Comparison

SynthDrum Kick vs Drum Surgeon AUv3 Plugin

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

Head to head
About

SynthDrum Kick

Create unique kick drum sounds using synthesis rather than samples. This lightweight, fast plugin offers extensive controls for EDM genres and integrates seamlessly with iOS DAWs. Get the perfect kick sound quickly without relying on presets.

Highlights
  • AUv3 AudioUnit plugin
  • Synthesized kick drum sounds
  • Pitch and Amp envelopes
  • Delayable LFO for AM/FM
  • Dual parametric EQ
  • Soft clipper
  • Velocity sensitive
Features
Read full description

AUv3 Drum Synthesizer for iOS SynthDrum Kick is a fast, focused Audio Unit plugin for designing punchy, modern drum sounds—fully synthesised, no samples required. Create kicks from scratch in seconds. No digging through sample packs. No compromises. Just direct control over your sound. Load multiple instances in your favourite AU host like GarageBand, Cubasis, AUM, or BeatMaker 3 to build full percussion setups with ease. Go Further with the Included Sequencer App Load up to 8 Audio Unit SynthDrum Kick instances into the included app and drive them with a powerful 64-step sequencer. Independent channel lengths for polyrhythms Built-in mixer Integrated FX: reverb, delay, compressor, limiter Create evolving patterns and complete rhythmic ideas—all in one place. Sound Design Without Limits From tight, punchy house kicks to deep, tuned trap bass, SynthDrum Kick gives you everything you need to shape your sound. All sounds are 100% synth-generated, giving you total control and a unique result every time—no recycled samples. A streamlined interface and purpose-built DSP engine keep everything fast, focused, and musical. Designed for Percussion Unlike general-purpose synths, SynthDrum Kick is built specifically for drum synthesis: Fast workflow Focused controls No unnecessary parameters Everything is tuned for creating powerful, mix-ready kicks quickly. Features AUv3 (Audio Unit Extension) Lightweight and efficient Multiple instances supported Sound Engine Oscillator: Sine, 909-style clipped triangle Pitch Envelope (retriggered for percussive shaping) Amp Envelope (optimised for drums) LFO (with delay, AM/FM modulation) Noise generator Processing Dual parametric EQ Soft clipper Velocity sensitivity Preset system

About

Drum Surgeon AUv3 Plugin

This audio plugin is a dynamics and transient processor for fine-tuning drum sounds within DAWs. It allows users to shape and boost drum kits for better punch and clarity without clipping, offering features like saturation, EQ, and filtering.

Highlights
  • Dynamics and transient processing
  • Saturation control
  • 8-band graphic EQ
  • LP/HP filtering
  • Attack & Hold controls
  • Intensity control up to 200%
  • Limiter/clipper
Read full description

DrumSurgeon is an AUv3 plugin designed for use in your favourite DAW such as AUM, Logic, Loopy Pro, Cubasis or GarageBand etc. Drum surgeon is a dynamics / transient processor specifically designed for fine tuning your drums. So your drum sounds are lacking punch and lost in the mix? This is where Drum Doctor can really help by allowing you to literally shape and boost your kit to break through the mix safetly and without clipping. The attack or onset of a sound is known as its transient. By controlling the level, shape and duration of these sounds, you change the dynamics of a drum track to achieve that perfect tightness, while boosting them to give your kick the right punch and snare the right amount of bite. Use the saturation to overdrive your mix prior to shaping. This can drastically change the character of some drum sounds at the filtering stage. The single LP/HP filtering knob lets you quickly find the tone that suits combined with the 8 band EQ to define your sound. Finally the intensity knob allows you to control the level of dynamics applied to your mix. Automate this in real time when you want to relax or accentuate your drum track during your song. Features: ○ Supports factory and user presets. ○ Add bite using the Attack & Hold controls. ○ Use the Release to get extra dynamic range. ○ Both Attack and Release can be inverted to transform the dynamics. ○ LP/HP filtering. ○ Saturation control. ○ 8 Band Graphic EQ. ○ Real-time gain display. ○ Intensity control to amplify the effect up to 200%. ○ Limiter/clipper for driving your sound to the max. ○ Auto ranging option for graphing.

Screenshots

SynthDrum Kick4 screens
Drum Surgeon AUv3 Plugin4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: SynthDrum Kick at 4.9 against Drum Surgeon AUv3 Plugin's 4.6. SynthDrum Kick also leads on update cadence (every 9 months vs every 29 months) and price ($2.99 vs $5.99). Drum Surgeon AUv3 Plugin's advantage is review sentiment (80% vs 71%) and iOS requirement (13 vs 15.6). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

SynthDrum Kick costs $2.99 and Drum Surgeon AUv3 Plugin $5.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SynthDrum Kick holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 19 and 11 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 71% of SynthDrum Kick's written reviews are positive against 80% of Drum Surgeon AUv3 Plugin's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SynthDrum Kick ships an update every 9 months, Drum Surgeon AUv3 Plugin every 29 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
SynthDrum Kick versus Drum Surgeon AUv3 Plugin: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSynthDrum KickDrum Surgeon AUv3 Plugin
Price$2.99 — better$5.99
Rating4.9 (19 ratings) — better4.6 (11 ratings)
Positive reviews71.4% of reviews80.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings19 — better11
Update frequencyEvery 9 months — betterEvery 29 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.613 — better
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPaul Betowski4Pockets.com

Customer experience

SynthDrum Kick

All ratings19 ratings
Positive94.7%
Neutral5.3%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews14 reviews
Positive71.4%
Neutral7.1%
Negative21.4%

Drum Surgeon AUv3 Plugin

All ratings11 ratings
Positive90.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative9.1%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%

In-app purchases

None

SynthDrum Kick

No in-app purchases

None

Drum Surgeon AUv3 Plugin

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SynthDrum Kick free?
SynthDrum Kick costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Drum Surgeon AUv3 Plugin free?
Drum Surgeon AUv3 Plugin costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, SynthDrum Kick or Drum Surgeon AUv3 Plugin?
SynthDrum Kick is rated higher. SynthDrum Kick averages 4.9 out of 5 from 19 ratings, while Drum Surgeon AUv3 Plugin averages 4.6 from 11 ratings.
Do SynthDrum Kick or Drum Surgeon AUv3 Plugin have ads?
Neither SynthDrum Kick nor Drum Surgeon AUv3 Plugin shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SynthDrum Kick or Drum Surgeon AUv3 Plugin?
SynthDrum Kick ships an update every 9 months, and Drum Surgeon AUv3 Plugin every 29 months. Most recently, SynthDrum Kick was updated on October 15, 2026 and Drum Surgeon AUv3 Plugin on October 20, 2026.

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