Comparison

Oriental Strings vs DM10

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

Head to head
About

Oriental Strings

This professional sound module app provides authentic oriental and Arabian string instrument sounds for musicians. It offers high-quality stereo samples, master tune, scale tuning, and integrated effects. Connect via Bluetooth MIDI or use it as a virtual instrument within your favorite DAW.

Highlights
  • Authentic oriental and Arabian string sounds
  • High-quality stereo samples
  • Master Tune & Scale Tuning
  • Integrated effects with 18 presets
  • MIDI velocity response curve editor
  • Audio Unit, Audiobus, and Inter-App Audio support
  • MIDI Player/Recorder
Read full description

Oriental Strings is a professional sound module app for oriental keyboard players and for musicians who simply want to resemble the typical sound of the Orient and Middle East in their songs. Connect an external MIDI keyboard to your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch by using Bluetooth MIDI or by using the Apple USB camera adapter or another adapter supported by Apple, or launch Oriental Strings as virtual instrument directly within your favourite DAW app on your iOS device!¹ Watch and listen to the demo video on our product website! This app supports "Audio Unit", "Audiobus" and Apple's "Inter-App Audio" System for audio & MIDI connections from/to other audio apps, as well as Bluetooth LE MIDI ! The sounds of Oriental Strings were exclusively recorded with players who are professionally dedicated to oriental style of music. Typical string instrument sounds for the Arabian genre are covered by this app. Besides rather exotic instruments like the Chinese erhu, typical western string instruments were used as well, but since the players of the recording sessions are focused on oriental music, those western instruments sound completely different than you might be used to from western orchestra players. The sounds of this app were once again created by Kurt Ader, winner of the NAMM 2015 "Best Sound Designer of the Year" award. 32 Sounds are included with this App: • Chinese Erhu 1 - 3 • Chinese Erhu Trill • Turkish Strings 1 - 4 • Arabian Strings 1 - 3 • Tremolo Strings 1 - 5 • Spiccato Strings • Oriental Spiccato Strings • Oriental String Quartet 1 - 3 • Oriental Staccato Strings • Arabian Solo Strings 1 - 3 • String Quartet • Oriental String Ensemble 1 - 5 • Slow Oriental Strings There is no in-app purchase in this app. So all sounds and all app features are immediately available to you as one buy. General Features: • Sounds based on high quality stereo sample set. • Master Tune & Scale Tuning (including factory presets for common Arabian & Turkish scales). • Low latency disk streaming. • Configurable audio latency down to 1 ms. • Polyphony up to several hundred stereo voices.² • Integrated effects with 18 presets. • 16 parts. • App States: Save app's entire state as user presets. • MIDI velocity response curve editor to fine tune the feeling of your MIDI keyboard. • App can keep running in the background, so you can play on your keyboard while e.g. using Safari or another app to display scores or surfing the Internet. • Audio Unit plugin version of this app, to be used as virtual instrument directly within third-party multi-track DAW apps. • Audiobus support. • Supports Apple's "IAA" system for audio & MIDI streaming between other apps. • Virtual on-screen piano keyboard with velocity support, scalable & scrollable. MIDI Player / Recorder: • Record, save and load your songs in standard MIDI file format. • Share your songs easily as audio file. • Unlimited amount of tracks. • Configurable target MIDI channel per track. • Unlimited recording and playback length. • Open MIDI (.mid) files directly from other apps (i.e. from Safari, Mail). • Download or upload MIDI files with iTunes. • Load your favorite songs as MIDI files from the Internet, and watch at the virtual keyboard how to play it. • Metronome. • Use the "Tempo Zoom" dial knob to i.e. slow down playback at any time and learn your favorite songs more easily. ¹ For more information about adapters and connecting external MIDI keyboards: https://doc.crudebyte.com/iOS/External_MIDI_devices/ ² Some sounds are using several voices per note. Polyphony depends on the exact device model being used. You find a polyphony table on our product website.

About

DM10

This app is a powerful drum and synthesizer machine for electronic musicians. It offers a modern audio engine with a wide array of drum kits, instruments, and synth presets, alongside advanced sequencing and effects for creative music production.

Highlights
  • 228 drum kits
  • Bass & Lead synths
  • AudioUnit support
  • Polyrhythmic tracks
  • Advanced sequencing
  • Real-time FX automation
  • User drum kit creation
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DM10 is the ultimate Drum & Synth Machine for iPhone, iPad and Mac — from the creators of DM1, winner of the Apple Design Award 2012. 256 vintage & modern drum kits. Built-in Bass & Lead synths. A powerful step sequencer. Full Mixer, 4 FX slots & intuitive Song Mode. Everything you need to produce beats, from sketch to finished track — in one beautifully designed app One purchase. No subscriptions. No in-app purchases. You get everything. DRUMS & KITS • 256 drum kits — Vintage, Acoustic, Hip-Hop, Electro & more • 10 instruments (Piano, Vibraphone, Wurlitzer…) • Drum Pads with customizable layout • Custom drumkit per track • User drum kit creation with samples import & export • Drums Glitch mode • Drumkits Randomizer STEP SEQUENCER • Drum & Synth step sequencer • 45 patterns • Variable step count, Accent, Triplets & Swing • Time signatures • Polyrhythmic tracks • Steps Probability & Retrig • Playhead Randomize • Custom Tempo, Kit, Mixer & FX per pattern • Steps Randomizer MIXER & FX • Mixer with level, pitch, length, pan & automation • 4 FX slots per track with real-time automation — 15 effects available: Overdrive · Delay · Reverb · Filter · Phaser · Formant · Texturizer · Robotizer · Dalek · Flanger · Decimator · Ring Modulator · Resonator · Compressor · Noise Gate • Mixer & Fx Randomizer SONG MODE • Song mode with intuitive editing • Audio export — master & separated tracks • Project import & export SYNTH ENGINE • Bass Synth — 3 VCO, Filter, ADSR, BitCrush, Detune • Lead Synth — 2 VCO, VCO Modulation, Filter, ADSR, Vibrato • 40 Bass & Lead factory presets PRO CONNECTIVITY • AudioUnit (AUv3) • Full MIDI support — Mapping, File Import & Export, External Clock • Audio Background support • Ableton Link • iCloud Shared Folder • Computer keyboard support VINTAGE DRUM MACHINES • 116 drum kits meticulously sampled from legendary machines: Roland TR-808, TR-909, TR-606 · Akai MPC2000 · Linn 9000 · Oberheim DMX · E-MU SP-12 · Simmons SDS-5 · Fairlight CMI · Teenage Engineering PO-12 · Korg · Yamaha · Boss · Casio · Alesis · Linn · Kawai · Pearl · Elektro-Harmonix · Wersi · Novation · Waldorf · Ensoniq · Sequential Circuits and many more. ACOUSTIC DRUM KITS • 32 acoustic kits recorded at Fingerlab Studio — sampled from iconic brands: Oyster · Ludwig · DW · Gretsch · Pearl · Premier · Slingerland · Sonor · Yamaha · Rogers • 26 percussion & instrument kits recorded at Fingerlab Studio STYLES DRUM KITS • 82 drum kits from various music styles: Hip-Hop, Electro, Dubstep, Trap, Synth, Concrete… Questions or feedback? contact@fingerlab.net Stay tuned! The Fingerlab Team

Screenshots

Oriental Strings4 screens
DM104 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: DM10 at 4.6 against Oriental Strings's 4.2. DM10 also leads on update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (53 vs 11). Oriental Strings's advantage is price ($7.99 vs $12.99) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On review sentiment, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Oriental Strings costs $7.99 and DM10 $12.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

DM10 holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 11 and 53 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 69% of Oriental Strings's written reviews are positive against 72% of DM10's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Oriental Strings ships an update every 2 months, DM10 every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Oriental Strings versus DM10: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOriental StringsDM10
Price$7.99 — better$12.99
Rating4.2 (11 ratings)4.6 (53 ratings) — better
Positive reviews69.0% of reviews71.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1153 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 4 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.9 GB454 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChristian Schoenebeck d/b/a CrudebyteFingerlab

Customer experience

Oriental Strings

All ratings11 ratings
Positive81.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative18.2%
Written reviews29 reviews
Positive69.0%
Neutral3.4%
Negative27.6%

DM10

All ratings53 ratings
Positive88.7%
Neutral5.7%
Negative5.7%
Written reviews64 reviews
Positive71.9%
Neutral15.6%
Negative12.5%

Bugs and requests

Oriental Strings

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

DM10

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Dropping the first beat in some cases
  • Syncing issues in standalone mode

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add probability per step
  • Implement true triplets and flams
  • Allow tempo changes within a song
  • Increase pattern count beyond 45
  • Add more time signature options
Show 1 more
  • Implement MIDI mapping for pattern changes

In-app purchases

None

Oriental Strings

No in-app purchases

None

DM10

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Oriental Strings free?
Oriental Strings costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is DM10 free?
DM10 costs $12.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Oriental Strings or DM10?
DM10 is rated higher. Oriental Strings averages 4.2 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while DM10 averages 4.6 from 53 ratings.
Do Oriental Strings or DM10 have ads?
Neither Oriental Strings nor DM10 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Oriental Strings or DM10?
Oriental Strings ships an update every 2 months, and DM10 every 4 weeks. Most recently, Oriental Strings was updated on September 22, 2026 and DM10 on September 21, 2026.

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