Comparison

Trapezoid vs AE975

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Trapezoid

This virtual instrument accurately simulates the sound and playability of a hammered dulcimer. It offers multiple tuning options, drag roll effects, and MIDI compatibility for a realistic musical experience. Designed for both beginners and experienced players, it fits right in your pocket.

Highlights
  • Authentic hammered dulcimer sound
  • Standard and Michigan tunings
  • Drag roll effects
  • MIDI keyboard compatibility
  • Velocity sensitive MIDI input
  • Note name display
Features
Read full description

Trapezoid is an amazing Hammered Dulcimer that can fit in your pocket. Written by an experienced Hammered Dulcimer player, this virtual dulcimer sounds and plays like the real thing! This app has the full range of a standard 12/11 style (9/9 style for 4:3 format iPads) instrument and supports both Standard and Michigan (octave) tunings. 12/11 means there are 12 bridges on the Treble (left) side of the instrument, 11 bridges on the Bass (right) side of the instrument. To play, just touch the strings on either side of the left (Treble) bridge or the left side of the right (Bass) bridge just like on the real instrument. To get repeated note "drag roll" effects, drag quickly horizontally across the strings. The sensitivity of the drag effect may be set on the settings screen. Touch the "?" to show the note names for the strings. Touch the "S" or "M" below the "?" to toggle between Standard and Michigan (octave) tuning. Touch the "Shhh" icon on the upper right corner to quiet all the strings. Touch the "i" to bring up the settings screen where you can set the overall volume, enable or disable the drag roll feature, and set the roll sensitivity for how far you need to drag to get the roll effect. The app also may be played from a MIDI keyboard connected to a hardware MIDI interface or other MIDI controller or MIDI file player apps. On the settings page you may select the MIDI channel number. When playing via MIDI, the app is velocity sensitive based on the velocity sent with the Note-on events. Lowest note is A2 (MIDI note 45). Range is full chromatic from A2 through D6. The app will respond to MIDI volume messages on the selected MIDI channel. To truly experience the full stereo spread of the instrument, plug in a set of headphones or amplified speakers. Playing Hint for Smaller Phone Users: On the smaller screen phones the strings are pretty close together. If you are having trouble hitting the notes you want, show the note names by touching the "?" and then, when playing touch directly on the note names for best playing accuracy. Audio samples of Wes Chappell's amazing dulcimer provided by Jesse Chappell from ThumbJam.com. The instrument was built by James Jones, from Bedford, VA. I have played and taught the Hammered Dulcimer for over 20 years. This app sounds and plays as close to the real instrument as I'm capable of doing on a touch screen. Be sure to visit the AppCordions.com website to watch the demo videos!

About

AE975

Enhance audio tracks with presence, articulation, and density using a parallel processing path. This AUv3 audio effect offers subtle polish and detailed control for mixing and mastering.

Highlights
  • Parallel processing with sidechain
  • Sound-shaping controls (Focus, Enhance, Texture, Saturation, Density)
  • AUv3 compatibility for DAWs
  • Standalone companion host app
  • 92 categorized factory presets
  • iCloud preset sync
  • MIDI Learn for controller mapping
Read full description

Give tracks presence without flattening the source. Add air, articulation, and density through a tuned parallel path. AE975 is an AUv3 audio effect for subtle polish, forward detail, and playable control. AE975 keeps the dry signal as the foundation, listens to a Focus-controlled sidechain, generates source-derived harmonic texture, and blends the result back in parallel. The goal is mix-ready lift without treating brightness like a simple EQ boost. Sound-shaping controls: - Focus sets the responsive region from 600 Hz to 6 kHz, with 3 kHz at center. - Enhance controls the parallel return depth. - Texture changes harmonic color and complexity. - Saturation adds intensity inside the enhancement generator, not as a full-band clipper. - Density moves from clean transient sparkle to smoother sustained glow. - Mix, Output, and Bypass make level-matched comparison simple. Built for DAW workflows: - Use AE975 as an audio effect in compatible AUv3 hosts. - Open the standalone companion host app to audition the processor with generated test audio, or compatible hardware I/O. - Browse 92 categorized factory presets for mastering, mixing, buses, vocals, guitars, bass, drums, synths, strings, brass, woodwinds, and sound design. - Save user presets locally and mirror them with iCloud preset sync. - Map hardware controllers with MIDI Learn, direct CC assignment, reset-to-default controls, and feedback broadcast support. Use it when a vocal needs to read forward, drums need more snap, guitars need pick detail, synths need shine, strings need rosin, buses need polish, or a master needs a controlled final lift.

Screenshots

Trapezoid3 screens
AE9754 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Trapezoid at $1.99 against AE975's $19.99. Trapezoid also leads on iOS requirement (10.0 vs 17.0). AE975's advantage is device support (4 vs 2). On rating, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Trapezoid costs $1.99 and AE975 $19.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Trapezoid against 5.0 for AE975. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Trapezoid versus AE975: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTrapezoidAE975
Price$1.99 — better$19.99
Rating5.0 (2 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 9 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS10.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size46 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMichael EskinChristian Thompson

Customer experience

Trapezoid

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

AE975

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Trapezoid

No in-app purchases

None

AE975

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Trapezoid free?
Trapezoid costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is AE975 free?
AE975 costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Trapezoid or AE975?
Trapezoid and AE975 are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Trapezoid or AE975 have ads?
Neither Trapezoid nor AE975 shows ads.

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