VS vs HxMIDI Tools
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
VS
Generate dynamic, audio-reactive visuals for your music projects. This app offers extensive customization with layers, shaders, images, and video, allowing you to perform visuals live or record them for your tracks. Integrate seamlessly with DAWs and external displays.
- 8 polyphonic visual layers
- Shader, image, and video materials
- Modulation matrix
- AUv3 plugin support
- Live performance output
- Built-in video recorder
- Custom shader editor
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VS provides a creative way to generate beautiful graphical representations of your music projects. Driven by both audio and MIDI data, VS is the visual equivalent of a traditional synthesizer. VS takes the concept of music visualisation to a whole new level of customisation and expression, putting you in control and giving you the power to perform however you want. VS is powered by 8 flexible layers which can use shaders, images or videos, allowing you to create generative graphics that you can interact with and layer on top of each other to create complex evolving visuals. With customizable parameters, a modulation matrix and an array of blend modes, use your audio and/or MIDI to trigger and manipulate your layers accordingly with your music. You can even import and create your own shaders to give your visuals a more personal feeling. As the name suggests, VS - Visual Synthesizer can be played live like an audio synthesizer; use your MIDI keyboard to make each layer come alive with the concept of ‘polyphonic visual voices’. As well as a standalone app, VS includes an AUv3 plugin version, so you can run it directly inside your favourite iOS DAW programs like AUM, Drambo, BAM, Cubasis, Loopy Pro, Groove Rider 2, Logic Pro etc. You can now give your existing projects a visual touch of creativity. Simply route the MIDI and audio of your tracks and watch the magic happen. You can connect your mobile device to an external screen or projector for a live visual performance. If you prefer to create a video for your music, the built-in recorder lets you capture both visuals and audio. Record in landscape or portrait mode, with multiple output resolutions available. We partnered with new media artist ‘Perplex On’ to bring you a factory preset bank full of amazing interactive visuals you can start using right away to create dazzling animations and make your music move in a whole new medium. With an ever growing collection of expansions, you can further augment your visual arsenal with preset packs created by handpicked new media art talents. Features: - 8 Polyphonic visual layers (with blend modes) - 4 voices per layer - 32 built-in material effects - Layer material can be a shader, image or a video - Background layer with solid color/image/video - 4 LFO’s with SIN, SQR, TRI, SAW, S&H and filtered S&H - 2 EG’s with ADSR controls - 4 Dual-mode Audio Modulators (envelope and frequency band detection) - Modulation matrix - Full Screen mode - HDMI output for external screen/projector - NDI output - Built-in audio player with MIDI support - Built-in video recorder - Built-in material code editor for custom material creation - Exclusive factory presets by Perplex On
HxMIDI Tools
This software allows owners of CME USB MIDI Host products to update firmware and fully configure their devices. Users can manage routing, mapping, and filtering of MIDI and USB inputs and outputs.
- Firmware updates for CME USB MIDI Hosts
- Configure routing between MIDI and USB inputs/outputs
- Filter incoming MIDI events
- Map incoming MIDI events to others
- Full product configuration
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HxMIDI Tools, the software dedicated to CME USB MIDI Hosts products owners. With this software, you will be able to update the firmware of your CME Pro H4MIDI WC, H2MIDI Pro, H12MIDI Pro as well as all other products to come. The software is also used to fully configure your product, you have an access to the routing, mapping and filtering features. With this software you will be able to configure routing to each MIDI and USB input, you can decide to route any input to any output. You can also decide to filter any incoming MIDI event so it is not forwarded to the routed output. The latest version also offers the possibility to map any incoming MIDI event to another one, and much more
Screenshots
Verdict
VS and HxMIDI Tools both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 80% of VS's written reviews are positive against 0% of HxMIDI Tools's. VS also leads on ratings volume (125 vs 4) and chart position (#99 vs unranked). HxMIDI Tools's advantage is price (Free vs $24.99) and in-app purchases (none vs 6). On rating and ads 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
HxMIDI Tools is free to download; VS costs $24.99 up front. VS sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. HxMIDI Tools asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for VS against 4.5 for HxMIDI Tools. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: VS has 125 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 80% of VS's written reviews are positive against 0% of HxMIDI Tools's.
VS ships an update every 6 weeks, HxMIDI Tools every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | VS | HxMIDI Tools |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $24.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.6 (125 ratings) — better | 4.5 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 80.4% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 125 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #99 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.1 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 787 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | +4 | 4+ |
| Developer | Imaginando Lda | CME PTE. LTD. |
Customer experience
VS
HxMIDI Tools
Bugs and requests
VS
Reported bugs
15 issues- No elegant way to get live synchronized video out
- Popout to external displays only in standalone app, which can’t run in background
- Video record export issue: videos are 30+ minutes when recorded for shorter duration
- NDI stream not working
- App crashes frequently
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- Cannot cope with 'large' MP3 files (around 10MB)
- No way to seek to anywhere but the beginning of audio files
- Does not support .aiff files (only .aif)
- Missing Bluetooth MIDI support
- App is not smooth and freezes
- No MP3 support
- Jaggy and slow performance with video file background and one material layer
- Unresponsive interface and frame rate drops with HD video
- In-app help does not work
- AUv3 mode displays AUM stuff and app menus, destroying aesthetics
Requested features
20 requests- Integrate an audio tool for Spotify/other audio sources
- Allow using any graphic or photo content as a layer
- Hope for Metal rendering for super performance shaders
- More ways to interact between layers (displacement, feedback)
- Post-processing effects (luma key, feedback, kaleidoscope, mirror)
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- Option to load videos and images in layers other than B layer
- More flexible/bigger choice of MIDI controllable artifacts
- Use MIDI to trigger pre-programmed words
- Ability to change font size in materials code editor
- Pause and resume feature for audio playback
- Ability to set play cursor anywhere in the middle of the file
- iCloud file sharing
- HDMI output for live use
- Save audio file with the patch in standalone mode
- Deeper mutating possibilities for items
- Other textural possibilities with imported images
- More mod sources for audio reactivity, device tilt, camera brightness, gestures
- Option to create own materials from scratch (shader coding)
- Cover the whole display in AUv3 mode (e.g., two-finger double tap)
- Add shaders to the library
HxMIDI Tools
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
VS
- Retina Refill Preset Pack$17.99
- Textural Memories Preset Pack$17.99
- Cyber Spells Preset Pack$17.99
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- Retro Riot Preset Pack$17.99
- Raw Reflections Preset Pack$17.99
- Noir Cuts Preset Packs$17.99
HxMIDI Tools
No in-app purchases









