touchscaper vs Sound Stasis
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
touchscaper
Create music on your iPad by simply touching the screen. This app offers a semi-generative engine to guide note selection and allows for deep customization of chords, keys, and scales. Explore a variety of built-in sounds and effects to craft unique musical pieces.
- Multi-touch interface with radar, ribbon, and keyboard surfaces
- Semi-generative engine for note selection
- Full control over chords, keys, and scales
- Layerable built-in sounds and effects
- Chord navigator and looper with Ableton Link
- Sequencer for touch, drums, and synth automation
- Inter-App Audio and MIDI out support
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Touchscaper is an instrument designed for anyone who wants to make music on their iPad simply by touching the screen. You don’t have to be a serious musician to enjoy touchscaper, but if you are, touchscaper is highly configureable under the hood. Main features: • Multi-touch based interface with “radar”, “ribbon” and keyboard surfaces • Touch the screen to play a note, move your fingers to change the sound • Semi-generative engine selects the “good notes” for you • Touch movement can control volume and pan for each individual note • Total control over chords, keys and scales (fully chromatic) • Multiple chords can be generated from keys and scales to create “scenes” • Chord "navigator" helps you create inspiring chord progressions • 40 built-in sounds can be combined in 2 layers to create “instruments” • Built-in sounds include samples from moodscaper, pianoscaper, numerous analog synths and guitars • Comes with preset example scenes and instruments • Random instrument generator function with one tap of a button • Hold and orbit modes for hands-free evolving soundscapes • Ribbon style keyboard with touch vibrato • Chord looper with Ableton Link support • Arrangement view for longer / more complex chord progressions • 16 step probability-based sequencer for touch, drums, percussion and synth automation • "jam grid" sequencer view for live performances • Supports file sharing for scenes and instruments • Built-in effects including ping-pong delays, reverb, limiter and EQ • Supports IAA (Inter-App Audio) as a generator • Control other music apps using MIDI out and CCs with optional MPE support There are several demo videos in circulation which should give you a better idea of what touchscaper can do - just search for “touchscaper”. *** Please note that this app is now in maintenance mode / updates for bug fixes only. This is due to the heavy dependency on deprecated technology such as IAA ***
Sound Stasis
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Transform Sound Design with Stasis: The Ultimate Tool for Composers & Sound Designers Stasis is a creative powerhouse for composers and sound designers, offering a unique way to craft immersive sonic textures through an intuitive, hands-on interface. Whether you're shaping ambient soundscapes or experimenting with dynamic, percussive tones, Stasis makes sound creation both fun and deeply rewarding. Instead of simply playing notes, Stasis allows you to sculpt the entire sound spectrum by adding overtones with the touch of your screen. Control attack and decay by tilting your device, giving you an interactive, physical connection to your sound design process. It's a simple yet powerful approach, ideal for performances, improvisation, and creating evolving soundscapes in real time. Perfect for live electronic performances and spontaneous creation, Stasis gives you the freedom to explore new sound worlds with ease. Capture your sessions and export them as high-quality audio for seamless integration into your favourite DAW. Stasis is your go-to tool for producing everything from slowly evolving ambient textures to intricate, rhythmic layers, making it an essential part of any sound designer’s or composer’s toolkit. Key Features: • Easily sculpt an evolving sound spectrum using multi-touch gestures. • Tilt your device to intuitively control attack and release times. • Record and export your performances in high-quality audio format. Unleash your creativity and explore endless sonic possibilities with Stasis.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Sound Stasis at $1.99 against touchscaper's $4.99. Sound Stasis also leads on device support (3 vs 1). On ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement 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
touchscaper costs $4.99 and Sound Stasis $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | touchscaper | Sound Stasis |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | $1.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.9 (147 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 93.2% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 147 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Weekly | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 359 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Rob Jackson | Trace-Reveal |
Bugs and requests
touchscaper
Reported bugs
6 issues- Does not show up as an available audio unit in Logic or GarageBand
- Cannot get any MIDI connectivity to work
- MPE via MIDI out does not work if there is no MIDI out for the app
- Pops when adding more than 2 sounds
- Hold Mode design is awkward, especially for note placement
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- App lost its mind and control animations ran wild after 10 hours of use
Requested features
12 requests- AUv3 version/compatibility
- More sophisticated mixer
- Second bank of patterns
- Panels to tweak oscillators, LFOs, etc.
- Orchestral type sounds
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- Light background theme in UI
- Attack vector like ADSR function
- Variable Release function
- Mixer for each drum line
- MIDI out functionality (mentioned multiple times)
- Toggle on/off for Hold Mode
- Ability to nudge/fine-tune node placements in Hold Mode
Sound Stasis
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
touchscaper
No in-app purchases
Sound Stasis
No in-app purchases









