Troublemaker vs Radio Unit
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 ;-)
Radio Unit
Stream over 35,000 internet radio stations with this app. Enhance your audio experience by using it as an AUv3 plugin with other compatible music apps. Discover new music and save your favorites.
- Access 35,000+ radio stations
- Enhance audio with AUv3 plugins
- Intuitive interface
- Song discovery and saving
- Favorites sync across devices
- MIDI control for AUv3 plugin
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Discover a world of music with Radio Unit, a sleek and powerful Internet radio player with a built-in Audio Unit (AUv3) plugin. Elevate your listening experience by enhancing streaming audio in real time using your favorite third-party audio processing plugins (not included) within AUv3-compatible hosts like Drambo or GarageBand. Features: • Intuitive Interface: Enjoy a clean, user-friendly design for effortless navigation. • Song Discovery: Tap to add the currently playing song to your favorites, then open it in the Apple Music app or search for it on Google. • Massive Station Library: Access over 35,000 radio stations—search by name, browse by genre or location, and sort by popularity. • Favorites Sync: Save stations and songs to your favorites list, seamlessly synced across your devices. • AUv3 Integration: Use Radio Unit as a standalone app or as an AUv3 plugin in hosts like Drambo, GarageBand, and more, with support for multiple plugin instances. • MIDI Mapping: Control buttons can be triggered by MIDI Note events (C3 to F3). (AUv3 only) • Battery Efficient: Stream music without draining your device. The app requires internet connection.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Troublemaker at every 2 weeks against Radio Unit's every 2 months. Troublemaker also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.6). Radio Unit's advantage is price ($6.99 vs $8.99). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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 Radio Unit $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Troublemaker against 4.6 for Radio Unit. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 64 and 59 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 78% of Troublemaker's written reviews are positive against 81% of Radio Unit's.
Troublemaker ships an update every 2 weeks, Radio Unit every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Troublemaker | Radio Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $8.99 | $6.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.6 (64 ratings) | 4.6 (59 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 77.9% of reviews | 81.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 64 — better | 59 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Bram Bos | BeepStreet |
Customer experience
Troublemaker
Radio Unit
Bugs and requests
Troublemaker
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Radio Unit
Reported bugs
17 issues- Cannot remove recognized songs
- Cannot remove favorite saved songs (Mac)
- Last update ruined experience with loading times and connection issues
- Sadé channel frequently disconnects
- Some stations don’t connect at all
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- Cannot see song title/artist
- Seamless integration with GarageBand and Logic Pro doesn't work
- Cannot change station with MIDI, LFOs etc. after update
- Cubasis 3 can’t find app
- BBC streams no longer play
- Cannot edit user slots after adding of link
- Links not working
- Cannot add user slots ('see the developer to unlock slots')
- Adding stations near impossible
- Failed URL slot flashes red and is inaccessible
- Cannot paste other URLs
- Cannot record and sample the feed into DAW
Requested features
13 requests- Option to remove or filter hostile nations
- Add more stations (Golha radio, IRIB radio)
- Ability to organize, tag, and edit stream specifications
- Ability to use with CarPlay
- Pitch slider within the app to slow down radio in real time
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- More user presets/slots
- iCloud sync for recently played stations and discovered pieces
- Ability to change station with MIDI, LFOs etc. (post-update issue)
- More exposed parameters for tweaking
- Greater resources for slots (folders/sections)
- Import/export presets list
- Assign MIDI CC to volume knob and channel switch buttons
- Support for streams in OGG container format
In-app purchases
Troublemaker
No in-app purchases
Radio Unit
No in-app purchases









