0x808 vs DrumComputer

0x808 is a drum machine, step sequencer, and synthesizer for Linux, macOS, and Windows. It can run as a standalone workstation or as VST3 and CLAP plugins, and the project also provides terminal and plugin frontends. The drum grid has 16 tracks with per-step velocity and pitch controls, plus mute and solo. Patterns can be chained in song or perform mode. Sound options include subtractive, four-operator FM, and wavetable synthesis with built-in presets. The sample browser loads WAV, MP3, and FLAC files, and the project includes 72 CC0 drum samples. Effects include filter, delay, reverb, overdrive, fuzz, and chorus, with per-track and master-bus options. Offline export supports WAV at 16-, 24-, or 32-bit and MP3 at 128–320k; MP3 export requires an optional build setting. USB MIDI works on the listed desktop platforms, but Bluetooth MIDI is not directly supported. The project is free and open source under an MIT license. Downloads include Windows installers and portable ZIPs, Linux tarballs and AppImages, and macOS DMGs and ZIPs. The README says dependencies are vendored and there are no external runtime dependencies.

DrumComputer is a synthetic drum instrument that combines synthesis, modulation, sequencing, randomizers, and sample import. Its eight sound engines each layer a resonator, a wavetable or analogue oscillator, and a resynth or sampler. The 16-step sequencer includes probability, rolls, step delay, swing, humanize, pattern generation, and remixing or fills. Effects include a filter, compressor, overdrive, and room and hall send reverbs. The desktop version supports MIDI file drag and drop plus multiple audio and MIDI outputs. It runs on macOS 10.13 or later and Windows 7 or later, with 64-bit versions for Intel and Apple Silicon. The iPad version requires iPadOS 17.6 or later and supports standalone and AUv3 operation, MIDI export, Ableton Link, MIDI Learn, host automation, and preset iCloud sync. DrumComputer costs $129, paid once as a download. A demo is available, but restrictions include a timeout after 30 minutes / 30 days and disabled saving and export. A Claude Desktop extension can create sounds from text prompts and requires the full version.