GaMBi User Reviews

Top reviews

Has potential but…

Crashes before app can load… After adding more files to the library, it crashes… Either fix this or I want my money back…

Response from developer

Hello, Thank you for choosing GaMBi. I'm sorry to hear you have trouble starting the app. There may be one particular file you've added that isn't being processed properly. Could you please send us a mail to support AT ichigoichie DOT org? Then we can ask you for a copy of the files you're trying to load and work on a solution. Best, David

Great

The app is great, and works as expected. One question, though. Are there any plans to add compatibility with the .vgz format.

The bestchip tune player on iOS

I use this app several times a week and it does everything you need a chiptune player to do. If you’re a fan of classic game music, this is the player to get. Eats every format you’d ever want to listen to and presents all your music in a clean and straightforward interface.

Response from developer

Thank you very much for the rating and kind words. These are the things that make it worth maintaining this app. Keep rocking!

Please

Please add the feature again to copy the complete folder of video game music from safari on to Gambi. I want to have my songs organized, the only way to save music to the app is download the zip file for a game’s soundtrack and save it to the app Files, but from there only one song can be transferred over to Gambi at a time. Before the new iOS updates we were allowed to transfer the complete folder of a game’s soundtrack over to Gambi. Please I need this feature back, I would rebuy the app if I have to.
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Response from developer

Hi Tomahawk. I'm updating our reply. GaMBi 1.4 and newer now supports the Files app on iOS which should make it much easier to add music to GaMBi. You can also delete pack-in songs if you wish. Give it a try and if you have any feedback, we'd love to hear it at our support email! Best, David

5/7/2020 update fixed issues

5/7/2020 took care of the user interface issues. App appears to be working perfectly now. Thanks, devs!

Response from developer

Hello, this has been fixed in our 1.3 release. Please update and try it out. Thank you for your support.

Can not open music since update

I use to be able to open files by simply exporting the to open in GaMBi. This option is no longer available

Read before buying

I was happy when I found this app but as soon as I opened the app I was immediately disappointed. The app display not only doesn’t fill the screen on my XS Max, which would have been ok, but the screen is chopped off at the bottom so I can’t even read the buttons on the bottom and can just barely see the blue glow so I can navigate the app barely but this is inexcusable. If the app was abandoned or something I could maybe understand it but if the developer is having a sale on the app, they’re obviously still trying to make money from the app, so they should be fixing the app. I’ll gladly give this app 5 stars if it’s fixed but future customers should be alerted to the current state of the app.
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Response from developer

Hello, this has been fixed in our 1.3 release. Please update and try it out. Thank you for your support.

Misleading promo video

Too good to be true. The app’s promo video makes it seem like it comes loaded with a ridiculous number of classic chiptune tracks from yesteryear. Not the case at all. I’m assuming there was a previous copyright violation issue and the unlicensed tracks had to be removed. There are no tracks from Sonic, Duck Tales, or Kirby. However, if you’re a fan of RoboCop you’re in luck. I can’t say for sure what the circumstances for the missing content because I don’t see any indication in the version history as to why the songs featured in the video aren’t in the actually app. The promo video should be updated to reflect accessible content.

1 star for inter-app audio (IAA) functionality. Just wish I could remix classic SEGA tunes in AUM without jumping through hoops to get the files into the darn thing.

UPDATE: After looking through the online support materials I see there are ways to add files. Again, I bought the app expecting to have immediate access. There is no indication in the description on the App Store page, nor is there any indication in the promo video that this is the case. Updated from 1 star to 2 because with more effort it will be more useful and enjoyable.
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Please Update for iPhone X Max

Awesome app, loyal user. Please update for big phone screen sizes

Also when a phone call comes in or another app that turns off the audio of Gambi opens, when resuming Gambi the audio is distorted. Playing either too fast or too slow, forcing me to force quit the app and reopen it

Thank You for this app and I hope it continues to improve,🙏
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Response from developer

Hey SuperBlaq, Thanks for always supporting GaMBi. I'm sorry to hear about the distortion problem after receiving calls. We'll look into that for our next service release. Best, GaMBi Support

Almost there

Update: Retested a new file for FDS NSF and the wavechannel worked. Leaving this here to give future clarifications concerning the developer response. Clarified interface review. Overall, GaMBi isn’t a bad app and is extremely useful for the channel split and Audiobus support.

So I’ll preface this review with the following: I’m a huge chiptune/emulation music fan. So this review is meant for the hardcore emulation music fans.

Pros
* channel separation: sometimes I just want to study a portion of a game soundtrack or listen to how a composer used which channel for what. Extremely cool feature and the main reason I bought the app
* export feature: super cool to export music into their respective channels for post stuff
* Audiobus support

Cons
* Interface feels a bit clunky. At times, It felt like I was fighting with the interface. I’m not quite sure how I feel about the whole synthwave interface. Not a deal breaker, but it does feel a bit strange. It did help I could keep it in the background and use the native iOS controls
* VGM support: it sort of works, but fails on certain chips (arcade board, pc chips, etc). It seems to recognize the chip, but can’t play the audio.
* No post audio tweaks: really wish I could change the interpolation for certain file types (SPC for example). I do appreciate the treble, bass, and reverb setting, but just wish there was a bit more.

Bottom line: there are other chip player apps that have better compatibility, but lack the channel split function. If that is a function you really need, I’d say grab it. If you want something that will play pretty much whatever you throw at it, there are other players that will serve the function.
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Response from developer

Hello. Let me clarify a few things: * the interface is retina and runs at native resolution on iPhone SE. I assume you mean it's not a native iPhone X device due to the the letterboxing at the top and bottom of the screen? * the FDS wave channel is supported, and we can see it functioning properly on a Japanese FDS NSF. Please check that the NSF you're using really is the FDS version. If you're still having problems, contact our support via the address at https://ichigoichie.org/gambi/manual/#troubleshooting * VGM support is indeed currently limited to Mega Drive / Genesis. I'll clarify this in our documentation Thank you for supporting GaMBi!

Thank you for these new features!🙏🏾

Thank you fam! Thank you! 🙏🏾 We needed this! Thanks for not abandoning.

Limited

Don’t bother using app. It doesn’t even have a shuffle mode or a way to randomly play your collection without building a playlist.

Response from developer

Hello. A "shuffle all" feature was requested by some other users, and it worked its way up our product backlog. It's now included since version 1.2.11. You can find the auto-generated "Entire library" playlist in the SETS tab. With this you can listen to your whole library in sequential or random order.

Yum

Yum

Cool Chiptune Player

Great app that plays most of the game and demo tunes (with very few exceptions) nicely. Sounds good & looks good.

Fantastic!

Really glad this little gem exists on iOS. Please fix the shuffle problem (shuffle works, but doesn’t affect the upcoming view, and can misidentify tracks and mess up favorites). Still, this app is so good I can easily give it a 5 with this issue. Download it, you’ll love it!

Response from developer

Thank you for the kind words! Yeah, the Up Next view does not show the tracks shuffled, as we randomly choose the next track at the moment it changes. I'll think about the feedback though, thanks.

Brooksie

Great sounds. Loses it by not being commercially usable. Potential for samples huge. A waste of an app until it resolves this issue.

*update* There are many 4-dollar apps (and cheaper, as in free) that allow one to make music they can then broadcast to the public without copyright infringement. In fact, charging 4 dollars for an app that only allows you to play music is too expensive. But thanks for the reply.
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Response from developer

Hello. I'm sorry you are dissatisfied with the app. The app is for playing music, and sampling for private use. Use of copyrighted music for commercial gain is multinational law, and outside the scope of a four dollar iOS app. If there is a particular piece of music you wish to employ for personal gain, I encourage you to contact the copyright holder directly. Best, GaMBi Support

Essential

There's nothing else like it on the App Store. Great sounds and nostalgia and the AudioCopy export makes it easy to take the tunes with you.

Excellent app

It's my go to for vgm, the new update adds some cool features, don't miss this thing!

Brilliant Chip Tune Player

Simple and easy to use, plays music from all the most popular systems from the 80's and early 90's. Being able to download from websites and open in the App is a real bonus.

GaMBi

I've have a few minor gripes with this program recently. The iTunes file sharing thing is (at least for me) a bit more complicated than I expected it to be. Also, you can't delete the pre-made songs or any songs for that manner very easily. I hope you can develop a more user-friendly interface so I don't have to rip my hair out trying to learn how to do stuff ;) Thank you and keep up the good work!
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