Attack Drums vs Nikaya Wavetable and FM Synth
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Attack Drums
This app is a powerful sound engine and pattern sequencer inspired by a classic VST plugin. It excels at creating drum sounds but can also be used for vocals and other instruments, featuring a unique text-based vocoder.
- 24-part sound engine
- Pattern sequencer
- Phrase Vocoder (text-based)
- Versatile effects section
- Inter-App Audio & Audiobus 3 support
- MIDI Sync
- Export song to audio file
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Attack Drums is a synthesizer designed mainly for drum sounds, but the powerful sound engine can also be used for everything else - including vocals. Based on the Waldorf Attack VST PlugIn from 2001, it consists of a 24-part sound engine, now packed with a pattern sequencer and a versatile effects section. One highlight of the effects section is the new Phrase Vocoder, a vocoder that uses written text instead of spoken words. Lyrics in - song out, adjust gender as you have always wanted! Just like Waldorf Nave, Attack Drums is a seriously in-depth musical instrument - easy and fun to use, but a sonic beast at its core! Specifications: -24 Sounds -Four independent effect slots with selectable effect: *Delay *Equalizer *Overdrive *Phaser *Flanger *Chorus *Phrase Vocoder -Reverb -Compressor -Pattern Sequencer -999 Patterns -Polyphonic steps - up to 8 notes per step -Fractional track/step timing -Audiobus 3 -Inter-App Audio -MIDI Settings -MIDI Sync -Loop function -Export song to audio file -AudioCopy / AudioPaste -Content control via iTunes File Sharing -Trigger Pads -Mixer -Recording
Nikaya Wavetable and FM Synth
This app is a polyphonic wavetable and FM synthesizer for musicians and sound designers. It offers flexible wavetable creation, sound design capabilities, and AUv3 plugin support for seamless integration with music production hosts. Share and discover user-created presets within the app.
- 8-voice polyphonic engine
- Dual wavetable oscillators per voice
- Bidirectional FM synthesis
- Global ladder filter
- AUv3 plugin support
- iCloud sync for presets
- Community preset sharing
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Nikaya Synth is a compact, expressive wavetable synthesizer designed for musicians and sound designers looking for flexibility without complexity. It features an 8-voice polyphonic engine, with each voice containing two independent wavetable oscillators and a pair of FM operators. Each voice includes its own ADSR amplitude envelope, while modulation and filtering are handled globally for efficient performance and unified control. Explore a variety of ways to generate and import wavetables: - Flexible Wavetable Creation - Convert images into wavetables using brightness data - Slice WAV files into multiple waveforms - Import folders of single-cycle waveforms - Browse a curated set of factory wavetables - Generate up to 128 waveforms from a single source - Sound Design Capabilities Nikaya offers a focused feature set for building detailed, evolving sounds: - Two wavetable oscillators per voice with independent wave index control - Bidirectional FM synthesis using the current wavetable waveforms - Global ladder filter with a cycling envelope and morphable curve shapes - Two global LFOs with tempo sync and multiple waveforms - Clear visual feedback for envelope shaping - Workflow and Integration Designed with usability and integration in mind: - AUv3 plugin support for host compatibility - iCloud sync for presets and wavetables - Full parameter automation in supported hosts Community Sharing (iOS 13+) - Access user-created presets from the in-app browser - Like and download new sounds - Share your own presets with others Nikaya Synth offers a practical approach to modern wavetable synthesis—lightweight, responsive, and easy to navigate, while remaining capable of detailed and expressive sound design.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Nikaya Wavetable and FM Synth at $6.99 against Attack Drums's $14.99. Nikaya Wavetable and FM Synth also leads on review sentiment (67% vs 34%) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 weeks). On rating, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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
Attack Drums costs $14.99 and Nikaya Wavetable and FM Synth $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Attack Drums against 4.4 for Nikaya Wavetable and FM Synth. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 23 and 8 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 34% of Attack Drums's written reviews are positive against 67% of Nikaya Wavetable and FM Synth's.
Attack Drums ships an update every 2 weeks, Nikaya Wavetable and FM Synth every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Attack Drums | Nikaya Wavetable and FM Synth |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $14.99 | $6.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.4 (23 ratings) | 4.4 (8 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 34.2% of reviews | 66.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 23 — better | 8 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 97 MB | 40 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Waldorf Music | Cem Olcay |
Customer experience
Attack Drums
Nikaya Wavetable and FM Synth
Bugs and requests
Attack Drums
Reported bugs
21 issues- Crashes when loading own samples
- Lag with MIDI clock sync
- Inconsistent MIDI response and routing
- Low velocity response
- Transport controls not showing in DAWs
Show 16 moreShow fewer
- App crashes on startup
- App won't open on iOS 9
- Display scaling issues on iPad mini
- Sound designer page not working on iPad 2
- Copy bug
- Sequencer limited to one bar
- Random velocity on pads
- Crashes with Audiobus
- Screen doesn't fit on iPad mini
- Controls not working on iPad mini
- Sound cut out
- Locks up on iPad 2
- Not compatible with iPad 2
- Sluggish and slow performance
- App closes for no reason
- Display on iPad mini scaled incorrectly
Requested features
19 requests- Ableton Link support
- Improved MIDI sync
- Smoother IAA and MIDI integration
- More pattern steps (64+)
- Support for triplets and higher note divisions
Show 14 moreShow fewer
- Dropbox integration
- Disable opening animation
- Separate outputs in iOS
- Auto-envelope setting for samples
- Parameter automation
- MIDI CC parameter control
- MIDI port/channel selection
- Looping multiple patterns for jamming
- Subfolders for samples
- Interface facelift
- Live tweaking of FX, rolls, stutters
- Parameter locks
- Triplet grids option
- Ability to export MIDI patterns
Nikaya Wavetable and FM Synth
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Attack Drums
No in-app purchases
Nikaya Wavetable and FM Synth
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Attack Drums free?
Is Nikaya Wavetable and FM Synth free?
Which has better reviews, Attack Drums or Nikaya Wavetable and FM Synth?
Do Attack Drums or Nikaya Wavetable and FM Synth have ads?
Which is updated more often, Attack Drums or Nikaya Wavetable and FM Synth?
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