Comparison

Drambo vs M8 Music Tracker

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

Head to head
About

Drambo

This app offers a flexible sound design experience, allowing users to build beats, create synthesizers, and process audio with effects. Its innovative modular system simplifies connections and organization, making it suitable for both beginners and experienced musicians. It functions as a standalone application or a plugin within a DAW.

Highlights
  • Modular sound design
  • Intuitive cable-less connections
  • Advanced sequencer
  • Standalone and AUv3 plugin
  • Over 140 modules
  • Polyphonic stereo processing
Features
Currently charting
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"Drambo changes the face of iOS music apps." Cult of Mac Drambo is your all-in-one sound laboratory that adapts to your workflow: build beats as a groovebox, design synths, or transform audio with effects, standalone or inside your favorite DAW. At the core of Drambo is a fresh approach to modular design that makes creating with modules easy, fun, and accessible. Connections happen automatically as you add or move modules, so there are no messy cables to slow you down. The interface adapts to your workflow, generating modulation controls when you need them, and even lets modules contain other modules for perfect organization. You’re always free to override the automatic connections, but most of the time, you can just dive in, experiment, and shape sounds without getting tangled in wires. Use a deep and innovative sequencer to compose patterns and whole tracks, for production or live performance. Go beyond simple looping sequences with parameter locking, conditional step components, parameters automation and powerful scene morphing. Drambo works equally well as a self-contained standalone app or audio unit plugin with audio and MIDI connectivity as an AUV3 instrument, audio effect and MIDI effect. You can use Drambo as • A Complete Studio: Produce entire tracks and perform live in a self-contained, multitrack environment. • An Endless modular playground, that allows you to build, modify and store custom instruments and effects. For instance: build a custom synth, sample and resample, build a Theremin using a gyroscope module, or turn your table into a playable surface, by processing microphone input with physical modelling modules. • An Advanced MIDI Sequencer: Control hardware or AUv3 instruments. Generate custom MIDI CC messages or send modulation signals to physical modular synths via DC-coupled interfaces. • The Ultimate AUv3 Plugin: Load Drambo inside other DAWs as an instrument, audio effect, or MIDI processor. Replace dozens of standard plugins by building your own complex modular delays, reverbs, decimators, or modulators in seconds. • A Unified Audio-Visual Studio (Drambo Visual IAP): Arts united. Step into another realm of modular visual synthesis to build complex generative video art, or seamlessly patch your audio and visual engines together for deeply integrated performances. Features: • Polyphonic, stereo processing and audio-rate modulation. All signals are equal. Up to 16 voices per modular instrument rack. • Unique modular concept: cable-less, drag'n'drop, color coding dynamic interface, automatic connections, and customizable compact, rack views. • Directional flow makes Drambo routing and patching straightforward. Signal flows only left to right, so there are no instant feedback routings in Drambo. Delayed feedback is possible using certain modules. • Simple and clean interface, that scales to every size and device orientation • Over 140 modules available, such as: oscillators, samplers, physical modelling modules, LFOs, envelope generators, filters, audio effects, mixers, MIDI processors, sequencers and math functions. (Includes a macro oscillator based on the famous Eurorack Plaits module, with 24 synth engines) • Custom modular racks that can be nested, with presets at the track, rack, and module level. • Clip launcher / song arrager. • 16-tracks, polyphonic sequencer with parameter locks, automation and step components. 8 dedicated step sequence editor types, piano-roll, powerful automation designer with drawing modes and cubic Bezier curves. • Audio Units hosting ( standalone app only ) • Morph groups: you can morph many parameters using a single slider. • Available as a standalone app, AUv3 instrument, effect and MIDI effect. • MIDI and Ableton Link support Drambo is all about control. Control things that other apps don’t even give you access to. Visit the BeepStreet page for help and tutorials, and Patchstorage for community content.

About

M8 Music Tracker

Create and arrange music with a portable eight-track tracker, synthesizer, and sequencer. Features multiple synth engines, sample playback, and advanced sequencing tools. Offers extensive connectivity and compatibility with hardware and other M8 users.

Highlights
  • Eight-track music tracker and sequencer
  • Multiple built-in synth engines (Wavsynth, Macrosynth, FMSynth, Hypersynth)
  • Sampler for playback and recording
  • Advanced sequencing with modulation, scales, and effects
  • MIDI instrument control
  • CoreMIDI and IAA integration
  • Portrait and landscape support
Currently charting
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M8 tracker is an eight-track music tracker, sequencer, and synthesizer from Dirtywave. Create and arrange music using a portable tracker workflow. Sequences are built from phrases and chains, which can be arranged independently across eight tracks with sequencing and modulation at each step. Instruments • Wavsynth - Chip synth inspired wavetable synth • Macrosynth - Macro oscillators of over 40 unique synthesis engines • FMSynth - Four-operator FM synthesis • Hypersynth - Six-note 13 oscillator swarm synth • Sampler - Sample playback and recording • MIDI instruments for controlling internal or external gear • Up to 128 instruments per song Sequencing • Eight independent monophonic tracks • Instrument tables for advanced modulation • Scales, grooves, probability, and comprehensive effect commands • Live performance and song-rendering tools Connectivity • CoreMIDI input and output • External computer keyboards and game controllers • Ableton Link support • AUv3 plugin version • Inter-App Audio (IAA) integration • Launchpad Pro MKIII support M8 supports portrait and landscape orientations on iPhone and iPad. Projects, instruments, samples, themes, and rendered audio are accessible through the Files app. Built-in contextual help explains every view with shortcuts. M8 for iOS provides the complete M8 workflow in a portable, touch-enabled interface. Songs and bundles are fully compatible with M8 hardware and can be transferred between devices and shared with other M8 users. Join the Dirtywave Discord community to share music, get help, and discuss M8.

Screenshots

Drambo4 screens
M8 Music Tracker4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: M8 Music Tracker at none against Drambo's 5. M8 Music Tracker also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 5 weeks) and review sentiment (100% vs 87%). Drambo's advantage is price ($24.99 vs $29.99) and ratings volume (330 vs 106). On rating, ads, chart position 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

Drambo costs $24.99 and M8 Music Tracker $29.99 up front. Drambo sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. M8 Music Tracker asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Drambo against 5.0 for M8 Music Tracker. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 330 and 106 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 87% of Drambo's written reviews are positive against 100% of M8 Music Tracker's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Drambo ships an update every 5 weeks, M8 Music Tracker every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 26, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Drambo versus M8 Music Tracker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDramboM8 Music Tracker
Price$24.99 — better$29.99
Rating4.8 (330 ratings)5.0 (106 ratings) — better
Positive reviews86.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings330 — better106
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#105#40 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size149 MB235 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBeepStreetDirtywave

Customer experience

Drambo

All ratings330 ratings
Positive94.8%
Neutral2.1%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews226 reviews
Positive86.7%
Neutral3.1%
Negative10.2%

M8 Music Tracker

All ratings97 ratings
Positive99.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative1.0%
Written reviews48 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Drambo

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Audio cutting out after 5 minutes of use
  • Presets and patches not loading properly
  • Incompatibility with certain iOS devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Stem/track export functionality
  • MIDI CC learn and external control
  • Ableton Link support
  • More parameter control and modulation options
  • Improved piano roll and sequencing tools

M8 Music Tracker

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Drambo

One-time5
  • Granular extension$4.99
  • Waves extension$4.99
  • Formants extension$4.99
Show 2 more
  • DSP extensions 1$4.99
  • Visual extension$14.99
None

M8 Music Tracker

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Drambo free?
Drambo costs $24.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is M8 Music Tracker free?
M8 Music Tracker costs $29.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Drambo or M8 Music Tracker?
M8 Music Tracker is rated higher. Drambo averages 4.8 out of 5 from 330 ratings, while M8 Music Tracker averages 5.0 from 106 ratings.
Do Drambo or M8 Music Tracker have ads?
Neither Drambo nor M8 Music Tracker shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Drambo or M8 Music Tracker?
Drambo ships an update every 5 weeks, and M8 Music Tracker every 4 days. Most recently, Drambo was updated on October 26, 2026 and M8 Music Tracker on October 26, 2026.
Which is more popular, Drambo or M8 Music Tracker?
Drambo currently peaks at #105 in the App Store charts, and M8 Music Tracker at #40. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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