SoftPads vs Thereminator 2
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SoftPads
This app provides ambient background loops for musicians to fill sonic gaps during performances. It offers a variety of high-quality pad sounds that can be layered and customized, with options to save and recall combinations for set lists. Enhance your live sound with a versatile and easy-to-use tool.
- 10+ ambient loop pad sounds
- Selectable in 12 musical keys
- Layer multiple sounds for unique combinations
- Save and recall pad combinations
- Create and save set lists
- Customizable background colors
- Enhanced stage viewing mode
Read full descriptionHide full description
Soft Pads was created for musicians to eliminate any dead space behind your band by providing an ambient background loop that continuously runs in the background. If you have a band or are a solo performer this is the app you've been waiting for! Features: Soft Pads has over 10 different ambient loop pad sounds to choose from that can be selected in any of the 12 keys of music. All of the sounds on Soft Pads were carefully selected and designed to only be top quality sounds/pads. Select one pad sound or layer many to create unique sound combinations. Soft Pads allows near limitless sound options. Our custom sounds like Phaser, Vox, and Breath can be stacked with other pad sounds to create amazing tones. The options are limitless on the different ambient sounds this app can achieve! What's new is the ability to save the pad combination that you have created. Give it a name and recall it to be used in Set Lists that you can also create and save. Soft Pads should be used as a stand alone instrument. Other programs played at the same time may interfere with the function of SoftPads. Soft Pads allows you to customize your experience with several background colors allowing you to chose your favorite colors and background schemes. It also includes an enhanced viewing mode that performs fabulously on stage to make the fonts and contrast bolder and stand out for easier viewing. Soft Pads allows users to turn crossfade on or off and even allows you to chose if you want to allow multiple pads or just single pads. Soft Pads is everything you could need all in one app! No more mess of having to download mp3's or sound files or waiting for downloads for hours just to get a few pads to work. Soft Pads gives you everything you need in the palm of your hands without having to go through any hassles or extra steps. Soft Pads offers A+ customer support to all of our customers. We strive for excellent customer service. Recommend the following: 1. Download while connected to WiFi. 2. Make sure that your device is in standard or normal viewing mode (Not zoomed or large print). This may affect the "swipe" function. To reveal the menu/settings, swipe left to right from the main screen. To reveal the sound pad choices, swipe right to left from the main screen. 3. For best results during performance, switch on "Airplane Mode". You can visit our website at: www.forwardsounds.com
Thereminator 2
This app brings the iconic theremin sound to your mobile device and computer. It offers touch-controlled virtual instrument capabilities with extensive sound shaping options and MPE support for DAWs.
- Touch-controlled virtual theremin
- AUv3 instrument plugin
- MPE protocol support
- Over 50 factory presets
- Virtual-Analog resonant filter
- Modeled tape delay
- 51 musical scales
Read full descriptionHide full description
“I’ll be Bach.” Stop the presses! Load up the inkwells! For it's the return of one of the first — if not the first — instruments made for iOS: the infamous “pocket theremin” is back. A lot has changed since those heady days of 2008, and so has Thereminator. Although it is not made of T-1000 grade liquid metal (well...not yet), the all-new Thereminator 2 has evolved into a bona fide touch controlled virtual theremin with ample helpings of tone, expression, versatility, and technology. And it’s now an AUv3 plugin, too! Using a special adaptation of the MPE protocol, Thereminator 2 can inject its eerie sounds directly into your DAW, whether on your iPhone, iPad or Apple Silicon powered computer. Whether you have your plan 9 ready, or just lurking in dark shadows, it is a thrill to bring back the app that started it all for us. Thank Y’all for the support, for it’s been an amazing journey! :: Specifications :: • Touch-controlled Virtual Theremin • AUv3 instrument plugin included • Compatible with DAWs that are MPE friendly, including GarageBand, Logic, and Cubasis • Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and Apple Silicon powered computers • Over 50 factory presets Sound engine includes, • 8 waveforms, including the original, unique Thereminator waveform • 8 octave frequency range • Special drive stage for fattening up the sound • Virtual-Analog resonant filter • Dedicated vibrato and tremolo operators with adjustable rate & amount • Portamento • Custom chorus / expander effect for big stereophonic sounds • Modeled tape delay capable of self-oscillation — plenty of vintage mojo • Vertical touch control for volume, filter, vibrato and tremolo Built-in touch controller includes, • Horizontal pitch and vertical expression control • 51 musical scales • Selectable musical key • Note Snap feature that can dial in any amount of glide between adjacent notes • Lock feature to preserve above setting during preset changes • Scrollable control surface with adjustable key size MIDI / MPE and other features include, • MIDI Learn • MPE • Can be used with regular MIDI keyboards on MIDI channel 1 (channels 2-16 are optimized for MPE) • Save & share unlimited banks and presets • Standalone app includes virtual “Tapedeck” for recording & sharing your creations
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Thereminator 2 at 4.7 against SoftPads's 4.5. SoftPads's advantage is price ($4.99 vs $7.99) and iOS requirement (12.4 vs 15.0). On review sentiment, 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
SoftPads costs $4.99 and Thereminator 2 $7.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Thereminator 2 holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 41 and 14 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of SoftPads's written reviews are positive against 88% of Thereminator 2's.
| Parameter | SoftPads | Thereminator 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 — better | $7.99 |
| Rating | 4.5 (41 ratings) | 4.7 (14 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 81.1% of reviews | 87.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 41 — better | 14 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.4 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 216 MB | 26 MB |
| Age rating | +4 | 4+ |
| Developer | Forward Sounds, LLC | Yonac Inc. |
Customer experience
SoftPads
Thereminator 2
In-app purchases
SoftPads
No in-app purchases
Thereminator 2
No in-app purchases









