16 Drones vs ANALOGy8
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
16 Drones
Create evolving soundscapes and harmonic textures with a powerful ambient drone synthesizer. Shape layered drones using custom wavetables and envelopes, then perform expressively in key. Offers deep timbral control and flexible MIDI integration.
- 16 drone voices for layered textures
- Custom wavetable synthesis
- Per-voice drone envelopes
- Subtractive synthesis layer
- Expressive in-key performance voice
- Support for musical scales
- Standalone and AUv3 operation
- MIDI input and learn
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16 Drones is an ambient drone synthesizer built for evolving textures, harmonic soundscapes, and expressive in-key performance. Shape layered drones with a custom wavetable engine, per-voice controls, per-voice custom drone envelopes, and an additional subtractive layer. Then perform on top with a dedicated Play voice that stays in the same scale. Designed to be deep but immediate, 16 Drones gives you rich timbral control, musical scale exploration, expressive performance options, flexible MIDI workflow, and both standalone and AUv3 operation. Features: 16 drone voices for layered evolving textures Custom wavetable synthesis with per-voice control Per-voice custom drone envelopes for motion and character An additional subtractive layer for extra depth and weight A dedicated Play voice for expressive in-key performance Rich musical and exotic scales Standalone app and AUv3 instrument support MIDI input support for performance and control MIDI Learn for fast hardware mapping Aftertouch expression support, including polyphonic aftertouch Factory presets for fast inspiration
ANALOGy8
This virtual analog synthesizer offers 8-voice polyphony with three variable shape oscillators per voice. It features dual independent filters, four modulation sources per voice, and a comprehensive effects section. Create evolving and unique soundscapes with extensive sound design capabilities.
- 8-voice polyphonic virtual analog synthesizer
- 3 variable shape oscillators per voice with wave folding
- Dual independent variable mode filters per voice
- 4 independent modulation sources per voice (LFO/ASR)
- Analog-flavoured delay, phaser, reverb, and compressor effects
- 100 factory presets and a preset generation feature
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ANALOGy8 Virtual Analog Synth (AUv3) ANALOGy8 (“analog-ee eight”) is an AUv3 virtual instrument plugin that can run standalone, or in any AUv3 compatible host such as Logic Pro, GarageBand or AUM. Please note that the standalone version does not include a built-in keyboard - you need to connect a suitable MIDI device to play the synth. Overview ANALOGy8 is an 8 voice polyphonic, or mono virtual analog synthesizer. Each voice has 3 variable shape oscillators with wave folding, plus a noise source. There are independent amplitude envelopes and velocity-sensitivity for all 3 oscillators and the noise source. This is slightly unusual, and can be used very creatively when designing sounds. ANALOGy8 also includes independent pitch bend ranges for all 3 oscillators, and bends can be quantised according to a musical scale so your pitch bends will always be in tune. The filter stage comprises two independent variable mode filters per voice, with two and four pole variations of lowpass, bandpass and highpass ladder filters, with drive / saturation. Filter cutoff can also be modulated with velocity. Each filter has its own ADSR envelope. Each oscillator and noise source can be routed to different filters independently, or bypass the filter stage completely. This is another slight departure from typical synth designs. There are four independent modulation sources per voice. Each source comprises a variable shape LFO with its own ASR envelope. LFOs can be sync’d to host tempo or set to drift in an “analog-ee” way. LFOs can also be switched off allowing the modulation source to be used as a simple ASR envelope. Modulation sources can be assigned to 22 voice parameters - 1 mod source per parameter. For example, mod source 3 could be assigned to the pitch of oscillator 2 and the cutoff of filter 1, and so on. As modulation occurs independently for each voice (i.e individual played notes), the modulation capabilities of ANALOGy8 make it an interesting choice for anyone who likes evolving, or even slightly unpredictable sounds and textures. The effects section includes an analog-flavoured delay with host tempo sync option, “random reverse” and “octave grains” effect, a lush stereo phaser, a variable size reverb and a compressor / limiter stage with optional clipper. ANALOGy8 comes with 135 factory presets and has a "generate" feature that can be used to create new user presets. For more info and support please visit: www.waverley-instruments.com/robjackson
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: 16 Drones at Free against ANALOGy8's $7.99. ANALOGy8's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and review sentiment (100% vs 67%). On ratings volume, update cadence 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
16 Drones is free to download; ANALOGy8 costs $7.99 up front. 16 Drones sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. ANALOGy8 asks for nothing beyond the download.
ANALOGy8 holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 13 and 9 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of 16 Drones's written reviews are positive against 100% of ANALOGy8's.
16 Drones ships an update every 2 weeks, ANALOGy8 every 9 days. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.
| Parameter | 16 Drones | ANALOGy8 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $7.99 |
| Rating | 4.7 (13 ratings) | 5.0 (9 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 13 — better | 9 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 13 MB | 21 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ruben Terron Rodriguez | Rob Jackson |
Customer experience
16 Drones
ANALOGy8
In-app purchases
16 Drones
- 16 Drones Pro$11.99
ANALOGy8
No in-app purchases








