Comparison

Skipback AUv3 vs Little Drum Machine

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

Head to head
About

Skipback AUv3

This tool captures your recent audio and MIDI performances retroactively, allowing you to save great ideas even if you forgot to press record. It continuously stores your playing in memory and lets you export it as WAV or MIDI files.

Highlights
  • Retrospective audio and MIDI capture
  • Transparent audio pass-through
  • Selectable audio history
  • Selectable MIDI history
  • Export audio as 24-bit WAV
  • Export MIDI as Standard MIDI File
Read full description

Skipback AUv3 implements a tool sometimes referred to as retrospective recording, or retroactive recording or capture MIDI, used by musicians, producers, and sound designers on more expensive electronic instruments. It continuously keeps your most recent audio and MIDI performance in memory, so you can recover a great idea - even if you forgot to press Record. Add the Skipback Audio Unit extension to a track in a compatible AUv3 host, or use it to record the microphone in the standalone app, then play as usual. Audio passes through unchanged while Skipback maintains a rolling history of everything routed through it. When inspiration strikes, simply export what you just played. FEATURES • Retrospective audio and MIDI capture • Transparent audio pass-through • Selectable audio history: 10 seconds, 30 seconds, or 1 minute • Selectable MIDI history: 100, 1,000, or 5,000 notes • Export audio as 24-bit WAV • Export MIDI as a Standard MIDI File • Tap to save using the system share interface • Drag exported files directly into supported hosts (Koala Sampler, Helium in AUM, Cubasis, etc.) • Input level meter for monitoring audio • MIDI activity indicator • Compact interface designed to stay out of your way Skipback stores its rolling history in memory and only creates a file when you choose to export. Whether you are improvising, designing sounds, rehearsing a part, or experimenting with a new instrument, Skipback helps preserve the moments you did not know you wanted to record. Never lose a great take because you forgot to press Record. Requires a compatible Audio Unit v3 host. Host capabilities and drag-and-drop support may vary.

About

Little Drum Machine

Create beats quickly with a 16-step grid, velocity control, and genre presets. Load your own samples, shape sounds with envelopes and effects, and arrange patterns into full songs. Supports MIDI out and AUv3 hosting.

Highlights
  • 16-step drum grid with velocity
  • Load custom samples
  • Shape samples with envelopes
  • Delay, reverb, and drive effects
  • Polyrhythms and polymeters
  • MIDI out and AUv3 support
  • Genre presets and randomization
Features
Read full description

Little Drum Machine is what the name says: a drum machine for your iPad. Easy to use, with all the necessary bits to give you fast results. We wanted something fast and simple to work with in our own studio, without the complexity other tools often bring, so we built it. Now we want to share it with you, for free. Tap a beat into the 16-step grid, drag up or down for velocity, add a little swing, and you have a groove. Start from one of 31 genre presets, or hit Randomize when you'd rather not face a blank grid. Make sound your way: use the built-in kits, load your own samples, or send MIDI and let your favourite synths and drum apps do the talking. Features: • 16-step drum grid with 8 lanes and per-step velocity for accents and ghost notes • 32 samples across 8 drums included: four variants each, swappable per lane or even per step • Load your own samples and build your own kits • Shape every sample: pitch, fine tune, volume, and a start/attack/length/decay envelope • Delay, reverb and drive effects with per-drum sends: 4 delay modes, 7 reverb modes, 5 drive characters • Give any lane its own step count and loop length for polyrhythms and polymeters • Musical Randomize for instant grooves; Mutate to create variations of your patterns • 16 scenes per preset, chained into full arrangements in the Arranger • Built-in mixer with per-lane EQ, panning, mute and solo • Master EQ and a glue compressor with attack, release, ratio and parallel mix • Swing to get groovy • MIDI out to trigger external synths and drum apps • 31 genre presets: Techno, House, Hip Hop, Drum & Bass, Jazz, and more • Save and manage your own presets • Light and dark themes • Little Drum Machine runs on its own or as an AUv3 instrument in any suitable host. Free, no strings attached.

Screenshots

Skipback AUv34 screens
Little Drum Machine4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Little Drum Machine at 15.0 against Skipback AUv3's 17.0. On price, rating, ratings volume 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Skipback AUv3 against 5.0 for Little Drum Machine. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 8 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Skipback AUv3 versus Little Drum Machine: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSkipback AUv3Little Drum Machine
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (4 ratings)5.0 (8 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings48 — better
Update frequency—Weekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSignals Intelligence Sound LLCSnorkel Audio, Inh. Michael Kaisser

In-app purchases

None

Skipback AUv3

No in-app purchases

None

Little Drum Machine

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Skipback AUv3 free?
Skipback AUv3 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Little Drum Machine free?
Little Drum Machine is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Skipback AUv3 or Little Drum Machine?
Skipback AUv3 and Little Drum Machine are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 4 and 8 ratings respectively.
Do Skipback AUv3 or Little Drum Machine have ads?
Neither Skipback AUv3 nor Little Drum Machine shows ads.

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