Comparison

BrightStaves Viewer 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

BrightStaves Viewer

Features
Read full description

BrightStaves Viewer is a focused PDF sheet music reader for iPad, built for rehearsals, church services, concerts, and serious practice. It gives musicians more than a standard PDF viewer: clear score display, fast page navigation, rehearsal marks, repeats, annotations, set lists, pitch reference, metronome, timer, and AirTurn pedal support. PREPARE YOUR SCORE Crop margins, enlarge the music, choose half-page, full-page, or two-page view, and save display settings for each piece. MARK YOUR MUSIC Add expression marks, dynamics, tempo indications, articulation, highlights, drawings, rehearsal marks, sections, title, composer, copyright notes, and other custom information. NAVIGATE LIKE A MUSICIAN Jump quickly by pages, thumbnails, sections, rehearsal marks, and custom transitions. Set up Repeats, Segno, Da Capo, and other jumps directly inside the PDF score. BUILD REHEARSAL AND CONCERT LISTS Arrange pieces in the exact order you need. Use full PDF files or selected page ranges from larger collections. Each piece keeps its own markings and PitchAid settings. SHARE THE INTERPRETATION Send lists and markings to other musicians so everyone works from the same rehearsal plan. Only markup is transferred — PDF files are not copied. USE PRACTICAL REHEARSAL TOOLS PitchAid works as a digital pitch pipe. The built-in metronome, stopwatch, and timer help you keep tempo, check duration, and manage rehearsal time. BrightStaves Viewer is designed for choir conductors, singers, instrumentalists, church musicians, ensembles, teachers, and music publishers who work seriously with PDF sheet music.

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
Read full description

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.

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BrightStaves Viewer at none against SynthMaster 2's 32. BrightStaves Viewer also leads on ads (none vs shown). SynthMaster 2's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 38 months). On price, device support and iOS requirement 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

BrightStaves Viewer costs $14.99 and SynthMaster 2 $14.99 up front. SynthMaster 2 sells 32 one-off in-app purchases. BrightStaves Viewer asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BrightStaves Viewer ships an update every 38 months, SynthMaster 2 every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
BrightStaves Viewer versus SynthMaster 2: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBrightStaves ViewerSynthMaster 2
Price$14.99$14.99
Rating—4.8 (451 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—68.5% of reviews
Number of ratings—451 — better
Update frequencyEvery 38 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPadiPad
Requires iOS15.615 — better
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB918 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVladimir ShelkovKV331 Audio

Bugs and requests

BrightStaves Viewer

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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

None

BrightStaves Viewer

No in-app purchases

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 BrightStaves Viewer free?
BrightStaves Viewer costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is SynthMaster 2 free?
SynthMaster 2 costs $14.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Do BrightStaves Viewer or SynthMaster 2 have ads?
SynthMaster 2 shows ads; BrightStaves Viewer does not.
Which is updated more often, BrightStaves Viewer or SynthMaster 2?
BrightStaves Viewer ships an update every 38 months, and SynthMaster 2 every 3 weeks. Most recently, BrightStaves Viewer was updated on October 5, 2026 and SynthMaster 2 on October 14, 2026.

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