Comparison

Tonality vs SynthMaster 2

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

Head to head
About

Tonality

This app is a comprehensive music theory reference tool for musicians. It offers extensive chord and scale dictionaries, ear training exercises, and interactive tools like the Circle of Fifths. It also includes MIDI functionality for composition and performance.

Highlights
  • Chord and scale dictionaries
  • Chord identification from microphone
  • Interactive Circle of Fifths
  • Ear training exercises
  • MIDI and AUv3 plugins
  • Chord pads for composition
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

"Best music app tool I own, period!" "Never downloaded an app so fast in my life" "Excellent app for music theory. It is brilliantly supported by the developer who is continually updating it... The app is indispensable for the reference and learning of music theory." Tonality is the ultimate chord, scale, and general music reference tool for musicians of all skill levels. It allows you to explore a large database of chords and scales and comes with tons of MIDI/AUv3 functionality, including chord pads for composition and performance. NOTE: Tonality will always be a one-time purchase with free upgrades. All IAPs are for tips only. CHORDS: • Chord dictionary with over 1,000 chords for piano and guitar • Listen to a chord by tapping, or arpeggiate by swiping • Reverse search for chords using piano or fretboard • Identify chords from the microphone using a cutting-edge ML algorithm • Search for chords by root, quality, and/or extension • View different inversions and omittable notes • View related scales GUITAR CHORD CHARTS: • View charts for any chord • Supports multiple tunings and instruments (including custom tunings) • Generate voicings by criteria including fret range, number of fingers used, and finger stretch • Left-handed option SCALES: • Scale dictionary with over 1,000 scales • Search for scales by root and name, and filter by various tags • Reverse search for scales using piano or fretboard • View scale degrees and note names • View ascending and descending versions • View all modes and scale chords CIRCLE OF FIFTHS: • Interactive circle of fifths: view key signatures and scales for major and minor keys • Focus on diatonic chords in a given key and view Roman numeral analysis EAR TRAINING: • Learn to recognize notes, melodies, intervals, chords, and scales by ear! • After each session, view what gave you trouble and create a level with just those items • View detailed statistics about each training session and your training history MUSICAL TERMS DICTIONARY: • View musical terms and their definitions/illustrations • Tempo, symbol, articulation, dynamics, and more MUSICAL TYPING KEYBOARD: • Special keyboard for typing and previewing chord symbols • Works wherever iOS keyboard does - enable it from Settings->General->Keyboard->Keyboards->Add New Keyboard... ---- Includes 4 AUv3 MIDI Plugins! ---- CHORD/SCALE IDENTIFICATION: • View the names of the piano chords/scales you play in real time • Record identified chords and export as text/MIDI CHORD PADS: • Add chords via list, scale chords, fretboard, name, or MIDI input • Drag and drop to and from other apps or plugin instances • Full voicing control: edit individual notes' octaves and velocities • Grid sizes from 2x2 to 12x12 • Strum bar for performing arpeggios or individual notes • MIDI trigger mappable with MIDI learn capability • Automation parameters for footpedal control • CC mapping on XY axes • Multiple velocity sensitivity modes • Custom presets can be saved and shared across hosts • Patchstorage integration for community sharing • Export pad sets as MIDI/XML files • Import Scaler chord packs (XML) GRAND STAFF: • View MIDI input in a grand staff in real time • Detects chord names CIRCLE OF FIFTHS: • Control other apps with a circle-of-fifths layout • Modify inversion, octave, extensions, and bass notes on the fly • Auto-voice lead option CUSTOMIZATION/ADVANCED: • Create your own chords, scales, fingerings, ear training levels, and definitions • Show set theory information for any pitch class set, including Forte numbers, pitch constellations, and Tonnetze • Choose the playback instrument (load any .sf2 file) • Choose note naming (English or Solfège)

About

SynthMaster 2

This powerful software synthesizer offers a vast array of sound design capabilities, including multiple oscillator modes, extensive modulation options, and a wide selection of filters. Explore over 1000 factory presets or create your own unique sounds. Available as a standalone app or AUv3 plugin.

Highlights
  • Multiple oscillator modes (Basic, Additive, Wavetable, Vector)
  • Extensive modulation architecture
  • 6 filter categories
  • Import custom wave files
  • 1000+ factory presets
  • Standalone app and AUv3 plugin
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KV331 Audio is proud to announce the availability of their award winning software synthesizer SynthMaster 2.9 on iOS platform. As being the first app developed using KV331 Audio’s new cross-platform UI framework, SynthMaster 2 runs as a standalone app or AUv3 plugin on iPads with iOS 11 and above. SynthMaster 2 supports native resolutions of various iPad devices. User interfaces are provided for 9.7, 11 and 12.9 inch iPads in 4 different skins (Blue, White, Dark, Proto). Separate interfaces are provided for the AudioUnit plugin as well. SynthMaster 2 comes with 1000 factory presets designed by world class sound designers such as BigTone, Nori Ubukata, NatLife and Yuli Yolo. Thanks to the comprehensive preset browsing features, users can easily filter presets by author name, bank name, instrument type or preset name and find the sounds that they are looking for. There’s also an IAP Shop, which lets users purchase additional sounds: 1. "Desktop Presets Upgrade": This IAP adds all factory presets in SynthMaster 2.9, increasing the total preset count to 2000. 2. "All Expansions Bundle": This IAP adds all current 38 SynthMaster preset expansion banks. Sound Engine: At the heart of SynthMaster 2’s powerful sound engine lies its oscillators, modulators, and filters. Oscillators: The oscillators can operate in 4 different modes to generate sound: 1. In Basic mode, the oscillator plays single cycle waveforms or samples. With the Oscillator Unison turned on, up to 8 voices per oscillator can be played. 2. In Additive mode, 8 Basic oscillators can be stacked up to create richer tones. 3. In Wavetable mode, the oscillator can play wavetables with up to 256 frames. 4. In Vector mode, 4 Basic oscillators are mixed in 2 dimensions. Modulators: Modulators are simply basic oscillators that can be added to other oscillators or modulate other oscillators’ or modulators’ phases. By connecting modulators to other oscillators or modulators, complex FM tones can be synthesized. Importing Wave Files into SynthMaster: While designing sounds, users can easily import wave files into SynthMaster 2. SynthMaster 2 can categorize those files into waveforms, wavetables or multi samples and import them accordingly. Filters: Once the sound is generated by the oscillators it goes through SynthMaster’s filters, which can operate in 6 different categories: Digital, VAnalog, Ladder, Diode Ladder, State Variable and Bite. Custom distortion can be applied before or after the filters as well. Modulation Architecture: SynthMaster 2 features a comprehensive modulation architecture with a wide range of modulation sources: 1. MIDI controls 2. Macros controls 3. 4 ADSR envelopes per layer 4. 4 Multisegmented envelopes per payer 5. 4 LFOs per layer 6. 4 Sequencers per layer 7. 4 Keyscalers per layer There’s real-time visual feedback that lets users see how modulation sources and targets are changing when a note is being played. This is extremely helpful when designing sounds with SynthMaster 2. New modulations can be created easily by dragging and dropping a modulation source onto a knob or slider control. Users can easily see which controls are modulated by a modulation source by clicking on that source. Controls that are being modulated by that source will display modulation amounts. By long pressing a control, the modulation amount can be edited without the need to go through the mod matrix. Arp/Sequencer: SynthMaster features a comprehensive arpeggiator / sequencer with 32 steps. Users can easily create sequences by recording steps one by one. Effects: Each of the 2 layers in SynthMaster has 5 insert effect slots. 13 different types of effects can be instantiated in any of those slots. There are also 2 global effect send busses which can be used to create more complex effect routings.

Screenshots

Tonality4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Tonality at none against SynthMaster 2's shown. Tonality also leads on price ($7.99 vs $14.99) and review sentiment (97% vs 68%). SynthMaster 2's advantage is ratings volume (474 vs 129). On rating, update cadence 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Tonality costs $7.99 and SynthMaster 2 $14.99 up front. Tonality sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and SynthMaster 2 sells 32 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Tonality against 4.8 for SynthMaster 2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 129 and 474 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 97% of Tonality's written reviews are positive against 68% of SynthMaster 2's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tonality ships an update fortnightly, SynthMaster 2 every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Tonality versus SynthMaster 2: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTonalitySynthMaster 2
Price$7.99 — better$14.99
Rating4.8 (129 ratings) — better4.8 (474 ratings)
Positive reviews97.4% of reviews — better68.5% of reviews
Number of ratings129474 — better
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#115 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better15
Further details — not scored
Size110 MB918 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBryce HostetlerKV331 Audio

Customer experience

Tonality

All ratings129 ratings
Positive96.1%
Neutral2.3%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews76 reviews
Positive97.4%
Neutral1.3%
Negative1.3%

SynthMaster 2

All ratings407 ratings
Positive94.3%
Neutral2.2%
Negative3.4%
Written reviews111 reviews
Positive68.5%
Neutral16.2%
Negative15.3%

User reviews

Tonality

From 129 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Excellent for music theory learning
  • 💡 Versatile tool for songwriting
  • 🚀 Seamless MIDI integration
  • 🎵 Great for ear training
  • 🎹 Useful for practicing chords and scales

Room to improve

  • 🤔 Can be overwhelming for new users
  • 🎨 Color scheme can be hard on eyes
  • 🤷‍♂️ Some features not intuitive
  • 🎶 App icon appearance noted

SynthMaster 2

From 474 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Best synth on iPad
  • 👍 Delicious sound
  • 👍 Tremendously powerful synth
  • 👍 Great synth with complex possibilities and great sound(s)
  • 👍 Perfeito

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Auswahl der Modulationsquellen funktioniert nicht richtig
  • 🐛 Echt schlecht
  • 🐛 Broken Preset System for a powerful synth
  • 🐛 Please fix the OSC behavior on Square and Saw
  • 🐛 Preset issues

Bugs and requests

Tonality

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • MIDI mappings reset when switching keys
  • AUv3 version not showing up in AUM
  • Difficulty assigning pads to MIDI controller
  • Trouble identifying inverted chords

Requested features

15 requests
  • Add pedal function for note release
  • Add arpeggios
  • Add fingering diagrams
  • Ability to set global MIDI mappings on pads
  • Solfege audio unit (fixed and movable do)
Show 10 more
  • Chord progression generator
  • Mode for practicing music reading
  • Mac version
  • Print out or capture of chord sequences
  • Sustain hold for chord pads
  • Octave up/down per chord for pads
  • Easy triggering of pads from external MIDI keyboard
  • Presets full of chords
  • Strummer with omnichord type function (range of octaves)
  • Ability to play back sequences of chords as progressions

SynthMaster 2

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Presets not loading correctly
  • Modulation not working after loading project
  • Skin resets to default
  • App crashes frequently

Requested features

2 requests
  • Pitch bend/glide for imported samples
  • Integration with AUM audio mixer

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Tonality

One-time3
  • Small Tip$0.99
  • Medium Tip$2.99
  • Large Tip$5.99
32 purchases

SynthMaster 2

One-time32
  • BigTone Tableworks Vol.2$1.99
  • Burak Yeter Synth Sounds Vol1$1.99
  • Aiyn Zahev Expansion 1$1.99
Show 29 more
  • BigTone Tableworks Vol.1$1.99
  • Michael Kastrup Expansion$1.99
  • EDM Stars Volume 1$1.99
  • Nori Ubukata Pop Hits Vol.4$1.99
  • Rob Lee EDM Expansion Vol.2$1.99
  • Alonso Sound Future Rave$1.99
  • Nori Ubukata Pop Hits Vol.1$1.99
  • BigTone Techno Bits Vol.1$1.99
  • Club Sequences Vol.1$2.99
  • Historical Synth Giants Vol.3$2.99
  • Dawn of Electronic Music Vol.2$2.99
  • Nori Ubukata Art Rock Basics$2.99
  • BigTone Analog Basics 02$4.99
  • BigTone Analog Basics$4.99
  • BigTone Signature Sounds Vol.1$4.99
  • NU Sounds of the World$4.99
  • Historical Synth Giants Vol.4$4.99
  • Historical Synth Giants Vol.1$4.99
  • Historical Synth Giants Vol.2$4.99
  • Japan Vintage$4.99
  • NatLife Future Bass Sounds$4.99
  • Danyella EDM Expansion Vol.1$4.99
  • Dawn of Electronic Music Vol.1$4.99
  • Dawn of Electronic Music Vol.3$4.99
  • Rob Lee EDM Expansion Vol.3$4.99
  • Natlife Disco Funk$4.99
  • Insigne Essentials 4 Clubbin$4.99
  • Desktop Presets Upgrade$9.99
  • All Expansions Bundle$49.99

Questions

Is Tonality free?
Tonality costs $7.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is SynthMaster 2 free?
SynthMaster 2 costs $14.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Tonality or SynthMaster 2?
Tonality is rated higher. Tonality averages 4.8 out of 5 from 129 ratings, while SynthMaster 2 averages 4.8 from 474 ratings.
Do Tonality or SynthMaster 2 have ads?
SynthMaster 2 shows ads; Tonality does not.
Which is updated more often, Tonality or SynthMaster 2?
Tonality ships an update fortnightly, and SynthMaster 2 every 3 weeks. Most recently, Tonality was updated on October 29, 2026 and SynthMaster 2 on October 30, 2026.

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