Comparison

Dusty Strings 16/15 Dulcimer vs Strum Machine

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

Head to head
About

Dusty Strings 16/15 Dulcimer

This app simulates the sound and playing experience of a Dusty Strings hammered dulcimer on your iPhone or iPad. Play on-screen or control it via MIDI with a keyboard or other apps, offering a full chromatic range.

Highlights
  • Authentic hammered dulcimer sound
  • On-screen playing interface
  • MIDI input support
  • Full chromatic range (G2-E6)
  • Adjustable hammer types (hard/soft)
  • Drag roll effect with sensitivity settings
  • Note name display toggle
Features
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Experience playing the full, lush tones of a Dusty Strings hammered dulcimer right on your iPhone or iPad. Play on-screen or via MIDI from other apps or a MIDI keyboard. The app provides the treble and bass bridges of the flagship D550 model for playing on screen and the full 3.75 octave chromatic range of the real instrument from G2 to E6 when played via MIDI. The app has a 16/15 configuration with 16 string courses on the treble bridge and 15 courses on the bass bridge. The D550 is one of the popular Chromatic Series models made by Dusty Strings, builders of hammered dulcimers in Seattle, WA since 1979. To play, just touch the strings next to the black and white bridge markers. The Treble bridge (in the middle) has playable notes on either side, which are a fifth interval apart. The Bass bridge (on the right) can be played to the left of the markers. Toggle between a bright, clear ringing tone using hard hammers and a gentler, more piano tone using soft hammers by touching the image of the hammer in the upper left corner. To get repeated note "drag roll" effects, drag quickly horizontally across the strings. The drag roll sensitivity can be set on the settings screen. The higher the sensitivity, the shorter distance you need to move your finger to get the effect. Touch the "ABC" button to toggle the note name display on/off. Touch the mixer icon to show the controls screen where you can adjust the balance and pan for the bass and treble bridges, enable or disable the drag rolls, as well as set the sensitivity for how far you need to drag to get the roll effect. On the iPad version, the "Hammer Touches" setting chooses between no visible touches, visible touches, and visible touches + note label highlighting. On the controls screen for the iPad version, you may use the "Soft Hammer Filter" control to choose between equalization of the soft hammer sounds for best sound through the iPad speaker or through headphones. The "iPad" setting optimizes the soft hammer equalization for playback through the iPad speaker. The "Headphones" setting optimizes the soft hammer sound equalization for headphones or for use when connected to an amplifier through the headphone jack. The "Headphones" setting allows the full fidelity of the lowest sound to pass through for best quality. iPhone devices default to the "Headphones" setting. From the controls screen you can also visit the Dusty Strings website to learn more about their amazing hand-crafted instruments. Touch the "Shhh" icon to quiet all the strings. Instructions for use as a CoreMIDI Sound Module: The app may be used as a MIDI sound module for use with CoreMIDI-enabled MIDI file player apps or controlled from an external MIDI keyboard using a hardware MIDI interface. When played via MIDI the app has the full 3.75 octave chromatic range of the real D550 from G2 to E6. Select the MIDI channel on the controls page. When used via MIDI, the app responds to MIDI note-on (with velocity), note-off, and volume change messages on the selected MIDI channel. The right treble bridge volume and panning is used for all MIDI sounds and will respond to MIDI volume messages. To use with a MIDI file player app, such as “Sweet MIDI Player”, first launch the Dusty Strings 16/15” app, then your MIDI file player app. In MIDI file player settings you will find this app listed as “Dusty Strings 16/15” in their list of available CoreMIDI sound modules. On the controls screen, be sure to set the MIDI channel of this app to match the output MIDI channel of the MIDI player track you wish to play. iPad users - For the full D550 instrument playable on-screen, including the "SuperBass" bridge, please check out my standard "Dusty Strings" iPad app on the iPad App Store.

About

Strum Machine

Generate realistic backing tracks for practice with real instrument audio. Customize chord progressions, keys, and tempo. Features a large song library, song editor, and band customization options. Works offline and syncs across devices.

Highlights
  • Realistic instrument audio backing tracks
  • Customizable chord progressions, keys, and tempo
  • Extensive song library
  • Simple song editor
  • Band and instrument customization
  • Cross-platform syncing and offline mode
Features
Currently charting
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Elevate your music practice with customizable backing tracks generated with audio from real instruments (guitar, mandolin, and standup bass). Strum Machine can play any chord progression, in any key, at any speed. It's the only backing-track app built specifically for players of bluegrass, old-time, fiddle tunes, and other such genres. (Although it works pretty good for some jazz/swing now, too!) Why musicians of all levels love Strum Machine: • Realistic Sound: Backing tracks are assembled in real time from studio-quality instrument recordings. • Quick Adjustments: Instantly adjust the speed/tempo, change the key, loop part of a song, etc. • Auto-Speedup: Gradually increase the BPM at the end of every repetition for training purposes. • Chord Reference: Clean, beautiful chord charts, which can be displayed in letters or numbers (i.e. "1-4-5"). • Extensive Library: Over 1,300 songs (mostly from bluegrass and old-time) ready to go, with thousands more posted on the community forum. • Simple Song Editor: Add your own songs (or edit existing ones) in minutes. Almost every chord you can play on a guitar is available for use. • Customize the Band: Choose from a variety of built-in band styles, then optionally customize each instrument individually – adjust the strumming pattern, add automatic bass runs, and more. • Organize & Share: Create song lists for practicing or even performing, and share them with your friends or on the community forum. • Cross-Platform: Sync your custom songs, lists, and preferences with any device you use Strum Machine on: phone, tablet, or computer. (It works offline, too!) • Responsive Support: If you run into any problems or have questions, write us an email or post a message on the forum and someone will get back to you within a few days! Strum Machine is under active development and we're always working on ways to make the app even more useful to our users... while keeping it uncluttered and intuitive first and foremost. Discover how Strum Machine can improve your music practice today! Download Strum Machine and play a handful of demo songs instantly, without signing up. For the full experience, including access to all built-in songs and the ability to create your own, start a free trial. Terms of Use: https://strummachine.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://strummachine.com/privacy

Screenshots

Dusty Strings 16/15 Dulcimer4 screens
Strum Machine4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Strum Machine at 89% against Dusty Strings 16/15 Dulcimer's 40%. Strum Machine also leads on price (Free vs $4.99) and rating (4.7 vs 4.1). Dusty Strings 16/15 Dulcimer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 15.4). On ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Strum Machine is free to download; Dusty Strings 16/15 Dulcimer costs $4.99 up front. Strum Machine sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. Dusty Strings 16/15 Dulcimer asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Strum Machine holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Strum Machine has 120 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 40% of Dusty Strings 16/15 Dulcimer's written reviews are positive against 89% of Strum Machine's.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Dusty Strings 16/15 Dulcimer versus Strum Machine: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDusty Strings 16/15 DulcimerStrum Machine
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.1 (7 ratings)4.7 (120 ratings) — better
Positive reviews40.0% of reviews88.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings7120 — better
Update frequency—Fortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank—#174 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS10.0 — better15.4
Further details — not scored
Size168 MB77 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMichael EskinLuke Abbott LLC

Customer experience

Dusty Strings 16/15 Dulcimer

All ratings7 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative40.0%

Strum Machine

All ratings118 ratings
Positive93.2%
Neutral0.8%
Negative5.9%
Written reviews62 reviews
Positive88.7%
Neutral3.2%
Negative8.1%

In-app purchases

None

Dusty Strings 16/15 Dulcimer

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Strum Machine

Subscriptions1
  • Monthly Subscription14 Days trial$4.991 Month

Questions

Is Dusty Strings 16/15 Dulcimer free?
Dusty Strings 16/15 Dulcimer costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Strum Machine free?
Strum Machine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Dusty Strings 16/15 Dulcimer or Strum Machine?
Strum Machine is rated higher. Dusty Strings 16/15 Dulcimer averages 4.1 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while Strum Machine averages 4.7 from 120 ratings.
Do Dusty Strings 16/15 Dulcimer or Strum Machine have ads?
Neither Dusty Strings 16/15 Dulcimer nor Strum Machine shows ads.

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