Troublemaker vs Branches
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Troublemaker
This app emulates the iconic TB-303 bassline synthesizer, offering its distinctive sound with a diode filter, sawtooth, and square wave oscillators. It provides extensive MIDI and sequencer features, allowing for creative sound design and integration with DAWs.
- Diode filter emulation
- Sawtooth and square wave oscillators
- Realtime Mutation Probability Engine
- Standalone sequencer (1-64 steps)
- Audio Unit (AUv3) compatibility
- MIDI CC controllers
- MIDI Clock Sync
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Featured in the US Appstore! Here's what the reviews say: "Perfect for on the move acid sessions, the Trouble Maker app faithfully recreates the sound of the original TB-303" - DJ Mag "Troublemaker is absolutely no trouble at all to heartily recommend" - SoundOnSound "If you want to make the bassline from Josh Wink’s ‘Higher State of Consciousness’ on the bus, this is the app for the job" - Factmag.com "Top-notch stuff from a developer that just keeps getting better" - Musicappblog.com "This app has been consuming all of my time this week! Love it!" - Discchord.com Introducing Troublemaker: this is not a 303 The legendary TB-303 has magical properties; it is filled to the brim with analog shimmer. Its output jack is a gateway to a parallel universe and when you twiddle the filter knobs an army of highly trained pixies chisel the square waves from freshly harvested unicorn souls. So if you want a TB-303, you should buy a TB-303. But if you're after *that sound* Troublemaker will give you everything you need in spades. Troublemaker sports a carefully crafted diode filter emulation and among the available oscillators are the typical raspy, nasal sawtooth and rubbery square wave with its oddball shape and shifting pulse width. It also has the wow. Troublemaker is fully Audio Unit (AUv3) compatible, so you can go wild running multiple instances in your favorite DAWs. It also has: - MIDI CC controllers for all knobs (predefined), - Core Midi, Virtual Midi, Bluetooth Midi input, - MIDI Clock Sync, MIDI Start / Stop support - Realtime Mutation Probability Engine - Standalone sequencer supports 1-64 steps - Audiobus 3 support (audio + MIDI) - Exports MID and WAV files from the standalone sequencer - User manual and MIDI charts on ruismaker.com - Comes with an extra AUv3 plugin version of a modded Troublemaker unit And unlike the TB-303, it can actually sound like a bass guitar ;-)
Branches
This semi-modular synthesizer offers a "west coast" style of sound design, inspired by classic synthesizers. It functions as a standalone app with MIDI input or as an AUv3 plugin within a DAW, allowing for complex sound creation and experimentation.
- Semi-modular synthesis engine
- Standalone app and AUv3 plugin support
- West coast style sound processing
- Duophonic synthesis with dual MIDI channels
- Generative melody capabilities
- Waveform fading and wave folding
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Branches is a semi-modular synthesizer inspired by classics of the past. It runs both as a standalone instrument with support for external MIDI input or as a plugin (AUv3) in your favorite DAW app. Audio from the oscillators are permanently hardwired into the lowpass gates and the default patch is setup to receive MIDI and trigger the lowpass gate for the complex oscillator. This way you can get up and running fast and are then free to experiment with your own patching. Branches is utilizing what is sometimes referred to as a "west coast" style of processing which in this case means timbre is adjusted by adding harmonics to a basic sine wave. One of the oscillators does this by fading between multiple waveforms freely, the other does it by employing a wave folder and blending it with another user selectable waveform. The first one can also modulate either frequency or amplitude of the second. Branches support MIDI input on two channels. This allows you to control each oscillator and low pass gate individually if you please, acting as a duophonic synthesizer. Utilizing the rest of the modules opens up a world of different possibilities - generative random melodies, timbre changing over time, modulation from your host app etc.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Troublemaker at 4.6 against Branches's 3.9. Troublemaker also leads on review sentiment (78% vs 44%) and chart position (#176 vs unranked). Branches's advantage is price ($5.99 vs $8.99) and update cadence (every 6 days vs every 2 weeks). 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
Troublemaker costs $8.99 and Branches $5.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Troublemaker holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Troublemaker has 64 ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 78% of Troublemaker's written reviews are positive against 44% of Branches's.
Troublemaker ships an update every 2 weeks, Branches every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and June 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Troublemaker | Branches |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $8.99 | $5.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.6 (64 ratings) — better | 3.9 (12 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 77.9% of reviews — better | 44.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 64 — better | 12 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 6 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #176 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Bram Bos | Willow & Oak AB |
Customer experience
Troublemaker
Branches
In-app purchases
Troublemaker
No in-app purchases
Branches
No in-app purchases









