Funkbox Drum Machine App Reviews

Love this drum machine(s). Fills would be nice.

I really love the look, feel, and sound of the applications. I am unhappy that there is no Mid Tom. Also, you are also limited to: -Low Tom or the Clap -High Tom or the Cow Bell -Rim Shot or the Clav

Update: the last update makes the already amazing FunkBox all the more lovely and everything from the following review still applies: FunkBox is a masterpiece: the more I use it the more I love it. Everything just Works and because of that the workflow is super liquid. After ages of using it I keep finding new things it can do and does better than any other app. Don't be fooled by the simplicity as that's just brilliant UI design and the stock Box (i.e. samples) are the stuff beat making dreams are made of And you can mix-and-match And import your own samples. This is a pure must-have.

why wont the app update on my ipod 4g. update on ipad just fine

This is what I've been looking for; that I couldn't find in other apps such as the joke of an app NI iMaschine v.1 and 2 and the MPC app. I can chain more than one sequence together etc. I was almost convinced that I was going to have to buy actual hardware but I can now do everything I wanted right on my phone. This is simple enough to not get discouraged. It makes sense from the first few minutes after you open it. Laid out well and there is a 40 page manual you can download to iBooks. I do industrial metal and this has a load of classic drum machines no extra downloads required.

Over all this is a nice drum machine app. User friendly. Nice authenticity. Stable. There's one feature that would just make it perfect. Drum pitch and tuning. Being able to Automate that would make it even better!

Tap mode feels more responsive than most apps I've tried on my iPhone 5s. Performance on iPad Air 2 seems slightly worse. FunkBox is possibly my favorite iOS drum machine. Simplicity, solid UI, great sounds, MIDI, and very low latency from tap to sound.

FunkBox has been my go-to drum app since it came out. That was a while ago, and FunkBox has always been in the forefront of iOS development. While it’s fun to use, it’s also one of the most useful apps I own. With Audiobus 2,IAA' and the array of apps available in the effects positions, There are nearly endless possibilities. Buy it and enjoy!

... And I will tell you why, but first please let me get something off my chest! For all the people that experience apps crashing and coming on here to give 1 star with a complaint... Please realize it is not the app or Developers programming causing this. Why would the majority of Users not have these issues while few are? The problem is within your device conflicting with another open app or incomplete downloading on your end. Reviews are vital information for Developers and really need to be used wisely and more maturely. Try closing apps on a daily basis to maintain a healthier IOS device. FunkBox is a very well built app and really captures the essence of the sync box days. I once owned about 80% of these machines and had them all controlled through a Garfield Mini-Doc and I can tell you from experience the emulation is smack dead on point! It is what it is... This is not an app offering modern drum programming. You will find the editing parameters that were available on the original boxes with the ability to share your work with another app for further processing. Well done! I was once a sync box junky and you really nailed it! I use and will use this app in most of my work!

If you like the sounds of well known drum machines of the past(and slightly present), this is the perfect jamming app for it. Syncs to midi very well too.

It has all the vintage and kitschy drum machines I watch on eBay but haven't bought. Such a useful and powerful tool with a super rad interface. Top notch!

Great deep samples. I use them in most of my demos and songwriting.

What, was this app developed in 1992?

Has some good sounds from classic machines. It does need a song mode though. Right now, you can only export the audio for 1 pattern. I guess if you have a whole MIDI rig, you will be fine, but if you want to outline a song, this software does need a sequencer upgrade. Even old drum machines had a feature to string patterns along. This does have a nice user interface. I feel like I am working on an old Roland machine. If they add the ability to string patterns along, this would be an even better machine and would fit the needs of more people, like myself, looking for something simple to do all song outlining in one place. You can string patterns along now, but you have to do it live. To record your drum patterns, you have to press record on your external recorder then press the pattern buttons as the song progresses to queue the next pattern. I really like the logic and layout of the UI. The timing does have a good feel too. The timing seems to be more natural than other units. For this the be the ULTIMATE, groove box, I would ask for: 1. A pattern arranger a.k.a Song mode 2. An export of the song audio. 3. An export, that is like a packager of elements. For example, the ability to export the midi data, the sound files used and any other settings all in 1 folder so it can be easily imported into something else. Did you ever created a drum piece on a box that had a nice feel and tone, then export it's MIDI for import on another unit that used different drum sounds? 9 times out of 10 it loses it's luster, vibe, color, and momentum. If this could package all of the basic elements for export, it would be a plus. If you create a piece with a particular set of sounds, these sounds should stay attached to that piece. In any case, it is well worth the $5 just to have an additional input method for patterns; it just needs the arrangement and export features improved. Thanks, Dave K.

I was seriously researching hardware drum machines for purchase. Having an iPad on stage isn't my idea of cool. But -- this app sounds so great, is so easy to program and navigate, and contains such a wealth of samples, it's impossible for me to deny it's absolutely the right tool for my humble rock and roll duo. Connect a cheap Akai LPD8 with a lightning cable and you've got an amazing sounding, totally versatile drum machine for use onstage as you play your set for bartender and bouncer! Totally stable once it's up and running. Improvement suggestions: 1. Sometimes on iPad Air2 with iOS 10 I need to restart the iPad to get any sound out of Funkbox, even though other audio apps will work. Not sure why this is happening. 2. The tap tempo feature is nice, but I'd love an option to input exact numerical value for tempo with the keyboard. The tempo slider is way too fiddly -- gets you in the ballpark, but you often need to press the tiny + or - buttons ten or twenty times to get your exact BPM. Thanks for making my favorite iOS app of all time. Just a treasure!

Sounds a bit better than DM1 but DM1 has it beat by far n features. Overhyped IMO.

Cool app, works well. Makes some great beats, fairly simple to figure out. Good times.

This app should have a thousand 5 star reviews by now. I love it and the sounds are dead on. I practice guitar to it and poorly rap to it in the car. The interface is easy to use and it saved me from buying a $400 808 machine. Thanks a million guys.

Nice easy interface and lots of really good sounds. The CR-78 in its variations is my fave.

I use it for my band and Iove it cuz it's simple

Looks cool and is a good start, but needs more features if it is going to compete. It's kind of a waste of time, when other apps do this but also much more. I get that it looks "old school" and is trying to emulate old drum machines, but that doesn't mean ignore its full potential. How about being able to adjust the speed of the roll button? How about being able to manipulate the pitch of the samples? How about effects and making it more fun to use?

Awesome drum machine!

Funkbox has always been delightful, emulating classic drum machines like the LinnDrum and the Drumulator (I paid $1000 for the latter way back when). But with the new update? It roars! Audiobus 2, including state-saving. Increase in overall volume, which is nice. Invaluable "Open In…" for easy export. MIDI clock interface and even swing with external MIDI! Jeez, these are great devs! Also, as with some of the old Rhythm Ace boxes, you can hit two patterns at once for fun polyrhythms. Love it to pieces.

One of the best just got a whole lot better!

Great simplistic drumbox app that can grow with you as you become more comfortable with the potential for customization. Many of the presets sound great. The reason for the four stars is that I wish it had Chromecast and soon Chromecast Audio support. That would be awesome! Thanks again for a great app.

This is a nice drum machine. I like the accents on the steps and some of the other controls, but it lacks the ability to arrange patterns and save as songs and the tempo only goes to 180.

It's either Funkbox or shell out $3,800 for a used Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer. If you pair Funkbox with your iPad inside of the Alesis io Dock II, you'll have a very formidable virtual 808 clone with midi via din or usb, internally pannable and has roughly 20 other vintage drum sets to choose from as well...Awesome job done by these developers...I finally can recreate that 80's 808 funk sound with a very precise and stable gadget..I'd like to see pattern to song chaining and the option to record my beat with no pre-quantization and higher ppq resolution. You can even sync Funkbox to start/stop your other music apps and run arpegiators and baseline synths in-sync to it. 10-stars. 😜

Would give 5 stars to have Ableton .als file export with separated stems for each instrument. Please update Dev! Solid app and well worth the money. Requested features would make this a game changer app!

Super cool app. Thanks. Money well spent. I have a lot of fun playing with it.

Sounds great, takes 15 seconds to understand, the best MIDI sync on iOS. Plus, you know, sweet beats. Funkbox is not a 909 or DM1. Think of it as 1) a great sample collection of vintage beat boxes and 2) a home organ style rhythm machine that's.... Awesome! The rhythms that come out of it immediately are just great. Of course, you can edit and store your own rhythms (and samples!) as it is a full featured drum machine (plus a MIDI out track for basslines) but I don't think it's the developers intent to compete with DM1 or DrumPerfect, for instance. AB2 state saving and louder samples just pushed it over the edge. So great! Thank you for Funkbox. Buy it immediately, turn it on and play some music.

Won’t play/record in DAW... the play button diss appears! 😔

I love funk box. Great drum machine app. Used it on 3+ albums. And update and ableton link support would be incredible!! Please do that.

There are others that do more, but none that get you classic drum machine patterns instantly. One of my favorite things is what other people have complained about, that it isn't complex enough to get deeply experimental with. They knew when to stop, and not make a full DAW. Funkbox is an exercise in simplicity, which for the medium, a mobile device app, is important. It gets used a lot here for that reason, especially playing music with other musicians, when we want to drop in a funny drum machine beat, without losing momentum by stopping for 15 minutes of headscratching to figure out how program a beat. With the tap tempo, you can get the tempo set in the background and drop it in on the downbeat, without the other people having to stop what they're playing. Great fun to play through external effects, like guitar pedals, with an 1/8" to 1/4" cable, or iOS effects, through audiobus. Sounds great through an amp sim, or Turnado or FluxFx. I love this company's unusually complete MIDI patchbay, for deciding just how it can play with or hide from other programs or hardware. I wish their table layout was the standard for other app's midi communication. If you're curious about what else, beyond the basics, the app is capable of it's worth looking at the manual. It isn't long, and gets into programming and saving your own beats, and making your own drum machines, either by mixing and matching their sounds or importing your own samples. This doesn't do realistic drums. I don't think it is the tool for that. Just canned beats!

Top notch sounds and great two tracks sequencer (bass+drum). However, I don't really like the way the presets are recalled: by using individual buttons and a lever. A nice drop down list would be much more effective. I feel that that poor choice defeated all the other great features of the application. I do not use this app anymore because of that.

I'm pretty disappointed that the preset beats are not the original. Where's the Latin beats in the MRK-2?? Not a very realistic emulation.

About the only strength that I can see is the comprehensive midi routing options for audiobus. Other than that, it's sort of primitive. Not nearly enough options. As a standalone, DM1 offers much more. But, DM1 is audiobus limited. Meh, it was only 5.99, and the samples sound nice.

I have a lot of drum apps but this is almost always the one I use. I use virtual MIDI a lot and FunkBox is great. Furthermore, its "Bonus Bass Line Sequencer" is fantastic. It seems natural to me to compose my bass and drums together. The only thing I would like is the ability to tie steps together in the baseline for longer note values. However, your bass synth can do that if you turn off retrigger when in monophonic and/or set some long sustain and release times. Some have complained about FunkBox' MIDI but that is not an issue. FunkBox just doesn't go on stand-by very gracefully. If you let your iPad fall asleep, or leave FunkBox in the background too long with no MIDI input, it needs to be kick-started. Activate it, start and stop it, and start sending it MIDI again. If the bass line app stops responding you may have to tickle its MIDI settings. A little cumbersome but no issue when you know what's happening.

Responsive, easy to use, sounds great. $6 well spent. Wish I could find more apps of this caliber.

This is an outstanding drum machine. Very well thought out with lots of essential features to allow it to interface with other audio apps and gear. However, I don't understand the needless limitation to allow only 8 drum parts when 12 are available -- or at the very least, let us select which 8 we want to use instead of forcing to choose between RS or CL, LT and CP, etc. What if I want a pattern with High Tom and Cow Bell? Can't do it -- have to choose one or the other.

I have dozens of iOS drum machines. This is my favorite. I use it to make dub and slow, simmering tech House. Probably the only drum machine that can hold the titles of fun and functional simultaneously. Get some.

Needs auv3 to still be relevant.

One star is the extra Linn Lm1 and Lm2 samples.. Used by prince all over the place... And the last star is if I could program up to 32nd notes.. Then I'll change it to 5 stars..

There are over 100 drum/drum machine apps in the AppStore, Funkbox is always at the top of everyone's lists bloggers/reviewers/users alike. Easy to use, sounds great, midi, Audiobus, custom kits, always updated. To the doof below that said that this app can't compete! haha go get a list of drum/machine apps that are better, lets compare notes. I could use a good laugh. Funkbox is definitely at the top with a few others but not many.

Way cool definitely worth the price!

FunkBox is definitely not the most authentic sounding drum machine emulation, well at least not on every machine, but it's an incredible deal to get this many features at this price. So glad it includes the MRK2 so I can do Sly Stone! I like the quirky vintage styled interface...lot of attention to detail in the design. Overall not as well laid out as others like DM-1, but still, very nice range of features. Best feature: combining patterns by pressing multiple buttons, just like the good ol days!

This is another example of perfection!Too bad it doesn't have a better song mode like the dm1 drag and drop method which I think should become a part of ALL drum apps .but I still use this thing almost every day cause it sounds SO much like my old cha cha boxes ! I love it !Peace christo😄😄😄😄

funkbox is pretty nice as it is, but there's one big problem for me: midi note values can't be changed for funkbox's output. e.g. in audiobus, when funkbox is a midi input fed to ruismaker, some of the notes (in GM mode) have the same values (BD, SD, hats) but others cannot be played by funkbox at all.

I know it's not a fully featured drum machine but it has all the sample packs you'd really want and enough controls to make some decent beats. It's been really helpful for songwriting, and merged with a few other apps you can basically make hip hop backing tracks all on your phone. This is the best drum machine app I've found!

I use it every day. It's the Swiss Army knife of beats. Not only that, it sounds amazing. I find it has a place in so many tracks I never expected. A crucial "layer" to have for anyone recording on an iPad or PC. Rendering to wav and getting it to a universal location is the easiest I've seen. U can email yourself the wav and get it from anywhere. With all the Dropbox drive iCloud crud they make you use. This one at least puts that back in your hands. And it sounds awesome as is very easy to use. Sly stone. Phil Collins. How about the Em-u or HR16B? It's a fabulous app. The best things in life are simple and appreciated. This app is that.