Ripple Drum Synth vs Grainsmith Field
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Ripple Drum Synth
Shape unique drum sounds with a versatile synthesizer. Control sonic character via an XY pad, LFOs, and randomization. Enhance your creations with a selection of built-in effects.
- Shapeable drum sound engines
- XY pad for sonic control
- LFO modulation
- Randomization options
- Built-in effects
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Ripple is a shape-able drum synth. Use the XY pad to dial in the sonic character of 4 custom drum sound engines. Use the LFOs and randomization options to keep things interesting. Add finishing touches with a choice set of effects
Grainsmith Field
Transform any sound into unique sonic textures using a powerful granular synthesizer. Manipulate audio with multiple playheads, record live input, and play it like an instrument via MIDI. Optimized for mobile, it offers extensive control and export options.
- Granular synthesis engine
- Multiple independent playheads
- Live audio recording and manipulation
- MIDI instrument mode
- AUv3 music effect
- Performance recording with Live Activity
- Built-in reverb and filter
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Grainsmith Field is a granular instrument for iPad and iPhone. Load a sound or record one live, then pull it apart into grains. Stretch and scatter it until it stops sounding like the source, or pitch it and play it like an instrument. It shares its granular engine with our desktop Grainsmith plugin, but it's rebuilt for touch. Field is a single multitouch screen: four XY pads control paired parameters (Density and Size, Jitter and Spread, Pitch and Reverse, Cutoff and Resonance), and a Morph control sweeps several at once. THREE PLAYHEADS Run up to three independent grain streams from one sample at the same time. Each head has its own position, speed, pitch, level, pan, grain size, and spread. Grab a playhead line on the waveform to move it independently, or move them as a group. Double-tap to gather them. Set a second head a fifth or an octave away and the streams blend into a single granular texture. MODULATION Six modulation slots drive the controls: LFOs and Euclidean patterns with per-route depth, assigned by long-pressing a knob. The MOVE dial sets the Morph macro itself in motion, and each destination drifts on its own phase. Rates sync to tempo, in the app or from the host clock. RECORD AND MANGLE Capture audio from your hardware input and granulate it as it comes in, or loop a phrase and let the engine chew on it. Scrub the waveform directly. Freeze the grain cloud to hold a sound for as long as you want. Run the stereo delay to smear the grain tails into echoes; it syncs to tempo too. Export captures as WAV to the Files app. RECORD YOUR PERFORMANCE Start a recording from the presets menu and everything you play is captured to a WAV file. Keep playing through app switches and screen locks; a Lock Screen Live Activity shows while recording runs. Recordings save to the Files app and share straight from Field. PLAY IT AS AN INSTRUMENT Switch to Instrument mode and play the grain engine from a MIDI keyboard: four-voice polyphony, an attack/release envelope, and a root-note control. The pitch ribbon snaps to musical intervals: Free, Chromatic, Scale, Octaves, or Oct+5ths, with twelve scale options and a probability control. Works with hardware MIDI in the standalone app and with host MIDI in AUv3. USE IT IN YOUR HOST The AUv3 music effect loads in AUM, Logic for iPad, and other AUv3 hosts. Parameters are exposed for host automation and MIDI learn. Your patch saves and restores with the session, including head count, every per-head control, the modulation slots, and pitch snap mode. ALSO IN THE BOX - Ten factory presets grouped by character, with a browser and a Favorites section for your own - Background audio: the standalone keeps playing when you switch apps - Reverb, stereo delay with tempo sync, filter, grain-shape windows, pitch randomization - Runs on iPhone with a compact layout No account and no subscription. Field collects no data.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Ripple Drum Synth at $4.99 against Grainsmith Field's $11.99. Grainsmith Field's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs monthly) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and 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
Ripple Drum Synth costs $4.99 and Grainsmith Field $11.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Ripple Drum Synth against 5.0 for Grainsmith Field. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 5 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
Ripple Drum Synth ships an update monthly, Grainsmith Field every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Ripple Drum Synth | Grainsmith Field |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 — better | $11.99 |
| Rating | 5.0 (7 ratings) | 5.0 (5 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 7 — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 33 MB | 81 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Brian Hurlow | Plastic Factory LLC |
Customer experience
Ripple Drum Synth
Grainsmith Field
In-app purchases
Ripple Drum Synth
No in-app purchases
Grainsmith Field
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Ripple Drum Synth free?
Is Grainsmith Field free?
Which has better reviews, Ripple Drum Synth or Grainsmith Field?
Do Ripple Drum Synth or Grainsmith Field have ads?
Which is updated more often, Ripple Drum Synth or Grainsmith Field?
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