K3 Tones vs TraceSonic
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
K3 Tones
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A fun and free tone generation app. Choose Prime numbers, Healing frequencies; Earth Pulse derivatives, Schumann resonance (audible), and make your own Custom tones. Load and Save from Files (including Cloud). Choose the number of channels to generate tones with, from Mono (1 channel) all the way up to Atmos 9.1.6 (16 channels), with cool waveform graphs (pinch-able) to show each category of tone being generated, and a summary waveform graph for the entire mess that you have created! Three selectable Phase Adjustments can also be applied (None, Tri-Phase, and Five-Phase). And don't worry that you can't get a 16-channel amplifier and speaker setup connected to your Apple Device - you can click on the "Mix Spatial" button and get Spatial Audio output generated (best listened through Air Pods).
TraceSonic
Transform images into unique sounds by drawing on a spectral canvas. This app uses brush strokes and imported images to generate additive synthesis, offering a creative way to craft musical instruments and soundscapes.
- Draw on spectral canvas
- Import images to create sound
- 128 additive oscillators
- Multiple brush types
- Pitch snapping to scales
- MIDI note input
- Save custom patches
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TraceSonic turns pictures into sound. Paint directly on a spectral canvas and hear each mark become part of a playable additive instrument: horizontal position is time, height is pitch, and brightness controls the level of each partial. Start with an empty canvas and draw with solid, soft, textured, tapered, or harmonic brushes. Fill the canvas with generated patterns, or import an image and turn its brightness into sound. Pitch snapping keeps freehand marks on your selected scale. Shape your sound with: • 128 additive oscillators spanning four octaves • Seven classic waveforms and 12 built-in wavetables • Forward, reverse, and ping-pong scanning • Adjustable pass length and tempo-synchronized loops in compatible Audio Unit hosts • MIDI note input for retuning the complete canvas • More than 60 factory patches, including tones, sequences, gestures, textures, drones, and sound effects • User patches that save the canvas and its synthesis settings • Solid, harmonic, soft, textured, and tapered brush families • Undo, redo, erasing, pitch snapping, and scale selection Use TraceSonic as a standalone instrument on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, or load its AUv3 instrument in a compatible host.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: K3 Tones at Free against TraceSonic's $7.99. TraceSonic's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 8 months). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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
K3 Tones is free to download; TraceSonic costs $7.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
K3 Tones ships an update every 8 months, TraceSonic every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | K3 Tones | TraceSonic |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $7.99 |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | — | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 11 MB | 7 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | kadosh3, llc | r6 appz |
In-app purchases
K3 Tones
No in-app purchases
TraceSonic
No in-app purchases









