XPad vs MidiQuestEssentialsi
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
XPad
This app provides professional pad sounds for keyboardists, aiming to replicate warm analog synth tones with advanced digital features. It offers intuitive glissando control, real-time sound morphing, and extensive MIDI compatibility for a dynamic playing experience.
- Modern pad sounds
- Realistic glissando control
- Tone Width morphing
- Sensible sound controls
- MIDI remote control
- Extensive sound library search
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XPad is a professional sound module app and Audio Unit v3 plugin with focus on modern pad sounds for iPad. Goal was to get the warm and vibrant sound of analogue synths onto the convenient platform of an iPad and combining those sounds with the benefits of state of the art digital features while still preserving that analogue tone and feeling. Glissando XPad introduces a new way that we were developing for our apps to achieve realistic large interval Glissando. You can glide a tone continuously e.g. from the lowest octave up to the highest octave and vice versa, in any desirable speed and without causing an artificial impression to the listener. We were also thinking about how to improve the usability aspects for playing Glissando in a much more intuitive & convenient way for a keyboard player, while still preserving the player's full control. Foremost this app allows you to mix Glissando with regular polyphonic notes (e.g. chords) simultaneously or switch between these playing styles quickly at any time without leaving your hands off the keyboard. For instance you might be playing and holding a chord with your right hand while playing a Glissando slide with your left hand and punching through the right hand's chord from an octave lower than the chord, up to some octave higher than the chord. Tone Width Replicating some analogue boutique pad synthesizers is nice, but what about having a huge stack of them? That's where "Tone Width" control comes into play. Especially the important pad sounds of this app allow you to morph the sound with the "Tone Width" knob in real-time steplessly between a very thin and clean sound up to a huge and fat tonal sound as if an army of pad synths was working under your finger tips. Sensible Control Controls for the individual sound aspects is good. But it should be in a sensible way. Nothing is hard wired here. Every sound of this app presents controls that make sense for the individual sound. All controls presented are always fine tuned to the individual elements of that sound. You can alter all controls remotely by MIDI e.g. with sliders at your keyboard. The most important controls for each sound are mapped to things that you are most likely using anyway at your keyboard. For instance all sounds use the Aftertouch information of your keyboard to bring more dynamic behaviour into the sound even while just holding some notes. And just grab your modulation wheel at your keyboard to bring in some more variance. Never Lost XPad offers up to 462 sounds, but don't worry, it never lets you down and always assists you finding just the sound you need in a glimpse. You can quickly search for sounds with any combination of several criteria like sound characteristics, articulations, controls and more. Connectivity Like all our apps, XPad is very easy to use and start with. Just connect your keyboard with your iPad and you are ready to go. And of course if needed, you can simply tweak the setup, e.g. use a Bluetooth MIDI wireless connection to your keyboard instead of a cabled one, restrict MIDI input to certain devices or apps, connect to other apps with Inter-App Audio or use the sounds of this app as Audio Unit v3 plugin directly in the DAW app of your choice. Recorder The app comes with a built-in MIDI recorder that allows you to quickly record your musical ideas. You can share them as audio files with other people or transfer them as MIDI files for further work e.g. on your Mac. Sound Sets XPad is divided into 14 optional sound sets of different sound categories and provide up to 462 sounds in total. Even though the app is focused on pad sounds, this is not all this app has to offer sound-wise. The "Atmo" pack for instance contains atmospheric sounds for generating very emotional sound bases and backgrounds e.g. for film and entertainment. The "Perc" sound set contains drums and percussive sounds. The "Silicon" sound set covers synthesizers also offside the pad field, and much more.
MidiQuestEssentialsi
This application serves as a comprehensive editor and librarian for MIDI SysEx data, supporting a vast array of popular hardware instruments. It allows users to manage and manipulate sound parameters for a wide range of synthesizers and other MIDI devices.
- SysEx Editor
- SysEx Librarian
- Supports over 900 MIDI instruments
- Parameter management
- Sound editing
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Midi Quest is a SysEx Editor/Librarian supporting over 900 of the most popular MIDI hardware instruments including: 360 Systems : MIDI Patcher Access : Virus A Akai Pro : EWI4000S, MAX25, MAX49, MPD24, MPD26, MPD32, MPK25, MPK49, MPK61, MPK88 Alesis : D4, DM5, DMPro, MidiVerb IV, NanoBass, NanoPiano, NanoSynth, QS 6, QS 7, QS 8, QSR, QuadraSynth+Piano Casio : CZ-1, CZ-1000, CZ-101, CZ-3000, CZ-5000, VZ-1, VZ-10 Clavia : Nord Lead 2, Nord Rack 2 Crumar : Bit-01, Bit-99 Dave Smith : Evolver, Mono Evolver, Mopho, OB-6, Poly Evolver Rack, Prophet 08, Tetra E-MU : Audity 2000 (v1), B-3 Turbo, B-3, Carnaval, Classic Keys, Launch Pad, Mo' Phatt Turbo, Morpheus, MPS+, MPS, Orbit/2, Orbit 3, Orbit, Planet Earth Turbo, Procussion, Proteus/1, Sound Engine, Ultra Proteus, Vintage Keys+, Virtuoso 2000, XL-1 Turbo, XL-1 Encore Electronics : Jupiter-8, Moog Source, OB-8 Ensoniq : DP/2, DP/4, ESQ-1, ESQ M, KMX-16, KMX-8, KS-32, KT 76, KT 88 Plus, KT 88, Mirage+ MASOS, MR Rack, MR 61, MR 76, SD 1, SQ1 Plus, SQ1+/32, SQ1+, SQ1, SQ2/32, SQ2, SQ80, SQR Plus, SQR, TS10, TS12, VFX-SD II, VFX, ZR 76 Evolution : EVS-1 Fender : Chroma Polaris JL Cooper : FaderMaster, MSB+, MSB Kawai : GMega, K1, K3, K4, K5, K5000, Spectra, XD-5, XS-1 KMX : 8x8, MIDI Central Korg : 01/W, 03R/W, 05R/W, 707, A2, A4, DS-8, DSM-1, DSS-1, DVP-1, DW-6000, DW-8000, EA-1, ER-1, EX-800, i1, i2, i3, i30, i4S, i5M, i5S, iS35, iS40, is50, iX300, Karma, Kronos, M1, M3/R, MicroKorg XL+, MS2000, N1, N264, N364, N5, NS5R, NX5R, OASYS, Poly-800 II, Polysix, Prophecy, SG-ProX, SG-Rack, T1, T2, T3, TR 61, TR 76, Trinity Plus/Pro, Triton 61, Wavestation, X2, X3, X3R, X5, X5D, X5DR, Z1 EX, Z1 Kurzweil : K2000, K2500 Lexicon : LXP-1, LXP-15, LXP-5, Reflex Line 6 : Bass POD Pro, Floor POD Plus, POD Pro, POD (V.1), Pocket POD Lintronics : Memorymoog M-Audio : Venom Marion Systems : MSR-2, ProSynth, SR-16 MIDI Solutions : Pedal Controller MOTU : 7s Novation : A-Station, Bass Station Rack, DrumStation Rack, K-Station, KS-Rack, KS4, KS5, Nova, Super BassStation, X-Station 25 Oberheim : Matrix-1000, OB-8, Xpander Octave Plateau : Voyetra 8 Peavey : AEQ2800, DPM-V3, DPM3, Spectrum Bass Quasimidi : Quasar, Turbo-Volcon Rane : MPE-14, MPE-28 Roland : A-880, BOSS DR-5, BOSS GT-6, BOSS SE-50, CM-32L, CM-32p, CM-64, D-10, D-110 (nhs), D-110, D-20, D-5, D-50, D-550, D-70, D2, DEP-3, DEP-5, E-660, Edirol SD-20, EG-101, Fantom FA-76 (v2), GM-70, GP-16, GP-8, GR-09, GR-30, GR-33, GR-50, GS Compatible, JD-800, JD-990, JP-8000 (Alt), JP-8080, Juno-1, Juno-2, JV-1000, JV-1010, JV-1080, JV-2080, JV-80, JV-880, JV-90, JX-305, JX-8P, M-BD1 Bass&Drums, M-DC1 Dance, M-GS64, M-OC1 Orchestra, M-SE1 String Ensemble, M-VS1 Vintage Synth, MC-303, MC-307, MC-505, MKS-50, MKS-7, MKS-70, MKS-80, MT-100, MT-32, P-55, PAD-80, PMA-5, R-5, R-8 MkII, R-8, R-8M, RS-5, RS-9, S-330, S-50, S-550, SC-50, SC-55, SC-55ST, SC-88 Pro, SC-88, SC-880, SC-88ST Pro, SC-88VL, SC-Pro, SH-32, SK-50, SK-88 Pro, SK-88, Sound Canvas, SPD-11, SPD-20, SPD-8, SRV-2000, SRV-3030, TD-5, TD-7, U-110, U-20, U-220, VC-1, VM-3100 Pro, XP-10, XP-30, XP-50, XP-60, XP-80, XV-2020, XV-3080, XV-5050, XV-5080, XV-88 Sequential : Max, Multitrak, Prophet 10, Six-Trak Studio Electronics : ATC-1, SE-1 TC Electronic : G-Major/2, G-Sharp, G-System, M350 TC-Helicon : VoiceDoubler, VoiceLive, VoiceOne, VoicePro, VoiceWorks Plus TECH 21 : SansAmp PSA-1.1 Waldorf : 4Pole, MicroQ, Microwave II EX, Pulse 2, Pulse, Q Yamaha : AN1x, AN200, CBX-K1XG, CS2x XG, CS2x Performance, CS6R, CS6x, DMP9-16, DMP9-8, DX1, DX100, DX11, DX21, DX27, DX5, DX7IID, DX7IIFD, DX7, DX7S, DX9, EX5, EX5R, EX7, FB-01, FS1R, Motif, Motif ES, MU10, MU100, MU100R, MU128, MU15, MU5, MU50, MU80, MU90R, MX49, MX61, PLS1, ProMix 01, RM1x, RM50, RX11, RX7, S30, S80, S90, SY22, SY35, SY55, SY77, SY85 (v2 ROMs), SY85, TG100, TG300, TG33, TG500, TG55, TG77, TQ5, TX216, TX7, TX802, TX816, TX81Z, V50, VL1 V2, VL1, VL7 V2, VL70m, W5, W7, YS100, YS200
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: XPad at 50% against MidiQuestEssentialsi's 0%. XPad also leads on rating (3.8 vs 1.0) and ratings volume (24 vs 2). MidiQuestEssentialsi's advantage is iOS requirement (10.2 vs 12.0). On price, update cadence, 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
Both are free to download. XPad sells 14 one-off in-app purchases and MidiQuestEssentialsi sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
XPad holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: XPad has 24 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of XPad's written reviews are positive against 0% of MidiQuestEssentialsi's.
XPad ships an update every 4 weeks, MidiQuestEssentialsi every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | XPad | MidiQuestEssentialsi |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.8 (24 ratings) — better | 1.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 24 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks — better | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPad | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 10.2 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1.2 GB | 52 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Christian Schoenebeck d/b/a Crudebyte | Sound Quest |
Customer experience
XPad
MidiQuestEssentialsi
In-app purchases
XPad
- Weirdo Sound Set$2.99
- Pluck Sound Set$2.99
- Metal Sound Set$3.99
Show 11 moreShow fewer
- Bass Sound Set$3.99
- Choir Sound Set$3.99
- Altro Sound Set$3.99
- Organ Sound Set$3.99
- Percussive Sound Set$3.99
- Silicon Sound Set$4.99
- Vintage Sound Set$4.99
- Atmo Sound Set$5.99
- Space Sound Set$5.99
- Nature Sound Set$5.99
- Sequence Sound Set$5.99
MidiQuestEssentialsi
- Dave Smith Tetra$24.99
- Yamaha Reface CS$24.99
- Yamaha Reface CP$24.99
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- TC-Helicon VoiceWorks$29.99
- Roland D-50$39.99
- Waldorf Blofeld$39.99
- Untergeek Matrix-6R$39.99
- Dave Smith Toraiz AS-1$49.99
- Korg N364$54.99
- MQEssentials v1 All Instrument$199.99









