Viking Synth vs Resonator Audio Unit
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Viking Synth
This app emulates a classic monophonic analog synthesizer with advanced DSP technology. It features three variable wave oscillators, dual ladder filters, an LFO, and two modulation busses for versatile sound design. An intuitive interface and extensive preset library make it ideal for creating thick bass and rich lead sounds.
- Three continuously variable wave oscillators
- Dual ladder filters (Lowpass/Highpass)
- Multi-wave LFO
- Two modulation busses
- Intuitive user interface with expandable controls
- 228 presets including Bass, Lead, and Synthwave
- State-of-the-art DSP for authentic sound
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Viking Synth is an authentic emulation of a classic monophonic analog synthesizer. It has three continuously variable wave oscillators, two ladder filters with a Dual Lowpass or Highpass/Lowpass configuration, a multi-wave LFO, and two modulation busses. Viking Synth uses state of the art DSP technology to accurately reproduce the sound of the hardware. You get a desktop quality plug-in at an iOS friendly price. Viking Synth is an Audio Unit Extension Instrument (AUv3) that works as a plug-in inside host apps. Just open up your favorite host that supports Audio Unit Instruments and select it from the list of available Audio Units. Compatible with GarageBand, Cubasis, Auria, BeatMaker, AudioBus, AUM, Modstep, and more. The user interface of Viking Synth is designed for quick and intuitive control. Knobs and sliders expand during tweaking and are designed so the current value isn't hidden below your finger. The six pages divide the synth into logical sections that can be accessed quickly. The filter display acts as an XY pad for controlling cutoff and resonance. Simply double tap a knob or slider to reset it to its default value. Presets Viking Synth comes with 228 presets in the categories Bass, Bright Lead, Electro Bass, FX, Percussive Lead, Soft Lead, and Synthwave. The synth excels at thick bass and rich lead sounds. The 50 Electro Bass and 50 Synthwave presets were designed by renowned sound designer eXode. Presets work perfectly with GarageBand, Cubasis, and AUM. Oscillators At the heart of Viking are three adjustable wave oscillators. The continuously variable waveform knob gives the oscillators a unique sound that can’t be achieved with the fixed waveforms found in most synths. A noise oscillator provides three types of noise, one specifically modeled after the hardware. Modulation Two modulation busses and an LFO provide flexible modulation capabilities. All of the options hidden deep in menus on the hardware are immediately accessible with one tap. Filters The filters are classic transistor ladder filters modeled meticulously. Two DSP varieties are available allowing for either reduced CPU load or soft clipping plus three additional overdriven modes. The number of poles is adjustable for a wider range of filter sounds. Compare Viking to other synths: – Viking’s oscillators are free running, not sampled, wavetable based, or generated from a zero point – Viking’s oscillators use advanced techniques to avoid aliasing – Viking’s oscillators have instability, which is controllable through the tuning drift control – Viking’s nonlinear filter uses circuit modeling and provides soft clipping
Resonator Audio Unit
This audio effect plugin generates natural resonances to add warmth and fullness to instruments or recordings. It offers controls for acoustic body characteristics and includes an additional reverb effect for standalone use. The app utilizes unique, realistic algorithms for its sound shaping capabilities.
- Natural sounding resonances
- Acoustic body thickness and size control
- Resonance amount control
- Additional reverb effect
- Standalone app mode with Efx on/off
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Resonator Audio Unit is an audio effect that creates natural sounding resonances in an acoustic body. That will add warmth and fullness to the tone of any instrument or to your record. You can control the acoustic body thickness, size and the amount of resonances. There is also additional reverb effect so you can add reflections to the sound of the resonator. This is useful if you use the app as a standalone to get your whole sound and play on your instrument via iRig or similar adapter. The app uses realistic and innovative algorithms created by me that you can not find in other software. Features of the Resonator Audio Unit: - warm and natural sounding resonances - acoustic body controls for thickness and size - resonances amount control - additional reverb effect - Efx on/off button (available when used as a stand alone app)
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Viking Synth at every 4 months against Resonator Audio Unit's every 38 months. Viking Synth also leads on ratings volume (41 vs 3). Resonator Audio Unit's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and price ($2.99 vs $3.99). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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
Viking Synth costs $3.99 and Resonator Audio Unit $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Resonator Audio Unit holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Viking Synth has 41 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Viking Synth ships an update every 4 months, Resonator Audio Unit every 38 months. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Viking Synth | Resonator Audio Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 | $2.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (41 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 71.2% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 41 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months — better | Every 38 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 10 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 11 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Blamsoft, Inc. | Aleksandar Mlazev |
Customer experience
Viking Synth
Resonator Audio Unit
Bugs and requests
Viking Synth
Reported bugs
6 issues- Presets not showing up
- Presets disappear
- App not showing in AUv3 menu
- Settings not saving after iOS 14 update
- Crashes when opening presets browser
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- Saved presets not loading
Requested features
5 requests- More subtle drive mode
- Categorized preset browser
- Polyphony option
- Dark mode
- More apps from developer
Resonator Audio Unit
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Viking Synth
No in-app purchases
Resonator Audio Unit
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Viking Synth free?
Is Resonator Audio Unit free?
Which has better reviews, Viking Synth or Resonator Audio Unit?
Do Viking Synth or Resonator Audio Unit have ads?
Which is updated more often, Viking Synth or Resonator Audio Unit?
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