volumeCTRL vs Drum
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
volumeCTRL
Gain precise control over your device's audio levels with this utility app. Adjust volume by percentage or dBFS, fine-tune with incremental steps, and temporarily dim or mute sound. Ideal for music, podcasts, and late-night media consumption.
- Precise volume adjustment by percentage or dBFS
- Keypad for exact value input
- Fine-tune volume with customizable step sizes
- Temporary dim and mute functions
- Seamless integration with device volume controls
- Universal app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch
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volumeCTRL is a simple utility that works alongside your iPhone/iPad’s built-in volume controls to give you precise control over its level. It is designed for anyone who needs or wants tighter, repeatable control over volume level. volumeCTRL lets you set the volume level using either Percent or dBFS (decibels from Full Scale). You can key in exact values with a handy on-screen keypad. Fine tune your setting using buttons which change the value in small steps. Dim or Mute the sound when you get interrupted temporarily. volumeCTRL is the perfect iPad Split View or Slide Over companion for listening to music, audiobooks, or podcasts. Use it with your favorite music app, such as Apple Music, Spotify, Qobuz, TIDAL Music, or Pandora. With volumeCTRL, you can get your late night listening level just right when you stream movies or TV shows while everything else is quiet. If you're picky about exactly how loud your device audio is, volumeCTRL is the right app for you. FEATURES - volumeCTRL lets you set your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch volume precisely + New Favorite Volume options let you set preferred volumes for various listening cases - Selectable Units: Percent (%) or Decibels from Full Scale (dBFS) - Virtual Keypad allows you to key in exact values - Volume Up/Down Buttons let you change the volume in fine-grained 0.5 % or about 0.5 dB steps + New in Version 1.1 You can customize the step size - Dim and Mute Buttons let you temporarily lower the volume and easily get back to your previous level - Dim lowers the volume by a fixed amount (Customizable, Default: 18 dB) Super handy for quieting down loud commercials! - Mute silences the audio completely - volumeCTRL peacefully coexists with the device’s built-in volume controls — use either and the other follows seamlessly - Supports both Dark and Light Mode Appearances - Supports Hardware Keyboards connected to iPads - volumeCTRL is a Universal App - it works on iPad, iPhone, & iPod touch - User Guide embedded in App - no internet connection required to read it - auDSPr strives to design Apps for Everyone - Languages: All auDSPr audio apps support for 简体中文, Español, русский, 日本語, Français, Deutsch, Svenska, Latviešu - Accessibility Features - VoiceOver screen reader support assists visually impaired users APPLICATIONS - Setting impactful yet safe listening levels when using headphones or in-ear monitors - Setting repeatable reference volumes for studio control rooms or audiophile listening rooms - Setting precise levels for hearing aid intelligibility SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS - BUYER BEWARE: Some Bluetooth devices have coarse volume implementations (see picture above). The coarse hardware volume defeats volumeCTRL’s fine software volume setting and prevents performance from behaving optimally! - volumeCTRL is verified to work beautifully with Apple AirPods - Compatible with iOS 11.0 & up (iPhone 5S, iPhone SE (1st Generation), iPod touch (6th Generation) & up) - Compatible with iPadOS 11.0 & up (iPad (5th Generation), iPad Pro (1st Generation), iPad Air (1st Generation), iPad mini 2,& up)
Drum
This app recreates the distinctive sound of early 1980s electronic drum modules combined with sampled real cymbal sounds. It offers a virtual analog engine for drum synthesis and a separate engine for realistic cymbal playback, providing a unique sonic palette for music production.
- Virtual analog engine for 80s drum sounds
- Sampled real cymbal sounds
- Dual sound engines for drums and cymbals
- Multiple output options
- Built-in effects (limiter, delay, reverb)
- Unlimited program storage
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Please note: 1) This App comes with an AUv3 plugin extension. 2) To play the cymbal samples, a separate download (free, in-app) of ~180 MB is required. The App also works without the cymbal samples. INSTRUMENT BACKGROUND We all know and use electronic drums today, but at the beginning of the 80's the first electronic drums were a real novelty that revolutionized not only the sound of music of those years, but also the workflow in the recording studio. Many producers preferred to record the sound of electronic drums rather than acoustic drums because it saved time and money, avoiding having to mount microphones, find the right positions, spend hours equalizing and correcting the recorded material. With an electronic drum set it was quicker: it was enough to connect the cables and maybe find the right sound for the song, which was a perfect scenario especially for many low-cost productions, for example those of pop music. The first electronic drums were completely analog, they generated the sounds of the drums using only a few elements such as an oscillator and a white noise generator, plus a couple of envelopes and a filter. The sound wasn't exactly realistic but it was peculiar, and perfect for creating certain sounds never heard before. The downside was that electronic drums could only generate the sound of drums but not cymbals. For this reason, the sound of real cymbals was recorded alongside the sound of electronic drums. This kind of setup was also used live quite often. It was common to see a drummer on stage playing the typical hexagonal pads but combined with a set of real cymbals. GSi Drum-80 reproduces that exact scenario. It contains two separate sound engines that can play at the same time. One engine recreates the sounds of the famous electronic drum module known as the Simmons SDS-V (very similar to the later SDS-8 model); at the same time, the exclusive GSi WLF Engine plays a multi-sample of real cymbals recorded exclusively for Drum-80. Main features - Virtual Analog Engine based on the famous SDS-V drum module - Optional VCO phase reset - Supports multiple outputs (one stereo mix, six individual drum synth channels, one stereo channel for Cymbals) - Sampled Cymbal sounds (Hi-Hat, Ride, 4 Crashes, 3 Splashes) provided by the exclusive GSi WLF Engine - Full Polyphony - Separate section with adjustments for Cymbal sounds (tuning, leveling and EQ) - Stereo 1176-Style Limiter - Stereo Delay effect - Stereo Reverb effect - Built-in programmer with unlimited Programs - Embedded user's manual - Available as Stand-alone application and audio plugin (AUv3 for iPad) - Very low CPU and RAM usage Visit home page for audio and video demos.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: volumeCTRL at $4.99 against Drum's $14.99. volumeCTRL also leads on chart position (#156 vs unranked). Drum's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 3.2) and review sentiment (80% vs 45%). On ratings volume, update cadence, 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
volumeCTRL costs $4.99 and Drum $14.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Drum holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 5 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 45% of volumeCTRL's written reviews are positive against 80% of Drum's.
volumeCTRL ships an update every 9 months, Drum every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on September 13, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | volumeCTRL | Drum |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 — better | $14.99 |
| Rating | 3.2 (9 ratings) | 4.8 (5 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 45.5% of reviews | 80.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 9 — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | Every 7 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #156 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 | 11.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 22 MB | 7 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | auDSPr | Genuine Soundware |
Customer experience
volumeCTRL
Drum
In-app purchases
volumeCTRL
No in-app purchases
Drum
No in-app purchases









