Kyma Control vs DSM
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Kyma Control
This app acts as a versatile wireless controller for the Kyma Sound Design Workstation. It offers multiple control modes including a virtual surface mirror, pen tablet, keyboards, and motion controls, allowing for expressive sound manipulation away from your computer.
- Virtual Control Surface mirroring
- Multi-touch pen/tablet controller
- Standard and Tonnetz keyboards
- Accelerometer controls
- Compass heading control
- View and select active Sounds
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Kyma Control is the Swiss-army-knife of controllers for the Kyma Sound Design Workstation, providing four of the most popular Kyma controller-modes in one, wireless multi-touch package: a bi-directional mirror of Kyma's Virtual Control Surface, a multi-touch pen/tablet controller, a standard and a Tonnetz keyboard, accelerometer controls, and compass heading for using direction as a control. For use in the studio, on stage, in the lab, at home, or in classroom, Kyma Control frees you from having to sit in front of your laptop; put yourself inside the sound field and perform your Sounds in an expressive, intuitive manner using your hands and gestures. FEATURES • Auto-mapping, bi-directional multi-touch mirroring of Kyma's Virtual Control Surface (VCS) • View and select the active Sounds in a Kyma Multigrid • Pen/tablet surface tracking as many as 11 fingers with color trails to help you track finger position • A keyboard for sending !KeyDown and either continuous or discrete values for !KeyPitch & !KeyTimbre • A Tonnetz pitch-space with configurable vertical and horizontal intervals • Pitches can be rounded to equal tempered pitch, rounded only on !KeyDown and continuously variable after that, or, in Strum-mode, triggered when your finger passes by the key • Trigger or control Sounds with the iPad's accelerometer measurements in the X, Y, Z directions, as well as controls corresponding with Pitch, Roll and Yaw • Compass heading from the iPad's magnetometer tells you which way the iPad is pointing so you can use it for panning and other controls REQUIREMENTS • iPad, iOS 8 or newer • Symbolic Sound Kyma 7 (or newer) with Paca(rana) Sound Computation Engine • WiFi or Ethernet connection to network accessible to the Paca(rana)
DSM
Manage your music setlists with precision. This app offers features for live performance, studio sessions, and practice, including click tracks, MIDI control, and hands-free operation. Sync your data across devices and customize your view.
- Setlist management with BPM and notes
- Customizable click track and audio playback
- MIDI integration for external device control
- Hands-free operation with foot switches
- Apple Watch app for wrist control
- Dropbox synchronization for data backup
- Dark and light mode options
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DSM Pure helps drummers and other musicians organize songs for rehearsals, concerts and live performances. Create a preset for every song with the information you need while playing. Group presets into chains to prepare setlists and keep the correct order throughout a performance. Key features: • Manage songs, presets and chains • Configure a click track for every song • Associate audio playback with presets • Follow tempo and playback with clear visual feedback • Reorder songs freely within a chain • Control the app remotely with AirTurn and iRig • Support practice sessions with Practise Manager • Back up, import and export your database DSM Pure brings song details, setlist order, tempo, audio and essential controls together in one place. Prepare a chain before rehearsal or a concert, then move through its presets while keeping the important information in view. Backup tools let you save and restore your database or move it between setups when needed. Designed for direct, dependable operation during preparation and on stage.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Kyma Control at 100% against DSM's 0%. Kyma Control also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.6). DSM's advantage is price (Free vs $14.99) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months). On ads 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
DSM is free to download; Kyma Control costs $14.99 up front. DSM sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Kyma Control asks for nothing beyond the download.
Kyma Control ships an update every 4 months, DSM every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Kyma Control | DSM |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $14.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 66 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Symbolic Sound Corporation | Andreas Schweiger |
Customer experience
Kyma Control
DSM
In-app purchases
Kyma Control
No in-app purchases
DSM
- Enable Setlist Printing$2.99
- Add Apple Watch Support$3.99
- Enable Live BPM Measurement$3.99
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- More Songs and Setlists$8.99









