Combustor vs Riffer Madness
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Combustor
This audio effect extension transforms tracks with a unique time-bending resonator. Create vibrant textures, subtle resonances, and dynamic sweeps. It's designed for electronic musicians and producers seeking to add wild or organic qualities to their sounds.
- Time bending resonator effect
- Creates distorted textures and physical resonance
- Envelope follower for dynamic control
- MIDI input for melodic control
- Performative interface
- AUv3 compatible
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*** Note: Combustor is an Audio Unit effect extension and requires an AUv3 compatible host app, like Logic Pro, Drambo or GarageBand. It does not run as a standalone app *** Combustor is a unique, wild resonating body fashioned to spice up or extremely transform your tracks. At the heart of Combustor is a custom time bending resonator that doesn't sound like anything you have heard before. You can create anything from vibrant, distorted texture, perfectly suited for "hardcore" electronic musicians, to subtle physical resonance, which is often lacking in synthesized sounds. Combustor contains an envelope follower, to create dynamic-controlled pitch or filter sweeps. It also has MIDI input, that controls resonator's pitch, to make something melodic and organic out of non-melodic sounds, like drums. With just a few knob turns, a boring sound can be turned into screaming madness that sounds like it went out of control. A simple and straightforward interface makes Combustor a performative tool that allows you to directly interact with your sound.
Riffer Madness
Easily record, clip, and arrange musical ideas with a tempo-first approach. Capture audio, loop it, and experiment with arrangements using intuitive tools. Export your creations to share your music.
- Audio recording with metronome and backing track
- Clip audio to exact beats
- Arrange clips on a beat timeline
- Low latency playback
- Duplicate clips without storage penalty
- Metadata management with tags
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Capture your instrument or voice as ideas come and explore how they fit together with an efficient tempo based approach. Record, clip, arrange, and listen, with ease. Explore: • Library: import, filter, sort, manage, share, and preview all your creations • Recorder: capture unprocessed audio from the bottom mic while metronome clicks play in headphones • Editor: clip audio to make Riffs • Canvas: arrange Riffs and Arrangements over beat lines Concepts: • Audio: imported or recorded to be used in Riffs • Riff: clipped audio • Madness: the Lovecraftian kind • Arrangement: musical slots arranged on a 10 minute canvas of beat lines (Arrangements can also be nested within other Arrangements) • Slot: either a Riff or an Arrangement • Low Cut: removes low frequency noise that makes mixes muddy, also know as a high pass filter • BPM: beats per minute, the tempo Features: • Low latency playback - preview anything you create, quickly • Single audio source - make multiple Riffs from a single recording without storage penalties • Tools for metadata management - use tags to stay organized • Metronome clicks in headphones while recording - get your timing right • Backing track in headphones while recording - follow an Arrangement or practice a song • Auto level of recording gain by default, with a target of −23 LUFS • Default recording low cut of 30 Hz • Configurable theme colors • Siri AI controls for hands free jamming and practicing: + "Record with Riffer Madness" (Siri asks "What BPM?", then opens the app and records) + "Tag Audio in Riffer Madness" (Siri asks "With what tags?", then adds them to the latest created audio) TOOLS Library: • Sort • Audio filter • Eye Button (context sensitive): - (No slots selected) + Create Empty Arrangements + Create Riffs + Settings - (One or more slots selected) + Arrange: start a new Arrangement with the selected slot(s) + Duplicate + Share + Tag + Delete • Arrangements filter • FIlter Recorder: • Set BPM • Toggle headphones • Configure backing track with count-in and loop settings • Record from bottom mic with no audio processing Editor: • Adjust Clip Boundaries • Play • Loop (toggle) • Metronome (toggle): BPM can be changed in the Book tool • Snap to Leading Beat (toggle): leading clip edge snaps to beat lines • Snap to Trailing Beat (toggle): trailing clip edge snaps to beat lines • Focus: zoom to the region of selected slots • Adjust Gain and Low Cut • Book: edit metadata: name, start, end, gain, low cut, BPM, color, and tags Canvas: • Rectangle Select (long hold on the Canvas will trigger it) • Play • Loop (toggle) • Metronome (toggle): BPM can be changed in the Book tool • Snap to Leading Beat (toggle): slots snap their leading edge to the nearest beat when dragged • Snap to Trailing Beat (toggle): slots snap their trailing edge to the nearest beat when dragged • Slot Tools: + Group (toggle): treat selected slots as a single unit + Tornado: arrange selected slots end to end + Duplicate: copy selected slots and place copies + Focus: zoom to the region of selected slots + Delete: remove selected slots from the canvas • Library: import Riffs and Arrangements • Book: edit metadata: name, BPM, color, and tags CONTACT Questions or feedback? Please contact us at support@riffermadness.app.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Combustor at none against Riffer Madness's 3. Combustor also leads on ratings volume (20 vs 3) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 18.0). Riffer Madness's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 80%) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On rating, ads, monetization model 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
Combustor costs $4.99 and Riffer Madness $1.99 up front. Riffer Madness sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Combustor asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Combustor against 4.7 for Riffer Madness. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Combustor has 20 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 80% of Combustor's written reviews are positive against 100% of Riffer Madness's.
Combustor ships an update every 2 months, Riffer Madness every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Combustor | Riffer Madness |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | $1.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (20 ratings) — better | 4.7 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 80.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 20 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | BeepStreet | Joseph Granados |
Customer experience
Combustor
Riffer Madness
In-app purchases
Combustor
No in-app purchases
Riffer Madness
- $1$1.00
- $3$3.00
- $6$6.00









