Comparison

midiGATEs vs Note to Be

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

Head to head
About

midiGATEs

This app introduces randomness to MIDI note streams, selectively muting notes to create sparser, more dynamic musical patterns. It offers multiple modes for controlling muting probability based on note, scale, or sequence position.

Highlights
  • Random MIDI note muting
  • Four distinct muting modes
  • Gate On/Off Repeats for dynamic control
  • Note-specific muting percentages
  • Sequencer-based muting patterns
  • CoreMIDI and AUv3 support
Read full description

midiGATEs midi probability is an Audio Unit v3 MIDI Effect and CoreMIDI capable app. midiGATEs listens to MIDI input and based on random chance mutes some of the incoming notes to make a busy, repetitive stream of notes a little more interesting and sparser. It has four modes: Gate Mode - One set percentage to be muted for all notes. Also includes Gate On Repeats (when a note passes through unmuted, also pass through X more notes after) and Gate Off Repeats (when a note does not pass through the gate, also mute the next X notes) to make things a little more interesting. Note Mode - Each note in the scale (C, C#, D etc) has its own percentage chance to mute incoming notes. Sequencer Mode - Every eight notes has a different percentage chance to be muted. Can also change the sequence length to be less than eight. Thru Mode - Nothing is muted, normally not used but there if you need it. If midiGATEs is inserted as an AUv3 MIDI effect in a supported host such as Audiobus or AUM it should setup and work automatically. If you wish to use it without an Audio Unit host you can toggle the CoreMIDI input and output and use it that way.

About

Note to Be

This app offers advanced MIDI quantization for iOS musicians. It allows precise control over note selection, octave flexibility, and MIDI CC integration for crafting harmonious compositions and dynamic live performances. Supports microtonal scales and multi-synth setups.

Highlights
  • Customizable note and octave selection
  • MIDI CC to note conversion
  • Multi-synth channel assignment
  • Live performance toggles
  • Microtonal scale support (Scala Library)
  • MPE polyphonic playback
Features
Read full description

Take full control of your MIDI experience with Note to Be—the powerful iOS app designed to transform how you interact with your music. Whether you're working with a MIDI keyboard, sequencer, or MIDI CC input, Note to Be ensures your notes are perfectly quantized to the nearest selected note, allowing you to craft precise, harmonious compositions with ease. Key Features: - Customizable Note Selection: Choose individual notes from any octave, or apply your selection across the full -1 to +8 octave range. - Octave Flexibility: Work within the entire octave spectrum, selecting and unselecting notes with a simple tap. - MIDI CC Integration: Use MIDI CC from hardware controllers or apps like ShiftBud to convert control changes into quantized notes. Easily create chord voicings and dynamic live performances. - Multi-Synth Support: Assign different MIDI channels to multiple synths, allowing each to respond to the quantized MIDI output independently. - Live Performance Enhancement: Engage the 'all notes' toggle to instantly apply note selections across all octaves or quickly select notes in a specific key and scale. - Microtonality: Select a microtonal scale from the Scala Library with +5000 microtonal scales, or import your own to the iCloud folder. Play the MPE supported synths polyphonically. With Note to Be, your music becomes a canvas, and every note is a brushstroke. Unlock new creative possibilities and refine your sound with the precision of MIDI quantization, right from your iOS device. Note to Be is a MIDI app and does not produce any sound on its own. You need a MIDI input source and an audio output destination in order to work with Note to Be. The AUv3 plugin requires an AUv3 host app such as AUM, Logic Pro for iPad, Loopy Pro, Cubasis, Nanostudio, apeMatrix, Audiobus etc.

Screenshots

midiGATEs3 screens
Note to Be4 screens

Verdict

The call

midiGATEs and Note to Be both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of midiGATEs's written reviews are positive against 50% of Note to Be's. midiGATEs also leads on price ($3.99 vs $4.99) and iOS requirement (11.4 vs 13.0). Note to Be's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months). 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

midiGATEs costs $3.99 and Note to Be $4.99 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 — 4.8 for midiGATEs against 4.9 for Note to Be. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 13 and 7 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of midiGATEs's written reviews are positive against 50% of Note to Be's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

midiGATEs ships an update every 3 months, Note to Be weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
midiGATEs versus Note to Be: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametermidiGATEsNote to Be
Price$3.99 — better$4.99
Rating4.8 (13 ratings)4.9 (7 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings13 — better7
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.4 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB71 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperArthur KernsCem Olcay

Customer experience

midiGATEs

All ratings13 ratings
Positive92.3%
Neutral7.7%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Note to Be

All ratings7 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

None

midiGATEs

No in-app purchases

None

Note to Be

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is midiGATEs free?
midiGATEs costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Note to Be free?
Note to Be costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, midiGATEs or Note to Be?
Note to Be is rated higher. midiGATEs averages 4.8 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while Note to Be averages 4.9 from 7 ratings.
Do midiGATEs or Note to Be have ads?
Neither midiGATEs nor Note to Be shows ads.
Which is updated more often, midiGATEs or Note to Be?
midiGATEs ships an update every 3 months, and Note to Be weekly. Most recently, midiGATEs was updated on September 21, 2026 and Note to Be on October 7, 2026.

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