# Heavy Brass — Trumpet, Trombone & Saxophone

> Virtual MIDI instrument for trumpet, trombone, and saxophone with advanced articulations. (iPhone/iPad app by Christian Schoenebeck d/b/a Crudebyte.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/heavy-brass/id1037802910 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Christian Schoenebeck d/b/a Crudebyte](https://appshunter.io/developer/428367741)
- Category: Music, Education
- Price: $9.99
- Rating: 4.20/5 from 37 App Store ratings · 32 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 12.0 · 353 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2015-11-20
- Data updated: 2026-06-11
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/heavy-brass/id1037802910/reviews.md

## What is Heavy Brass?

Heavy Brass delivers the most flexible and innovative approach to modern brass sounds ever provided by a virtual MIDI instrument!¹ With this ultimate brass app your productions and live performances will gain such powerful and amazing tone you previously were only able to retrieve from a real brass section!

This app contains the following instruments: Trumpet, Trombone and Saxophone sampled in four different brass sections.

Watch and listen to the demo video on our product website!

Minimum requirement: at least iPad 3 / iPad Air 1 / iPad mini 2.

This app supports Audio Unit v3, Inter-App Audio and Audiobus, so you can directly use it with other apps as well! External MIDI keyboards and controllers are supported as well of course, both via Lightning/USB cable connection, as well as wireless via Bluetooth LE MIDI.¹
 
There are 3 fundamental sound categories: „Singles“, „Switches“ and „Combis“, where „Switch Sounds“ allow you to either switch or crossfade between configurable articulations. Some „Combi Sounds“ allow you to switch or crossfade between predefined articulations as well.

24 Single Sounds:
Solo Trumpet, Solo Sax, Solo Trombone, Heavy Brass 1-4, Section 1, Section 2, Section 3, Section 4, Crescendo, Growl, Doiks, Shaker 1, Shaker 2, Staccato 1, Staccato 2, Staccato Sax 1, Staccato Sax 2, Falls 1, Falls 2, Falls 3, Falls 4.

Switch Sounds:
Five base sounds: Section 1, Section 2, Section 3, Section 4 and Crescendo, which are switchable or crossfadeable to four alternative articulations: Shaker, Growl, Doiks or Falls.

16 Combi Sounds:
Sections Velocity Layer 1,  Sections Velocity Layer 2, Sections Velocity Layer 3, Sections Velocity Layer 4, Sections Velocity Layer 5, Sections Velocity Layer 6, Sections Modwheel Layer 1, Sections Modwheel Layer 2, Staccato Layer 1, Staccato Layer 2, Staccato Round Robin 1, Staccato Round Robin 2, Staccato Round Robin 3, Sections & Staccato Round Robin 1, Sections & Staccato Round Robin 2, Sections & Staccato Round Robin 3.

General Features:
•  Low latency disk streaming.
•  Polyphony up to several hundred stereo voices.²
•  Configurable audio latency down to 1 ms.
•  Integrated effects with 18 presets.
•  App States: Save app's entire state as user presets.
•  16 parts.
•  Provides Audio Unit v3 plugin version of this app, which allows it to be used as virtual instrument directly within third-party multi-track DAW apps.
•  Support for Apple's "Inter-App Audio" system.
•  Audiobus support.
•  MIDI velocity response curve editor.
•  Master Tune & Scale Tuning.
•  App can keep running in the background, so you can play on your keyboard while e.g. using Safari or another app to display scores or surfing the Internet.
•  Virtual on-screen piano keyboard with velocity support, scalable & scrollable.

MIDI Player / Recorder:
•  Record, save and load your songs in standard MIDI file format.
•  Share your songs easily as audio file.
•  Unlimited amount of tracks.
•  Configurable target MIDI channel per track.
•  Unlimited recording and playback length.
•  Open MIDI (.mid) files directly from other apps (i.e. from Safari, Mail).
•  Download or upload MIDI files with iTunes.
•  Load your favorite songs as MIDI files from the Internet, and watch at the virtual keyboard how to play it.
•  Metronome.
•  Use the "Tempo Zoom" dial knob to i.e. slow down playback at any time and learn your favorite songs more easily.

¹ For more information about adapters and connecting external MIDI keyboards: https://doc.crudebyte.com/iOS/External_MIDI_devices/

² Various sounds are using several voices per note. Polyphony depends on the exact device model being used. You find a polyphony table on our product website.

Anti-Spy Commitment: We take your privacy very seriously. None of our apps contain so called „spy” behaviors and we committed ourself to a very high privacy standard. For more information read our „Privacy Policy for Mobile Apps”.

## Key features

- Trumpet, Trombone, Saxophone sounds
- Multiple brass section samples
- Switchable and crossfadeable articulations
- Audio Unit v3, Inter-App Audio, Audiobus support
- External MIDI keyboard and controller support
- Integrated effects with presets
- MIDI player and recorder

## Recent user reviews (10 of 32)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/heavy-brass/id1037802910/reviews.md

### 2/5 — Confused / is it working?

*2025-03-06, version 2.3.1*

Installed the app onto my iPad. For the most part it seems to work. However, if I use my external keyboard, the settings in the app are ignored. I am trying to play solo-saxophone with my midi keyboard. However, no matter what settings I set - the external midi keyboard gives the same sounds (not saxophone).

### 5/5 — The best horn emulator available.

*2024-11-21, version 2.3.1*

This app has literally changed my musical life. I love Jamaican music and Big Band. However, although I can play most instruments, I cannot play brass. This is the solution. I play it through my m audio keyboard using usually three or four tracks dedicated for brass layers. The best part is that they have come the closest you can to solving the issue of nuance with brass instruments. There are several different textures and combinations to choose from as well such as:  doits, shakes, falls, crescendos, etc.

### 4/5 — Pretty good

*2023-05-04, version 2.3.1*

I love it! Congratulations on making a great app

One pointer, the keyboard is very small and makes it VERY HARD to attempt to play the right notes

### 5/5 — Needs another update ASAP

*2023-01-01, version 2.3.1*

Using iPad Pro 14.6 and sounds grt! Had to repost review. I thought software was glitchy, found out it was my 3.5 aux cord going bad. Brass instruments are just what I needed in my Arsenal. Already produced a song in first hour. Nice job guys. 5 star. 👍

### 5/5 — Wow just wow

*2022-01-09, version 2.2.3*

Bloody heck this is amazing, just wait till the lads in the band I am in hears this, it will blow there minds. I am very impressed at the quality and realism. Top marks guys.

### 5/5 — Really amazing sounds

*2021-08-27, version 2.2.2*

Easily 5 stars

### 5/5 — Epico!

*2021-02-28*

Very epic!

### 4/5 — Keyboard needs to be bigger

*2020-12-26, version 2.0.8*

I love the sounds on this app. Absolutely fantastic. 
Nut I like to record using the iPad and the keyboard on the app is just too small to use fingers to form chords. Love to see a keyboard mode that you could use after choosing the sounds you want to work with

Thanks for listening

### 4/5 — Fix trombone

*2020-09-25, version 2.0.8*

friends, greetings, congratulations on the application, heavy brass is excellent, it just seems to me that they should correct something and the trombone does not sound clearly, it lacks presence, it is the only negative thing, please take my opinion into account, thank you

### 4/5 — Wish it would work with the iPhone 7s plus

*2019-08-24, version 2.0.5*

See titles… Overall I am very pleased with the different effects

## Frequently asked questions about Heavy Brass

### What instruments are included in Heavy Brass?

Heavy Brass includes sampled sounds for Trumpet, Trombone, and Saxophone. These instruments are provided in four different brass section configurations, offering a rich and varied palette for your productions.

### How can I use Heavy Brass with other music apps?

This app supports Audio Unit v3, Inter-App Audio, and Audiobus. This allows you to directly integrate the virtual brass instruments into your favorite multi-track DAW apps or other compatible music software on your device.

### Can I use an external MIDI keyboard with Heavy Brass?

Yes, external MIDI keyboards and controllers are fully supported. You can connect them via Lightning/USB cable or wirelessly through Bluetooth LE MIDI, giving you hands-on control over the instruments.

### What are the different sound categories available?

The app features three fundamental sound categories: 'Singles' for individual articulations, 'Switches' for dynamic switching or crossfading between articulations, and 'Combis' which offer pre-defined combinations and layers for complex brass textures.

### What are the minimum system requirements for Heavy Brass?

The minimum requirement for this app is at least an iPad 3, iPad Air 1, or iPad mini 2. Ensure your device meets these specifications to ensure optimal performance and compatibility.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2.4.1 — 2026-01-19

•  Minor corrections.

### 2.4 — 2025-07-07

•  Audio Unit: added audio rendering time statistics.
•  Audio Unit: detects audio dropouts and shows a warning in this case.

### 2.3.1 — 2022-03-15

This update fixes the following software issue introduced by recent feature update:

•  Fixed a potential crash when switching to a different sound.

### 2.3 — 2022-02-23

This update provides numerous improvements for the Audio Unit (AU) plugin version of Heavy Brass:

•  AU: Full-screen sound selection with search criteria filter options.
•  AU: Added Reverb effect.
•  AU: Automatically save and restore all sound settings with Audio Unit session (e.g. when saving/loading a song in an Audio Unit host app)
•  AU: Fixed potential crash on AU session restore.

Additionally this update provides the following software correction on Heavy Brass stand-alone app side:

•  Fixed potential concurrency issue when processing MIDI Control Change (CC) commands.

### 2.2.3 — 2021-09-27

•  Adds support for iOS 15.
•  Adds support for new iPhone 13 models.
•  Adds support for new iPad 9 and iPad mini 6 models.

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## More apps by Christian Schoenebeck d/b/a Crudebyte

- [CMP Grand Piano](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cmp-grand-piano/id566874816)
- [MIDI Wrench](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/midi-wrench/id589243566)
- [iSymphonic Orchestra](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/isymphonic-orchestra/id892220800)
- [iCathedral Organ](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/icathedral-organ/id925910220)
- [Oriental Strings](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/oriental-strings/id945125583)

All apps by Christian Schoenebeck d/b/a Crudebyte: https://appshunter.io/developer/428367741

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*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 2026-06-11.*