BASSalicious vs KeyStage Lite
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
BASSalicious
A monophonic synth bass synthesizer designed for urban music production. It offers unique wavetable synthesis and analog-modeled filters for an organic sound. The app functions as an AudioUnit plugin for iOS DAWs.
- 21 VA Wavetable Waveforms with PWM
- 4 Oscillators
- AMP with 4 Modulators
- Circuit Modeled Filter Section
- LFO with Aftertouch
- AudioUnit Version 3 plugin architecture
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Dedicated monophonic synth bass synthesizer featuring the NEW iOS AudioUnit Version 3 plugin architecture. - 21 VA Wavetable Waveforms with PWM - 4 Oscillators - AMP with 4 Modulators - Circuit Modeled Filter Section with Velocity - LFO with Aftertouch BASSalicious is a dedicated monophonic synth bass plugin with a single focus on sound. All of the synthesis and filters are custom tweaked with our own personality and our urban ear. When we first set out to produce BASSalicious, it came from a need we had. All of our plugins come from a musical need first. We noticed that there were a ton of synth bass libraries out there that focused solely on dubstep and wobble bass sounds, but not that much out there for the urban community and that pure synth bass classic sound. Sure there are the sample based ones, but you run into problems with samples when trying to produce a realistic glide effect that is so essential to urban synth bass music. The other thing we were dissatisfied with were the oscillators themselves. You see, in order to reduce aliasing, most wavetable synths reduce the bandwidth and filter out frequencies so it doesn't alias. The problem with this is that you filter out the good stuff along with it. We figured out a unique compromise, where we can give you the full band of the wavetable, while at the same time reducing aliasing. Our method is very unorthodox, but it works, because the technology will always take a back seat to the sound, and not the other way around: "If it sounds good, then it is good." Furthermore, we used an analog modeled filter that was approximated using real circuit designs. The complete topology was modeled with all of the aspects of the electronic components involved, and then converted over to source code. The result is a very organic sounding synth bass plugin, which has no hint of that cold digital wavetable sound. This is what we mean when we say it has an “organic sound.” This is what you hear in urban music. Each key piece has it’s own sound, color, and character to it. It’s not trying to be something else. It’s it’s own individual and we achieved this with BASSalicious. Remember the first time you heard Neo-Soul Keys® and your ears were suddenly opened to the sound you always wished you had, but could never achieve. IAP: The first oscillator is free. You will have access to all of the synth functions. After you purchase, you will get access to the other 3 oscillators as well as the 63 high quality custom synth bass presets. AudioUnit Plugin: As an added bonus, we have adopted the new AudioUnit standard, so now you can seamlessly use BASSalicious inside of your favorite iOS DAW as if it was apart of the sequencer. Presets that you make in the app and/or the plugin will be shared automatically. The recommended iPad devices are the iPad 4th generation and higher, with the exception of the iPad 3.
KeyStage Lite
This app acts as a master controller and audio mixer for keyboard players. It allows simultaneous control of multiple hardware and software instruments using various MIDI controllers. Organize songs into sections, customize instrument sounds, and manage MIDI mappings with advanced scripting capabilities.
- Control multiple MIDI controllers and instruments
- Host AUv3 instruments and effects
- Create complex keyboard splits and layers
- Advanced MIDI mapping and scripting
- Audio mixer with track control
- Play and manage audio files
- View PDF and JPG files
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KeyStage is a master controller, AUv3 host, and audio mixer app designed mainly for keyboard players. With KeyStage, you can simultaneously control any number of hardware and software instruments using any number of MIDI controllers in an organized way. Each project consists of sections (which corresponds to sections of a song). In each section you can change sounds and sound parameters of connected instruments, create complex splits and layers of your keyboard(s), change the functionalities of sliders/knobs/pedals of your MIDI controllers by creating advanced MIDI mappings, write your own scripts, view PDF and JPG files (e.g. sheet music) and lyrics, and much more. LIST OF FEATURES • Connect any number of MIDI controller to any number of MIDI instruments by creating tracks. • Load AUv3 instruments, effects, and MIDI Processors. • Assign any region of your keyboard(s) to any connected instrument. • Change velocity curve and velocity limits, and create velocity splits and layers. • Transpose notes and restrict notes to any key using pitch shifter. • Create mixer units to combine audio signals, turning KeyStage into an audio mixer. • With the player units, you can play wav, mp3, and m4a files, add marker points, automate actions (like play, stop, move to a marker etc.) using custom translators, or trigger certain events (like changing sections) when the player reaches a certain marker. • Input units allows you to use the microphone input, or the hardware inputs of a connected audio interface. • The Main Mixer view allows you to control volume levels and pans of all tracks, connect effect units, and connect units to mixer units. • Create instrument presets to easily change sounds of instruments by choosing patch names from patch lists. • KeyStage can also import Cubase Patch Scripts to automatically create instrument presets for your MIDI instruments. • KeyStage automatically detects new MIDI connections and recommends matching instrument presets from a database. • Simulate auto-sustain on any connected instrument. • KeyStage has a multi-track recorder, which lets you record any number of tracks simultaneously. • Change or filter any MIDI signal using custom translators. Use “Relative Control” switch to smoothly change the parameters of your instruments without any jumps. • Use XY control unit to send control change and pitch bend messages to any connected MIDI instrument. • Create setlists, quick access all the songs in a setlist from a setlist bar, move to previous/next songs from live console or using external MIDI. • Create virtual MIDI inputs/outputs for KeyStage. • Use virtual MIDI piano controller to play connected instruments. • View PDF and JPG files. Link any page or region of any file to any section. • Backup and restore your songs and global properties to Dropbox. • Map special actions (like changing octaves, switching sections, changing pages of a PDF file) to notes and controllers using custom translators. • You can write your own scripts in custom translators, which opens up endless possibilities. • Use MPE routing to control any MIDI instrument using MPE controllers like Seaboard. Use custom translators to change the functionalities of each MPE dimension. • KeyStage supports smooth transitions between sections. Pressed notes will continue to sound when you switch sections. You can access demo videos and video tutorials on my Youtube channel.
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: KeyStage Lite at 3.9 against BASSalicious's 3.2. KeyStage Lite also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and review sentiment (60% vs 35%). BASSalicious's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 13.0). On price, ratings volume, ads 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
Both are free to download. BASSalicious sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. KeyStage Lite asks for nothing beyond the download.
KeyStage Lite holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 3.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 14 and 8 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 35% of BASSalicious's written reviews are positive against 60% of KeyStage Lite's.
BASSalicious ships an update every 5 weeks, KeyStage Lite every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | BASSalicious | KeyStage Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.2 (14 ratings) | 3.9 (8 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 34.8% of reviews | 60.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 14 — better | 8 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPad | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 41 MB | 61 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | MIDIculous LLC | Ali Gokturk |
Customer experience
BASSalicious
KeyStage Lite
In-app purchases
BASSalicious
- BASSalicious Sounds$7.99
KeyStage Lite
No in-app purchases









