Melodics vs Synth Brain
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Melodics
Learn drums with interactive lessons and instant feedback on any drum kit or practice pad. Improve your rhythm and technique with structured exercises and a vast song library. Practice anytime, anywhere, and track your progress with this comprehensive drumming companion.
- Interactive drum lessons
- Instant feedback on playing
- Works with acoustic/electronic drums & practice pads
- 500+ lessons and songs
- Progress tracking tools
- Structured learning system
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Learn drums with the only drum app that syncs with any drum kit and gives you instant feedback on your playing. Whether you use acoustic drums, electronic drums, or just a practice pad, Melodics offers interactive drum lessons that help you improve every time you play. Our fun, step-by-step drum learning system, designed by pro players, caters to all skill levels. Plus, access a wide range of drum songs across rock, pop, metal, jazz, and more. Real drumming, real feedback, real results - all from your phone. HOW IT WORKS Melodics uses your iPhone’s built-in mic and smart audio tech to recognize your drum kit or practice pad - no extra gear required. Just calibrate your drum set-up and the app will give immediate insights on every beat. For electronic drum kits, connect easily via Bluetooth or wired options. Follow the setup instructions in the app to get going. Whether you're working on your first drum beat on a pad or tightening up your fills across the whole drum kit, you’ll be building better habits from day one. STICK WITH IT, GET RESULTS With Melodics, drum practice becomes something you look forward to - not a chore. Just 10 minutes a day can lead to serious improvement. Choose from 500+ drum lessons, featuring a huge range of drum content: drum rudiments, drum grooves, drum fills, drum drills, and drum songs for all levels. Use practice tools to slow things down, loop tricky parts, and track your progress. It’s like having a drum tutor or drum trainer in your pocket. WHY CHOOSE MELODICS - With Melodics, you're 6x more likely to improve than with traditional drum learning methods. - It is the only drum app that provides feedback on your playing, on all drum setups (acoustic, electronic or practice pad) - Our catalog covers everything from fundamental drum techniques to advanced rhythmic patterns. - You’ll start learning drums through structured lessons, and get playing your favourite songs in no time. - Build speed, strength, and control with focused warm-ups, drum rudiments, and exercises. - You can practice anytime, anywhere, on any surface with just a pair of drum sticks! - Join a global community of passionate drummers, all growing together. WHAT PRO DRUMMERS SAY ABOUT MELODICS "I wish I’d had Melodics when I was learning drums!" - Butch Vig - Award-winning producer of Nevermind, drummer for Garbage. "Melodics is a great tool for learning songs. It allows people to see what they might have been missing when listening to improve accuracy" - Ilan Rubin - Drummer for Nine Inch Nails, Angels & Airwaves, and solo artist. "Melodics is one of the best innovative tools to keep you in the practice room and having fun doing so." - KJ Sawka - Grammy-nominated drummer & producer, Pendulum DRUM TEACHERS OR STUDENTS Melodics works great alongside a drum tutor to help you maintain consistent practice and more easily showcase areas for improvement. It also compliments video learning platforms such as Drumeo, Drum Coach, Mikeslessons or ArtOfDrumming, by giving the addition of real-time feedback so you truly know how well you’re playing. How the subscription works: - Melodics offers 20 drum lessons free to all users. - To keep going, subscribe to unlock the full catalog of 500+ drum lessons & songs. - Choose a monthly or annual plan. - Manage your subscription in the Account section of the app. Support: We’re dedicated to giving you the best drumming experience possible. If you have any questions or suggestions, visit: https://melodics.com/support Join the Melodics drumming community: https://www.instagram.com/melodicshq/ https://www.youtube.com/@MelodicsDrumVault https://www.facebook.com/melodicshq/ https://www.tiktok.com/@melodicsdrumvault https://discord.gg/melodics https://www.reddit.com/r/Melodics/ For more info, check out our privacy policy & terms of use at: https://melodics.com/legal Happy drumming!
Synth Brain
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Learn synthesis by connecting what you see, hear, and change. Synth Brain is a step-by-step learning app for understanding synthesizers and sound design through concise visual lessons, A/B listening, hands-on patch labs, and focused ear training. Memorizing knob names is not enough. Synth Brain connects every control you change with the result you hear. Listen to a target, shape the sound yourself, and check the difference by ear. Follow one structured path from the fundamentals to advanced synthesis techniques. HOW YOU LEARN • Concise visual lessons organize the signal flow and the role of each parameter • A/B comparisons help separate loudness differences from timbral differences • Hands-on labs let you move the controls toward a target sound • Ear-training quizzes develop recognition of brightness, attack, beating, modulation, and more • A built-in synth playground lets you explore each technique freely CURRICULUM HIGHLIGHTS • Pitch, loudness, timbre, harmonics, and gain staging • Basic waveforms, noise, octaves, detuning, beating, and PWM • Low-pass, high-pass, and band-pass filters; cutoff, resonance, and key tracking • Amp and filter envelopes, including ADSR • LFO routing, vibrato, tremolo, wah, and modulation depth • Patch design for basses, leads, pads, plucks, and drums • Layering, chorus, delay, and reverb • FM, hard sync, ring modulation, and additive synthesis SYNTH BRAIN IS FOR YOU IF YOU WANT TO • Understand what the controls on a synthesizer actually do • Move beyond presets and build sounds yourself • Train your ears for music production and sound design • Learn foundations that transfer between hardware and software synthesizers MORE FEATURES • Japanese and English • Designed for iPhone and iPad • No account required • Learning progress stored on your device • A safety limiter that reduces sudden output peaks Protect your hearing and begin at a low listening level. For subtle comparisons, use headphones or wired earphones at a comfortable level. Turn visible controls into knowledge you can hear. Start shaping sound with Synth Brain.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Melodics at Free against Synth Brain's $14.99. Synth Brain's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). 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
Melodics is free to download; Synth Brain costs $14.99 up front. Melodics sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $34.99 per month. Synth Brain asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | Melodics | Synth Brain |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $14.99 |
| Rating | 4.7 (629 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 57.4% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 629 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Weekly | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 94 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Melodics Limited | Code and DESIGN inc. |
Bugs and requests
Melodics
Reported bugs
11 issues- Explore section always resets to Grade 1
- MIDI device connection feedback needed
- Snare drum not working
- App restarts when in the middle of a lesson
- App stops playing to headphones or won't pick up microphone
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- App reacts to ambient noise
- Timing is off, missing notes even when calibrated
- Inaccurate note recognition (e.g., kick vs. snare)
- Half of the songs and lessons do not work
- UI doesn't work near the edges of the screen
- Menus are confusing and navigation is difficult
Requested features
19 requests- Full iPad support
- Add Donner Ded-80 support
- Left-handed option
- More well-known artists/songs
- Chinese version of the app
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- Sheet music notations/tabs option
- Setting for more demanding note precision
- Auto BPM to go above lesson BPM
- Tagging feature for skills
- Easier way to heart songs
- Path to learning regular drum notation
- Consider dynamics in lessons
- Allow users to enter and save own phrases
- More instrument options (snare, bells)
- Improve UI and menu navigation
- Add more songs and lessons
- Improve MIDI device connection feedback
- Make scoring system more straightforward
- Fix issues with Explore section resetting to Grade 1
Synth Brain
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Melodics
- Monthly Subscription$34.991 Month
- Annual Subscription$179.991 Year
Synth Brain
No in-app purchases









