# iFretless Sax — expressive musical instrument

> Realistic woodwind instrument simulator for string players and MIDI controllers. (iPhone/iPad app by Blue Mangoo Consulting Company Limited.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ifretless-sax/id681765126 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Blue Mangoo Consulting Company Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1475107602)
- Category: Music
- Price: $9.99
- Rating: 4.40/5 from 9 App Store ratings · 51 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.6 · 257 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2013-08-06
- Data updated: 2026-08-30
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ifretless-sax/id681765126/reviews.md

## What is iFretless Sax?

This is the app for guitar, bass, and strings players who need realistic woodwind instrument sounds for recording or live performance.

iFretless responds naturally to the the finger movements strings players use for vibrato and sliding between pitches. Using those techniques, the app gives a more believable, natural imitation of woodwind sounds than traditional keyboard based synth interfaces.  

It also supports midi input from EWI MIDI controller devices and keyboard MIDI controllers.

SOUNDS IN THE APP
1. Tenor Sax
2. Alto Sax
3. Bari Sax
4. Soprano sax
5. Clarinet
6. Bass Clarinet
7. Synth lead

FEATURES 
1) Dynamic volume control based on touch force. (Yes, this really does work.)
2) MIDI (in and out)
3) Audio Unit v3 support
4) Audiobus

## Key features

- Realistic woodwind sounds
- String player gesture response
- Dynamic volume control
- MIDI input/output
- Audio Unit v3 support
- Audiobus support

## Recent user reviews (10 of 51)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ifretless-sax/id681765126/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Great when it works

*2026-08-09*

The saxophone simulation sounds great when you’re playing it, but the app continually glitches anytime you stop recording a different instrument so that you have to close your project and reopen it EVERY TIME, which renders this thing absolutely useless. A waste of my time.

### 4/5 — Great app - but not loading in AUM in iPadOS 26

*2025-08-29*

I love this app for the sounds, and it’s worked reliably for years, but after trying the iPadOS 26 beta, I am seeing that it will not load in AUM (but it does work standalone).  Is this an active issue for the developers?  Thanks!

### 5/5 — The BEST app

*2025-06-25, version 4.0.18*

I LOVE all these fretless apps, THE sax and bass being the BEST, i’m not sure what the other guys found wrong with this app, but let me tell you folks, this application is absolutely perfect and I’ve been playing it every single day. works just fine, it has awesome vibrato and it also allows MIDI!!!

### 5/5 — iFretless Apps open up a whole new world of Instruments + MIDI for Guitarists and Bassists!

*2025-02-26*

Each iFretless app gives you the ability to play countless lead instruments (Horns, Brass, Guitar, Bass or ANY MIDI instrument) - All without having to learn keyboard!
 
The sounds built into these apps are top notch! The flexibility to setup the number of frets and strings and the note offset between strings is a game-changer! 
 
Do you want to instantly apply your skills as a bassist or guitarist to ANY instrument? Would you like to perform a sax or trumpet solo from your virtual bass on the screen?  Easy/peasy! 
 
Do you just want to play along with some tunes while you on the move? Piece of cake! 
 
Would you like to play a local or remote synthesizer from your familiar fretboard instrument? This is an essential app to help make that happen!
 
I’ve wait for an instrument app like this for YEARS!  
For the lowest possible latency use wired headphones (but it works with Bluetooth headphones as well).
 
Just TRY it!

### 1/5 — Не работает

*2024-05-12, version 4.0.16*

Программа тупо не работает

### 4/5 — Good - but Tenor Sax needs fixing.

*2021-09-20*

This has some good sounds with plenty of options to tweak the eq and reverb amongst other things. Unfortunately as others have observed, the Tenor Sax sound is not very usable due to a pronounced percussive click at the beginning of each note.
So far it is working well as an AUv3 in Cubasis and Dorico.

### 4/5 — Sounds great...

*2020-06-26*

But the note “sliding” is the biggest downside of the app. Real saxophones aren’t trombones and one can not perform a legato on them. The app “Sensual Sax” treats these transitions more realistically, but each of these apps have their positives. Would just like to have more realistic note transitions available here. Thanks!

### 1/5 — Do not spend any money on this!

*2020-06-25*

Could be a nice app, but the “user support” is a real nightmare.
One of the last updates messed up the app completely: audio output of the device will be muted as soon as you start this app. Only a restart of the device will bring audio output back.
I have contacted the support and asked them to fix this. They didn’t even bother to apologize and told me straight away that they will not fix it for some (obviously made up) reasons. End of discussion.
This is the most rude and unprofessional “support” I have ever encountered.

Update: unlike the statement of the developer suggests, this was not about “an iOS version from three years back”, but a nearly current version (at that time), that I had to stay on for a couple of reasons. I still think that you shouldn’t ship updates that you haven’t tested. AND you shouldn’t respond rudely to a customer who asks you to fix your mistake.

**Developer response:** The problem this customer is referring to occurred after a change we made to support a new iOS version caused errors in an iOS version from three years back. Unfortunately we decided not to fix it because we didn’t have any development iPads or iPhones with that old OS on it. Although we could have bought an old used iPad to get the old iOS, we only heard from one customer who was having this trouble and we figured it would be easier for him to upgrade to a newer OS than for us to buy a used iPad. Generally we keep to a policy of supporting the latest two iOS versions. Cases like the one we describe here are extremely rare. This is the only time it happened to us in ten years of business on the app store.

### 1/5 — You failed to fix it.  (Sax Not workring Midi CC)

*2020-06-25*

Breath noise Issue It didn't go away.
You have to check ‘Volume midi CC’
When I setting ‘Volume midi cc’ , And Push note any pitch (Not use ‘ewi or breathcontroller’ Just touch screen)  , It is appeared Breath noise  

And I sent 3 emails but there was no reply so I wrote a review. 

-

This is weird working When I setting midi cc about ‘sax’ sound

but ‘Clarinet’ is very good work
Only ‘sax’ sound is weird

Im using ‘ewi usb’ , But this is same when I using touch screen.

**Developer response:** *Please* contact us via the form on our website. we would really like to get this working perfectly. But the app reviews are not convenient for discussing customer support. If you want to punish us for having bugs, the app store review is the place for that. If you want to help us fix the bugs, please write to us here: http://bluemangoo.com/contact_us.php

### 3/5 — Error in soprano and baritone

*2020-06-13*

This version seem to have bugs in the two instruments!

The clarinet and alto are really good if you tweak it for your controller.

Please fix the other instruments and test them with a wind controller like the Akai EWI 4000s.

**Developer response:** Hi, we addressed these issues in the update that released today. If you are still having problems with your EWI we would really like to hear about it so we can get this working perfectly. Because we do not have access to all the various EWI instruments we would really like to have feedback from you. Please use the form on our website to contact us: http://bluemangoo.com/contact_us.php

## Frequently asked questions about iFretless Sax

### What kind of instruments can I play with this app?

The app offers realistic sounds for several woodwind instruments, including Tenor Sax, Alto Sax, Bari Sax, Soprano Sax, Clarinet, and Bass Clarinet. It also includes a Synth Lead sound.

### How does this app differ from traditional keyboard synths for woodwind sounds?

This app is designed to respond naturally to finger movements similar to those used by string players for vibrato and sliding between pitches. This allows for a more believable and natural imitation of woodwind sounds compared to standard keyboard-based synthesizers.

### Can I use external controllers with this app?

Yes, the app supports MIDI input from both EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument) MIDI controller devices and standard keyboard MIDI controllers. It also supports MIDI output.

### What are the key features for expressive playing?

Key features include dynamic volume control based on touch force, allowing for nuanced playing. It also supports MIDI in and out, Audio Unit v3, and Audiobus, enabling integration into various music production workflows.

### Is this app suitable for live performance?

Yes, the app is designed for both recording and live performance. Its ability to respond to touch gestures and its support for MIDI controllers make it a versatile tool for musicians seeking expressive woodwind sounds in a live setting.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 4.0.19 — 2025-09-24

Smaller fixes and improvements.

### 4.0.18 — 2025-04-15

This update includes stability improvements.

### 4.0.17 — 2024-06-26

App performance improvements.

### 4.0.16 — 2024-04-23

This update includes stability improvements.

### 4.0.15 — 2024-04-02

Fix MIDI recording in Logic Pro.

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## More apps by Blue Mangoo Consulting Company Limited

- [iFretless Bass](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ifretless-bass/id512929963)
- [iFretless Guitar](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ifretless-guitar/id623167340)
- [iFretless Brass](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ifretless-brass/id915761815)
- [Drone Tuner](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drone-tuner/id1326016622)
- [Stereo Modulator](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stereo-modulator/id1370816026)

All apps by Blue Mangoo Consulting Company Limited: https://appshunter.io/developer/1475107602

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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 2026-08-30.*