Rhythm Ace vs Degenson
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Rhythm Ace
This app is a faithful simulator of a vintage 1967 drum machine, recreating its authentic analog sounds and rhythm presets. It allows for real-time synthesis of percussion, pattern layering, and individual voice muting for unique groove creation.
- Faithful vintage drum machine simulation
- Real-time synthesized analog sounds
- 16 classic rhythm presets
- Authentic pattern combining
- Individual voice cancel controls
- Precision tempo control
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Rhythm Ace is a faithful simulator of the Ace Tone FR-1 — one of the earliest consumer drum machines, built in Japan in 1967 and the ancestor of the legendary Roland rhythm machines. Every sound is synthesized in real time using classic transistor-style audio circuits — no samples, no loops. Just pure, characterful analog-era percussion the way it was meant to sound. Eight synthesized voices Bass Drum · Snare · Low Conga · High Conga · Cymbal · Claves · Cowbell · Maracas 16 classic rhythm presets Waltz, Bossa Nova, Samba, Rock, Swing, Foxtrot, and more — all faithfully recreated from the original FR-1 diode matrix. Authentic pattern combining Select multiple rhythm buttons to layer patterns exactly like the original hardware — the diode matrix OR-combines their steps, letting you build complex grooves from simple presets. Voice cancel controls Mute individual instruments on the fly with the dedicated cancel buttons, just like the original panel. Precision tempo control Large rotary knob for natural, tactile BPM adjustment. Sample-accurate scheduling Built on a lookahead audio clock for tight, rock-solid timing — no drift, no jitter. Whether you're a vintage gear enthusiast, a music producer hunting for retro textures, or just curious what the dawn of the drum machine sounded like, Rhythm Ace brings a slice of music history to your iPhone.
Degenson
Create distorted percussion, hypnotic sequences, and aggressive sounds with this raw virtual analog drum machine. It offers six voices, dual LFOs, and fast hands-on control for electronic music production.
- Virtual analog drum machine
- Distorted percussion
- Hypnotic sequences
- Aggressive sound design
- Six voices
- Dual LFOs
- Hands-on control
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Degenson is a raw virtual analog drum machine built for distorted percussion, hypnotic sequences and aggressive sound design. Six voices, dual LFOs and fast hands-on control for techno, EBM and experimental production. Now it's also an AUv3 plugin: run Degenson inside your favorite iOS host — GarageBand, AUM, Cubasis, Drambo and more — perfectly in sync with your project tempo. • Six punchy virtual-analog voices with analogue-style decay — percussive across most of the knob, opening into an infinite drone at the top • Full MIDI: notes trigger the voices, every knob responds to a fixed MIDI CC, and the sequencer can be bypassed to play live from any controller • Melodic mode: each octave maps the six voices and transposes them, so you can play the drums tuned across the keyboard • Fast, tactile step sequencer with per-step control and dual LFOs for evolving, hypnotic patterns • Crunch Verb: a gritty master reverb with Mix, Decay and Crunch — the tail degrades as it fades Free to play. The optional Pro upgrade unlocks the AUv3 plugin for use in your DAW and WAV export for bouncing your patterns.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Degenson at 100% against Rhythm Ace's 0%. Degenson also leads on rating (5.0 vs 2.0) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). Rhythm Ace's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On price, ads and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Degenson sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Rhythm Ace asks for nothing beyond the download.
Degenson holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Degenson has 8 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of Rhythm Ace's written reviews are positive against 100% of Degenson's.
Rhythm Ace ships an update every 2 months, Degenson every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Rhythm Ace | Degenson |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (8 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 8 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 17 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Tero Aarnio | Fabrizio Alviti |
Customer experience
Rhythm Ace
Degenson
In-app purchases
Rhythm Ace
No in-app purchases
Degenson
- Degenson Pro Upgrade$7.99








