Comparison

RasterFX vs Drum Rack

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

Head to head
About

RasterFX

Features
Read full description

Make any sound move. RasterFX is a playable modular multi-effects processor for iPhone and iPad. Use it standalone with a microphone, an imported audio file or built-in signals — or load it as an AUv3 audio effect in AUM, GarageBand, Logic Pro for iPad, Loopy Pro, Cubasis and other Audio Unit hosts. BUILD YOUR EFFECT CHAIN Choose from Filter, Delay, Drive, Reverb, Grain, Repeat, Motion and Dynamics. Arrange up to six plates in series or split them into parallel A/B paths. Reorder the chain and the sound changes with it. MODULATE ANY CONTROL Patch LFOs, envelope followers, random and chaos sources, step sequencers, MIDI, macros, the XY pad or device tilt to any control. Create up to 16 modulation lines, with live arcs showing exactly how the sound is moving. PERFORM THE PATCH Morph between four snapshots on the XY pad. Turn eight macros. Hold four momentary throws for stutter, sweep, reverse and freeze. RasterFX is built to be played with one hand, not programmed and left alone. GENERATE, LOCK, EVOLVE Nudge a patch, reshape it or roll a new one. Lock the parts you want to keep, undo any result and save the seeds worth returning to. Evolve lets the patch drift over time while staying anchored to the sound you chose. SEE WHAT YOU HEAR Every effect has its own live visualizer. The CRT and halftone interface makes filters, delay taps, grains, dynamics and modulation visible without turning the screen into a wall of meters. RECORD THE RESULT Record the processed output to WAV, rename takes and share them from the app. FREE TO START. PRO ONCE. Free includes all eight effects, all modulation sources, every factory preset, three plates, four modulation lines and 60-second recordings. No ads, account, watermark or reduced audio quality. RasterFX Pro is a one-time purchase — not a subscription. It unlocks six plates, 16 modulation lines, split routing, XY snapshot morphing, Evolve, A/B compare, unlimited recording length and your own saved presets. Your saved sound always plays back exactly as created, even if it uses Pro features; Free limits editing, never playback. Made for headphones, late at night.

About

Drum Rack

Create unique drum sounds from scratch using synthesis. Design pitch envelopes, sequence beats with advanced timing options, and export your creations as WAV or MIDI files. Explore genre presets and patterns to kickstart your music production.

Highlights
  • Synthesized drum voices
  • Customizable pitch envelopes
  • 32-step sequencer
  • Advanced timing and ratchets
  • Genre presets and patterns
  • WAV and MIDI export
Features
Read full description

Drum Rack builds every drum sound from scratch. No samples anywhere — the kick, snare, hat and clap are synthesised as you play them, which is why a kick can drop from 200 Hz to 49 Hz along a curve you draw with your finger. WHAT IT DOES Four synthesised voices, each with its own controls. Draw the pitch envelope of the kick and the snare by hand: drag a point, add a point, bend the curve between two points. Watch the rendered waveform change as you go. A 32-step sequencer with per-step velocity, timing nudge and ratchets, so a single step can hold a roll of up to eight hits. Time signatures from 3/4 to 7/4, grids from 1/8 to 1/32 including triplets. Eighteen genre presets, from house and techno to jungle, boom bap and reggaeton. Each one loads a full kit and a pattern to start from. Export a loop as a WAV file, or the pattern as MIDI. The MIDI carries velocity, nudge, ratchets and time signature, and lands on the General MIDI drum map — drop it on a drum rack in your own DAW and it plays on your own kit. WHAT IT DOES NOT DO No account. No sign-in. No advertising. No analytics. No tracking. Your patterns stay on your device. Nothing is uploaded. FROM THE LAB Drum Rack is part of Lumlux Art Lab, a set of free browser tools for people who make music. The same drum machine runs on the website, so you can try it before installing anything. Made in Antwerp by FDR-Sound.

Screenshots

RasterFX4 screens
Drum Rack4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Drum Rack at none against RasterFX's 1. Drum Rack also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads and device support 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. RasterFX sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Drum Rack asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
RasterFX versus Drum Rack: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRasterFXDrum Rack
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequency—Monthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChih Han LinFrank De Rop

In-app purchases

1 purchases

RasterFX

One-time1
  • RasterFX Pro$3.99
None

Drum Rack

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is RasterFX free?
RasterFX is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Drum Rack free?
Drum Rack is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do RasterFX or Drum Rack have ads?
Neither RasterFX nor Drum Rack shows ads.

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