MIDIplay vs Ember
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
MIDIplay
This application allows users to play MIDI files with multiple tracks and channels, offering selective control. It features a built-in FM synth and a sound space surface controller, with sliders for tempo and pitch adjustment.
- MIDI file playback
- Multi-track and channel control
- Built-in FM synth
- Sound space surface controller
- Tempo and pitch sliders
- Transposition +/- 6 semi-tones
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An app designed for Audiobus 3 that can also be used stand-alone with a cool built-in FM synth and sound space surface controller. MIDI files can contain multiple tracks and channels, which can be selectively turned on/off. Sliders control tempo and pitch (can be transposed +/- 6 semi-tones). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMm4BkcL28I
Ember
This app offers a versatile guitar drive experience, combining overdrive, fuzz, and compression into a single unit. It provides three distinct sound profiles and extensive control over tone, bite, and bias for studio or stage use.
- Integrated overdrive, fuzz, and compression
- Three distinct sound voices: Warm, Drive, Ravage
- Adjustable drive, tone, bite, and bias controls
- AUv3 support for hosts like GarageBand and Logic Pro
- MIDI learn for hands-free control
- Standalone app for practice and recording
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Ember is a full drive chain in one pedal — not another single-circuit distortion. A gritty, tweed-flavored overdrive sits on the bottom, a filthy fuzz runs layered on top, and compression is built in. It's the stacked-amps sound that normally takes three pedals and an afternoon of gain-staging, dialed in with one knob. THREE VOICES WARM — distortion the way it was first discovered: a pushed vintage amp with sliced speaker cones. Raw, retro, and touch-sensitive. Roll BITE up and it tips into blown-speaker sizzle with a starved-supply quiver in the note. DRIVE — everything, more. A doubled, dual-amp crunch straight out of the 1980s. The sustain sings, sizzles, crackles, and rings — and stays articulate. Chords keep their edges; every note in a run stays clear. RAVAGE — unhinged. The amps are on fire and the ship is going down. Stomp BOOST and single notes bloom into screaming, feedback-laced sustain that hangs on for the better part of a minute. Pinch harmonics, smoldering solos, sixties-fuzz recklessness at modern gain. WHAT IT'S FOR • Recording guitar direct — a finished, layered drive tone with no amp, no mics, no reamping. • Replacing a drive + fuzz + compressor stack, and the hour spent making them agree. • Leads that hold: BOOST adds gain, presence, and a sustain compressor that carries the note for you. • Practice anywhere — standalone app, plug in and play. CONTROLS THAT MATTER • DRIVE — one knob from edge-of-breakup to inferno. The molten orb burns hotter as you push it — and as you play harder. • TONE — dark and thick to bright and cutting, with a speaker-style rolloff that keeps fizz out. • BITE — round and smooth to sharp and shredded. • BIAS — starve it for choked, dying-battery textures. • IN / OUT / MIX for gain staging and parallel blends, stereo or mono, click-free bypass. ON STAGE AND IN THE STUDIO • AUv3 for GarageBand, Logic Pro, AUM, and any Audio Unit host. • MIDI learn on everything — knobs, voices, BOOST, bypass, even program-change recall of specific presets. A MIDI footswitch runs the whole pedal hands-free. • Factory presets plus custom presets. One purchase. Mac, iPad, and iPhone.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Ember at 100% against MIDIplay's 33%. Ember also leads on rating (5.0 vs 2.3) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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
MIDIplay costs $1.99 and Ember $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Ember holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 2 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of MIDIplay's written reviews are positive against 100% of Ember's.
MIDIplay ships an update every 2 months, Ember monthly. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | MIDIplay | Ember |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | $1.99 |
| Rating | 2.3 (3 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 33.3% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 17 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Mark Carlotto | Joshua Rideout |
Customer experience
MIDIplay
Ember
In-app purchases
MIDIplay
No in-app purchases
Ember
No in-app purchases









