Stereo Delay vs Ascent Reverb
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Stereo Delay
This audio unit plugin creates natural-sounding stereo delays with unique panning that expands stereo width without sounding repetitive. It features filters and a mixing matrix for dynamic echo placement, ideal for adding depth to music.
- Unique stereo panning matrix
- Natural, moving stereo echo
- Low-cut and hi-cut filters
- Feedback control
- LFO controlled pan
- Requires host app
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Blue Mangoo Stereo Delay is designed to be the go-to app a for simple, musically tasteful delay effect. The most unique feature is the way it handles panning of delayed echoes in the stereo field. Most stereo delays set different delay times for the left and right channels, resulting in the famous ping-pong effect. The problem with the ping-pong stereo delay sound is that it's too extreme, and our ears quickly tire of hearing the same pattern of left-then-right delay repeated hundreds of times. This plugin does it differently. Instead of setting delay taps at different times panned hard left or right, it always keeps the same delay time setting for both the left and right channels, but it has a unique mixing matrix controlling the feedback between the left and right channels so that each time the echo repeats, it appears in a new place in the stereo field. This is different from a simple panning delay, because older echoes and newer ones can simultaneously appear at different positions in the stereo field. The result is a very natural stereo echo that expands the stereo width of the sound but doesn't sound repetitive or electronic. It's constantly moving and changing. The wet signal output has low-cut and hi-cut filters. The hi-cut filter tones down the harshness of the delay and makes it sound like natural echoes. The low-cut is especially useful for applying delay without making things sound muddy. At extreme settings the low cut can achieve a lo-fi telephone like delay sound. The signal flow diagram is as follows: Filters => LFO controlled pan => Stereo Delay Lines => Mixing matrix => Feedback to Delay Lines The dry signal (not shown above) bypasses the entire effect. The key difference between this and other delays is the mixing matrix, which is similar to the ones used in feedback delay network reverb effects to mix between multi-channel delays without changing the volume of the sound. It is the matrix (not the LFO) that creates the illusion that the signal has moved to a different location in the stereo field each time it repeats through the delays. *** THIS IS AN AUDIO UNIT ONLY EFFECT. IT REQUIRES A HOST APP SUCH AS AUM, Audiobus, GarageBand, OR Cubasis. IT DOES NOT RUN AS A STANDALONE APP. ***
Ascent Reverb
This audio plugin offers a dual-reverb engine, blending a spacious hall with a granular pitch-shifting particle effect. Create subtle ambient spaces or dramatic otherworldly atmospheres with intuitive controls and built-in ducking for mix clarity.
- Dual reverb engine
- Granular pitch-shifting particle reverb
- Spacious hall reverb
- Pitch transposition up to one octave
- Dynamic ducking compressor
- Cross-platform preset manager
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Ascent is a dual reverb for iPhone and iPad. It pairs a deep, natural hall reverb with a granular pitch-shifting particle engine: two reverbs, one interface, built to work together. The result is a sound that moves, from grounded, room-filling depth to shimmering, pitch-shifted atmospheres that evolve over time. The hall is the foundation; it always runs. The particle engine sits on top, and BLOOM sets how much of it you hear. Pull Bloom to zero for a pure hall, push it up for shimmer over the space, and dial in the built-in ducking compressor to keep your dry signal present. Subtle space to full cinematic wash, without ever touching a second effect. FEATURES • Dual reverb engine: hall reverb and particle reverb run simultaneously, with Bloom controlling the amount of shimmer. • Granular particle engine: pitch transposition from -12 to +12 semitones. Dual overlapping grains eliminate the metallic artifacts common in lesser shimmer reverbs, and an octave down gives darker, sub-octave shimmer just as easily as pitching up. • Expanse control: three tuned room modes (Small, Medium, Large) shape the delay network and spatial character of the hall, not just the decay time. • Particulate: adds a touch of randomness to grain pitches for thicker, more organic texture. • Built-in dynamic ducking: reverb tails pull back on transients automatically, keeping your dry signal present without constant fader riding. • Full preset manager with factory presets and favorites. • Runs as an AUv3 plugin in your favorite host, plus a standalone app. Ascent is part of Audio Damage's Motion Effects family, alongside Descent and Traverse. No accounts, no subscriptions, no in-app purchases. Buy it once and it is yours.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Ascent Reverb at 100% against Stereo Delay's 75%. Ascent Reverb also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 6 months). Stereo Delay's advantage is price ($2.99 vs $4.99) and iOS requirement (10.3 vs 16.0). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Stereo Delay costs $2.99 and Ascent Reverb $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Ascent Reverb holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 6 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of Stereo Delay's written reviews are positive against 100% of Ascent Reverb's.
Stereo Delay ships an update every 6 months, Ascent Reverb every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Stereo Delay | Ascent Reverb |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 — better | $4.99 |
| Rating | 4.8 (5 ratings) | 5.0 (6 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 5 | 6 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 10.3 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 39 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Blue Mangoo Consulting Company Limited | Audio Damage, Inc. |
Customer experience
Stereo Delay
Ascent Reverb
In-app purchases
Stereo Delay
No in-app purchases
Ascent Reverb
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Stereo Delay free?
Is Ascent Reverb free?
Which has better reviews, Stereo Delay or Ascent Reverb?
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