SynthDrum Kick vs FrobulatorAU
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- AUv3 AudioUnit plugin
- Synthesized kick drum sounds
- Pitch and Amp envelopes
- Delayable LFO for AM/FM
- Dual parametric EQ
- Soft clipper
- Velocity sensitive
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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
FrobulatorAU
This audio effect plugin transforms sounds with spectral delay, adding unique character to music projects. It's a free and open-source tool designed for use in various audio applications, offering extensive creative possibilities.
- Spectral delay effect
- AUv3 plugin
- Use in GarageBand, AUM, and other DAWs
- Multiple instances per project
- Free and open-source
- No ads or in-app purchases
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Venerable inter-app audio effect Frobulator reborn — at long last — as an AUv3 plugin. Use it in GarageBand, AUM or your favourite audio application. Add multiple instances in the same project. Drag your frobulation kicking and screaming into the 21st century. Frobulator is a spectral delay effect. It makes your noises a little bit stranger. Twiddle the knobs to find something you like, or don't and throw it away. No-one will hold it against you. Frobulator is free as in beer and free as in speech. Freer, probably, given the state of both those things these days. No ads, no in-app purchases, no subscriptions, no surveillance, no nag screens. If you happen to be one of the 6 people who asked for this, rejoice! If you aren't, now's your chance to discover what you've been missing all this time. Or not. I'm not the boss of you.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: FrobulatorAU at Free against SynthDrum Kick's $2.99. FrobulatorAU also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 9 months). SynthDrum Kick's advantage is iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). 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
FrobulatorAU is free to download; SynthDrum Kick costs $2.99 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 — 4.9 for SynthDrum Kick against 5.0 for FrobulatorAU. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 19 and 8 respectively.
SynthDrum Kick ships an update every 9 months, FrobulatorAU every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SynthDrum Kick | FrobulatorAU |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.9 (19 ratings) | 5.0 (8 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 71.4% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 19 — better | 8 |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Paul Betowski | Matthew Caldwell |
Customer experience
SynthDrum Kick
FrobulatorAU
In-app purchases
SynthDrum Kick
No in-app purchases
FrobulatorAU
No in-app purchases








