FormKey vs ThermVoltSilicon
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
FormKey
This app is an intuitive MIDI controller that helps musicians improve by using shapes for notes and colors for octaves. Its unique isomorphic keys aid in pattern recognition and chord discovery, making music creation more accessible.
- Shape-based note input
- Color-coded octaves
- Isomorphic key layout
- Pattern recognition aid
- Chord discovery assistance
- Future update commitment
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Unlock your music potential. FormKey is the first music suite that helps you become the musician you've always imagined being, just by using it. INTRODUCING FORM Form is a new way to read and create music. Notes become shapes. Octaves become colors. Duration becomes a simple to read fraction. You can learn to read and play music in minutes. FormKey is the first release of the Form notation language, an open licensed music language designed to create instant music literacy. With the goal being to become a standard you'll see everywhere. THREE MODES: CREATE, LEARN, AND CONTROL • Create mode gives you a 16-track sequencer built on the classic drum machine workflow, modernized for today. Use your own AUv3 plugins or the three we built in to create full tracks from the ground up. • Learn lets you play and read your way through classical pieces while Form teaches you exactly what the music is doing, note by note. • Control turns FormKey into a MIDI controller for your external workflows, so it fits right into the setup you already have. THREE BRAND NEW AUv3 PLUGINS • Tone is a fully interactive subtractive synth that makes synthesis make sense. Every knob and connection is something you can hear and understand, so the architecture of a sound stops being a mystery. • Wave is a file-based sampler that lets you chop audio samples from your device, designed to make Slicing, and rearranging samples feel effortless instead of technical. • Patt3rn is a suite of modeled instruments curated to provide users with high quality options when looking for go to sounds every sequencer needs. • All 3 work in any host, so the instruments you learn in FormKey come with you wherever you go. SCALE MODE Reshape the keyboard to any of 26 scales, so every note you play stays in key. Choose from: • Major and minor: Major, Natural Minor, Melodic Minor, Harmonic Minor • Modes: Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Locrian • Pentatonic and blues: Major Pentatonic, Minor Pentatonic, Blues • Symmetric: Whole Tone, Whole-Half Diminished, Half-Whole Diminished, Augmented Hexatonic • World and exotic: Hungarian Minor, Neapolitan Minor, Byzantine, Enigmatic, Hirajoshi, In Sen, Kumoi, Iwato We've refined the interface across the app, making FormKey easier and more enjoyable to use. Every feature in FormKey is free to try. In celebration of our launch, $14.99 unlocks everything for the life of the app. We hope you love it as much as we do.
ThermVoltSilicon
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ThermVoltSilicon is a precise digital recreation of classic silicon diode-based overdrive circuits. It delivers the tighter, brighter, and more articulate character typical of silicon clipping stages, while faithfully modeling analog imperfections such as power supply sag, battery voltage variation, and temperature-dependent diode behavior. Built with the MIT-licensed Patina DSP engine, this AUv3 plugin combines circuit-accurate modeling with modern features for both vintage tone enthusiasts and contemporary producers. FEATURES • Silicon diode clipping with realistic forward voltage and temperature response • Authentic power supply sag and voltage variation (9V / 18V modeling) • Temperature control (15–75°C) affecting diode behavior • Inst / Line input modes with appropriate impedance and gain staging • Switchable Boost stage (+20dB) • Variable high-pass filter • Classic analog-style tone control • 2x / 4x high-quality oversampling • Very low CPU usage, optimized for iOS • AUv3 support with smooth parameter automation SUITABLE FOR • Electric guitar (tight crunch to singing lead) • Bass guitar • Synthesizers & drum machines • Keyboards • Vocals & parallel saturation • Lo-fi, indie, rock, and modern production COMPATIBILITY • AUv3 Plugin • iPhone & iPad (iOS 15+) • AUv3 hosts.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: ThermVoltSilicon at 16.0 against FormKey's 18.6. On price, 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
Both are free to download. FormKey sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and ThermVoltSilicon sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
| Parameter | FormKey | ThermVoltSilicon |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (8 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 57.1% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 8 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 88 MB | 28 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Polyhedra | Shoma Kondo |
In-app purchases
FormKey
- FormKey Full Unlock$14.99
ThermVoltSilicon
- ThermVoltSilicon Full Version$4.99








