Comparison

Helium AUv3 MIDI Sequencer vs Dagger synth

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

Head to head
About

Helium AUv3 MIDI Sequencer

This app is a powerful MIDI sequencer designed for music production. It allows users to create and arrange complex musical pieces with multiple tracks, extensive clip libraries, and advanced looping features. Easily organize and import MIDI data to build songs efficiently.

Highlights
  • 16 Tracks per instance
  • Over 7000 MIDI clips library
  • Media Bay for organizing clips
  • Remote Looping functionality
  • Song Mode for arranging sections
  • Full CC controller editing
  • Sync to Host
Features
Read full description

Helium is a lightweight AUv3 MIDI sequencer plugin designed specifically for AUM. It supports up to 16 tracks of unlimited length with the ability to direct output to 16 channels on up to 16 MIDI output ports. One of the great features is the ability to import and maintain libraries of MIDI clips using Helium's 'Media Bay'. These clips are freely available all over the internet and may contain individual chord sets, chord progressions or drum tracks. You can quickly build a song by dragging and dropping your MIDI clips from the media bay onto your timeline. You can also save your own clips directly to the media bay to create your own personal MIDI clips libraries. Long press on a clip to preview its contents using the currently selected MIDI device. Helium now ships with a library of over 7000 MIDI clips, consisting of every chord and chord progression you could ever need. Helium allows many different ways to import additional MIDI clip libraries. Simply drag and drop your ZIP collections directly to your PC/MAC web browser and they are automatically unpacked into the clips library folder. You can also drag and drop files between the Media Bay and the iOS Files app. Helium supports a sync mode called 'Remote Looping'. This was something we recently introduced into our MultiTrack Recorder plugin and is very useful for breaking down the timeline into sections.  You can define up to 12 loops which can be used to specify the locations of say the intro, verse, chorus, and outro within your song, then trigger these loops seemlessly in sync with the host tempo. Once captured, these loops can then be triggered by incoming MIDI notes. A new addition to Helium is the ability to piece together loops into songs, so you just concentrate on creating a single verse, chorus, bridge etc. and piece everything together without the headache of having to re-arrange your timeline. Features ○ 16 Tracks per instance. ○ Includes a library of over 7000 MIDI clips. ○ Assignable MIDI channel and Bus per track. ○ Full editing of CC controllers using the controller lane. ○ Independent vertical and horizontal zooming. ○ Import & Export MIDI tracks. ○ Media Bay, organize your MIDI flips libraries. ○ Clip Preview from Media Bay ○ Drag and Drop from the Media Bay directly to the timeline. ○ Drag and Drop to Files App. ○ Remote Control with Looping advanced functionality. ○ Step Recording. ○ Build in Mixer to adjust relative track levels with Mute/Solo. ○ Sync to Host. ○ Up to 16 outputs (configurable). ○ MIDI Clip Preview ○ Ghost Note Feature ○ Multi level undo and redo. ○ Song Mode ○ Multi-Take Record Please checkout the help manual for details on where to find my tutorial videos on Helium and where to download some fully featured and free MIDI clip libraries. This is not recommended to use on small iPhone screen sizes such as the SE models. You can adjust the screen scaling to suite your iPhone model by long pressing the MENU button and changing the scale.

About

Dagger synth

This app offers a powerful analog modeling paraphonic synthesizer with a raw, big sound. It features advanced circuit modeling and an intuitive interface, providing extensive sound design possibilities for musicians.

Highlights
  • Monophonic and paraphonic modes
  • 2 rich oscillators with wave shape morphing
  • Spice mode for component simulation
  • Multiple low pass filter models
  • Multi-mode modulator
  • ADSR envelope generator
  • Randomize and preset options
Features
Read full description

Dagger is a compact and powerful analog modeling paraphonic synth with a big, raw analog sound. Thanks to advanced analog circuit modelling engine and meticulous attention to details, Dagger rivals the sound of the best desktop-class synthesizers. Dagger's user interface is simple, fast and intuitive, but it's possibilites will surprise you. You cannot get more for the money. Features • Monophonic and paraphonic mode (4 oscillator sections) • 2 rich oscillators with wave shape morphing and hard-sync • "Spice" mode to simulate faulty components • "Japanese style" naughty 12db high pass filter • 4 low pass filter models: Steiner parker, 2x transistor ladder and 1 diode ladder. (8x oversampled) • Amplifier with warm diode clipper • Multi-mode modulator (LFO, Decay envelope, VCO) • ADSR envelope generator • Modulation targets: oscillator waveform, pitch, phase, amplifier, filter cutoff Hit randomize button or use one of 60 built-in presets. User manual and audio demos available on www.beepstreet.com

Screenshots

Helium AUv3 MIDI Sequencer4 screens
Dagger synth2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Dagger synth at $4.99 against Helium AUv3 MIDI Sequencer's $14.99. Dagger synth also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.3) and review sentiment (100% vs 75%). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Helium AUv3 MIDI Sequencer costs $14.99 and Dagger synth $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Dagger synth holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 55 and 44 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of Helium AUv3 MIDI Sequencer's written reviews are positive against 100% of Dagger synth's.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Helium AUv3 MIDI Sequencer versus Dagger synth: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHelium AUv3 MIDI SequencerDagger synth
Price$14.99$4.99 — better
Rating4.3 (55 ratings)4.8 (44 ratings) — better
Positive reviews74.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings55 — better44
Update frequencyFortnightly—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better14.4
Further details — not scored
Size84 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer4Pockets.comBeepStreet

Customer experience

Helium AUv3 MIDI Sequencer

All ratings55 ratings
Positive83.6%
Neutral5.5%
Negative10.9%
Written reviews51 reviews
Positive74.5%
Neutral7.8%
Negative17.6%

Dagger synth

All ratings43 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews24 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Helium AUv3 MIDI Sequencer

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • Notes get stuck
  • Randomization causes crashes
  • MIDI out channels not visible in AUM
  • App crashes frequently
  • MIDI import mixes tracks
Show 7 more
  • Notes lag when dragging
  • Grid looks off relative to piano roll
  • Sustain pedal causes issues
  • Exported MIDI files inaccessible
  • Song mode does not follow host tempo
  • Inconsistent behavior with loops in song mode
  • Loop button issue on empty instance reload

Requested features

15 requests
  • Scale key and random velocity
  • Arpeggios patterns
  • More gradual randomization approach
  • Scissor tool for shortening MIDI events
  • Latch option for press/hold to audition MIDI sequences
Show 10 more
  • Patterns view like Atom
  • Tutorial on using chord track
  • Aftertouch recording
  • Time stretch feature
  • Higher automation window setting
  • Turning off quantization
  • Individual loop lengths for tracks
  • More ghost tracks visible and colored
  • Looping sequences of different lengths (workaround exists)
  • MIDI channel switching controlled by AU Param

Dagger synth

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Helium AUv3 MIDI Sequencer

No in-app purchases

None

Dagger synth

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Helium AUv3 MIDI Sequencer free?
Helium AUv3 MIDI Sequencer costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Dagger synth free?
Dagger synth costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Helium AUv3 MIDI Sequencer or Dagger synth?
Dagger synth is rated higher. Helium AUv3 MIDI Sequencer averages 4.3 out of 5 from 55 ratings, while Dagger synth averages 4.8 from 44 ratings.
Do Helium AUv3 MIDI Sequencer or Dagger synth have ads?
Neither Helium AUv3 MIDI Sequencer nor Dagger synth shows ads.

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