all-in-one sound laboratory that adapts to your workflow: build beats as a groovebox, design synths, or transform audio with effects, standalone or inside your favorite DAW. At the core of Drambo is a fresh approach to modular design that makes creating with modules easy, fun, and accessible. Connections happen automatically as you add or move modules, so there are no messy cables to slow you down. The interface adapts to your workflow, generating modulation controls when you need them, and even lets modules contain other modules for perfect organization. You’re always free to override the automatic connections, but most of the time, you can just dive in, experiment, and shape sounds without getting tangled in wires. Use a deep and innovative sequencer to compose patterns and whole tracks, for production or live performance. Go beyond simple looping sequences with parameter locking, conditional step components, parameters automation and powerful scene morphing. Drambo works equally well as a self-contained standalone app or audio unit plugin with audio and MIDI connectivity as an AUV3 instrument, audio effect and MIDI effect. You can use Drambo as • A Complete Studio: Produce entire tracks and perform live in a self-contained, multitrack environment. • An Endless modular playground, that allows you to build, modify and store custom instruments and effects. For instance: build a custom synth, sample and resample, build a Theremin using a gyroscope module, or turn your table into a playable surface, by processing microphone input with physical modelling modules. • An Advanced MIDI Sequencer: Control hardware or AUv3 instruments. Generate custom MIDI CC messages or send modulation signals to physical modular synths via DC-coupled interfaces. • The Ultimate AUv3 Plugin: Load Drambo inside other DAWs as an instrument, audio effect, or MIDI processor. Replace dozens of standard plugins by building your own complex modular delays, reverbs, decimators, or modulators in seconds. • A Unified Audio-Visual Studio (Drambo Visual IAP): Arts united. Step into another realm of modular visual synthesis to build complex generative video art, or seamlessly patch your audio and visual engines together for deeply integrated performances. Features: • Polyphonic, stereo processing and audio-rate modulation. All signals are equal. Up to 16 voices per modular instrument rack. • Unique modular concept: cable-less, drag'n'drop, color coding dynamic interface, automatic connections, and customizable compact, rack views. • Directional flow makes Drambo routing and patching straightforward. Signal flows only left to right, so there are no instant feedback routings in Drambo. Delayed feedback is possible using certain modules. • Simple and clean interface, that scales to every size and device orientation • Over 140 modules available, such as: oscillators, samplers, physical modelling modules, LFOs, envelope generators, filters, audio effects, mixers, MIDI processors, sequencers and math functions. (Includes a macro oscillator based on the famous Eurorack Plaits module, with 24 synth engines) • Custom modular racks that can be nested, with presets at the track, rack, and module level. • Clip launcher / song arrager. • 16-tracks, polyphonic sequencer with parameter locks, automation and step components. 8 dedicated step sequence editor types, piano-roll, powerful automation designer with drawing modes and cubic Bezier curves. • Audio Units hosting ( standalone app only ) • Morph groups: you can morph many parameters using a single slider. • Available as a standalone app, AUv3 instrument, effect and MIDI effect. • MIDI and Ableton Link support Drambo is all about control. Control things that other apps don’t even give you access to. Visit the BeepStreet page for help and tutorials, and Patchstorage for community content.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: OP at Free against Drambo's $24.99. OP also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 5) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.6). Drambo's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.2) and review sentiment (87% vs 47%). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads 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
OP is free to download; Drambo costs $24.99 up front. Drambo sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. OP asks for nothing beyond the download.
Drambo holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 116 and 331 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 47% of OP's written reviews are positive against 87% of Drambo's.
OP ships an update every 6 weeks, Drambo every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | OP | Drambo |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $24.99 |
| Rating | 4.2 (116 ratings) | 4.8 (331 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 47.2% of reviews | 86.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 116 | 331 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 5 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | #197 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 127 MB | 149 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Teenage Engineering | BeepStreet |
Customer experience
OP
Drambo
User reviews
OP
From 116 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Well-designed software
- 💡 Visual elements are great
- 👍 Easy to use companion app
- 🚀 Fast Bluetooth connection (sometimes)
- 👍 Informative and clear layout
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent connection issues
- 🐛 App crashes often
- 🐛 Incompatible with older iOS
- 🐛 Hardware manufacturing defects
- 🐛 Unreliable Bluetooth connectivity
Drambo
From 331 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Incredibly powerful and flexible
- 🎨 Endless creative possibilities
- 👍 Intuitive and well-designed interface
- 🔧 Modular synth capabilities
- 🎛️ Excellent sequencing and groove box features
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and stability issues
- 🔒 Limited undo/redo functionality
- 🔊 Audio export issues (pitch/tempo problems)
- 🔀 Lack of dedicated audio track support
Bugs and requests
OP
Reported bugs
26 issues- Manufacturing defects
- App crashes when using videoout feature
- App crashes or hangs with HDMI output
- Unable to connect through Bluetooth or adapter
- App no longer connects after getting a new iPad
Show 21 moreShow fewer
- Won't reliably connect via Bluetooth
- OP-Z won't stay connected to iPhone
- Disconnects after Bluetooth setup
- Won't connect via USB or Bluetooth
- App won't stay connected
- App crashes every time it's opened
- Fails to pair to screenless OP-Z
- Bluetooth still isn't working with current iOS
- Cannot connect, screen button doesn't work
- App not properly connected
- Disconnects
- Doesn't work on iPhone or iPad
- Bluetooth connection not sticking on iOS version 14.2
- Stopped working
- Bluetooth in iPadOS14.2 disconnects
- App no longer displays data from OP-Z
- iPad won't scan for OP-Z
- iPad app won't scan again
- iPad won't scan or recognize OP-Z
- Scan button currently doesn't detect OP-Z
- OP-Z app is stuck in sync mode
Requested features
5 requests- Make compatible for older iOS
- Offline guide available
- Add clear dial metrics
- Import sound plugs via app
- Add own Unity graphics
Drambo
Reported bugs
3 issues- Audio cutting out after 5 minutes of use
- Presets and patches not loading properly
- Incompatibility with certain iOS devices
Requested features
5 requests- Stem/track export functionality
- MIDI CC learn and external control
- Ableton Link support
- More parameter control and modulation options
- Improved piano roll and sequencing tools
In-app purchases
OP
No in-app purchases
Drambo
- Granular extension$4.99
- Waves extension$4.99
- Formants extension$4.99
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- DSP extensions 1$4.99
- Visual extension$14.99








