Comparison

Dubstation 2 vs DM2 The Drum Machine

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

Head to head
About

Dubstation 2

This app brings a classic dub delay effect to your mobile device. It offers true stereo operation, tempo synchronization, and extensive feedback control for creating rich, saturated delays. Explore various modes and LFO effects for chorus and tape sounds.

Highlights
  • Tempo-synchronized or millisecond timing
  • True stereo dual/single/ping-pong modes
  • EQ and saturation on feedback
  • LFO for chorus and tape effects
  • Tempo-synced stereo looping
  • Low CPU usage
  • Factory and user presets
Features
Read full description

Dubstation has been a fixture in dub, electronic, and pop production for nearly twenty years. It emulates the analog bucket-brigade delays of the 1970s and 80s, with their pitch-bending, warmth, and gradual high-frequency loss intact, then adds things those circuits could never do: true stereo dual-time delays, ping-pong, a stereo LFO, and a clean digital looper with overdub and reverse. Sound and Character The bucket-brigade model is the real thing: the high-cut frequency tightens as delay time gets longer, exactly like the original hardware. A low-cut filter trims the bass for the thin echoes of early Jamaican dub. A saturation stage on the feedback path adds analog-style breakup as repeats stack up, and the LFO modulates delay time for chorus, flange, and pitch swoops. Looper and Reverse The LOOP switch turns Dubstation into a clean digital looper that holds the buffer indefinitely and accepts overdubs. This is different from cranking the feedback, which degrades and distorts the signal over time. The REVERSE switch flips the delay memory backwards, and combined with the looper produces reverse loops that hold their fidelity indefinitely. Features >> Single, dual-time, and ping-pong modes >> Tempo-synced or millisecond timing, with dotted and triplet values >> 4 ms to 2 second delay range with X2 switch >> Bucket-brigade modeling with delay-dependent high-cut filter >> Low-cut filter from 100 Hz to 1.5 kHz >> LFO modulation of delay time, 0.01 to 5 Hz >> Saturation on the feedback path >> Tempo-synced stereo looper with sound-on-sound and reverse >> Stereo width control >> Factory and user presets, shareable with the desktop version via XML >> Optimized for low CPU usage on older devices >> Full manual at audiodamage.com

About

DM2 The Drum Machine

Create and manipulate electronic beats with a synthesis-based drum machine. Features a graphic editor for sound design, a step sequencer with customizable patterns, and finger-drumming capabilities. Includes a mixer, effects processor, and song arrangement tools for exporting and sharing your music.

Highlights
  • Synthesis-based sound creation
  • Graphic sound editor
  • 16/32 step sequencer with polymetric options
  • Finger-drumming with recording and quantization
  • Professional mixer and FX section
  • Song arrangement and export capabilities
  • MIDI mappable with over 130 parameters
Read full description

DM2 is a synthesis-based drum machine with a dedicated graphic editor, for the creation and manipulation of sound . Yeah, blah blah blah… let’s start again. Your lucky stars have all aligned. There are blue skies and smooth sailing ahead. So throw your worries away, and get ready for DM2 to bring endless fun and blissful joy to your face. Your colleagues and friends will be amazed at the new you, wondering how your fingers produce such ravishing beats. Strangers may come up to you in cafés and ask you, “That rhythm sounds like heaven. How do you do that?”. Life can be good, so tap your feet, shake your head and let’s start making some groovy electronic beats with DM2. DM2 has been made by the core team that brought you DM1, one of the consistent best selling drum machines for iPad, awarded with an Apple Design Award in 2012. If DM1 was cool, DM2 is ice cold. Now let’s talk business. DM2 contains 6 pages. Each page does 1 thing. Or perhaps 2. A BIG, BIG STEP SEQUENCER. 16 or 32 step patterns. Or why not 7 or 25 steps? Or even polymetric tracks (poly what? no worries, just a fancy word for complex rhythms, yet super easy to make). And while we are at it, steps can also be singles, duplets, triplets or quadruplets for even sophisticated rhythms. Again it is all about drawing funny objects to make funky beats. THE DRUMS PAGE. Where the sonic magic happens. Six touchable graphs to create sounds. Oscillators, LFOs, filters, noise generators, all the usual suspects in a drawable interface. This may look a tiny bit daunting at first, but the beauty is that whatever you touch, you’re not going to break anything. So give everything a whirl, and get experimental. And if you need some inspiration, DM2 contains plenty of ready-made sounds too. THE PADS PAGE. Maybe you prefer finger-drumming? Sure, go ahead. Press REC and record your rhythms. Of course, there is an automatic quantize function, so that you’ll never miss a beat again. THE MIXER PAGE. Big and beautiful, it will transform your iPad into a professional mixing desk for the price of a magazine. THE FX SECTION. A powerful Effect processor. Just switch everything on and see where it takes you. THE SONG PAGE. Last but not least, put all your hard work in the previous pages together in a shiny song. DM2 is fully MIDI-mappable with more than 130 assignable parameters that can be controlled by an external MIDI controller. Finally, because music makes the people come together and mixes both the bourgeoisie and the rebel, you can export your creations to share with the world. DM2 is packed full of save/import/export abilities. Ahh, the wonder of modern technology! For anyone interested in immersing themselves in some tech specs, please see below. Otherwise, feel free to stop reading now, grab your copy of DM2, and get jamming. What are you waiting for? ———————————————————————————————— Website : www.audionomy.fr Youtube : www.audionomy.fr/youtube.htm Facebook : www.facebook.com/audionomydev Twitter : www.twitter.com/ audionomyapps ———————————————————————————————— • Graphic design by Jonas Eriksson, world class graphic master • Drum kits can be saved, exported and imported (iTunes, iCloud, Dropbox, etc) • 16 or 32 Steps Polymetric Sequencer • Single, duplet, triplet or quadruplet step • Audio Synthesis with graphic editor • 1 oscillator + 1 noise generator • 2 self-oscillating filters • 2 volume envelopes • Pitch modulation • Distortion per track • Stereo panning • Copy, paste and swap sounds • Pads to record patterns, with Beat Repeat effect • Full Mixing Desk • 4 Effect Pads : Compressor | Overdrive | Phaser | Chorus | Delay | Reverb • Mode song • Songs export and import • Export audio • Full Midi implementation • Audiobus + IAA + Ableton Link compatible ————————————————————————————————

Screenshots

Dubstation 21 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: DM2 The Drum Machine at every 6 weeks against Dubstation 2's every 9 months. DM2 The Drum Machine also leads on review sentiment (67% vs 54%) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.0). Dubstation 2's advantage is price ($1.99 vs $5.99). On rating, ratings volume, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Dubstation 2 costs $1.99 and DM2 The Drum Machine $5.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for Dubstation 2 against 4.3 for DM2 The Drum Machine. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 34 and 14 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 54% of Dubstation 2's written reviews are positive against 67% of DM2 The Drum Machine's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dubstation 2 ships an update every 9 months, DM2 The Drum Machine every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Dubstation 2 versus DM2 The Drum Machine: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDubstation 2DM2 The Drum Machine
Price$1.99 — better$5.99
Rating4.3 (34 ratings) — better4.3 (14 ratings)
Positive reviews54.2% of reviews66.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings34 — better14
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPad
Requires iOS16.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size28 MB91 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAudio Damage, Inc.Pascal Douillard

Customer experience

Dubstation 2

All ratings34 ratings
Positive82.4%
Neutral2.9%
Negative14.7%
Written reviews24 reviews
Positive54.2%
Neutral12.5%
Negative33.3%

DM2 The Drum Machine

All ratings13 ratings
Positive76.9%
Neutral7.7%
Negative15.4%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral6.7%
Negative26.7%

In-app purchases

None

Dubstation 2

No in-app purchases

None

DM2 The Drum Machine

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Dubstation 2 free?
Dubstation 2 costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is DM2 The Drum Machine free?
DM2 The Drum Machine costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Dubstation 2 or DM2 The Drum Machine?
Dubstation 2 is rated higher. Dubstation 2 averages 4.3 out of 5 from 34 ratings, while DM2 The Drum Machine averages 4.3 from 14 ratings.
Do Dubstation 2 or DM2 The Drum Machine have ads?
Neither Dubstation 2 nor DM2 The Drum Machine shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Dubstation 2 or DM2 The Drum Machine?
Dubstation 2 ships an update every 9 months, and DM2 The Drum Machine every 6 weeks. Most recently, Dubstation 2 was updated on October 23, 2026 and DM2 The Drum Machine on October 20, 2026.

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