Comparison

VHS Synth | 80s Synthwave vs Piano Syntax

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

Head to head
About

VHS Synth | 80s Synthwave

This app creates unique synth sounds by recording classic synths to VHS tape and then resampling them. It offers a vast library of presets and effects to achieve lo-fi, retro vibes for various music genres. An AUv3 plugin and standalone app are included.

Highlights
  • VHS-recorded and resampled synths
  • Over 280+ presets
  • Standalone app and AUv3 plugin
  • VCR sound effects
  • VCR FX section for customization
  • Free expansion pack included
Features
Read full description

VHS Synth features synths recorded with a VCR, then resampled. Perfect for Synthwave, Hip Hop, Indie, Rock, Movie Soundtracks, Lo-Fi, Ambient, Vaporwave, Retro Pop, and more. Create instant lo-fi and cool retro vibes. Press a key. Elevate your music. Includes over 280+ Presets by Jakob haQ, Red Sky Lullaby, The GarageBand Guide, DJ Puzzle, Sound of Izrael, DJ Montra, Marc Hupkens, AnalogMatthew, JEC, Da Fingaz, Brian Funk, and more. "BEST Lo-Fi instrument I’ve ever played, seriously good sounds!" - The SoundTest Room "VHS Synth is a Retrowave dream!" - iPad Loops "Turns Your iOS Device Into An 80s Time Machine" - Synthtopia Classic Synths were recorded to VHS Tape with a VCR, then re-sampled. "VHS Synth is the ULTIMATE Retro Synth App" - The GarageBand Guide FEATURES: • Standalone app + iOS AUv3 Plugin • Over 280+ presets to inspire you • Compressed to under 140mb to save space • VCR Sound Effects (Buttons, Tape Hiss, More) • VCR FX section to customize the sounds • FREE Expansion Pack: OP-1 recorded with a VCR ++ iPhone & iPad version included for one low price Real analog feel and dirt. Vintage hardware was recorded into a VCR and then re-sampled. Subscribe to access to premium app features; subscription details are the following: - Length: weekly or yearly - Free trial: only on selected subscriptions - Your payment will be charged to your iTunes Account as soon as you confirm your purchase - You can manage your subscriptions and turn off auto-renewal from your Account Settings after the purchase - Your subscription will renew automatically, unless you turn off auto-renew at least 24 hours before the end of the current period - The cost of renewal will be charged to your account in the 24 hours prior to the end of the current period - When canceling a subscription, your subscription will stay active until the end of the period. Auto-renewal will be disabled, but the current subscription will not be refunded - Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when purchasing a subscription Terms & Conditions: [https://magic-cake-e95.notion.site/VHS-Synth-80s-Synthwave-Terms-Conditions-150cf6557a0880aca270f4f8ccee8d3e?pvs=4](https://www.notion.so/VHS-Synth-80s-Synthwave-Terms-Conditions-150cf6557a0880aca270f4f8ccee8d3e?pvs=21) Privacy Policy: [https://magic-cake-e95.notion.site/VHS-Synth-80s-Synthwave-Privacy-Policy-150cf6557a088019bec6ccb33ae5bb09?pvs=4](https://www.notion.so/VHS-Synth-80s-Synthwave-Privacy-Policy-150cf6557a088019bec6ccb33ae5bb09?pvs=21) * NOTE: This app has no official affiliation with AudioKit Pro, LLC. It was built using the free AudioKit source code.

About

Piano Syntax

Read full description

Piano Syntax is for piano players who already have some foundation. Build chord charts and hear them back with real voicings and a real groove, explore every chord quality on every root, and take the result away as a clean PDF. It closes the gap between knowing the chords and sounding musical. WHO IT IS FOR You learned as a child and stopped. You can still read a little, but a chord chart means nothing to you. Or you taught yourself from videos, and you play the same three songs every time you sit down. Or you started recently, moved past the basics quickly, and find beginner apps patronising. Or you write songs, and your harmony is limited to the chords you already know. LEAD SHEETS Build a chord chart for anything you want to play. Transpose it to any key, choose how the chords are placed on the keyboard, and hear it play back on a sampled grand piano with a groove and a metronome. Repeat markers, variable beat lengths per chord, lyrics bar by bar, and clean PDF export. Thirteen templates give you a starting point. Everything after that is yours. Practising chords in isolation is like practising vocabulary words. This is practising sentences. SEND A CHART Send a chart to another player and it arrives as a chart, not a picture of one. Your harmony, your form, your voicings, playing on their device the way you arranged it. One chart or a whole set in one file. Opening a chart someone sent you is free, subscription or not. SONGWRITER LAB Sketch a progression, give the song sections, and hear the whole thing with a groove behind it. Keep your words in the lyric library, drop them in bar by bar, then copy the song across to Lead Sheets without losing anything. CHORD LAB Every chord quality on every root, from block triads through shell voicings to rootless jazz structures. Keyboard diagrams, instant playback, and curated progressions across pop, rock, jazz and classical. RHYTHM LAB Groove patterns for pop, jazz, blues and Latin, in common time, 3/4, 6/8 and 12/8. Load any progression and hear the harmony inside a real rhythmic context. PRACTICE LAB Structured sessions by genre, focus and level, with timed blocks and the scales and chords for each block on screen. A daily journal, and guided paths through the skills a tune asks for. LEARN Eleven chapters: Approach, Fundamentals, Harmony 1, Rhythm, Harmony 2, Pop Focus, Jazz Harmony, ii-V-I Voicings, Jazz Improvisation, Blues Focus and Musicianship. Prose, real notation, interactive keyboards and audio. REFERENCE The perpetual cheat sheet. Chords, scales, intervals, diatonic chords, the circle of fifths and study cards, indexed and searchable for mid-practice lookups. NO SONG LIBRARY, AND THAT IS DELIBERATE Piano Syntax does not ship arrangements of other people's songs. It gives you the tools to build a chart for anything you want to play, in your key, at your tempo, with your own notes on it. What you make belongs to you and stays on your device. No account, no sign-in, and it works offline. FOR TEACHERS Piano Syntax works alongside lessons, not instead of them. Pull up voicings, charts and rhythm patterns mid-lesson. Export any chart as a PDF for a student to take home, or send them the chart itself. FREE AND PRO Free: three Learn chapters, Approach, Fundamentals and Harmony 1, plus quotes and tips. Four Reference areas in all twelve keys: chords, scales, intervals and the circle of fifths. Every chart opens and plays, including all thirteen templates, and you can switch voicing modes in the player and hear them, though those changes are not saved. Pro unlocks chart building and sending, Chord Lab, Songwriter Lab, Rhythm Lab and Practice Lab, the eight remaining Learn chapters, and Diatonic Chords and Study Cards in Reference. Monthly or yearly, with one free week to start. If your subscription lapses, your charts still open, still play, and still export. Terms of Use: https://www.tristanwaley.com/pianosyntaxterms

Screenshots

VHS Synth | 80s Synthwave4 screens
Piano Syntax4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Piano Syntax at none against VHS Synth | 80s Synthwave's shown. Piano Syntax also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 weeks). VHS Synth | 80s Synthwave's advantage is iOS requirement (14.5 vs 17.0). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. VHS Synth | 80s Synthwave sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and Piano Syntax sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

VHS Synth | 80s Synthwave ships an update every 2 weeks, Piano Syntax every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
VHS Synth | 80s Synthwave versus Piano Syntax: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVHS Synth | 80s SynthwavePiano Syntax
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (135 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews51.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings135 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 3 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscription—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS14.5 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size167 MB1.3 GB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAudiobus Pty LtdTristan Waley

Bugs and requests

VHS Synth | 80s Synthwave

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • GarageBand compatibility broken after updates
  • App not recognized in Logic Pro after updates
  • Inconsistent sound quality across different registers
  • Patch/preset settings not retained after closing DAW
  • Audio Unit Extension crashes in GarageBand
Show 6 more
  • Duplicate track sounds different from original
  • Display shows 'Welcome' instead of loaded patch
  • Thin black keys difficult to hit on keyboard
  • Missing top C key on keyboard
  • Sounds inconsistent when exported from GarageBand
  • App disappears from projects after ownership change

Requested features

7 requests
  • Mac OS version for DAW compatibility
  • Velocity sensitivity settings for keyboard
  • Pitch bend and modulation wheels with actual functionality
  • Better keyboard design with proper key sizing
  • Improved UI layout to reduce wasted space in AUv3 mode
Show 2 more
  • Access to original synth parameters instead of sample-based playback
  • Direct routing to IAA output for FL Studio Mobile

Piano Syntax

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

VHS Synth | 80s Synthwave

Subscriptions4
  • Weekly premium7 Days trial$4.997 Days
  • Weekly premium$4.997 Days
  • Yearly premium$9.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Yearly premium7 Days trial$9.991 Year
2 purchases

Piano Syntax

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Pro Annual7 Days trial$19.991 Year

Questions

Is VHS Synth | 80s Synthwave free?
VHS Synth | 80s Synthwave is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Piano Syntax free?
Piano Syntax is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do VHS Synth | 80s Synthwave or Piano Syntax have ads?
VHS Synth | 80s Synthwave shows ads; Piano Syntax does not.
Which is updated more often, VHS Synth | 80s Synthwave or Piano Syntax?
VHS Synth | 80s Synthwave ships an update every 2 weeks, and Piano Syntax every 3 days. Most recently, VHS Synth | 80s Synthwave was updated on October 30, 2026 and Piano Syntax on October 28, 2026.

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