Comparison

Time Machine AUv3 Plugin vs VintageRack

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

Head to head
About

Time Machine AUv3 Plugin

This audio plugin emulates the warm, crackly sound of vintage vinyl records and tube amplifiers. Add nostalgic character, warp, dust, and hiss to your music. It's designed to enhance recordings with authentic analog warmth and saturation.

Highlights
  • Vinyl emulation with warp, dust, and scratches
  • Tube amplifier sound simulation
  • Adjustable saturation for harmonic richness
  • Smooth fade-in/out effect
  • Compatible with major DAWs
Read full description

This is an AUv3 compatible plugin which can be used with your favourite DAW such as Cubasis, Auria, Meteor or GarageBand. It does not function as a standalone program. Time Machine is a plugin that allows you to go back to the days of vinyl and tube amplification.  If you still long for those nostalgic days of warped records, worn needles, static laden, crackle ridden vinyl then this plugin is what you've been waiting for. It simulates the sound of early gramophones, radiograms, record players, through to late 80's turntables. You can either select an 'Age' or tweak individual settings to add warp, dust, scratches and good old fashion hiss to your recordings. The tube emulation mimics the old valve driven amplification which can be overdriven to add a nice warm tonal quality to your sound. It even allows you to add additional harmonics using the saturation knob to mimic the effect of tube amplification. It's a subtle but effective way of adding character and punch to thin sounds without changing pushing them in to the realms of distortion. When you turn on the Vinyl emulation you can choose to emulate the needle hitting the record, while the power button smoothly fades the effect in and out. We've all heard those great intros that sound like a blast from the past before diving into an aural onslaught. Well this might just be the tool to help lull your audience into that false sense of security! This is one of those playful fun effects designed to add a bit of spice into your songs and inspire ideas.

About

VintageRack

This app offers a collection of audio effect modules designed to emulate the sound and atmosphere of vintage digital gear from the 70s and 80s. It provides a customizable signal path with various effects, allowing users to add a nostalgic and emotional mood to their instrument sounds.

Highlights
  • Realistic retro gear modeling
  • Customizable 7-slot signal path
  • MIDI control and assignment
  • Adjustable bit depth
  • Analog signal pre/post processing
  • Extensive effect modules (compressor, EQ, delay, chorus, etc.)
  • Preset management with on-screen pads
Features
Read full description

VintageRack is a minimalistic and convenient multi-effect application that contains modules realistically modeling notable retro gear from the early digital era with their inherent aesthetics and atmosphere. Most of the effects in this application have been inspired and based on the principles of actual hardware from the 70s and 80s, which is great for giving the sound of any instrument the nostalgic and emotional mood of old recordings. This application has a clean and intuitive user interface with a well-considered structure. The signal path is split into seven slots: the first for input control, the last for output, and five customizable effect modules in between. Each module features a master fader for adjusting effect presence and a mute button for smooth toggling. These parameters can be easily assigned to MIDI controls right from the main screen, improving both workflow and productivity. Smooth transitions between presets and on-screen pads for quickly switching presets that can be easily assigned to MIDI controls allow flexible effect selection during live performances or studio recordings. Another great feature of VintageRack is the ability to set a lower bit depth of processed signal, typical for early digital devices, both for the entire path and for individual modules. As with these devices, this application models pre- and post-processing of the analog signal both before and after the digital circuits with the addition of companders, emphasis and filters, which makes the sound similar to the real devices. Effect modules: - Analog modeled compressor. - Three band equalizer typical for mixing consoles. - Classic and reverse delays with modulation feature. - Two Chorus modules are precise emulations of known devices. - Two modules of Flanger with different options and tones. - Two modules of Phaser with various sound character. - Filter module controlled by LFO or envelope generator. - Faithful emulation of classic Wah effects with added automation. - Combined effect of Tremolo and Vibrato with separate rate. - Ring modulator with additional modulation of carrier. - Three types of Fuzz with modulated filters. - Emulation of one of the early digital reverbs. - Vintage exciter with bass enhancer. - Spring reverb with tube preamp. - Advanced formant filter with voice synth mode. - Input slot contains Noise gate and Automatic gain control. - Output slot contains tape-style saturation and three types of tonestacks. VintageRack is a universal application for iOS and macOS. It can work on iPhone and iPad as well as Mac / MacBook with M1 chip (and later). VintageRack works on iPhone and iPad standalone, as an Audio Unit or Inter-App Audio module, and supports Audiobus and Ableton Link. On MacOS, VintageRack can works both as a standalone application and as an Audio unit (AUv3) with DAWs and other hosts that support AUv3 plugins. All application features are available on iOS and macOS, including MIDI support (with a MIDI learn option) and audio unit parameters. VintageRack has a built-in detailed description of all parameters also available as PDF file on the application site. Demo: https://youtu.be/I3lcd5rYaBQ https://youtu.be/zmHjpFDkPLQ https://youtu.be/eqkvhDBUGPQ https://youtu.be/o79g6S5qftk You can find more information on VintageRack and other creative audio apps at: https://motion-soundscape.blogspot.com

Screenshots

Time Machine AUv3 Plugin2 screens
VintageRack4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: VintageRack at 5.0 against Time Machine AUv3 Plugin's 4.2. VintageRack also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 60%) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 11 months). Time Machine AUv3 Plugin's advantage is price ($9.99 vs $14.99). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Time Machine AUv3 Plugin costs $9.99 and VintageRack $14.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

VintageRack holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 14 and 7 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of Time Machine AUv3 Plugin's written reviews are positive against 100% of VintageRack's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Time Machine AUv3 Plugin ships an update every 11 months, VintageRack every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Time Machine AUv3 Plugin versus VintageRack: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTime Machine AUv3 PluginVintageRack
Price$9.99 — better$14.99
Rating4.2 (14 ratings)5.0 (7 ratings) — better
Positive reviews60.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings14 — better7
Update frequencyEvery 11 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13 — better13.4
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer4Pockets.comIgor Vasiliev

Customer experience

Time Machine AUv3 Plugin

All ratings14 ratings
Positive71.4%
Neutral14.3%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative20.0%

VintageRack

All ratings7 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Time Machine AUv3 Plugin

No in-app purchases

None

VintageRack

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Time Machine AUv3 Plugin free?
Time Machine AUv3 Plugin costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is VintageRack free?
VintageRack costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Time Machine AUv3 Plugin or VintageRack?
VintageRack is rated higher. Time Machine AUv3 Plugin averages 4.2 out of 5 from 14 ratings, while VintageRack averages 5.0 from 7 ratings.
Do Time Machine AUv3 Plugin or VintageRack have ads?
Neither Time Machine AUv3 Plugin nor VintageRack shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Time Machine AUv3 Plugin or VintageRack?
Time Machine AUv3 Plugin ships an update every 11 months, and VintageRack every 2 months. Most recently, Time Machine AUv3 Plugin was updated on November 3, 2026 and VintageRack on November 3, 2026.

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