XPad vs MIDIculous Learning Software
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.
MIDIculous Learning Software
This music learning software allows users to play MIDI files with high-quality virtual instruments. It offers features to manipulate pitch, key, and tempo for various media, and enables teachers to create synchronized learning files for students.
- High-quality MIDI file player
- Load and manipulate MIDI, Audio, and Video files
- Create and share proprietary LMS/LMV learning files
- Virtual instrument display with animated colorization
- VST/AU/AAX plugin support
- Resizable interface and detachable widgets
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High Quality MIDI File Player: MIDIculous is the most feature-rich music learning software for students and teachers. At its core it is a high quality MIDI File Player where you can use the stock General MIDI soundest or you can use AUv3 apps already installed on your iPad. ————— Learning Tool for Musicians: If you upgrade to the Pro Expansion, you will gain the ability to load virtually any MIDI, Audio, and video file to be able to change the pitch, key, transpose, and loop in order to learn from the various different media sources. We recommend trying to find the MIDI file as this is the only file format that allows you to view the actual note data using our beautiful virtual instruments. ————— Proprietary LMV and LMS Files: LMV and LMS respectively stands for Live-MIDI-VIDO and Live-MIDI-Sync. Out of the box, MIDIculous can play these files for free. These are proprietary files that can contain a combination of MIDI, Audio, and/or video at the same time. So picture this super learning file that contains multi-channel MIDI and a video file all in one, where a student can see the video AND see the notes of the MIDI in sync at the same time, such that when the user wants to change the pitch, loop, or slow down the video to learn, all of the comments are precisely in sync with one another. A teacher who purchases the Pro version will be able to make this proprietary file and send this file to all of their students and the student can view this file using the FREE player. This makes for the most amazing supplemental tool and resource for their students. ———— Online Learning Display: With the most beautifully designed virtual instruments (Bass, Guitar, Drums, Keyboard, Organ) a teacher can display or project their screen through avenues such as Zoom, Ecamm, and OBS for a virtual seminar or session with their student. Allowing the student to see the animated colorization of instruments allows for a better teaching and learning experience. ———— The FREE Versions Allows: 1. FREE Version plays LMS and LMV files 2. Full MIDI Input and Instruments Display 3. Play Plugins through LMS/LMV Files The Pro Version Unlocks: 1. Play all supported media files 2. Detach Instruments and Widgets 3. Load as a Plugin in your DAW 4. Create LMS and LMV files for students ———— Main Highlights: • Completely new source code and architecture • Comes as a VST/AU/AAX Plugin • New Resizable Interface and widgets • All components detachable and colorable (Score, Chords, Instruments, Pedals) • Plugin Manager to Manage Plugins • Updated Animated Modwheels • Updated Animated 3-Foot Pedals (Sustain, Soft, Sostenuto) • Updated recognition of sharps, accidentals, and enharmonics ———— Main Features • Vector based UI for crisp HD graphics • Resizable GUI and Distortion modes • Load MIDI Files with full sound, Sysex changes, tempo, and key signatures recognized • Load Audio Files • Load Video Files • Load LMS (Live-MIDI Sync) which is a MIDI and an Audio file in one file for detailed instructions from teachers with MIDI data. • Load LMV (Live-MIDI Video) which is a Video and Audio file together for enhanced visual lesson with MIDI data. • Change Pitch, Tempo for file or loop points for Audio, MIDI, and Video • High Quality Re-Pitch algorithm with adjustable re-pitching and slow-down modes • Score View • Solfege Notation with two international standard version options • Create Loop points • Save all settings and loop points to a .midiculous file • GM Sound source through OS • Set the Root Tempo and Root Key. • Split keyboard options for MIDI Input and for MIDI file playback • Panic button for stuck notes • Dedicated MIDI input that can be mixed with MIDI notes. • Viewable Sustain pedal view • Detachable objects with fully customizable colors • Keyboards to have multiple keyboard views • VST/AU/AAX Plugin Capable • MIDI Forwarding Options • Dedicated Plugin Manager to isolate crashed plugins
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: XPad at every 4 weeks against MIDIculous Learning Software's every 7 months. XPad also leads on monetization model (free vs freemium). On price, review sentiment, 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 MIDIculous Learning Software sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
XPad ships an update every 4 weeks, MIDIculous Learning Software every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on September 10, 2026 and July 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | XPad | MIDIculous Learning Software |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.8 (24 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 24 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks — better | Every 7 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Freemium |
| Devices | iPad | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1.2 GB | 314 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Christian Schoenebeck d/b/a Crudebyte | MIDIculous LLC |
Customer experience
XPad
MIDIculous Learning Software
In-app purchases
XPad
- Weirdo Sound Set$2.99
- Pluck Sound Set$2.99
- Metal Sound Set$3.99
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- 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
MIDIculous Learning Software
- MiDIculous Signature Keys$9.99
- Pro Expansion$12.99
Questions
Is XPad free?
Is MIDIculous Learning Software free?
Do XPad or MIDIculous Learning Software have ads?
Which is updated more often, XPad or MIDIculous Learning Software?
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