Comparison

Velvet Machine vs lo

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

Head to head
About

Velvet Machine

This audio effect plugin generates unique sonic textures by blurring and stretching sounds. It can create reverb-like qualities, act as a delay, and offers extensive control over its volume envelope and timing. Requires a compatible host app and a relatively modern device for optimal performance.

Highlights
  • Real-time convolution with enveloped velvet noise
  • Sound stretching and blurring up to 10 seconds
  • Reverb-like textures with flexible volume envelope
  • Variable density random multi-tap delay
  • Host tempo sync for time and predelay
  • High cut and low cut filters
  • Adjustable dry/wet mix
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Sonic texture generator / blur / non-linear reverb *** WARNING *** Velvet Machine is an Audio Unit v3 plugin and requires a compatible host such as GarageBand, AUM, Cubasis, Audiobus etc. The provided standalone app does NOT support the currently deprecated Inter-App Audio. *** Velvet Machine is a CPU-intensive effect at high settings. A *minimum* of 5th Gen iPad, iPhone 6s or 1st Gen iPhone SE is required to run a single instance at maximum settings. However, shorter times and/or lower densities use much less CPU. *** Velvet Machine is a unique audio effect based on real-time convolution with enveloped velvet noise. It's designed to: - Stretch and blur out even short sounds to lengths of up to 10 seconds - Produce reverb-like textures with flexible volume envelope (including reverse, fading in and out, pulsating etc.) - Work as a variable density random multi-tap delay (bordering on granular-like sounds) PDF manual and video demos are available on developer website. Features: - Flexible volume envelope with arbitrary number of segments and curvature - Effect time ranging from 50 ms to 10 s - Response density adjustable from 1 to 2000 repeats per second - Predelay up to 1 s - Host tempo sync for time and predelay parameters - High cut and low cut filters for the effected signal - Mix adjustable from 100% dry to 100% wet - Mix Lock to switch presets while keeping the dry/wet mix constant

About

lo

This app offers a versatile toolkit for manipulating audio with a variety of lo-fi effects. Explore historical audio degradation, modern digital artifacts, and analog warmth to transform your sound.

Highlights
  • Convolution reverb with unique impulse responses
  • Spectral processing for MP3 simulation and pitch shifting
  • Digital section with bitcrusher and CD stutter
  • Analog section with tape saturation and noise generation
  • Rearrangeable processing sections
  • Dozens of presets for sound warping
Features
Read full description

"LO‑FI‑AF is a very capable lo‑fi toolkit capable of surgically targeted destruction and it could easily find applications in just about any musical genre" -SoundOnSound Unfiltered Audio's lo-fi-af is now available on iOS as a Standalone app or AUv3 plugin! lo-fi-af takes your sound on a journey of artifacts and noise throughout recorded history, from tape warbles and vinyl noise to MP3 chirps and cell phone speaker chatter. lo-fi-af's many sections and versatile algorithms can place your sound in a different decade, or give it a thoroughly modern spin through compound processing. The first section is a convolution reverb preloaded with impulse responses from broken microphones, toy speakers, cell phones, and more. With this section alone, you can place your sound into an entirely different space. The Spectral section then splits your sound into thousands of frequencies before reconstructing it with a twist. Here you can reproduce the sound of a pirated MP3 or pitch shift your signal with clean perfection. Your signal then takes a trip through the digital section. All sorts of hazards are present here, from a skipping CD stutter effect to a multimode bitcrusher. Finally, the rich, colorful analog section adds that vibe that you crave. A maximizer, a tape saturator, a noise generator, an analog-style filter, a pitch warbler, and a radio demodulator all work together in harmony to toss your sound into the past. But wait! That's only one possible signal chain. The Convolution, Spectral, Digital, and Analog sections can be completely rearranged in any order. Dozens of presets will get your started on your sound warping adventure. As an AUv3 plugin, lo-fi-af has been tested to work perfectly with Garageband, Drambo, AUM, Cubasis, Beatmaker, Nanostudio, apeMatrix, Loopy Pro, and more! Additionally, with its clear layout and smart resizing, lo-fi-af can be used on tablets and phones with ease. (Note for Drambo users: Drambo does not yet have automatic Plugin Delay Compensation for managing plugins with latency. As a result, tracks with lo-fi-af will not line up properly with other tracks. An upcoming patch for Drambo will add this feature in.)

Screenshots

Velvet Machine1 screens
lo4 screens

Verdict

The call

Velvet Machine and lo both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Velvet Machine's written reviews are positive against 67% of lo's. Velvet Machine also leads on chart position (#159 vs unranked) and price ($7.99 vs $9.99). lo's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months). On rating, ratings volume, ads 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

Velvet Machine costs $7.99 and lo $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Velvet Machine against 5.0 for lo. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 47 and 29 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of Velvet Machine's written reviews are positive against 67% of lo's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Velvet Machine ships an update every 3 months, lo fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Velvet Machine versus lo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVelvet Machinelo
Price$7.99 — better$9.99
Rating4.9 (47 ratings)5.0 (29 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings47 — better29
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#159 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYuri TurovUnfiltered Audio

Customer experience

Velvet Machine

All ratings47 ratings
Positive95.7%
Neutral2.1%
Negative2.1%
Written reviews26 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

lo

All ratings29 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

In-app purchases

None

Velvet Machine

No in-app purchases

None

lo

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Velvet Machine free?
Velvet Machine costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is lo free?
lo costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Velvet Machine or lo?
lo is rated higher. Velvet Machine averages 4.9 out of 5 from 47 ratings, while lo averages 5.0 from 29 ratings.
Do Velvet Machine or lo have ads?
Neither Velvet Machine nor lo shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Velvet Machine or lo?
Velvet Machine ships an update every 3 months, and lo fortnightly. Most recently, Velvet Machine was updated on October 29, 2026 and lo on October 23, 2026.

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