Comparison

Shimmer AUv3 Audio Plugin vs Note to Be

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Shimmer AUv3 Audio Plugin

Create ethereal soundscapes with this AUv3 compatible audio effect. It combines delay, pitch shifting, reverb, and modulation to add spacious atmosphere to instruments and vocals. Features include beat-synced options and harmonic enhancement.

Highlights
  • AUv3 compatible plugin
  • Combines delay, pitch shifting, and reverb
  • Beat-synced modulation options
  • Harmonic exciter and sustain section
  • Single-screen interface with presets
  • Parameter automation and tempo sync
Read full description

This is an AUv3 compatible effect which must be used as plugin with your favourite DAW such as Cubasis, Meteor, Auria or GarageBand. It supports a modern graphical interface and presets with stereo meters for monitoring signal levels. This shimmer effect is a combination of effects that creates an etherial wall of sound. The effect combines a digital delay and pitch shifter to create multiple harmonies before entering a rich long reverb with controllable filtering. The resulting effect is a monsterously huge sound adding a spacious atmospheric quality to any lead instrument or vocal. The effect also features many beat synced modulation options with various modes of operation such as your basic pans and vibrato effects but including sweeps and morphing harmonies. Finally to give the effect some real 'shimmer' we've added a harmonic exciter and a sustain section which samples and holds on to the sound to pull out and emphesise the harmonics. The effect presents all the most frequently used controls to the user in a single screen, but each effect has it's own distinct set of controls and a total of 7 pre-configured touch pads allowing easy recording of controller data. This plugin allows complete parameter automation and auto synced modulation to master tempo. This is one of a suite of AUv3 compatible plugins which will also soon be available from 4Pockets.

About

Note to Be

This app offers advanced MIDI quantization for iOS musicians. It allows precise control over note selection, octave flexibility, and MIDI CC integration for crafting harmonious compositions and dynamic live performances. Supports microtonal scales and multi-synth setups.

Highlights
  • Customizable note and octave selection
  • MIDI CC to note conversion
  • Multi-synth channel assignment
  • Live performance toggles
  • Microtonal scale support (Scala Library)
  • MPE polyphonic playback
Features
Read full description

Take full control of your MIDI experience with Note to Be—the powerful iOS app designed to transform how you interact with your music. Whether you're working with a MIDI keyboard, sequencer, or MIDI CC input, Note to Be ensures your notes are perfectly quantized to the nearest selected note, allowing you to craft precise, harmonious compositions with ease. Key Features: - Customizable Note Selection: Choose individual notes from any octave, or apply your selection across the full -1 to +8 octave range. - Octave Flexibility: Work within the entire octave spectrum, selecting and unselecting notes with a simple tap. - MIDI CC Integration: Use MIDI CC from hardware controllers or apps like ShiftBud to convert control changes into quantized notes. Easily create chord voicings and dynamic live performances. - Multi-Synth Support: Assign different MIDI channels to multiple synths, allowing each to respond to the quantized MIDI output independently. - Live Performance Enhancement: Engage the 'all notes' toggle to instantly apply note selections across all octaves or quickly select notes in a specific key and scale. - Microtonality: Select a microtonal scale from the Scala Library with +5000 microtonal scales, or import your own to the iCloud folder. Play the MPE supported synths polyphonically. With Note to Be, your music becomes a canvas, and every note is a brushstroke. Unlock new creative possibilities and refine your sound with the precision of MIDI quantization, right from your iOS device. Note to Be is a MIDI app and does not produce any sound on its own. You need a MIDI input source and an audio output destination in order to work with Note to Be. The AUv3 plugin requires an AUv3 host app such as AUM, Logic Pro for iPad, Loopy Pro, Cubasis, Nanostudio, apeMatrix, Audiobus etc.

Screenshots

Shimmer AUv3 Audio Plugin4 screens
Note to Be4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Note to Be at 4.9 against Shimmer AUv3 Audio Plugin's 4.2. Note to Be also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 8 months) and price ($4.99 vs $7.99). Shimmer AUv3 Audio Plugin's advantage is review sentiment (64% vs 50%) and ratings volume (30 vs 7). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Shimmer AUv3 Audio Plugin costs $7.99 and Note to Be $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Note to Be holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 30 and 7 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 64% of Shimmer AUv3 Audio Plugin's written reviews are positive against 50% of Note to Be's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shimmer AUv3 Audio Plugin ships an update every 8 months, Note to Be weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 13, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Shimmer AUv3 Audio Plugin versus Note to Be: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShimmer AUv3 Audio PluginNote to Be
Price$7.99$4.99 — better
Rating4.2 (30 ratings)4.9 (7 ratings) — better
Positive reviews63.6% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings30 — better7
Update frequencyEvery 8 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS1313.0
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB71 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer4Pockets.comCem Olcay

Customer experience

Shimmer AUv3 Audio Plugin

All ratings31 ratings
Positive77.4%
Neutral6.5%
Negative16.1%
Written reviews33 reviews
Positive63.6%
Neutral9.1%
Negative27.3%

Note to Be

All ratings7 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

None

Shimmer AUv3 Audio Plugin

No in-app purchases

None

Note to Be

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Shimmer AUv3 Audio Plugin free?
Shimmer AUv3 Audio Plugin costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Note to Be free?
Note to Be costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Shimmer AUv3 Audio Plugin or Note to Be?
Note to Be is rated higher. Shimmer AUv3 Audio Plugin averages 4.2 out of 5 from 30 ratings, while Note to Be averages 4.9 from 7 ratings.
Do Shimmer AUv3 Audio Plugin or Note to Be have ads?
Neither Shimmer AUv3 Audio Plugin nor Note to Be shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shimmer AUv3 Audio Plugin or Note to Be?
Shimmer AUv3 Audio Plugin ships an update every 8 months, and Note to Be weekly. Most recently, Shimmer AUv3 Audio Plugin was updated on November 13, 2026 and Note to Be on November 6, 2026.

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