midiDREAMs vs BrainBud
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
midiDREAMs
This app is a powerful MIDI sequencer plugin for iOS music production. It allows users to create complex musical patterns with up to 64 steps and offers detailed control over pitch, velocity, and timing. It also includes a separate drum sequencer for beat creation.
- MIDI AUv3 sequencer plugin
- Up to 64 steps per pattern
- 16 virtual sliders for parameter control
- Ratcheting and probability features
- Separate x0x-style drum sequencer (midiDRUMs)
- Works with AUM, Audiobus, and other hosts
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midiDREAMs is a MIDI AUv3 sequencer plugin designed to work like a classic analog-style modular sequencer with 16 virtual sliders and up to 64 steps per pattern. It requires a music app host that supports MIDI AUv3 plugins such as AUM, Audiobus, Loopy Pro, Cubasis, ApeMatrix, etc, and runs within those host apps. You can use it to sequence synth apps running on your iPad or external hardware synthesizers connected with MIDI. Also included is midiDRUMs, a second MIDI AUv3 that is an x0x-grid style drum sequencer. This plugin should be used in host apps such as AUM, AudioBus, etc to sequence drum plugins and external drum machines. midiDREAMs features: MIDI AUv3 sequencer plugin that sends MIDI notes to your favorite app or hardware synth Works with AudioBus, AUM, ApeMatrix, Cubasis and other MIDI AUv3 host apps Up to 64 steps per pattern, with 16 patterns 16 virtual sliders control pitch, velocity, note length, probability 16 buttons each for gate on/off, skip step, last step, pattern Control note speed, sequence direction, set maj/min key and octave, re-sync Ratcheting with 2, 3 or 4 sub-steps per step, also probability based ratcheting per step Unlock pitch / vel / len / prob sequencers to run independently Extensive AU parameter control midiDRUMs features: MIDI AUv3 drum sequencer plugin that sends MIDI notes to your favorite drum app or hardware drum machine Works with AudioBus, AUM, ApeMatrix, Cubasis and other MIDI AUv3 host apps Up to 64 steps per pattern, with 16 patterns 8 parts, set triggers with a 16x8 grid Set velocity and probability per part, per step with 16 virtual sliders Customize kit to send different MIDI note numbers, and even on different MIDI channels AU parameter control
BrainBud
This app acts as a central controller for other music creation applications, allowing you to manage keys and scales simultaneously. It integrates with a variety of Bud apps via MIDI, enabling synchronized changes and broadcasting of musical parameters. Experiment with randomization and automate settings through its AUv3 plugin.
- Centralized key and scale control
- MIDI out to multiple Bud apps
- Budcast for parameter broadcasting
- Randomize musical parameters
- AUv3 plugin for automation
- Requires other Bud apps to function
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BrainBud controls the keys and scales of the Bud apps all at once. Connect BrainBud’s MIDI out to MIDI inputs of: - SnakeBud - PolyBud - MelodyBud - ShiftBud - ScaleBud 2 - In Theory - Textquencer - Binarhythmic - Auto Bass - BounceBud - MuseBud - Kebarp - FuncBud - Note to Be You can also broadcast the current key/scale to the newly connected apps with Budcast button. If you’d like to experiment, you can try the randomise button. With the AUv3 plugin, you can change the BrainBud's parameters or even automate them with AU parameters. For using the AUv3 plugin make sure you have an AUv3 host app such as AUM, Cubasis, Nanostudio, apeMatrix. BrainBud is a MIDI based app and requires other Bud apps present in order to work right. If you don't have any other Bud apps mentioned above, you can't make a use of BrainBud. BrainBud doesn't produce any kind of sound on its own.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: BrainBud at $2.99 against midiDREAMs's $9.99. BrainBud also leads on device support (3 vs 1). midiDREAMs's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (6 vs 2). On rating, review sentiment, 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
midiDREAMs costs $9.99 and BrainBud $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 — 5.0 for midiDREAMs against 5.0 for BrainBud. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 2 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
midiDREAMs ships an update every 3 weeks, BrainBud every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on July 18, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | midiDREAMs | BrainBud |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 | $2.99 — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (6 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 6 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.4 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 15 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Arthur Kerns | Cem Olcay |
Customer experience
midiDREAMs
BrainBud
In-app purchases
midiDREAMs
No in-app purchases
BrainBud
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is midiDREAMs free?
Is BrainBud free?
Which has better reviews, midiDREAMs or BrainBud?
Do midiDREAMs or BrainBud have ads?
Which is updated more often, midiDREAMs or BrainBud?
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