Fingerlab BloopMachine: an acid synth-sequencer for iPhone, iPad and Mac
Fingerlab releases BloopMachine, a TB-303-style monophonic synth and sequencer for iPhone, iPad and Mac, free with a full version unlocked in-app.
French developer Fingerlab, maker of the DM1 drum machine app, has released BloopMachine, a monophonic synth paired with a sequencer built for acid basslines in the spirit of the Roland TB-303. Version 1.0 landed on the App Store on 29 October 2026 for iPhone, iPad and Mac, and is described on Fingerlab’s official page. It is a free download, with a full version unlocked through an in-app purchase.
A simple synth, a sequencer that drives everything
The sound engine is lean: a wavetable oscillator (a series of waveforms you sweep through to change the timbre, see our wavetable synthesis explainer) followed by a resonant filter, the heart of the acid sound. Controls cover octave, waveform shape, decay (how long the sound takes to fade, see our ADSR envelope guide), tone, phase and an LFO.
- Step sequencer of up to 32 steps: note, octave, velocity, and also every synth and effect parameter, which can change on each step. Adjustable tempo and swing.
- Controlled chance: each section has a dice button that picks a random value, a Mutate function reshapes a whole patch, and a Bend function adds pitch slides with an adjustable probability.
- Effects section: ring modulator, distortion, chorus, delay and reverb, all sequenceable.
- AUv3: the app runs standalone or as a plugin inside a compatible host (see our plugin formats guide).
What the full version unlocks
| Feature | Free | Full version |
|---|---|---|
| Synth, sequencer, AUv3 | yes | yes |
| Complete effects section | no | yes |
| 48 patterns and Song mode | no | yes |
| Preset management, import and export | no | yes |
| Real-time audio export, undo | no | yes |
Fingerlab lists MIDI mapping, external MIDI clock sync and Ableton Link as coming later, with no date. In version 1.0, BloopMachine therefore cannot lock to a hardware drum machine over MIDI clock; as an AUv3, it follows the host’s tempo.
Who it is for, what it costs, what it competes with
Who it is for. Mobile musicians who want to sketch acid lines on an iPhone or iPad, and AUv3 host users looking for a source of generative basslines. Its guided-randomness approach serves idea hunting more than faithfully reproducing a TB-303 line.
What it costs. The app is a free download. Fingerlab does not list the full-version price on its page; the US App Store shows $6.99. Minimum requirements: iOS and iPadOS 15.6, macOS 12.5.
What it competes with.
- Troublemaker by Bram Bos, at $8.99 on the App Store: an acid bass synth with a sequencer, as an app and an AUv3. Paid up front, with no free tier.
- SquareAcid by James Navarro, at $6.99: a TB-303 homage with an AUv3 plugin.
BloopMachine stands out for its free tier, per-parameter sequencing and Mac availability; for now it lacks MIDI sync. More apps will join our mobile apps section.
