Retromulator vs TEMPO
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Retromulator
This app recreates legendary vintage synthesizers, samplers, and keyboards through accurate emulation. It functions as a standalone application or an AUv3 plugin, offering classic electronic music hardware sounds on iOS devices.
- Cycle-accurate hardware emulation
- AUv3 plugin support
- Standalone app functionality
- Full MIDI control
- ROM firmware loading
- Background audio support
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Retromulator is a multi-core retro hardware emulation app and AUv3 plug-in that brings legendary synthesizer, sampler, and keyboard cores back to life through authentic low-level emulation. Each core runs its actual firmware, physical model, or sample data — delivering the unmistakable character of the hardware that defined electronic music from the early 80s through the 2000s. — EMULATED CORES — VIRTUAL ANALOG SYNTHS Firmware-level chip emulation, enabled with the 56k cores option (requires M1 iPad or iPhone 15 Pro or newer): • Access Virus A, B and C — Motorola DSP 56300 recreation • Access Virus TI / TI2 / Snow — Motorola DSP 56300 recreation • Clavia Nord Lead 2X — Motorola DSP 56300 recreation • Waldorf microQ — Motorola DSP 56300 recreation • Waldorf Microwave XT — Motorola DSP 56300 recreation • Roland JP-8000 and JP-8080 — JE-8086 core by Giulio Zausa ANALOG SYNTHS • Oberheim Matrix-1000 — original firmware on an emulated Motorola 6809 board driving six CEM3396 voice models, with ROM banks 2 to 9 from the patch EPROM, a MIDI CC for each of the 96 patch parameters and LFO sync to the host tempo or MIDI clock FM SYNTHESIS • Yamaha DX7 — original chip set emulation, based on VDX7 by Charles Chiaccona • Yamaha OPL3 — Nuked OPL3 cycle-accurate FM by Nuke.YKT GM / GS SOUND MODULES • 88emu — Roland SC-88, SC-88VL, SC-88Pro, SC-8850 and SC-55mkII boards, emulation by Giulio Zausa, with GS variation, map and rhythm handling, program and drum kit names read straight from the board ROM, 16-part multitimbral operation, and a Standard MIDI File player with offline rendering to WAV or AAC. CHIPTUNE • Commodore 64 SID 6581/8580 — based on reSID. 3-voice polyphony, 8580 chip model with high-quality RESAMPLE, GoatTracker .sng / .ins bank loading (GTS3/4/5, GTI3/4/5) and .sid file import (PSID/RSID), full macro playback engine (wavetable, pulsetable, filtertable, speedtable) and live MIDI control of cutoff (CC 74), resonance (CC 71), pulse width (CC 75), vibrato (CC 1) and pitch bend. • Ayumi (AY-3-8910 / YM2149) — the PSG behind the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST and MSX. Ayumi emulation by Peter Sovietov with the Ym2149Synth voice engine, 3-voice polyphony, switchable AY / YM engine, .ay patch loading, Factory and User banks, and 11 live CC controls. ORGAN • Hammond B3 with Leslie speaker — OpenB3, based on the setBfree engine by Michele Perrone. Upper, lower and pedal drawbars, percussion, vibrato and chorus, overdrive, reverb, three Leslie cabinets, keyboard split and .fxp presets ELECTRIC PIANO AND SAMPLER • Wurlitzer 200A — OpenWurli physical modelling by hal0zer0 (Rust ported to C++ by discoDSP) • Akai S1000 — SFZero sample engine by Steve Folta, with Bliss Sampler support and resampling engine by discoDSP (SF2 / SFZ / ZBP / ZBB) — KEY FEATURES — • Native AUv3 plug-in for AUM, Cubasis, GarageBand, Logic Pro and more • Standalone app for iPhone and iPad • Full MIDI control: CC, mod wheel, expression, pitch bend • 8-point sinc interpolation for sample playback • Auto-slice drum mapping and global retuning via MIDI • ROM firmware loading from original hardware • Background audio, iCloud and Files app integration • Optimised interpreter compatible with the iOS App Store sandbox
TEMPO
Create beats quickly with a 12-voice drum machine featuring deep sequencing, live capture, and resampling. Shape sounds with modeled drums, samples, or your own WAVs, then mix and add effects to finish your tracks anywhere.
- 12-voice drum workstation
- Playable pads and step sequencing
- Up to 64 steps per pattern
- Modeled drums and user WAV import
- Live capture and resampling
- Mixer, FX, and automation
- AUv3 extension
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TEMPO-1 is a sampler groovebox for fast beat making, deep sequencing, live capture, resampling, MIDI workflows, and finishing ideas anywhere. Build beats with a 12-voice workstation: Kick, Snare, Closed Hat, Open Hat, Clap, Tom, Cymbal, Perc, Keys, Bass, Synth, and Sounds. Tap ideas on playable pads, shape each voice, arrange patterns, route effects, and keep the rhythm moving from the first touch. The sequencer is built for feel. Create patterns up to 64 steps, then shape each step with velocity, probability, microtiming, ratchets, conditional playback, and pitch. Push hits ahead or behind the grid, add rolls, thin out busy parts, and turn programmed rhythms into grooves with movement. Sampling stays immediate. Record live audio, import WAVs, edit samples in place, and assign them to any voice. Browse modeled drums and bundled sounds, build custom kits, then bounce sounds or recordings back into pads for resampling. Capture pad or MIDI performances directly into patterns, with quantized recording when you want tight timing. Mix with level, pan, mute, solo, master controls, and meters. Add motion with Phaser, Slicer, Delay, Reverb, Filter, routing, and automation. TEMPO-1 gives you practical ways to finish ideas. Export loops as WAV, export patterns as MIDI, or capture a live performance as WAV. Use it on its own, map controls with MIDI learn, send MIDI from pads and sequenced tracks, or run it as an AUv3 in supported hosts. Key features: - 12-voice sampler groovebox - Playable pads and step sequencing - Up to 64 steps per pattern and 64 pattern slots - Velocity, probability, microtiming, ratchets, conditional steps, and chromatic pitch per step - Live quantized recording from pads or MIDI - Record, import, edit, and resample WAVs - Modeled drums, bundled sounds, and custom sample kits - Mixer, FX, routing, and automation - External MIDI output for pads and sequenced tracks - MIDI learn for performance controls - AUv3 extension for host-based workflows - Loop WAV export, MIDI export, and live WAV capture - User presets plus bank import and export - Designed for iPhone, iPad, and Mac TEMPO-1 is for beatmakers who want hardware-style speed, deep sequencing, portable sampling, MIDI flexibility, and practical export tools in one focused instrument.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: TEMPO at 100% against Retromulator's 50%. TEMPO also leads on price ($9.99 vs $19.99). Retromulator's advantage is chart position (#189 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases 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
Retromulator costs $19.99 and TEMPO $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Retromulator ships an update every 3 days, TEMPO every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Retromulator | TEMPO |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $19.99 | $9.99 — better |
| Rating | — | 4.3 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 3 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days — better | Every 4 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #189 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 83 MB | 99 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | DiscoDSP LLC | Richard Gillespie |
Customer experience
Retromulator
TEMPO
In-app purchases
Retromulator
No in-app purchases
TEMPO
No in-app purchases









