Mozaic Plugin Workshop vs OtherDesertCities
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Mozaic Plugin Workshop
Design and build your own custom MIDI plugins for music production. This tool offers a simple yet powerful scripting language and pre-built components to create filters, sequencers, and generative music tools. It integrates with AUv3 MIDI hosts for seamless workflow.
- Custom MIDI plugin creation
- Easy-to-learn scripting language
- Generative music tools
- MIDI filters and sequencers
- AUv3 support
- Tilt sensor integration
- Built-in script editor
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Create your own MIDI plugins: MIDI filters, generative music tools, basic sequencers, MIDI control panels, chaos experiments... Let your imagination take you places. Mozaic runs inside your favorite AU MIDI host, and gives you practical building blocks such as LFOs, pre-fab GUI layouts, musical scales, AUv3 support (with AU Parameters, transport events, tempo syncing, etc.), random generators and a super-simple yet powerful script language. Mozaic even offers quick access to your device’s Tilt Sensors for expressive interaction concepts! The Mozaic Script language is designed from the ground up to be the easiest and most flexible MIDI language on iOS. A language by creatives, for creatives. You’ll only need to write a few lines of script to achieve impressive things - or to create that uber-specific thing that was missing from your MIDI setup. Check out the Programming Manual on Ruismaker.com to learn about the script language and to get inspiration for awesome scripts of your own. Mozaic comes with a sizable collection of tutorials and pre-made scripts which you can use out of the box, or which can be a starting point for your own plugin adventures. Features in a nutshell: - Easy to learn Mozaic Script language: easy to learn, easy to read - Sample-accurate-everything: the tightest MIDI timing possible - Built-in script editor with code-completion, syntax hints, etc. - 5 immediately usable GUI layouts, with knobs, sliders, pads, etc. - In-depth, helpful programming manual available on Ruismaker.com - Easy access to LFOs, scales, MIDI I/O, AU parameters, timers - Supports Sysex, with built-in checksum calculations - AUv3; so you'll get multi-instance, state-saving, tempo sync and resource efficiency out of the box Mozaic opens up the world of creative MIDI plugins to anyone willing to put in a few hours and a hot beverage or two. Practical notes: - Mozaic requires a plugin host with support for AUv3 MIDI plugins (AUM, ApeMatrix, Cubasis, Auria, Audiobus 3, etc.) - The standalone mode of Mozaic lets you edit, test and export projects, but for MIDI connections you need to run it inside an AUv3 MIDI host - MIDI is not sound; Mozaic on its own does not make noise... so bring your own synths, drum machines and other instruments! - AUv3 MIDI requires iOS11 or higher
OtherDesertCities
Explore a versatile audio effect with six unique delay algorithms, offering everything from classic stereo delays to experimental granular pitch-shifting. Extensive modulation and I/O controls allow for deep sonic manipulation and creative sound design.
- Six unique delay algorithms
- Extensive modulation capabilities
- Tempo-synced LFOs
- Envelope follower
- Diffusor for feedback smearing
- Advanced I/O control
- Granular pitch-shifting
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Other Desert Cities is a multi-mode delay plugin built for sound designers, producers, and anyone who thinks regular delays are getting a little boring. Named after the famous sign on the I-10 leaving Los Angeles, Other Desert Cities takes you down less-traveled roads. Six algorithms, each with its own distinct personality. A full suite of modulation. A diffuser that smears feedback toward reverb. And gain-structure controls deep enough to duck, pan, and route almost anything. ALGORITHMS Desert Shores — a clean dual stereo delay with saturation, filtering, spread, and crossfeed. Mecca — a reverse delay with smooth crossfading and an optional Reflect mode that alternates playback direction on each repeat. Cactus — a dual-delta delay. Each side runs as a variable-speed looper, playing forward or backward at any speed from zero to 2x, with pitch quantized to octaves, fifths, or semitones. Thermal — a multi-tap delay with up to sixteen equally-spaced taps per side, each with its own level. Mirage — a variable-speed multi-head delay inspired by the 1967 Eltro Information Rate Changer. One to four rotating heads play through a circular buffer at any speed from -2 to +2. Sky Valley — a granular delay with independent control over grain size, scatter, and pitch randomization. Transpose from three octaves down to one octave up. MODULATION Two tempo-syncable LFOs with variable shape and skew, plus an envelope follower with sidechain input. Almost every parameter in the plugin can be modulated. Click any knob and assign modulation depth from each of the three sources independently. DIFFUSER A diffusion processor sits inside the feedback path, with controls for size, diffusion amount, modulation rate and depth, and a dedicated low-cut filter. At high settings it takes the delay into reverb territory, especially paired with the Thermal algorithm. LEVELS Full input/output gain control, stereo width, independent delay pan, regeneration balance, and wet balance. Input level and mute sit before the delay block, so the plugin works correctly as both an insert and a send, with proper tails behavior. PRESETS Factory presets from Chris Randall, Matthew Lyon, Red Means Recording, and Time Rival, plus a cross-platform XML-based preset manager with import, export, and clipboard paste. FEATURES Six distinct delay algorithms Two LFOs and an envelope follower with sidechain Diffuser with independent modulation Tempo sync on delay times and LFO rates Delay times up to two seconds free, ten seconds synced Cross-platform XML preset format AUv3 and standalone Also available for macOS, Windows, and Linux in VST3, AU, AAX, and CLAP formats from Audio Damage.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Mozaic Plugin Workshop at 5.0 against OtherDesertCities's 4.8. Mozaic Plugin Workshop also leads on price ($1.99 vs $4.99) and chart position (#182 vs unranked). On ratings volume, update cadence, 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
Mozaic Plugin Workshop costs $1.99 and OtherDesertCities $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Mozaic Plugin Workshop holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 81 and 59 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 95% of Mozaic Plugin Workshop's written reviews are positive against 86% of OtherDesertCities's.
Mozaic Plugin Workshop ships an update every 3 months, OtherDesertCities every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Mozaic Plugin Workshop | OtherDesertCities |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 — better | $4.99 |
| Rating | 5.0 (81 ratings) — better | 4.8 (59 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 94.6% of reviews — better | 85.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 81 — better | 59 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #182 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.4 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 29 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Bram Bos | Audio Damage, Inc. |
Customer experience
Mozaic Plugin Workshop
OtherDesertCities
In-app purchases
Mozaic Plugin Workshop
No in-app purchases
OtherDesertCities
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Mozaic Plugin Workshop free?
Is OtherDesertCities free?
Which has better reviews, Mozaic Plugin Workshop or OtherDesertCities?
Do Mozaic Plugin Workshop or OtherDesertCities have ads?
Which is updated more often, Mozaic Plugin Workshop or OtherDesertCities?
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