KeyStage Lite vs VST Live Mods
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
KeyStage Lite
This app acts as a master controller and audio mixer for keyboard players. It allows simultaneous control of multiple hardware and software instruments using various MIDI controllers. Organize songs into sections, customize instrument sounds, and manage MIDI mappings with advanced scripting capabilities.
- Control multiple MIDI controllers and instruments
- Host AUv3 instruments and effects
- Create complex keyboard splits and layers
- Advanced MIDI mapping and scripting
- Audio mixer with track control
- Play and manage audio files
- View PDF and JPG files
Read full descriptionHide full description
KeyStage is a master controller, AUv3 host, and audio mixer app designed mainly for keyboard players. With KeyStage, you can simultaneously control any number of hardware and software instruments using any number of MIDI controllers in an organized way. Each project consists of sections (which corresponds to sections of a song). In each section you can change sounds and sound parameters of connected instruments, create complex splits and layers of your keyboard(s), change the functionalities of sliders/knobs/pedals of your MIDI controllers by creating advanced MIDI mappings, write your own scripts, view PDF and JPG files (e.g. sheet music) and lyrics, and much more. LIST OF FEATURES • Connect any number of MIDI controller to any number of MIDI instruments by creating tracks. • Load AUv3 instruments, effects, and MIDI Processors. • Assign any region of your keyboard(s) to any connected instrument. • Change velocity curve and velocity limits, and create velocity splits and layers. • Transpose notes and restrict notes to any key using pitch shifter. • Create mixer units to combine audio signals, turning KeyStage into an audio mixer. • With the player units, you can play wav, mp3, and m4a files, add marker points, automate actions (like play, stop, move to a marker etc.) using custom translators, or trigger certain events (like changing sections) when the player reaches a certain marker. • Input units allows you to use the microphone input, or the hardware inputs of a connected audio interface. • The Main Mixer view allows you to control volume levels and pans of all tracks, connect effect units, and connect units to mixer units. • Create instrument presets to easily change sounds of instruments by choosing patch names from patch lists. • KeyStage can also import Cubase Patch Scripts to automatically create instrument presets for your MIDI instruments. • KeyStage automatically detects new MIDI connections and recommends matching instrument presets from a database. • Simulate auto-sustain on any connected instrument. • KeyStage has a multi-track recorder, which lets you record any number of tracks simultaneously. • Change or filter any MIDI signal using custom translators. Use “Relative Control” switch to smoothly change the parameters of your instruments without any jumps. • Use XY control unit to send control change and pitch bend messages to any connected MIDI instrument. • Create setlists, quick access all the songs in a setlist from a setlist bar, move to previous/next songs from live console or using external MIDI. • Create virtual MIDI inputs/outputs for KeyStage. • Use virtual MIDI piano controller to play connected instruments. • View PDF and JPG files. Link any page or region of any file to any section. • Backup and restore your songs and global properties to Dropbox. • Map special actions (like changing octaves, switching sections, changing pages of a PDF file) to notes and controllers using custom translators. • You can write your own scripts in custom translators, which opens up endless possibilities. • Use MPE routing to control any MIDI instrument using MPE controllers like Seaboard. Use custom translators to change the functionalities of each MPE dimension. • KeyStage supports smooth transitions between sections. Pressed notes will continue to sound when you switch sections. You can access demo videos and video tutorials on my Youtube channel.
VST Live Mods
Display lyrics, chord symbols, and notes on your iOS device. Syncs with a desktop application to keep performers on the same page during live shows or practice sessions. Features include setlists, chord tracks, lyrics display, a metronome, and notes.
- Display lyrics, chords, and notes
- Setlist management
- Chord track synchronization
- Lyrics sharing
- Metronome function
- Performance notes
Read full descriptionHide full description
*** Please note that the VST Live Mods app requires the VST Live Pro desktop app version. For more details please visit https://www.steinberg.net/vst-live/ *** Thanks to VST Live Mods you can display your lyrics, chord symbols and notes on iOS devices. Simply connect VST Live Mods with your VST Live Pro desktop app and off you go. Be it you are in your basement preparing for your next gig or you are already on stage, with VST Live Mods you will be playing and singing "from the same sheet". Do not worry anymore about maybe forgetting a chord or word or missing a cue, CHORDS, LYRICS, NOTES and METRONOME are there for you. SETLIST Keep all performers updated with song, parts, tempo, signature an the current position. CHORDS Keep all musicians perfectly in sync with VST Live Mods' Chord Track. Share the chord progressions for each instrument with that musician’s mobile device on the network. It’s also great as a music teaching resource, helping a group of students to play along with their tutor. LYRICS With Lyrics mode in the VST Live Mods app, you can share the lyrics to your songs with all the singers on stage, so everybody is certain to be singing the right words. METRONOME None of the performers will ever miss a beat, thanks to the Metronome function. Helping to keep everyone perfectly in time, it can also be used to assist lighting and sound engineers to make changes precisely in time. NOTES Keep all performers with comments of your current song in the loop. Technical support https://forums.steinberg.net/c/vst-live/156 If you like VST Live Mods, please support us by rating this app in the App Store! Thank you!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: KeyStage Lite at 60% against VST Live Mods's 17%. KeyStage Lite also leads on rating (4.0 vs 3.0). VST Live Mods's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
KeyStage Lite holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 4 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of KeyStage Lite's written reviews are positive against 17% of VST Live Mods's.
KeyStage Lite ships an update every 3 months, VST Live Mods every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and August 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | KeyStage Lite | VST Live Mods |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (7 ratings) — better | 3.0 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 60.0% of reviews — better | 16.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 7 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 61 MB | 20 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ali Gokturk | Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH |
Customer experience
KeyStage Lite
VST Live Mods
In-app purchases
KeyStage Lite
No in-app purchases
VST Live Mods
No in-app purchases









