TriKey vs Magic Tines
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
TriKey
Read full descriptionHide full description
TriKey is a composer's keyboard Control other iPad synths or external MIDI hardware! Features: - 3 configurable Keyboards with the ability to control CC Messages by moving your fingers up / down - Global Key and Scales prevent you from ever playing a wrong note - Save and toggle Chords - Advanced CC Options for each keyboard - Save / Load your own presets - Individual MIDI Ports & Channels for each Keyboard
Magic Tines
This app emulates a classic electric piano using a hybrid approach of sampling and synthesis. It offers a range of effects, adjustable parameters, and multiple instrument models for a versatile sound experience. Available as a standalone app or audio plugin.
- Hybrid Modeling engine (samples + synthesis)
- Three EP models
- Adjustable sampled and synthesis parameters
- Multiple amplifier and phaser models
- Mono or Stereo tremolo
- Built-in programmer with unlimited Programs
Read full descriptionHide full description
GSi Magic Tines is a Hybrid Modeling emulation of a Tine Electric Piano. INSTRUMENT BACKGROUND The Rhodes Piano was invented during WWII by an american music teacher, Harold B. Rhodes (1910 - 2000), and has been widely used for decades in nearly every genre of music ranging from soul music to jazz, blues, modern and pop. This instrument quickly became a legend, and is still used today. In 2007 it had a first rebirth thanks to an American entrepreneur who tried to restore the glory to this instrument, so the Mark 7 was born, but unfortunately his venture failed after a few years. In 2021, a group of British entrepreneurs acquired the brand and put a revamped edition of this instrument back into production, the Mark 8. In digital territory, the sound of a Rhodes piano is an important part of every digital piano / keyboard / workstation, and is reproduced mainly using samples, and in a few cases using some kind of synthesis. The Crumar Seven is one example of a hardware digital piano that uses real Physical Modeling to recreate the sound of a Tine Piano, i.e. it doesn't use any samples to recreate the sound, just real-time math calculations. GSi Magic Tines uses a different approach, which consists in both sampling and modeling, whereas all attack and release transients come from recordings of real life electric pianos, and the body of each note is recreated by a special synthesizer that uses math functions to simulate the exact behavior of a steel tine being struck by a rubber hammer tip. What is excluded by the synthesis engine is compensated by the sampled material. In other words, the best of the two worlds. Main features - Hybrid Modeling engine (samples + synthesis) - Full Polyphony (up to 88 keys) - Three EP models to choose from - Parameters for adjusting both the sampled part and the synthesis part separately - Three band semi-parametric EQ - Mono or Stereo tremolo with opto-coupler panner - Amplifier simulation with 5 different models - Tube overdrive effect - Adjustable stereo chorus - Phaser effect with six different models - Stereo Delay effect - Stereo Reverb effect - User programmable Velocity curve - Built-in programmer with unlimited Programs - Embedded user's manual - Available as Stand-alone application and audio plugin - Very low CPU and RAM usage - AUv3 for iPad and iPhone - Supports Background audio and Bluetooth Midi
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: TriKey at $9.99 against Magic Tines's $19.99. Magic Tines's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On update cadence, 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
TriKey costs $9.99 and Magic Tines $19.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 16, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | TriKey | Magic Tines |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 — better | $19.99 |
| Rating | — | 3.7 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 3 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| 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 | 5 MB | 19 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Marcos Kohler | Genuine Soundware |
In-app purchases
TriKey
No in-app purchases
Magic Tines
No in-app purchases









