OPL AUv3 FM Synth vs Padscape
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
OPL AUv3 FM Synth
Emulates the iconic Yamaha OPL2 chip for classic game soundtracks and electronic music. Offers FM and additive synthesis with over 2000 presets and 16x oversampling for clear audio. Requires a MIDI keyboard for standalone use.
- OPL2 chip emulation
- FM and additive synthesis
- Distinctive percussion mode
- 16x oversampling
- Over 2000 presets
- Standalone MIDI keyboard support
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The Yamaha OPL chips, introduced in 1985, shaped the sound of 80s and 90s video game soundtracks. discoDSP OPL emulates their FM and additive synthesis, including the distinctive percussion mode, and extends it to four-operator FM on a pool of eight OPL3 chips. With up to 16x oversampling for crystal-clear sound and over 11,000 included instruments, discoDSP OPL is ideal for classic game soundtracks, electronic music, or crafting unique sounds. Play it with the built-in on-screen keyboard on iPad, a MIDI controller, or your DAW. On iPhone, connect a MIDI keyboard or run it as a plugin. CORE FEATURES • Eight-chip YMF262 (OPL3) voice pool with all eight waveforms per operator. • Up to four modulators and four carriers per note, with eight algorithms and a routing chart. • Percussion mode with bass drum, snare, tom, cymbal, and hi-hat. • Over 11,000 instruments: SBI categories, 4-op and OPL3 banks, game GM sets, and TX81Z voices. • Loads WOPL, WOPLX, OPLI, and TX81Z/DX sysex banks as well as SBI. • Oversampling from 1x to 16x, with a separate bounce setting. • Key-tracking stereo panning that places notes across the field by pitch. • AN1x-style unison with 32-step detune and stereo spread. • Master volume with Valve and Tape saturation. • MPE support with pressure and slide routable to synth parameters. • Sustain pedal and sample-accurate MIDI. • On-screen keyboard with pitch and modulation wheels (iPad, standalone). • Analog modeled wave shaper on the carrier. • SBI and SBIX instrument import and export through the Files app. • Bluetooth MIDI device discovery. • AUv3 plugin for GarageBand, AUM, Cubasis, BeatMaker, and Drambo. THE OPL SOUND Two-operator FM is the sound of Adlib and Sound Blaster era games. Each voice pairs a modulator and a carrier, each with its own waveform, frequency multiplier, envelope, and attenuation. Route them in FM for the metallic, bell-like timbres the chip is known for, or in additive to stack the two operators as independent tones. Feedback on the modulator pushes the tone from clean to gritty, and all eight OPL3 waveforms are available on every operator: sine, half sine, absolute sine, quarter sine, alternating sine, camel sine, square, and logarithmic sawtooth. They are the chip's own, not approximations. MULTI-OPERATOR MODE Add operators with the + and - buttons, up to four modulators and four carriers per note. Pick one of eight algorithms or draw your own on the Yamaha-style routing chart. Each patch is compiled onto the chip's 2-op and 4-op channels, and a pool of eight OPL3 chips keeps the polyphony up with larger patches and unison. PERCUSSION MODE The rhythm section repurposes the last channels into five dedicated drum voices: bass drum, snare, tom, cymbal, and hi-hat. It is how the chip made drums without samples, and it is included here in full. INSTRUMENTS Over 11,000 instruments are included. SBI sounds are sorted by category, the 4-OP and OPL3 folders hold four-operator game banks, Game GM collects General MIDI sets from classic PC games, and TX81Z holds Yamaha four-operator voices. Load one from the menu, step through them with the previous and next buttons, or import your own SBI, WOPL, WOPLX, OPLI, or TX81Z sysex files from the Files app. Anything you edit can be exported back out as SBI, or as SBIX for multi-operator patches. OVERSAMPLING The chip is emulated at up to 16 times the host sample rate, which stops the FM sidebands folding back into the audio band as aliasing. Playback and offline bounces have separate settings. ON-SCREEN KEYBOARD The standalone app on iPad includes a keyboard with pitch and modulation wheels, so you can play without any external hardware. The mod wheel drives a vibrato LFO with continuous depth, beyond the chip's fixed two-position vibrato. STANDALONE OR AUV3 Load OPL in any AUv3 host with settings saved in your project, or run it standalone with a MIDI controller, Bluetooth MIDI, or the on-screen keyboard.
Padscape
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Padscape is a real-time worship pad synthesizer for musicians, worship leaders, and anyone who wants to fill a room with rich, atmospheric sound. All audio is generated live on your device — no samples, no loops. Just pure synthesis that responds instantly to your touch. LAYERS Drone · Shimmer · Piano · Strings · Choir · Texture — each with individual volume control. PAD CONTROLS • Intensity — overall energy and brightness • Evolution — how much the sound breathes and moves over time • Harmony — adds choir voices for a fuller sound • Space XY pad — reverb size and delay depth • Filter XY pad — tone shaping from warm to bright CLIMAX One tap transitions all voices to a lush major seventh chord, perfect for worship peaks. Tap again to return. LIBRARY Save unlimited custom pads. Mark favorites. Recall instantly. SETLIST Arrange pads in order for a service. Crossfade smoothly between them. KEYS & SCALES All 12 keys. Multiple scale voicings: Open, Warm, Floating, Epic, Dark. Works silently in the background. No internet required. No data collected.
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Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Padscape at $3.99 against OPL AUv3 FM Synth's $9.99. Padscape also leads on chart position (#176 vs unranked). OPL AUv3 FM Synth's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On ads, in-app purchases 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
OPL AUv3 FM Synth costs $9.99 and Padscape $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | OPL AUv3 FM Synth | Padscape |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 | $3.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.3 (23 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 72.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 23 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Best chart rank | — | #176 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 42 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | DiscoDSP LLC | Martin Adler |
In-app purchases
OPL AUv3 FM Synth
No in-app purchases
Padscape
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is OPL AUv3 FM Synth free?
Is Padscape free?
Do OPL AUv3 FM Synth or Padscape have ads?
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