AudioKit Digital D1 Synth vs DrumComputer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
AudioKit Digital D1 Synth
This app is a virtual analog and PCM synthesizer for iPad, inspired by the digital synthesizers of the 80s and 90s. It offers a vast library of presets, advanced synthesis features, and built-in effects for creating rich, retro-inspired sounds.
- 64-voice hybrid digital poly synthesis
- 1GB+ of original samples
- Stand-alone, IAA, and AUv3 support
- Vintage-style arp/step sequencer
- 3 LFOs with fun routings
- Dual independent per-layer filters
- Built-in FX suite
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Epic 64-voice Virtual Analog / PCM iPad Synth Inspired by the Digital Synths of the 80s and 90s - ** TOP 3 iOS MUSIC APPS OF 2018 *** - Music Radar Awards (Computer Music & Future Music Magazine) - * Featured By Apple in "New Apps We Love!" ** "Fans of the D-50, JD-990, 01/W, Wavestation... Rejoice!" - Music Radar FULLY LOADED w/ 500+ presets by Brice Beasley, Matthew Fecher, Red Sky Lullaby, Jakob Haq, Dean Daughters (Electronisounds), Sound of Izrael, Brian Funk, and more DIGITAL D1 is AWESOME: - 64-voice Hybrid Digital Poly Synthesis. - Full 1+ Gigabyte of original samples recorded from analog & fm synths over 30+ years old - Stand-alone iPad Synth, plus IAA & Audiobus - Basic AUv3 Plugin support. Works best with AUM. We're working on upgrading Audio Unit support. - Space-saving Compression - The whole app is under 200mb! - Dual layers per voice. Keyboard splits. Velocity Scaling. - Vintage-style Arp/Step Sequencer that can be routed to specific layers. - 3 LFOs. Fun Routings. LFOs can modify other LFOs. - Dual Independent per-Layer filters - Plus, per-voice Harmonic key-tracked Envelope filters. "Digital D1 Sounds and plays AMAZING!" - The Sound Test Room "Rad retro synth sounds" - Cult of Mac, App of the Week "AudioKit Digital D1 is a beautiful Synthesizer app that recreates the spirit of legendary synths" - Synth Anatomy ADDITIONAL FEATURES: - FX: Glorious Reverb, Phaser, Digital Delay, Distortion, Flanger, Chorus, Crush, and more. - Perfect with a MIDI Keyboard - Ableton Link - All kinds of awesome stuff - The Sound. Oh, the sound. You won't believe it. "Digital D1 synth is pure ‘80s and ‘90s digital lushness" - Computer Music/Music Radar "Beautiful. Lush. Modern and Amazing… An Instant Classic." REQUIREMENTS: Requires newer iPads for best performance. May be slow on iPad 4. IAA is being deprecated by Apple in iOS 13. We're moving to AUv3 as well. Please replace IAA with AUv3 in your projects. GarageBand Audio Unit (AUv3): You can run one instance of D1 as an AUv3 in GarageBand. With a host like AUM, you can run 3 or more instances at once. TROUBLESHOOTING: For iPad 4 - Open the "Settings" button (to the upper left above the keyboard). Turn the buffer to 512 or above. And turn the "CPU Efficient" toggle to on. If still having trouble, try closing other music apps and/or rebooting your iPad. Thanks! - * NOMINATED: Best iOS Music Apps of 2018 ** by Computer Music & Future Music magazine. Subscribe to access to premium app features; subscription details are the following: - Length: weekly or yearly - Free trial: only on selected subscriptions - Your payment will be charged to your iTunes Account as soon as you confirm your purchase - You can manage your subscriptions and turn off auto-renewal from your Account Settings after the purchase - Your subscription will renew automatically, unless you turn off auto-renew at least 24 hours before the end of the current period - The cost of renewal will be charged to your account in the 24 hours prior to the end of the current period - When canceling a subscription, your subscription will stay active until the end of the period. Auto-renewal will be disabled, but the current subscription will not be refunded - Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when purchasing a subscription Terms & Conditions: [https://magic-cake-e95.notion.site/AudioKit-Digital-D1-Synth-Terms-Conditions-14dcf6557a0880beb991f20561329664?pvs=4](https://www.notion.so/AudioKit-Digital-D1-Synth-Terms-Conditions-14dcf6557a0880beb991f20561329664?pvs=21) Privacy Policy: [https://magic-cake-e95.notion.site/AudioKit-Digital-D1-Synth-Privacy-Policy-14dcf6557a088042b2beee2382f5d62f?pvs=4](https://www.notion.so/AudioKit-Digital-D1-Synth-Privacy-Policy-14dcf6557a088042b2beee2382f5d62f?pvs=21) - * NOTE: This app has no official affiliation with AudioKit Pro, LLC. It was built using the free AudioKit source code.
DrumComputer
This app is a powerful tool for creating synthetic drum sounds and beats. It combines advanced synthesis techniques with flexible modulation and sequencing capabilities, offering intelligent randomizers and pattern editing for endless creative possibilities. Users can design unique drum hits, build complex patterns, and mix them for professional-sounding results.
- 8 layered sound engines
- Flexible modulation matrix
- Intelligent sound randomizers
- 16-step sequencer with pattern generation
- Auto and manual remixing/fills
- AUv3 plugin and standalone operation
- MIDI file export
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DrumComputer is the new specialist for synthetic drums, combining classic and modern synthesis with flexible modulations and luxurious sequencing. Intelligent randomizers, elegant pattern editing and import of your own samples are just a few of the mind blowing possibilities. Enjoy new drums everyday and get inspired by all the creativity that DrumComputer sets free. Just because, there still is all the unheard of... More than 400 global presets and 450 engine presets are shipping with DrumComputer. Add the Sound Randomizer and you have an unlimited source of cool sounds. ::FEATURES:: • 8 Sound Engines, each one layering a Resonator, Wavetable/Analogue, Resynth and Sampler • Filter, Compressor, Overdrive and 2 kinds of Send Reverbs: Room and Hall • 2x Env/LFO, plus Synth-Engine-Modulators, Sequencer-Modulators, ModMatrix • Intelligent Randomizers for endless Drum Sounds • 16 Step Sequencer and Pattern Generator, Probability, Rolls, +/- Step Delay, Swing, Humanize • Auto- und Manual Remixing/Fills • Easy Keyboard Mapping for Patterns, Mutes and Engine Triggers • Keyzones for Rolls, Pitch and Modulation • AUv3 plug-in with MIDI FX support & Standalone • Audio Bounce • MIDI File Export • Multiple Audio/MIDI Outputs • Virtual, Network, External & Bluetooth MIDI • Ableton Link • MIDI Learn & Host Automation • Preset iCloud Sync • Preset Share ••• Sound Engines ••• 8 individual 3-layer synth engines to design, shape and sculpt powerful drum hits. Depth modulation area with envelopes, LFOs, and a complex modulation matrix to change most parameters using a wide array of sources. Finest noise table conversion technology, followed by a filter, distortion and side chain compressor. ••• Sequencer ••• Enjoy smart randomization to create patterns that feel natural and organic and add some feeling to the pattern with swing and 'humanization'. Move various parameters along to match the notes, such as velocity, pitch, decay, probability, roll and offset. ••• Kit Page ••• Bring all the individual sounds together in one place, select new sound presets or even randomly generate new sounds based on various sound type profiles and give your kit some character, punch and an analogue feel! ••• Mix ••• With Volume, Mute, Solo, Pan as well as two reverb return channels you can send any of your sounds to at any time and also assign the mixer parameters as modulation destinations. The Room reverb gives you a nice familiar space, letting you glue together multiple drum sounds, while the Hall reverb gives a massive space you can use either as a utility, or as way to fire your sounds off into the cosmos! ••• Mapping ••• Create up to 16 individual patterns (from scratch, or using the easy copy/paste function), and chain these together into a sequence, up to 16 patterns long. Use your MIDI keyboard or controller to send values that quickly and seamlessly switch between patterns on the fly. Quickly remove and add the individual hits, trigger rolls of different speeds, or even have them as pitch modifiers. ••• Auto- and Manual Remixing/Fills ••• Mash up your patterns with one simple parameter and produce all sorts of automatic and random edits to your sound. Add creative fills and variations to your loop to keep it constantly moving with fresh ideas - great for jamming or to prevent audio stagnation. ••• Wavetable/Resynth Import & Sampler ••• Import your own audiofiles to create Wavetables. Resynthesize Hihats, Snares, even Chords with the Resynth import feature or switch to Sampler mode to play back samples the ordinary way.
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: DrumComputer at free with in-app purchases against AudioKit Digital D1 Synth's subscription. DrumComputer also leads on ads (none vs shown). AudioKit Digital D1 Synth's advantage is ratings volume (2K vs 621) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.6). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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
Both are free to download. AudioKit Digital D1 Synth sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and DrumComputer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for AudioKit Digital D1 Synth against 4.8 for DrumComputer. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2K and 621 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 76% of AudioKit Digital D1 Synth's written reviews are positive against 81% of DrumComputer's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and August 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | AudioKit Digital D1 Synth | DrumComputer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (2K ratings) | 4.8 (621 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 76.0% of reviews | 80.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 2K — better | 621 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPad | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 636 MB | 1.6 GB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Audiobus Pty Ltd | Sugar Bytes GmbH |
Customer experience
AudioKit Digital D1 Synth
DrumComputer
User reviews
AudioKit Digital D1 Synth
From 2K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🎨 Excellent sound quality
- 🎹 Versatile and inspiring presets
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- 💰 Great value for the price
- 🔥 Cutting-edge digital synthesis
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and stability issues
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 🔒 Lack of Audio Unit (AUv3) support
- 🤔 Some presets not easily usable
- 🕰️ Slow loading times in certain DAWs
DrumComputer
From 621 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Best iOS drum machine
- 👍 Wicked easy to use interface
- 👍 Great sound and workflow
- 👍 Powerful and flexible sequencer
- 👍 Tons of customization options
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes
- 🔋 High CPU usage and battery drain
- 👎 Confusing and complex interface
- 👎 Lack of MIDI mapping for live use
- 👎 Inability to record beats from pads
Bugs and requests
AudioKit Digital D1 Synth
Reported bugs
4 issues- Presets not loading correctly
- MIDI note dropouts and latency
- Crashes when used with certain DAWs
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
Requested features
5 requests- Add Audio Unit (AUv3) support
- Improve MIDI integration and responsiveness
- Implement a built-in recording/sampling feature
- Expand preset library with more genres and styles
- Add more sound design controls and modulation options
DrumComputer
Reported bugs
3 issues- Crashes on startup with iOS 14.2
- Inability to import samples in some cases
- MIDI out only supports single channel
Requested features
7 requests- Add real-time beat recording
- Improve MIDI mapping capabilities
- Add randomization options for tempo, sequence length, and mixing
- Improve preset management (ability to delete presets)
- Optimize for better performance and battery life
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- Add a dedicated envelope for mixer level control
- Improve signal flow visualization and clarity
In-app purchases
AudioKit Digital D1 Synth
- Weekly premium$4.997 Days
- Weekly premium7 Days trial$4.997 Days
- Yearly premium7 Days trial$9.991 Year
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- Yearly premium$9.991 Year
- D1 PCM Expansion-01Free
- Platinum Expansion PCM EXP-01Free
DrumComputer
- DrumComputer Full Version$29.99
Questions
Is AudioKit Digital D1 Synth free?
Is DrumComputer free?
Which has better reviews, AudioKit Digital D1 Synth or DrumComputer?
Do AudioKit Digital D1 Synth or DrumComputer have ads?
Which is updated more often, AudioKit Digital D1 Synth or DrumComputer?
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