Comparison

MIDI Pulse BPM Detecter vs Retrocord

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

Head to head
About

MIDI Pulse BPM Detecter

Features
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Ever wished your gear could just follow the music that's playing? MIDI Pulse BPM Detecter listens through the microphone, detects the BPM in real time, and keeps sending it to your equipment as MIDI Clock and Tap Tempo CC. Sync your delay pedals, arpeggiators, drum machines and loopers โ€” no more frantically tapping along to the track. LISTENS AND DETECTS โ€ข Fully automatic beat detection from the microphone โ€ข Auto mode analyzes Low / Mid / High / Full frequency bands simultaneously and picks whichever hears the beat most clearly โ€” kick-heavy tracks and hi-hat-driven grooves both lock in automatically โ€ข Or pin detection to a specific band: Kick, Snare, or Hi-Hat โ€ข Customizable detection range (60โ€“200 BPM), 2x BPM mode for double-time output โ€ข One-tap manual tempo setting with tap tempo SEE WHAT IT HEARS โ€ข Beat markers on the live waveform show exactly where each beat was recognized โ€ข Optional detection envelope overlay reveals what the detector is actually analyzing โ€ข Flash lamp blinking in sync with the BPM โ€ข Real-time waveform and level meter MIDI OUTPUT โ€ข MIDI Clock transmission (24 PPQN) โ€ข Tap Tempo CC messages (customizable CC number and channel) โ€ข Bluetooth MIDI support โ€” connect to your gear wirelessly โ€ข Auto-gain keeps detection stable even at low volumes (up to 30x) BUILT FOR THE STAGE โ€ข Settings save automatically and apply instantly โ€ข MIDI send / beat detection indicators โ€ข Pause and resume anytime In the DJ booth, at rehearsal, on stage: stop matching tempo by ear and let the phone in your pocket handle it.

About

Retrocord

Features
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Retrocord is a retroactive multitrack audio recorder. It works like a tape that's always recording from your selected input, so when you play something worth keeping, you can save the last few minutes โ€” after the fact. How it works Choose your audio input and a buffer length. Retrocord records silently in the background. When you want to keep what you just played, tap a duration to capture. The audio lands in your library as a recording you can play back, edit, organize, and export. Multitrack support Retrocord records every channel your audio input exposes, each as its own track. Connect a class-compliant multichannel USB audio interface โ€” such as the Focusrite Scarlett series or similar โ€” and capture individual inputs as separate stems. Mute and solo tracks during playback, then export them to your DAW to mix and arrange later. Edit before you export Retrocord lets you shape a capture without leaving the app: - Trim โ€” set start and end points against a recording to keep only the part that matters - Split โ€” cut a capture in two at the playhead to create separate recordings - Gain โ€” adjust level in 3 dB steps, up to ยฑ24 dB Your library, on every device Recordings live in an organized library โ€” sessions hold captures, captures hold tracks โ€” with waveforms, names, and durations at a glance. Your library syncs privately across your iPhone, iPad, and Mac through your own iCloud account. Lossless, and smaller Captures are stored as Apple Lossless (ALAC) โ€” full 24-bit, 48 kHz quality at roughly half the size of uncompressed WAV. When it's time to move audio out, export individual tracks or a flattened mix as ALAC or 24-bit WAV, with your trim and gain applied. Use cases - Capturing jams and improvisations without arming a DAW - Recording stems from multichannel audio interfaces - Field recording, where the moment you want has already passed by the time you'd hit record - Interviews and spoken word, where restarting a conversation to get a clean take isn't an option - Practice sessions, rehearsals, and songwriting where good ideas surface unpredictably Details - Works with any class-compliant USB audio interface - Also supports the built-in microphone on iPhone and iPad - Stereo pairing toggle for interleaved L/R channels - Per-track mute and solo during playback - Non-destructive trim, split, and gain - Apple Lossless (ALAC) storage; export to ALAC or 24-bit/48 kHz WAV - Private iCloud sync across your devices, through your own iCloud account - No third-party account, no analytics โ€” your recordings are yours

Screenshots

MIDI Pulse BPM Detecter4 screens
Retrocord4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: MIDI Pulse BPM Detecter at Free against Retrocord's $19.99. Retrocord's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 months). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

MIDI Pulse BPM Detecter is free to download; Retrocord costs $19.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MIDI Pulse BPM Detecter ships an update every 5 months, Retrocord every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
MIDI Pulse BPM Detecter versus Retrocord: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMIDI Pulse BPM DetecterRetrocord
PriceFree โ€” better$19.99
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 3 weeks โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 โ€” better18.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size1 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPROTOTYPE LABS, LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANYRocamr Labs, LLC

In-app purchases

None

MIDI Pulse BPM Detecter

No in-app purchases

None

Retrocord

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MIDI Pulse BPM Detecter free?
MIDI Pulse BPM Detecter is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Retrocord free?
Retrocord costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do MIDI Pulse BPM Detecter or Retrocord have ads?
Neither MIDI Pulse BPM Detecter nor Retrocord shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MIDI Pulse BPM Detecter or Retrocord?
MIDI Pulse BPM Detecter ships an update every 5 months, and Retrocord every 3 weeks. Most recently, MIDI Pulse BPM Detecter was updated on October 15, 2026 and Retrocord on October 17, 2026.

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