S98Player for iPhone vs FingerDrumPad
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
S98Player for iPhone
This app plays sound logs in S98 format and PMD files from Yamaha FM sound chips. Enjoy chiptunes with features like album art, loop/shuffle playback, adjustable volume, and CarPlay support for on-the-go listening.
- Plays S98 and PMD file formats
- High-quality FM synthesis
- Adjustable sound source volumes
- Loop and shuffle playback
- CarPlay support
- File transfer via Files app
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S98Player plays the FM synth music of the PC-9801 and X68000 on your iPhone and iPad. Alongside sound logs (S98), the PMD, FMP and MDX drivers are built into the app, so you can drop the original song files straight in and play them. Formats - S98 (Version 1 / 3) — .s98 - PMD — .m / .m2 / .mz / .mp / .ms / .pmd - FMP — .opi / .ovi / .ozi / .mfm / .mf2 / .m86 / .m26 - MDX — .mdx (put .pdx in the same folder for songs that use ADPCM) Voiced for the machine The same FM chip sounded different on each computer: the external DAC and the analogue stage after it were not the same. PC-98, PC-88, X68000 and X1turboZ each have their own DAC, output stage, cutoff and per-chip mix. The machine is chosen from the S98 system tag, and can also be set in Settings.plist. Channel monitor Watch every channel on a piano-style keyboard while the music plays, with level meters, stereo panning, rhythm pads and a spectrum analyser. Tap a row to mute it, long-press to solo, and study each part on its own. Waveform seek bar The seek bar is a waveform. It draws the intro and one turn of the loop, and shows which time around you are on by how dark it is. Drag it to jump anywhere. More - Rotate your iPhone for a two-pane view: keyboard and spectrum analyser - Song info shows everything the file contains, unmodified - Album and song details can be edited in the app, album art included - You are told when a PCM file is missing - CarPlay support - Shuffle, and looping over an album Rhythm samples To hear the OPNA rhythm section you need ym2608_adpcm_rom.bin, or the rhythm files (2608_BD.WAV / 2608_HH.WAV / 2608_RIM.WAV / 2608_SD.WAV / 2608_TOM.WAV / 2608_TOP.WAV). Put them in the S98Player folder under "On My iPhone" in the Files app. Song files go there too, in a folder per album. Third-party software - PMDWin Ver. 0.52 Copyright & Programmed by C60 - ymfm Copyright (C) Aaron Giles - 98Fmplayer (fmdriver) Copyright (c) 2016 Takamichi Horikawa - portable_mdx (MXDRV) Copyright (C) 2018 Yosshin (MXDRV: milk. / K.MAEKAWA / Missy.M / Yatsube / GORRY / m_puusan)
FingerDrumPad
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Become a drummer, just with your fingertips. Plug in headphones and leave the bulky drum kit behind. Play real drums silently, even late at night. FingerDrumPad is a second drum kit that fits in the palm of your hand. ■ Total freedom in pad shape and placement Pads are free-form polygons with 3 to 10 vertices, placeable anywhere on screen. Make the kick large and round, the snare wide and horizontal, the hi-hat small and compact. Create as many original kits as you like, tailored to your own hands. ■ A practice mode that accelerates your progress Every hit is judged in real time. Detailed feedback — Perfect / Good / Early / Late — plus combos, scores, and ranks (S–D) turns daily practice into something you'll look forward to. Your timing habits are visualized as a heatmap, with per-pad statistics and a "pad to focus on next" suggestion. Daily streaks and weekly summaries keep your motivation going. Includes 100+ charts across 10 genres — rock, pop, funk, jazz, Latin, reggae, and more. Start free with the Basic charts. ■ A step sequencer that builds patterns and exports to your DAW Assemble rhythm patterns on 16th- and 32nd-note grids. Odd time signatures like 3/4, 5/4, and 7/4 are supported too. Send your patterns to Practice mode to play them, or export them as MIDI files to take into your DAW. ■ Expand your sound endlessly Load your favorite SF2 SoundFont and use it as an entire kit. Sounds matching the GM standard get the right colors and names automatically, so a brand-new kit takes seconds. Assign any AUv3 instrument plugin to a pad to turn FingerDrumPad into the ultimate touch instrument. A built-in scanner detects which notes actually produce sound, so you'll never guess which note to pick. ■ Packed with thoughtful details ・Multi-touch for both hands at once, plus choke by holding a cymbal pad ・Touch velocity that senses how hard you hit (with per-finger calibration) ・Haptic feedback you can feel with every hit ・Metronome supporting 40–200 BPM and 1–12 beats per measure ・Ensemble mode that plays along to songs from your music library (change playback speed from 50–100% while preserving pitch) ・An interactive tutorial so you'll never feel lost ・Custom drum maps you can register for MIDI modules like Roland and Yamaha ・In-app help via the "?" button on every screen ■ Private by design Crash reporting is off by default. Nothing is sent unless you explicitly opt in. Your practice history and settings stay on your device. ■ Unlock everything with Pro A single one-time purchase lifts the limits on kits and patterns you can save, and unlocks all 100+ charts across 10 genres, SF2 SoundFont import, and AUv3 plugins. No subscription. Plug in your headphones and start drumming with your fingertips today.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: S98Player for iPhone at none against FingerDrumPad's 1. S98Player for iPhone also leads on iOS requirement (16.6 vs 18.0). On price, 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
Both are free to download. FingerDrumPad sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. S98Player for iPhone asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | S98Player for iPhone | FingerDrumPad |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 83.3% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 36 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Hiroaki Kimura | Toshihide Nakamura |
In-app purchases
S98Player for iPhone
No in-app purchases
FingerDrumPad
- Unlock Pro$9.99
Questions
Is S98Player for iPhone free?
Is FingerDrumPad free?
Do S98Player for iPhone or FingerDrumPad have ads?
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