# iVCS3 — user reviews > 192 indexed App Store user reviews of iVCS3 by apeSoft, rated 4.90/5 from 206 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ivcs3/id665703927/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ivcs3/id665703927.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 191 · 4★ 8 · 3★ 3 · 2★ 1 · 1★ 3 ## What do users think of iVCS3? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - 🚀 Faithful recreation of the original - 👍 Powerful and versatile sound - 🎨 Gorgeous vintage interface - 💡 Additional features beyond the original - 🎛️ Excellent integration with MIDI and other apps **Cons** - 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs - 🤔 Steep learning curve - 🔍 Difficult to navigate the matrix **Commonly reported bugs** - Presets not loading - Crashes on iOS 15.04 - Sampler not functioning properly **Most requested features** - Mac compatibility - Improved preset management - Expanded sampling capabilities ## Newest reviews (15 of 192) ### 5/5 — Keaboard problem *2024-04-28, version 3.5* The keaboard is not working anymore after the update in iPad Air ### 5/5 — Still brilliant after all these years *2024-04-11* I use this app inside Cubasis 3 on my iPad Air 4 quite regularly, it works perfectly with Automation. Could’ve be without it, no other app can create the sounds of iVCS3 👌 ### 5/5 — I keep coming back. *2024-03-15, version 3.4.7* There are great synths on iOS. And more and more coming each few months. But nothing… Nothing is as amazing as this one. You can have an entire radiophonic music studio on your device. It’s wondrous! And it’s Italian!!! ### 5/5 — Love it! *2023-12-01* Please make available on all Apple Silicon. Would LOVE to use this on a desktop or laptop! ### 5/5 — Crash *2022-10-11* Every time i try to load ivcs3 it crashes immediately…i paid a decent amount of money for this with all the packs. Is there a fix for this? It is an awesome sound generator, but it must work… ### 5/5 — Every nun needs a Synthi *2022-02-10* Holy wow. This is a gorgeous emulator of a weird and wonderful synthesizer. I discovered this while browsing through the Trunk Records online catalogue, and now it’s my favorite app by a lot. Made with love by and for music nerds. ### 5/5 — Superbe mais... *2021-12-23* Un mode d’emploi en français pour utiliser l’application. Ça fait longtemps que j’attends et beaucoup d’utilisateurs le demande. Faites-le, s’il vous plaît ! MERCI 1 an après TOUJOURS RIEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ### 5/5 — This is a classic app that keeps on giving-growing! *2020-11-26* From the start I was excited to have access to such an incredibly rare synthesizer experience as the hardware version of this model is next to impossible to find even in a synth Mueseum! But the roster of artist who have used this is as long and thick as an old phone book! The icing on the cake is apesoft and especially James Edward Cosby continuing to support and build upon this synth with updates and presets that customize and help any sound designer and synth musicians from newbie analog programmers to the geniuses that understand the deep complexity of the real wires and patches of CV and modulation “electronic goodies” that make this such a special secret weapon to any kit! Roger Waters was the artist famous for saying “there are lots of electronic goodies made available for us to be bothered with....and we will be bothered!” From the documentary “Pink Floyd - Live at Pompeii” when Roger was positively inspired creatively when he says ‘bothered’ in a most noble way ....with parts of the film showcasing Roger programming and playing this very synth in what would become “The Darkside of the Moon” album of all time! When I saw this strange synth I never realized how rare it was but since technology has made it possible with programming and development by apesoft and James Edward Cosby (Jim Cosby)! This is after many years of surprise and intrigue oh and much joy in sound design playing this instrument that I finally wrote a good review in honor of yet another addition in “captivity” to blow my mind yet again! So this review is well past due and much deserved! Bravo! Bravo! And Bravo, indeed! ### 5/5 — Best sounding synth on iOS *2020-11-26* Beautiful. 100% kudos to the coder and some of the sound designer like JEC. Recommended. ### 5/5 — bin beeindruckt *2020-11-01* für die bedienoberfläche würd ich mir eine ipad-gerechte alternative rein funktionale bedienoberfläche wünschen. der klang ist phat, durchsetzungsfähig, charakteristisch. die möglichkeiten sind weitreichender, als auf den ersten blick erkennbar. werde mich damit wohl vertiefend beschäftigen müssen. meinen dank dem entwickler. applaus! 👏 ### 5/5 — Eccezionale *2020-06-17, version 3.3.8* Veramente! ### 5/5 — Fantastic app ! *2020-04-23* Awesome work, easy to use and so many possibilities to work with. Thank you very much. ### 5/5 — Phenomenal. The best app in any App Store! *2020-04-02, version 3.3.4* After using this for well over a year. I’m still amazed at how much more there is to learn. There seem to be no limits. I can only hope this will come to Mac soon, as Mood already has. ### 5/5 — Fantastica riproduzione... il mio synth preferito *2020-03-22, version 3.3.1* Eccezionale synth con infinite possibilità, con un sound unico. Unico piccolo difetto: la leva del controllo X/Y, quando estratta dal lato destro dello schermo, copre alcuni controlli molto utili. Basterebbe renderla riposizionabile o al massimo riportarla alla posizione che aveva nelle vecchie versioni, più in basso a coprire il meter. ### 3/5 — Great synth, but the matrix... *2020-02-26* I like this synth but I don’t like the matrix, so I hardly ever use it. You can zoom in on the matrix but still it’s difficult to see where you need to put the pins. I always trace them by hovering with my finger. Basically the farther the hole from the labels, the harder it is to see which two items it connects. Don’t get me wrong, the holes are big enough for the finger, so when you tap on the one you intend to put the pin into, there’s no problem there, it’s precise. But to visually find where you need to put the pin is a challenge and always takes too long. Looking up and left a few times, and ultimately ending up having to hoover my finger over the holes to visualize the signal flow. It’s a bad design, humans need visual queues. Take Factory (by Sugarbytes) for example, it's got about the same overall size of its matrix but it’s so clear to use. I look, and then tap to place the circle, without having to figure out which hole connects what. Glancing at the matrix, to figure out what’s going on in the patch... is not something I’m able to do in iCVS3, and that’s pretty much kills all the joy of using this synth for me. I get that it’s looks were modeled after hardware but that doesn’t change my experience using this app on (10.5”) iPad. Using this matrix is frustrating because there’s too much visual information to process/interpret for my mind, and there are no visual queues to help. Perhaps if a different “skin” for the matrix was available as an option, it would make things clearer. If you look at the screenshot of the matrix, try to visualize the connections. If you find it effortless or not a big deal, then I’m sure you’ll love this app as the rest of it is actually very well made. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — No longer works! *2024-03-15, version 3.4.7* After several updates it has become impossible to select any presets. All purchases are now inaccessible!!! Just blank pages when navigating to a set pf presets. Same problem iOS 16 & 17. ### 1/5 — Don’t waste your time *2024-01-21* They have stopped supporting the app won’t even open. ### 1/5 — Crashes on iPadOs V15.04. Please fix! *2022-03-24, version 3.4.7* My version will not run on iPadOs V15.04. Please fix this bug! ### 1/5 — Won’t open *2019-07-17, version 3.2.4* I just got a iPad Pro 12.5 and the app won’t open then crashes over and over ☹️ why? ### 1/5 — Crashes in iOS 8 please fix *2014-09-20, version 1.1.3* Yep. Crashes in iOS when going to the settings page. iPad Air. Also audiobus cannot be initiated - gives me an popup error . I have high hopes for this app! Please fix and I will raise my low rating! ### 1/5 — Achtung Finger weg! *2014-05-12* Die bisher grösste Enttäuschung im Bereich der Music Apps. Es wurde so ziemlich alles falsch gemacht, was man bei einer Synthapp verkehrt machen kann. Es beginnt mit einer Tastatur, die stets zur Hälfte im Layout hängen bleibt, sogar eine der Tasten ist zur Hälfte vom Layout angeschnitten und lässt sich nicht bespielen! Einer meiner Freunde hat einen VCS3. Ein grossartiger, wohlklingender und ergonomisch gelungener Synthesizer. Die App bewegt sich im Rahmen des krassen Gegenteils. Ob sich der Entwickler wenigstens ein bisschen für den Ripup schämt? Der Sequencer humpelt so for sich hin, unbrauchbar ,untight. Die Klangerzeugung riecht nach Kaum kaschierter Sampleengine, insgesamt so käsig wie ein GM-Rompler. Design, Ergonomie, Sound hier wurde eigentlich alles schlecht gemacht. Hut ab! ### 1/5 — A mule is not a racing horse ;) *2014-03-07, version 1.0.1* This app is discribed as a simulation of a vintage analogue synthesizer. It has fabulous controlers, including beautifull extras the original had not. It has wavefiles that replace inputs. The looks of it make it seem totally authentic. But it is not functioning AT ALL! An analogue synthesizer, and the original VCS3, have oscillators, amplifiers that are voltage controlled. This makes it possible to use frequency modulation,amplitude modulation and allso feedback loops (vco to vco and back to the first vco. This app does not do this at audio frequencies! Therefore it does not produce sounds like the original synth at all. It is not a racehorse: it is a mule.... ### 2/5 — Keyboard disappears *2025-02-14* Love mostly all about this app, but the keyboard shows up when loading the app and then flies out of frame and can't be brought back which makes it hard to play - left with drones and the sequenzer its still nice, but an bugfix update would be amazing ### 2/5 — Needs fixing *2024-01-18* On iOS 17 the DK keyboard disappears upon startup and can not be retrieved anymore. Needs general bug check in 2024. Also it would be a nice bonus if it could be used on Mac OS like the Moog Minimoog app. ### 2/5 — Quit the pretension and fix the interface *2019-01-01, version 2.4* Said all that needs saying ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — The Real Deal *2025-09-21* Having owned and used both a VCS-3 and an AKS for many years back in the ‘70s I can confirm that this app is a stunningly accurate replica of the original instruments. It has some additional features. For example, used in AUM, you can add additional control modules (like LFOs) and apply them to just about every control on the APP’s panels. ### 5/5 — Mac compatibility now available. *2025-08-23* The update sounds great on iPad, but mentioned Mac compatibility doesn’t seem to be available. Really hope this is added soon. Update: Mac compatibility now working - fantastic! ### 5/5 — Lil Woodryc *2025-03-24, version 3.5.1* This plug-in is absolutely nuts Eight different effects to play around with and even a bit crusher functionality sound design possibilities are endless good for lofi textures in sound ### 5/5 — EMS VCS Emulator *2025-03-21* I’ve used this secret sauce Monster Emulator for approximately 2.5 years now Still there’s nothing close to the raw power and versatility that you can run on an iOS device . Once you channel it through a Universal Audio NEVE strip plug in or a Fairchild and an Eventide ? What larks ### 5/5 — Terrible *2024-12-02* Avec un Theremine ….Genial ! Mapping midi facile et fiable . Un grand merci ### 5/5 — Benchmark for emulation *2024-11-27, version 3.5.1* This is a wonderful example of engineering software built for purpose - so many features to uncover in here, excellent integration to network and Bluetooth MIDI including fine 14-bit controllers, AUv3/DAW integration, Ableton, accelerometers, LFO automation on all parameters, audio sharing apps too! With so many vintage instruments out there still to be emulated and this should be the reference of how it’s done! Great work ### 5/5 — So unique *2024-11-19* I love this app not only does it have all the components of the VCS; it’s beautifully laid out. There are not many synths that allow external inputs and user supplied samples including the ability to record them directly, as nd sequencer. I wish it were also available as a native mac app. I’d buy it in a heartbeat! ### 5/5 — Stellar! *2024-08-31* Being a lifelong pink floyd and Richard Wright fanatic,this is the closest most will come to obtaining an instrument that Richard used. The sound is amazing and it works great. Took years to write this review lol but well deserved! ### 5/5 — Indescrivibile! *2024-07-20, version 3.5.1* Ho comprato un iPad Pro esclusivamente per poter usare questo meraviglioso sintetizzatore. Talmente al di sopra degli altri che tentare un paragone è estremamente imbarazzante (per gli altri 😀). Il suono è cosi complesso, organico e vivo che non si può proprio descrivere. Per chi non lo sapesse questo synth fu ampiamente usato anche dal grande Maestro Franco Battiato in alcuni suoi album. Non parliamo poi della gentilezza e professionalità dello sviluppatore che ha risolto dopo pochissimi giorni un piccolo difetto grafico abbastanza fastidioso. Anche questo è veramente un qualcosa di raro. Meraviglioso !! 👏🏻👏🏻 ### 5/5 — Amazing Synthesizer!!!!! *2024-06-18* I’ve been using the iVCS3 for a few years now and it never get’s old. It can just keep surprising you with incredible sounds. Processing guitar = INSTANT SPACE ROCK! There is no better modular synthesizer app. It will be used by musicians for BILLIONS of years! --- *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 2026-09-03.*