# AU Studio — Audio Unit Inspector Host > Audio Unit extension host for inspection and auditioning of installed plugins. (iPhone/iPad app by Christian Thompson.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/au-studio/id6763809742 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Christian Thompson](https://appshunter.io/developer/1511795684) - Category: Music, Developer Tools - Price: $9.99 - Rating: 5.00/5 from 3 App Store ratings · 1 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 17.0 · 7 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2026-06-15 - Data updated: 2026-09-07 - Monetization: paid - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/au-studio/id6763809742/reviews.md ## What is AU Studio? AU Studio is a focused Audio Unit host, not a DAW. Open the plug-ins you already own, hear them in seconds, and see exactly what they expose. Made for musicians, sound designers, and Audio Unit developers who need a fast, honest test bench. No session to build, no tracks to arm. Pick a unit from your catalog and its interface opens in a panel of its own, named and sized to the plug-in, with your host controls in a bar above it. Key features: - Scan the instruments, effects, music effects, generators, and MIDI processors already installed on your device: AUv3 on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro, plus AUv2 on Mac. - Filter by developer, type, or search text, and hide Apple built-ins to focus on third-party gear. - Open a plug-in's own interface when it ships one, and fall back to a metadata view when it doesn't, with the full inspector always one tap away. - Inspect identity, four-character codes, version, sandbox and cached validation status, MIDI support, busses, parameters, presets, latency, and tail time. - Step through factory presets, then save your own working state without leaving the interface. - Play instruments from the floating MIDI keyboard: notes, pitch bend, mod wheel, auto, mono or poly voicing, a shiftable range, and one-tap panic for stuck notes. Your hardware controller lights up the on-screen keys as you play. - Run a guitar, a microphone, or any channel of your interface through a loaded effect. Pick the device, pick mono or stereo, pick the channels. - Load a track into the floating media player, scrub the waveform, loop a section, and play along with your live input at the same time. - Check a signal path in seconds with the built-in test tone. - Route external CoreMIDI sources in, and send generated MIDI back out to a CoreMIDI destination. - Test MIDI 2 units with automatic, MIDI 1, or MIDI 2 protocol selection: high-resolution notes, registered and per-note controllers, per-note pitch bend, discovered MIDI-CI Profiles, and a monitor showing raw or decoded MIDI going in and coming out. - Choose your output device on Mac, and set sample rate, buffer size, and which MIDI sources are enabled. - Keep host-process CPU and memory in view while you work. - Open unfamiliar plug-ins with less risk. AU Studio asks first when the system does not mark a unit sandbox-safe, and a peak limiter sits across the host output. - Read the built-in manual, fully searchable: discovery, routing, presets, hardware input, floating tools, troubleshooting, and developer notes. What AU Studio is: A focused host for discovering, opening, auditioning, and inspecting the Audio Units already on your device. It answers the practical questions: Is the unit visible? Does it load? Does it have an interface? What busses, parameters, presets, and MIDI capabilities does it expose? Does MIDI reach it? Does audio pass through it? What AU Studio is not: It is not a DAW. No multitrack recording, clip launching, timeline arrangement, piano-roll sequencing, MIDI learn, automation lanes, song export, or mastering tools. AU Studio ships no Audio Unit of its own — no instrument, no effect, no DSP engine. It hosts the units other apps provide and wraps them in host-owned routing, auditioning, and inspection. Discovery uses the system Audio Unit registry. If a provider app is not installed, not enabled, or not visible to the platform, AU Studio cannot invent it. Interface behavior, presets, parameter meaning, MIDI mapping, and DSP results belong to each Audio Unit. ## Key features - Scan and catalog installed Audio Units - Filter plugins by developer, type, and status - Load AUv3 interfaces or use detailed inspector - Inspect registry identity, MIDI support, and parameters - Route CoreMIDI sources and audition audio effects - Monitor runtime CPU and memory usage - Built-in manual for guidance ## Chart rankings - #183 in Top Paid · Music (US App Store) ## Recent user reviews (1 of 1) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/au-studio/id6763809742/reviews.md ### 5/5 — Unlocked hidden powers… *2026-07-04* I didn’t realize that this was more of a development tool, but I have discovered that it works really well for performances and or minimalistic set ups where I just want to play an instrument quickly and not build out a recording session. ## Frequently asked questions about AU Studio ### What is AU Studio? AU Studio is a specialized host application designed to discover, open, audition, and inspect installed AUv3 audio extensions. It helps users understand the capabilities and behavior of their audio plugins. ### What kind of audio plugins does AU Studio support? AU Studio specifically hosts AUv3 (Audio Unit version 3) extensions. This includes music devices, effects, generators, and MIDI processors that are compatible with the AUv3 framework. ### Can I record music with AU Studio? No, AU Studio is not a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). It does not offer features like multitrack recording, timeline arrangement, or song export. Its focus is solely on inspecting and auditioning individual audio plugins. ### How does AU Studio help developers? Developers can use AU Studio as a fast and honest test bench to inspect what their Audio Units expose, verify how they behave, and ensure proper functionality without needing to build a full session. ### What information can I get about an Audio Unit in AU Studio? You can inspect the unit's registry identity, four-character codes, version, sandbox status, validation status, MIDI support, busses, parameters, presets, latency, tail time, and exposed state dictionaries. ### Does AU Studio have ads? No, AU Studio does not contain advertisements. It is a paid application that offers an ad-free experience for users. ### What devices is AU Studio compatible with? AU Studio is available for Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro devices, allowing for cross-platform inspection and auditioning of audio plugins. ### How often is AU Studio updated? AU Studio was last updated on June 18, 2026, indicating regular maintenance and potential feature additions. The current version is 1.0. ## Version history (last 3 releases) ### 1.1.1 — 2026-08-25 Fixed an issue where scan progress could appear to stall on a large library. ### 1.1 — 2026-08-20 INTERFACE PANEL Plug-in interfaces now open in a panel of their own, named and sized to the plug-in, with your host controls in a bar above it. HARDWARE INPUT Plug in a guitar, a microphone, or any channel of your interface and hear it through a loaded effect. Pick the device, pick mono or stereo, pick which channels feed it. The Hardware Input panel opens beside the media player, so you can play along with a backing track. PRESETS Factory and user presets now sit in the host controls above the interface. Step through what a plug-in ships with, then save your own working state without leaving the interface. MIDI 2.0 Test MIDI 2-capable Audio Units with automatic, MIDI 1, or MIDI 2 protocol selection. Send high-resolution notes, registered and per-note controllers, and per-note pitch bend; inspect raw or decoded MIDI input and Audio Unit output; and optionally route generated MIDI to a CoreMIDI destination. Supported systems also expose discovered MIDI-CI Profiles. Clear status indicators report fallback, dropped or truncated data, unavailable messages, feedback protection, and degraded timing. Stability improvements and bug fixes. ### 1.0 — 2026-06-18 No release notes. ## More apps by Christian Thompson - [Riverton Music](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/riverton-music/id1511795685) - [Copyprotect](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/copyprotect/id1527822392) - [Emoji Sound](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/emoji-sound/id1541801897) - [Web AU](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/web-au/id1543843478) - [Session Notes AU](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/session-notes-au/id1552595478) - [Bitcoin Watch App](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bitcoin-watch-app/id1573102906) All apps by Christian Thompson: https://appshunter.io/developer/1511795684 --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-07.*