# Sampletoy — Elastic Sampler/Plaything

> Musical instrument and plaything for sampling, granular synthesis, and live sound manipulation. (iPhone/iPad app by Mazbox Limited.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sampletoy/id355918828 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Mazbox Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/329604853)
- Category: Music, Entertainment
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.20/5 from 104 App Store ratings · 98 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 8.0 · 24 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2010-03-03
- Data updated: 2026-09-14
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sampletoy/id355918828/reviews.md

## What is Sampletoy?

Sampletoy is a radical new musical instrument/plaything; part sampler, part granular synthesiser. Use it to capture sounds through the microphone, then play, loop, pitch and distort them live on the screen.

There are plenty of features under the hood, such as resonant filters, delays and envelope. You can enable "stepped" mode to play your sounds like a traditional keyboard, or keep it in "free" mode for some microtonal madness. 

Once you've recorded a sound, use the main area of the screen to play it back at different pitches (up to 5 fingers at a time). You can crop the sound by dragging a selection over the waveform. The crop area is also multitouch and you can adjust the crop while playing the sound too.

The y-axis is pitch of the sound, and the x-axis is configurable to control filters or envelope.

You can record your performances on Sampletoy and send them via email within the app as a CD-quality wav file (mono or stereo)

FEATURES
-------
* Create your own instruments out of any sound.
* Email your performances as audio files straight from the app.
* Built-in resonant filters, delay and envelope.
* Auto-saves current recording and state and recalls it again on next launch.
* Stepped mode allows chromatic, major, minor, pentatonic and whole-tone scales to be played.
* Totally multitouch - play up to 5 notes at once.
* 44kHz/16bit - professional quality sound.
* AudioBus3 output
* Import any audio file to Sampletoy from Files, Voice memos, DropBox etc
* Open non-audio files and hear what they sound like
* Bluetooth / Airplay support
* Built-in comprehensive manual.

## Key features

- Capture sounds via microphone
- Live playback, looping, pitching, and distortion
- Multitouch control for up to 5 notes
- Resonant filters, delays, and envelopes
- Stepped and free playback modes
- Record and email performances as WAV files
- Import audio from various sources

## Recent user reviews (10 of 98)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sampletoy/id355918828/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Synthtastic

*2026-06-07, version 1.2.5*

Amazing

### 4/5 — Pls add a hold button and an AuV3 connection

*2026-02-05*

Than I’m happy.
Tolle App mit enormen Potential auch zum Live spielen.

### 5/5 — What a beautiful app

*2025-11-10*

This is so inspiring. I really needed this since I’m going through a rough time right now. Thank you for your work!!! <3

### 4/5 — Crash de l'application

*2025-03-07*

Crash de l'application à plusieurs reprises lors de là création de sample dans les réglages. 
Merci au développeur pour l'appareil

### 5/5 — Spaßig

*2024-09-15*

Find ich super.

Nur einen Nachteil hat es. Wenn ich unten im Bildschirm etwas verändern möchte, dann schiebts das ganze Programm aus dem Bildschirm raus.

### 1/5 — Too basic...

*2024-07-02*

I wish the recording time of your performance would be longer than the 30 sec. 

Exporting a midi-file of your performance would be cool. 

Some basic sample editing features like cut/truncate and/or hold and/or reverse would be nice too. Just zooming in on a selection that you want to loop is a bit, well, let's just say, minimalist.

And since I am lusting my wish-list, how about more effects?

### 5/5 — Overall good app!

*2024-03-14*

This is a nice app for playing with sounds and textures… just turn on your cellphone microphone, record a sound and start mangling and manipulating it. Have fun with it and experiment with the different options and parameters!

### 5/5 — Incredibly useful for messing around with sound quick

*2023-08-14*

Literally one of the reasons to make me buy an iPhone over 6 years ago

### 4/5 — Good app

*2023-06-27, version 1.2.5*

Combine this with kaola and this would be dangerous..,,

### 5/5 — Capture with Ease

*2023-04-13*

This is one of my all time favorite sampling apps for my cell. It is convenient, simple, and equally a toy as well as useful. I even have it installed on several older phones of mine and have used them all simultaneously during live performances. Bravo!

## Frequently asked questions about Sampletoy

### What does Sampletoy do?

Sampletoy is a musical instrument and plaything that functions as both a sampler and a granular synthesizer. It allows you to capture sounds using your device's microphone, then manipulate them by playing, looping, pitching, and distorting them live on screen. You can also import audio files from various sources.

### What are the key features of Sampletoy?

Key features include capturing sounds, live manipulation with multitouch (up to 5 notes), built-in resonant filters, delays, and envelopes. It offers stepped and free playback modes, the ability to crop waveforms, and export performances as CD-quality WAV files via email. It also supports AudioBus3 output and importing audio from Files, Voice memos, and Dropbox.

### How much does Sampletoy cost?

Based on the provided information, Sampletoy is a paid application. It does not feature in-app purchases or advertisements, indicating a one-time purchase model for access to all its functionalities.

### What kind of scales can be played in stepped mode?

In stepped mode, Sampletoy allows you to play sounds using various scales, including chromatic, major, minor, pentatonic, and whole-tone scales. This feature enables more traditional musical playing styles with your sampled sounds.

### Can I use Sampletoy with other music apps?

Yes, Sampletoy supports AudioBus3 output, which allows it to send its audio to other compatible music applications on your device. This integration enables you to incorporate Sampletoy's unique sound manipulation capabilities into your broader music production workflow.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.2.5 — 2019-03-16

* AudioShare now supports non-ascii file names

### 1.2.4 — 2019-03-13

- AudioBus3 output
- Import any audio file to Sampletoy from Files AudioShare, Voice memos, DropBox etc
- Open some non-audio files and hear what they sound like
- Bluetooth / Airplay support
- Performance improvements

### 1.2.2 — 2018-01-10

Fixed sharing on iPad

### 1.2 — 2018-01-09

* All new vector-based UI
* 64-Bit support
* Native iPad resolution
* Release can be controlled in MOD section
* now you can share your recordings with other apps and airdrop

### 1.0 — 2010-03-03

No release notes.

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## More apps by Mazbox Limited

- [Koala Sampler • Beat Maker](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/koala-sampler-beat-maker/id1449584007)
- [Koala FX](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/koala-fx/id1518085697)

All apps by Mazbox Limited: https://appshunter.io/developer/329604853

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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 2026-09-14.*