# Sonance: Spectrum Analyzer — Music Player & Decibel Meter

> Music player with audio spectrum analyzer and decibel meter. (iPhone/iPad app by Rare Works, LLC.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sonance-spectrum-analyzer/id376545832 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Rare Works, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/358327587)
- Category: Entertainment, Lifestyle
- Price: $0.59 (on sale, was $0.99)
- Rating: 1.60/5 from 5 App Store ratings · 33 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.6 · 10 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2010-07-09
- Data updated: 2026-09-14
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sonance-spectrum-analyzer/id376545832/reviews.md

## What is Sonance?

Sonance is a music player, an audio spectrum analyzer, and a decibel meter — see the beat!

Sonance plays music that's on your device, and displays waveform and audio spectrum visualizations, plus power level meters, in real time.

Sonance has an in-car interface with large buttons and swipe gestures to move between songs. It's easy to use while driving, since it doesn't require much focus to make a desired change — yet it also has entertaining visualizations to enhance the musical experience when you do have a moment to look.

Sonance includes an easy-to-use shuffle mode, plus the ability to repeat one song or a queue of chosen songs. A variety of settings let you personalize startup behavior, the user interface, and the visualizer.

The visualizer has a full-screen mode with extensive customization via pinch and swipe gestures. Sonance also works great with AirPlay, and the visualizers look great when mirroring your device.

MICROPHONE VISUALIZATION
Sonance can also visualize input from the microphone — have fun with sound! It analyzes audio from the built-in microphone or an attached external microphone, and displays both the raw input signal and the "frequency bars" produced by spectrum analysis. The input signal appears in the lower view as a waveform; the spectrum appears in the upper view as bars showing the strength of each frequency in the signal.

Frequencies range from 0 Hz to 24,000 Hz (24K) — the range of the iPhone and iPad microphone, and roughly the range of human hearing.

DECIBEL METER
Levels are shown in two metrics. Recorded audio is shown as dB FS (Full Scale), from -120 dB to 0 dB, where 0 dB is the highest possible level. Audio from the internal or an external attached microphone is shown as dB SPL (Sound Pressure Level), from 0 dB to 100 dB. For reference, 120 dB can cause pain, and 140 dB can cause damage.

GESTURES
Use horizontal and vertical pinches on either display to zoom in and out of the visualization. On the Spectrum display, slide to move the display left and right, letting you see specific frequencies in detail. Pinches are cumulative, so keep pinching!

The settings panel lets you reset the app to its defaults at any time, so go ahead and explore sound.

## Key features

- Plays local music files
- Audio spectrum visualizations
- Decibel meter (dB FS & dB SPL)
- In-car user interface
- Microphone audio visualization
- Customizable settings
- AirPlay and Mirroring support

## Recent user reviews (10 of 33)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sonance-spectrum-analyzer/id376545832/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Buggy,

*2020-07-05, version 3.0.6*

App forgets added songs every time it’s closed.
Navigation/swipe controls dont work, or very rarely.
No markers or calibration on any scales.

Not worth the $1 I paid for it

### 1/5 — Garbage

*2018-09-12*

It kept quitting on me, the only function that worked was the microphone after trying 3 the times, deleted after 2 minutes I want a refund

### 5/5 — Recommended

*2015-08-09, version 2.4*

It works great.

### 2/5 — No music viewing

*2014-11-16*

Won't play my music so I can see it.
S' the only reason I bought it and I'd appreciate it if Rare works would add it in.

### 1/5 — Not worth the dollar

*2014-09-19*

The free application Hz is better than this. The pinch-zooming and panning are extremely sensitive. To the point that the app looses functionality and becomes frustrating to use. One would think that landscape mode would help a little bit, but the app just clips the display so you cannot identify the dominant frequency. This looks like a HS or college project that lacks polish and refinement and thus limits the apps usefulness.

### 2/5 — Needs some improvements

*2012-12-18, version 2.4*

Well the colour customization is cool but the oscilloscope is not smooth. Pretty choppy. A smoothness update is needed.

### 1/5 — Waste of $$$

*2012-10-26*

This app is the typical lazy developer trying to make a quick buck. 

Why would you design a sound app that you can't use with your own music?...to make a quick 99cents that's why. 

90% of the people looking for this want to see their own music play. Even my free GPS app lets me play my own tunes while its working. 

P.O.S. app. Save ur money.

### 4/5 — Should have grid on display with on/off

*2012-08-29*

Need grid for frequency strength reference.  Also highest level from past 30secs should mark

### 1/5 — Can't play music in app

*2012-06-20*

Terrible app and a waste of 99 cents. I can't play any music while in this app but only in this app. I want my money back

### 1/5 — didn't like this app

*2012-03-19*

I found a free app RTA-lite that did a much better job of analysing the sound.  I wasn't able to view the freq. I wanted to look at.  this only handled very high freq's.  Hated that I had to give this developer money up front instead of a limited time trial first.
This app did not meet my expectations.

## Frequently asked questions about Sonance

### What devices does Sonance support?

Sonance is available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod. It was last updated on January 7, 2026, indicating ongoing support for Apple devices.

### How much does Sonance cost?

Sonance is a paid application, priced at $0.59. There are no in-app purchases or ads mentioned, so this is the only cost to users.

### What is the age rating for Sonance?

Sonance has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide range of users. This suggests no mature content is present in the application.

### Can Sonance visualize sound from the microphone?

Yes, Sonance can visualize input from the microphone, allowing you to see the audio signal and frequency bars in real-time. This feature works with both the built-in microphone and external microphones.

### Does Sonance have a shuffle or repeat function?

Yes, Sonance includes an easy-to-use shuffle mode, as well as the ability to repeat one song or a queue of chosen songs. This provides flexibility in how you listen to your music.

### How does Sonance handle user interface customization?

Sonance offers a variety of settings for personal customization of startup, user interface, and visualizer settings. The full-screen visualizer mode allows for extensive customization via pinch and swipe gestures.

### What is the user sentiment for Sonance based on its rating?

Sonance has a rating of 1.6 stars from 5 ratings. This indicates a generally negative user sentiment, suggesting potential issues with functionality or user experience for many.

### How frequently is Sonance updated?

The latest update for Sonance was on January 7, 2026, with version 3.3. This indicates that the app has received updates, though the exact frequency of updates prior to this date is not specified.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 3.4 — 2026-09-07

Performance improvements across all views.
Several bug fixes.
More accurate decibel meter readings when using the microphone.
Update to meet current App Store requirements.

### 3.3 — 2026-01-07

iOS 26, Liquid Glass Icon.
Added decibel meter feature to microphone analyzer. 
Added decibel level to full screen music display.
Fixed rotation glitch on microphone analyzer view for iPhones.

### 3.2 — 2021-05-10

Added ability to play music over bluetooth speakers and headphones.
Enhanced mic mode view to support both left and right input channels.

### 3.1 — 2020-09-26

Switched from OpenGL to Apple Metal Graphics displays.
Added Power Meters to Main View.
Added Search / Filter feature to all music selection panels.

### 3.0.6 — 2019-06-05

Fix for changes in Media Access introduced in iOS 12.3.1.  App wouldn't play music for 12.3.1 users.

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## More apps by Rare Works, LLC

- [As Seen On TV Products](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/as-seen-on-tv-products/id358327584)
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All apps by Rare Works, LLC: https://appshunter.io/developer/358327587

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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.*