Bruno Drum Synth vs TAPE 16
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Bruno Drum Synth
This app allows users to create layered drum sounds using multiple synthesis engines. It offers intelligent randomization and a context-aware tweak system for effortless sound design, suitable for both beginners and experienced musicians.
- Four synthesis engines per drum
- Six voice types (Kick, Snare, Hat, Clap, Tom, Pluck)
- Intelligent randomization
- Context-aware tweak system
- Master FX bus with multiple effects
- Deep MIDI mapping and AUv3 plugin support
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Here is the secret behind every great drum: the professionals build them in layers. A kick is a sub, a click, and a body. A snare is a tone, a crack, and a wash of noise. The traditional way means juggling samples, plugins, and routing to pull it off. Bruno makes that professional technique effortless. Bruno is built around three ideas: • Four synthesis engines per drum, layered in parallel, each with its own complete signal chain • Six voice types that reconfigure all four engines for the right frequency range • Intelligent randomization and a context-aware tweak system The result is punchy kicks, cracking snares, shimmering metal, evolving percussion and twangy plucks. Whether it is your first drum synth or your fortieth, Bruno meets you where you are. Hit the dice for an instant new sound. Roll a single engine or nudge one tab at a time. Or dive deep into per-engine sound design when you are ready. SIX VOICE TYPES • Kick, Snare, Hat, Clap, Tom, and Pluck • Each voice retunes all four engines for its own frequency range and parameters • Parameter values are preserved when you switch voices, so happy accidents carry across • String-model Pluck with pickup comb, stiffness, and modal resonance FOUR INDEPENDENT ENGINES • Analog, FM, Fold, and Resonant, summed in parallel • Every engine has its own tune, decay, and volume plus pitch envelopes • Filters: 8 types with cutoff, resonance, bipolar envelope, and decay • Three LFOs per engine: Cutoff, Pitch, and Character, with sync, gate, phase, and range • Per-engine compressor, drive with 4 saturation types, delay with 4 types, and 3-band EQ • Per-Engine noise, includes independently controlled noise decay, with white, pink and crackle noise. • ON and OFF per engine, so a drum can be one engine or a dense four-layer stack SHAPE THE TRANSIENT • Dedicated Vol Env tab with click amount, click tone, decay curve, and tail • Per-engine Body Peak EQ for tuned resonance and thump • Voice-specific controls like Kick Tick, Snare BP wires, and Pluck stiffness and hum MASTER FX BUS • Saturator, Compressor, Transient Shaper, Reverb, Stereo width, and Limiter • Global 3-band EQ with quick presets • Copy to All across filter, compressor, delay, EQ, and every LFO INTELLIGENT RANDOMIZATION • Musical preset generator tuned per voice for usable drums, not noise • Generate by style and target by category for each of the six voices • Roll a whole preset, a single engine, or one tab at a time • Tweak system for subtle, context-aware variations • 100-entry history you can step forward and back through • One-tap dice for instant inspiration SAMPLE EXPORT • Export Any Sound – Turn your Bruno creations into reusable audio samples. • Single-Sample Export – Quickly export drums, percussion and other non-chromatic sounds as individual samples. • Chromatic Multisample Export – Automatically create complete multisample sets from pitched sounds. • Flexible Multisample Mapping – Choose the root note, octave range, and semitone spacing for your multisample exports. • Flexible Audio Export – Choose sample rate, bit depth, and mono or stereo format to suit your app or hardware. • Instant App Export – Send Bruno sounds directly into Koala or Loopy Pro with no editing required. • Build Your Own Sample Libraries – Export sounds for hardware samplers, drum machines, DAWs and grooveboxes to create custom kits and multisample instruments. EFFORTLESS WORKFLOW • Consistent layout across all four engines • Live scope with per-engine spectrum feedback • Per-tab hints explaining the controls plus production tips BUILT FOR REAL MUSIC • Factory presets including curated Signature sounds • Preset import and export • Master Preset import and export • Deep MIDI: full Note and CC mapping (CC mapping AUv3 only) • Clock-synced LFOs lock to host tempo • AUv3 plugin that works in AUM, Loopy Pro, Drambo, Logic Pro, GarageBand, Cubasis, and more
TAPE 16
Record and mix music with a 16-track tape-style workflow. This cross-platform app lets you build songs take by take, with hands-on controls and Audio Unit plugin support. Save and reopen sessions offline, with optional iCloud sync.
- 16-track recording workflow
- Destructive tape recording
- Audio Unit plugin support
- MIDI input
- Hands-on transport and mixer controls
- Offline session saving
- Optional iCloud sync
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TAPE 16 is completely cross-platform, with iPhone, iPad and desktop versions built around the same session format and focused 16-track workflow. Start a tape on one device and keep the session moving wherever you work. Inspired by reel-to-reel tape machines, TAPE 16 lets you arm a track, record a performance, and build your music one take at a time. Work with a fixed 16-track layout, hands-on transport and mixer controls, Audio Unit plugins, MIDI, and tape character controls. Recording follows a destructive tape workflow: new takes overwrite existing audio where you record. Your working tapes stay on your device. Record, save, and reopen your sessions offline. Use Files to move compatible sessions between iPhone, iPad and desktop, or optionally enable iCloud sync for selected Tape Library folders across your signed-in Apple devices. FREE MODE Keep one managed saved tape and save it as often as you like, with no time limit. All 16 tracks, recording, editing, Audio Units, MIDI, templates, and Remote remain available. Additional saved tapes and bounce/export require the Full Unlock. UNLIMITED TAPES + BOUNCE A one-time, non-consumable In-App Purchase unlocks additional saved tapes and bounce/export on iPhone and iPad. Restore Purchases is available in the app. Microphone permission is used for recording. Optional Remote control uses your local network. Optional iCloud sync uses your personal iCloud storage.
Screenshots
Verdict
Bruno Drum Synth and TAPE 16 both sit at 4.3 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of TAPE 16's written reviews are positive against 50% of Bruno Drum Synth's. TAPE 16 also leads on price (Free vs $4.99) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.6). Bruno Drum Synth's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On rating, 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
TAPE 16 is free to download; Bruno Drum Synth costs $4.99 up front. TAPE 16 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Bruno Drum Synth asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for Bruno Drum Synth against 4.3 for TAPE 16. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 6 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 50% of Bruno Drum Synth's written reviews are positive against 100% of TAPE 16's.
Bruno Drum Synth ships an update every 9 days, TAPE 16 every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Bruno Drum Synth | TAPE 16 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.3 (6 ratings) | 4.3 (6 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 6 | 6 |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days — better | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 52 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Glenn Vassallo | Jack Paterson |
Customer experience
Bruno Drum Synth
TAPE 16
In-app purchases
Bruno Drum Synth
No in-app purchases
TAPE 16
- Unlimited Tapes + Bounce$29.99









