Comparison

Cubasis 2 vs DM2 The Drum Machine

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

Head to head
About

Cubasis 2

This mobile music creation system allows users to record, edit, mix, and share their music. It offers real-time time-stretching, pitch-shifting, a studio-grade channel strip, and a variety of instruments and effects to enhance musical projects.

Highlights
  • Unlimited audio and MIDI tracks
  • Real-time time-stretching and pitch-shifting
  • Virtual analog synthesizer and sampler
  • Studio-grade channel strip with effects
  • MIDI Editor with CC support
  • Export to Cubase and cloud services
Read full description

*** CUBASIS 3 IS NOW AVAILABLE *** Enjoy a brand-new and fully redesigned Cubasis app, which runs on the iPhone and iPad, and adds many user-requested features and improvements! Cubasis 2 equals ease of use and is as powerful as a fully featured iOS-based music production system can be pushing your capabilities out of limits. Whether you’re capturing simple ideas or complex musical masterpieces — It ships with outstanding, touch-optimized tools carrying you into the fun of recording, editing, mixing and sharing your music with the world right away. Get fascinated by the brand new features that Cubasis 2 comes with such as real-time time-stretching and pitch-shifting, a studio-grade channel strip, pro-sounding effects, massive instrument refills, a refreshed MIDI Editor and many more powerful features. Put hands on three internal instruments, numerous loops and instrument sounds to creatively lift your music to perfection using the included mixer and effects. Once recorded, share your music with the world via a simple tap or transfer it directly to Cubase. Key features • Unlimited number of audio and MIDI tracks • 24 assignable physical inputs and outputs • 32-bit floating point audio engine • Audio I/O resolution of up to 24-bit/96 kHz • iOS 32- and 64-bit support • Real-time time-stretching and pitch-shifting featuring zplane’s élastique 3 • Micrologue virtual analog synthesizer with 126 ready-to-go presets • MicroSonic with over 120 virtual instrument sounds based on HALion Sonic, HALiotron and Allen Morgan drum kits • MiniSampler to create your own instruments (includes 20 factory instruments) • Mixer with studio-grade channel strip per track and 17 effect processors • Super-versatile RoomWorks SE* reverb effect providing uniquely professional sound and an intuitive graphical display for instant visual feedback at slightest parameter changes • Fully automatable DJ-like Spin FX effect plug-in • Over 550 MIDI and time-stretch-capable audio loops • Virtual keyboard, chord and drum pads with intuitive note repeat control • Sample Editor and Key Editor with MIDI CC support • Refreshed MIDI Editor with ultra-intuitive, lightning fast and accurate handling to edit MIDI tracks and compose music easier than ever before • MIDI Auto Quantize • Track Duplicate • Automation, MIDI CC, program change and aftertouch support • Export to Cubase, iCloud Drive, external hard drives, wireless flash drives, Dropbox, SoundCloud, AudioCopy and email • Core Audio and Core MIDI compatible hardware supported • MIDI over Bluetooth LE support • Full Audio Unit, Inter-App Audio and Audiobus 3 support to use compatible apps as insert/send effects and virtual instruments or simply record their audio output • Import audio from your iTunes music library or iCloud Drive or iTunes file sharing, use AudioPaste or set up a Wi-Fi server in Cubasis • Audio mixdown and MIDI export • MIDI clock and MIDI thru support "Probably the best iPad-based DAW in terms of usability and flexibility, and it links up with Cubase on your desktop, too." — MusicTech.net "So all in all Cubasis is a hands down victory. Everything supplied here works and works perfectly. If you are a Cubase user and own an iPad, this is simply a no brainer, you have to have it." — askaudiomag.com Technical support http://www.steinberg.net/cubasisforum Polyphony: 48 voices: iPad 2, iPad mini 128 voices: iPad 3, iPad 4, iPad mini 2, iPad mini 3, iPad Air, iPad Air 2, iPad Pro *User registration required to unlock RoomWorks SE reverb effect. Audio Unit extension requires iPad Mini 2, iPad 4 or newer model. Audio Unit and Waves plug-in (in-app purchase) automation requires iOS 10 or higher. Audio Unit MIDI and Files app require iOS 11 or higher. Project export to Cubase requires Cubase Pro 9/Pro 9.5, Cubase Artist 9/9.5, Cubase LE/AI/Elements 9 or higher. Cubasis project importer extension must be installed and is available at http://www.steinberg.net/cubasisimporter

About

DM2 The Drum Machine

Create and manipulate electronic beats with a synthesis-based drum machine. Features a graphic editor for sound design, a step sequencer with customizable patterns, and finger-drumming capabilities. Includes a mixer, effects processor, and song arrangement tools for exporting and sharing your music.

Highlights
  • Synthesis-based sound creation
  • Graphic sound editor
  • 16/32 step sequencer with polymetric options
  • Finger-drumming with recording and quantization
  • Professional mixer and FX section
  • Song arrangement and export capabilities
  • MIDI mappable with over 130 parameters
Read full description

DM2 is a synthesis-based drum machine with a dedicated graphic editor, for the creation and manipulation of sound . Yeah, blah blah blah… let’s start again. Your lucky stars have all aligned. There are blue skies and smooth sailing ahead. So throw your worries away, and get ready for DM2 to bring endless fun and blissful joy to your face. Your colleagues and friends will be amazed at the new you, wondering how your fingers produce such ravishing beats. Strangers may come up to you in cafés and ask you, “That rhythm sounds like heaven. How do you do that?”. Life can be good, so tap your feet, shake your head and let’s start making some groovy electronic beats with DM2. DM2 has been made by the core team that brought you DM1, one of the consistent best selling drum machines for iPad, awarded with an Apple Design Award in 2012. If DM1 was cool, DM2 is ice cold. Now let’s talk business. DM2 contains 6 pages. Each page does 1 thing. Or perhaps 2. A BIG, BIG STEP SEQUENCER. 16 or 32 step patterns. Or why not 7 or 25 steps? Or even polymetric tracks (poly what? no worries, just a fancy word for complex rhythms, yet super easy to make). And while we are at it, steps can also be singles, duplets, triplets or quadruplets for even sophisticated rhythms. Again it is all about drawing funny objects to make funky beats. THE DRUMS PAGE. Where the sonic magic happens. Six touchable graphs to create sounds. Oscillators, LFOs, filters, noise generators, all the usual suspects in a drawable interface. This may look a tiny bit daunting at first, but the beauty is that whatever you touch, you’re not going to break anything. So give everything a whirl, and get experimental. And if you need some inspiration, DM2 contains plenty of ready-made sounds too. THE PADS PAGE. Maybe you prefer finger-drumming? Sure, go ahead. Press REC and record your rhythms. Of course, there is an automatic quantize function, so that you’ll never miss a beat again. THE MIXER PAGE. Big and beautiful, it will transform your iPad into a professional mixing desk for the price of a magazine. THE FX SECTION. A powerful Effect processor. Just switch everything on and see where it takes you. THE SONG PAGE. Last but not least, put all your hard work in the previous pages together in a shiny song. DM2 is fully MIDI-mappable with more than 130 assignable parameters that can be controlled by an external MIDI controller. Finally, because music makes the people come together and mixes both the bourgeoisie and the rebel, you can export your creations to share with the world. DM2 is packed full of save/import/export abilities. Ahh, the wonder of modern technology! For anyone interested in immersing themselves in some tech specs, please see below. Otherwise, feel free to stop reading now, grab your copy of DM2, and get jamming. What are you waiting for? ———————————————————————————————— Website : www.audionomy.fr Youtube : www.audionomy.fr/youtube.htm Facebook : www.facebook.com/audionomydev Twitter : www.twitter.com/ audionomyapps ———————————————————————————————— • Graphic design by Jonas Eriksson, world class graphic master • Drum kits can be saved, exported and imported (iTunes, iCloud, Dropbox, etc) • 16 or 32 Steps Polymetric Sequencer • Single, duplet, triplet or quadruplet step • Audio Synthesis with graphic editor • 1 oscillator + 1 noise generator • 2 self-oscillating filters • 2 volume envelopes • Pitch modulation • Distortion per track • Stereo panning • Copy, paste and swap sounds • Pads to record patterns, with Beat Repeat effect • Full Mixing Desk • 4 Effect Pads : Compressor | Overdrive | Phaser | Chorus | Delay | Reverb • Mode song • Songs export and import • Export audio • Full Midi implementation • Audiobus + IAA + Ableton Link compatible ————————————————————————————————

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: DM2 The Drum Machine at $5.99 against Cubasis 2's $14.00. DM2 The Drum Machine also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 9) and rating (4.3 vs 3.9). Cubasis 2's advantage is ratings volume (239 vs 14). On ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

Cubasis 2 costs $14.00 and DM2 The Drum Machine $5.99 up front. Cubasis 2 sells 9 one-off in-app purchases. DM2 The Drum Machine asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

DM2 The Drum Machine holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cubasis 2 has 239 ratings behind it against 14, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 58% of Cubasis 2's written reviews are positive against 67% of DM2 The Drum Machine's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cubasis 2 ships an update every 3 months, DM2 The Drum Machine every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Cubasis 2 versus DM2 The Drum Machine: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCubasis 2DM2 The Drum Machine
Price$14.00$5.99 — better
Rating3.9 (239 ratings)4.3 (14 ratings) — better
Positive reviews58.3% of reviews66.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings239 — better14
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPadiPad
Requires iOS12.012.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.1 GB91 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSteinberg Media Technologies GmbHPascal Douillard

Customer experience

Cubasis 2

All ratings239 ratings
Positive68.2%
Neutral10.9%
Negative20.9%
Written reviews607 reviews
Positive58.3%
Neutral14.3%
Negative27.3%

DM2 The Drum Machine

All ratings13 ratings
Positive76.9%
Neutral7.7%
Negative15.4%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral6.7%
Negative26.7%

Bugs and requests

Cubasis 2

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes when loading certain third-party plugins
  • MIDI sync issues with external hardware
  • Waveform display glitches when zooming
  • Incompatibility with older iPad models

Requested features

5 requests
  • MIDI control mapping for external controllers
  • Tempo and time signature automation
  • Improved audio editing tools
  • More built-in instruments and sound libraries
  • Seamless Cubase project integration

DM2 The Drum Machine

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

9 purchases

Cubasis 2

One-time9
  • Micrologue ARP$2.49
  • Waves Tune Real-Time$2.49
  • FX Pack 1: Reverbs & Delays$3.49
Show 6 more
  • FX Pack 2: Vintage FX$3.49
  • Classic Machines$3.49
  • Waves AudioTrack$7.99
  • Waves L1 Ultramaximizer$7.99
  • Waves Q10 Equalizer$7.99
  • Waves Plug-in Bundle$9.99
None

DM2 The Drum Machine

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Cubasis 2 free?
Cubasis 2 costs $14.00, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is DM2 The Drum Machine free?
DM2 The Drum Machine costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Cubasis 2 or DM2 The Drum Machine?
DM2 The Drum Machine is rated higher. Cubasis 2 averages 3.9 out of 5 from 239 ratings, while DM2 The Drum Machine averages 4.3 from 14 ratings.
Do Cubasis 2 or DM2 The Drum Machine have ads?
Neither Cubasis 2 nor DM2 The Drum Machine shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Cubasis 2 or DM2 The Drum Machine?
Cubasis 2 ships an update every 3 months, and DM2 The Drum Machine every 6 weeks. Most recently, Cubasis 2 was updated on September 21, 2026 and DM2 The Drum Machine on September 16, 2026.

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