Comparison

Retromulator vs DuckingReverb

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Cycle-accurate hardware emulation
  • AUv3 plugin support
  • Standalone app functionality
  • Full MIDI control
  • ROM firmware loading
  • Background audio support
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

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 โ€” delivering the unmistakable character of the hardware that defined electronic music from the early 80s through the 2000s. โ€” EMULATED CORES โ€” VIRTUAL ANALOG SYNTHS Firmware-level chip emulation, enabled with the 56k cores option (requires M1 iPad or iPhone 15 Pro or newer): โ€ข Access Virus A, B and C โ€” Motorola DSP 56300 recreation โ€ข Access Virus TI / TI2 / Snow โ€” Motorola DSP 56300 recreation โ€ข Clavia Nord Lead 2X โ€” Motorola DSP 56300 recreation โ€ข Waldorf microQ โ€” Motorola DSP 56300 recreation โ€ข Waldorf Microwave XT โ€” Motorola DSP 56300 recreation โ€ข Roland JP-8000 and JP-8080 โ€” JE-8086 core by Giulio Zausa ANALOG SYNTHS โ€ข Oberheim Matrix-1000 โ€” 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 โ€ข Yamaha DX7 โ€” original chip set emulation, based on VDX7 by Charles Chiaccona โ€ข Yamaha OPL3 โ€” Nuked OPL3 cycle-accurate FM by Nuke.YKT GM / GS SOUND MODULES โ€ข 88emu โ€” 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 โ€ข Commodore 64 SID 6581/8580 โ€” 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. โ€ข Ayumi (AY-3-8910 / YM2149) โ€” 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 โ€ข Hammond B3 with Leslie speaker โ€” 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 โ€ข Wurlitzer 200A โ€” OpenWurli physical modelling by hal0zer0 (Rust ported to C++ by discoDSP) โ€ข Akai S1000 โ€” SFZero sample engine by Steve Folta, with Bliss Sampler support and resampling engine by discoDSP (SF2 / SFZ / ZBP / ZBB) โ€” KEY FEATURES โ€” โ€ข Native AUv3 plug-in for AUM, Cubasis, GarageBand, Logic Pro and more โ€ข Standalone app for iPhone and iPad โ€ข Full MIDI control: CC, mod wheel, expression, pitch bend โ€ข 8-point sinc interpolation for sample playback โ€ข Auto-slice drum mapping and global retuning via MIDI โ€ข ROM firmware loading from original hardware โ€ข Background audio, iCloud and Files app integration โ€ข Optimised interpreter compatible with the iOS App Store sandbox

About

DuckingReverb

Features
Read full description

DuckingReverb โ€” Smart Reverb That Gets Out of the Way Great reverb should add depth without cluttering your mix. DuckingReverb combines a high-quality reverb engine with intelligent ducking technology โ€” reverb that automatically pulls back when your signal is present, and blooms beautifully in the spaces between. Whether you are mixing tracks, performing live, or designing sounds, DuckingReverb keeps your audio clear and full at the same time. HOW IT WORKS Traditional reverb can muddy a mix. The reverb tail competes with the dry signal, blurring transients and reducing punch. DuckingReverb solves this with a built-in sidechain-style ducking circuit. When your audio plays, the reverb level ducks down automatically. When the signal fades, reverb rises back up โ€” filling the space naturally. The result: every note stays sharp and defined, while the reverb still creates a rich, immersive atmosphere around it. DUCKING SECTION Choose from multiple Ducking Types to match your material: - Air: a light, transparent duck ideal for vocals and acoustic instruments - More types available to suit different genres and playing styles Set the Threshold to control exactly when ducking kicks in. A lower threshold means ducking starts earlier; a higher threshold lets more reverb through before pulling back. REVERB SECTION Shape the reverb character with precision: - High EQ Gain: boost or cut high frequencies in the reverb tail for brightness or warmth - Low EQ Gain: control the low-end body of the reverb - Reverb Time: dial in anything from a tight room to a vast hall - Dry Balance: set the level of your direct, unprocessed signal - Reverb Balance: set the level of the reverb return independently Together, these controls let you sculpt reverb that fits perfectly in any context โ€” from intimate acoustic spaces to expansive electronic soundscapes. WHO IS IT FOR DuckingReverb is designed for musicians, producers, sound designers, and audio engineers who want reverb that works with their music, not against it. - Vocalists who need clarity without losing ambience - Guitarists and keyboardists who want lush reverb without wash - Producers crafting deep house, ambient, or cinematic tracks - Live performers who need consistent, clean sound at any tempo TECHNICAL - Native Apple Silicon Support: Universal binary optimized for M1, M2, M3, and Intel Macs. - Modern AUv3 Architecture: Low-latency processing with high stability and low CPU footprint. - DAW Ready: Fully compatible with Logic Pro, GarageBand, and other Audio Unit (AU) hosts on macOS. - Supports all standard sample rates for professional production.

Screenshots

Retromulator1 screens
DuckingReverb1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: DuckingReverb at $0.99 against Retromulator's $19.99. DuckingReverb also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). Retromulator's advantage is chart position (#199 vs unranked). On ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

Retromulator costs $19.99 and DuckingReverb $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 6 level
Retromulator versus DuckingReverb: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRetromulatorDuckingReverb
Price$19.99$0.99 โ€” better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviewsโ€”
Update frequencyEvery 3 daysโ€”
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidโ€”
Best chart rank#199 โ€” betterโ€”
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac โ€” better
Requires iOS15.012.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size83 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDiscoDSP LLCKenichi Nakamura

In-app purchases

None

Retromulator

No in-app purchases

None

DuckingReverb

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Retromulator free?
Retromulator costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is DuckingReverb free?
DuckingReverb costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Retromulator or DuckingReverb have ads?
Neither Retromulator nor DuckingReverb shows ads.

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