UltraTap Delay vs Shimmer Delay Ambient Machine
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
UltraTap Delay
Create rhythmic delays, glitchy reverbs, and evolving soundscapes with up to 64 taps. This app offers unique controls for shaping sound, including LFOs, envelopes, and a "Slurm" control for smearing and modulation. Explore over 150 inspiring presets and innovative performance features.
- Up to 64 taps for complex delays
- Spread knob for rhythmic spacing
- LFOs and envelopes for stutter effects
- Slurm control for unique modulation
- Stereo image control
- Over 150 presets
- Ribbon and Hotswitch controls
Read full descriptionHide full description
UltraTap is a unique multi-tap effect capable of rhythmic delays, glitchy reverbs, huge pad-like volume swells and extraordinary modulation. It’s the perfect tool for creating drum fills, vocal choruses, swelling guitar chords and other evolving effects — everything from reversed reverbs to a massed church choir singing a Gregorian chant in Notre-Dame Cathedral. Features: - Use up to 64 taps to create simple repeats or morph delays into choruses and reverbs. - Speed up or slow down the rhythmic spacing between taps using the Spread knob. - Use the onboard LFOs and envelopes to chop the sound source into stuttered rhythms. - Use the innovative "Slurm" control to smear taps together or modulate them to create truly unique reverbs. - Control the stereo image of taps to alternate between hard-panned and mono. - Over 150 presets designed to inspire; including artist presets by Chris Carter, Colin Newman, Sasha and many more. - Innovative Ribbon and Hotswitch allow for changing any combination of parameters simultaneously. - Use Mix Lock to scroll through presets while keeping the wet-dry mix constant. - Available as an Audio Units AUv3 plug-in and Standalone App.
Shimmer Delay Ambient Machine
Create expansive soundscapes with this app that blends reverb, pitch shifting, and feedback. It's ideal for guitars, keys, synths, and vocals, offering real-time control and optimized performance for ambient electronic music production.
- Reverb, pitch shifting, and feedback effects
- Auto-swell for dynamic volume changes
- Real-time parameter control
- Optimized CPU usage
- Standalone, AUv3, and IAA support
Read full descriptionHide full description
Based on creative techniques developed by studio engineers and producers in the early 1980s, Shimmer Delay Ambient Machine combines reverb, pitch shifting, and feedback to create out-of- this-world soundscapes and spaces. Great for guitars, keys, synths, samples, and vocals, Shimmer Delay Ambient Machine promotes getting lost in creative production and electronic music facets of the ambient spectrum. Swell crescendo means to start at a low volume and then swell to a much louder level, which is similar the sound of a violin being bowed. Now you get those sweeping swells from your guitar using the auto swell section of the Shimmer Delay Ambient Machine. The Shimmer Delay Ambient Machine user interface is designed with an emphasis on user control and playability. Shimmer Delay Ambient Machine has been designed to be tweaked in real time. All of the sliders have a smoothed response, to avoid clicks when changing settings or automating the controls. At the same time, the algorithm has been highly optimized, so you get a huge delay sound without straining your CPU. Works as a standalone app, AudioUnit v3 effect, or Inter-App Audio effect
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Shimmer Delay Ambient Machine at $6.99 against UltraTap Delay's $14.99. Shimmer Delay Ambient Machine also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8). UltraTap Delay's advantage is review sentiment (88% vs 67%) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months). 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
UltraTap Delay costs $14.99 and Shimmer Delay Ambient Machine $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Shimmer Delay Ambient Machine holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: UltraTap Delay has 20 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 88% of UltraTap Delay's written reviews are positive against 67% of Shimmer Delay Ambient Machine's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
UltraTap Delay ships an update every 2 months, Shimmer Delay Ambient Machine every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 8, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | UltraTap Delay | Shimmer Delay Ambient Machine |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $14.99 | $6.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.8 (20 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 87.5% of reviews — better | 66.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 20 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 23 MB | 34 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Eventide | Nembrini Audio |
Customer experience
UltraTap Delay
Shimmer Delay Ambient Machine
In-app purchases
UltraTap Delay
No in-app purchases
Shimmer Delay Ambient Machine
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is UltraTap Delay free?
Is Shimmer Delay Ambient Machine free?
Which has better reviews, UltraTap Delay or Shimmer Delay Ambient Machine?
Do UltraTap Delay or Shimmer Delay Ambient Machine have ads?
Which is updated more often, UltraTap Delay or Shimmer Delay Ambient Machine?
Other comparisons
