Sylo Synthesiser vs touchscaper
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sylo Synthesiser
Design and play unique sounds from scratch or by modifying existing ones. Capture audio from your environment or import files to craft custom instruments and sound effects with advanced synthesis and modulation tools.
- Design sounds from scratch
- Capture audio via microphone
- Import audio files
- Granular synthesis
- Live time-stretching
- MIDI support
- FX units
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Sylo Synthesiser allows you to play music, or create sound effects, using sounds you can design yourself. Sylo Synth includes a collection of pre-designed sounds which you can use as they are, tweak them to your heart's desire, or you can make new sounds from scratch. Build sounds from basic waveforms, or capture them from the world around you using the iPad's built-in microphone. Then, tinker with Sylo Synthesiser's filters and other settings to make a sound all your own. Sylo Synthesiser features live time-stretching technology based on granular synthesis and a suite of filters: • Speed up or slow down a recorded sound to use as an instrument • With a regular wavetable synthesiser, higher-pitched notes are also faster, like chipmunks, and lower-pitched notes are also slower, as though they are moving through treacle • But enable Sylo's "Sync Speed" feature, and lower or higher-pitched notes still play back at the same speed, keeping them in sync with each other • Fiddle with the speed control even while you're playing notes: Slow, stop or even rewind the sound in the middle of notes — without changing the pitch • Granular synthesis allows you to create instruments or effects from a recording, that do not sound like the original, yet retain its realistic, natural sound • FX units: Frequency modulation, ring modulation, echo/delay, distortion, and a low-pass filter with resonance control Sylo Synthesiser also supports Core MIDI: play music from another device via MIDI. Additional features: • Use existing audio files as the building-blocks of your instrument: import audio from wave, aiff, mp3 and aac/m4a files • Save recordings to your iPad or to online storage providers • Save your new instruments to the preset list for quick access • Exchange audio with other apps via AudioCopy/AudioPaste or "Open in..." (where supported) Please note: The microphone button in Sylo Synthesiser is for recording sound into the synth, to use as the basis for new instruments — not for making a permanent record of what you play! (We've heard from a couple of people confused about this so we thought we'd make it clear!) If you wish to record your performances, you can use the Record button in the toolbar for this purpose.
touchscaper
Create music on your iPad by simply touching the screen. This app offers a semi-generative engine to guide note selection and allows for deep customization of chords, keys, and scales. Explore a variety of built-in sounds and effects to craft unique musical pieces.
- Multi-touch interface with radar, ribbon, and keyboard surfaces
- Semi-generative engine for note selection
- Full control over chords, keys, and scales
- Layerable built-in sounds and effects
- Chord navigator and looper with Ableton Link
- Sequencer for touch, drums, and synth automation
- Inter-App Audio and MIDI out support
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Touchscaper is an instrument designed for anyone who wants to make music on their iPad simply by touching the screen. You don’t have to be a serious musician to enjoy touchscaper, but if you are, touchscaper is highly configureable under the hood. Main features: • Multi-touch based interface with “radar”, “ribbon” and keyboard surfaces • Touch the screen to play a note, move your fingers to change the sound • Semi-generative engine selects the “good notes” for you • Touch movement can control volume and pan for each individual note • Total control over chords, keys and scales (fully chromatic) • Multiple chords can be generated from keys and scales to create “scenes” • Chord "navigator" helps you create inspiring chord progressions • 40 built-in sounds can be combined in 2 layers to create “instruments” • Built-in sounds include samples from moodscaper, pianoscaper, numerous analog synths and guitars • Comes with preset example scenes and instruments • Random instrument generator function with one tap of a button • Hold and orbit modes for hands-free evolving soundscapes • Ribbon style keyboard with touch vibrato • Chord looper with Ableton Link support • Arrangement view for longer / more complex chord progressions • 16 step probability-based sequencer for touch, drums, percussion and synth automation • "jam grid" sequencer view for live performances • Supports file sharing for scenes and instruments • Built-in effects including ping-pong delays, reverb, limiter and EQ • Supports IAA (Inter-App Audio) as a generator • Control other music apps using MIDI out and CCs with optional MPE support There are several demo videos in circulation which should give you a better idea of what touchscaper can do - just search for “touchscaper”. *** Please note that this app is now in maintenance mode / updates for bug fixes only. This is due to the heavy dependency on deprecated technology such as IAA ***
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Sylo Synthesiser at Free against touchscaper's $4.99. Sylo Synthesiser also leads on iOS requirement (10.3 vs 12.0). touchscaper's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 4.1) and update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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
Sylo Synthesiser is free to download; touchscaper costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
touchscaper holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: touchscaper has 156 ratings behind it against 25, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of Sylo Synthesiser's written reviews are positive against 93% of touchscaper's.
Sylo Synthesiser ships an update every 2 months, touchscaper weekly. Both last shipped on October 22, 2026.
| Parameter | Sylo Synthesiser | touchscaper |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $4.99 |
| Rating | 4.1 (25 ratings) | 4.9 (156 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 79.0% of reviews | 93.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 25 | 156 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPad | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 10.3 — better | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 359 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Wooji Juice Ltd | Rob Jackson |
Customer experience
Sylo Synthesiser
touchscaper
User reviews
Sylo Synthesiser
From 25 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🎵 Unique grain synthesis capabilities
- 🎹 Intuitive and easy-to-use interface
- 🎤 Built-in sampling and recording features
- ⚡ Quick sound creation and manipulation
- 🎚️ Extensive parameter tweaking options
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezing issues
- 🔌 No Audiobus support
- 🔗 Limited connectivity with other apps
- 📱 iPad-only (no iPhone version)
- 🎵 Audio quality issues with pops and crackles
touchscaper
From 156 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- ✨ Beautiful and inspiring sounds
- 👍 Easy to use, yet deep
- 💡 Innovative and unique instrument
- 🚀 Creates beautiful music easily
- 💰 Great value for the price
Room to improve
- 🐛 MIDI connectivity issues
- 🐛 MPE via MIDI out not working
- 🐛 Pops when adding multiple sounds
- 🐛 Hold Mode design is awkward
- 🐛 App can become unstable after long use
Bugs and requests
Sylo Synthesiser
Reported bugs
11 issues- App crashes on startup or when opening microphone
- Crashes when rotating dials or using extreme control settings
- Pops and clicking noises during playback
- Audio distortion and warbling when holding keys
- Freezing when using polyphony or complex loops
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- Keys remain pressed when scrolling between octaves
- App won't load certain WAV files
- Sound function fails requiring app reboot
- Recording playback not functioning
- Incompatibility with newer iOS versions
- Update-related stability issues
Requested features
16 requests- Audiobus integration
- AU/IAA plugin support
- iPhone version
- Save custom sounds functionality
- Larger, more playable keyboard keys
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- Stereo microphone input support
- Expanded sound library
- MIDI connectivity improvements
- Metronome feature
- Sequencer integration
- Waveform trimming in sample editor
- Core MIDI support
- Wave shape editor
- Modulation matrix
- Hardware compatibility with modern devices
- Preset settings for specific sounds
touchscaper
Reported bugs
6 issues- Does not show up as an available audio unit in Logic or GarageBand
- Cannot get any MIDI connectivity to work
- MPE via MIDI out does not work if there is no MIDI out for the app
- Pops when adding more than 2 sounds
- Hold Mode design is awkward, especially for note placement
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- App lost its mind and control animations ran wild after 10 hours of use
Requested features
12 requests- AUv3 version/compatibility
- More sophisticated mixer
- Second bank of patterns
- Panels to tweak oscillators, LFOs, etc.
- Orchestral type sounds
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- Light background theme in UI
- Attack vector like ADSR function
- Variable Release function
- Mixer for each drum line
- MIDI out functionality (mentioned multiple times)
- Toggle on/off for Hold Mode
- Ability to nudge/fine-tune node placements in Hold Mode
In-app purchases
Sylo Synthesiser
No in-app purchases
touchscaper
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Sylo Synthesiser free?
Is touchscaper free?
Which has better reviews, Sylo Synthesiser or touchscaper?
Do Sylo Synthesiser or touchscaper have ads?
Which is updated more often, Sylo Synthesiser or touchscaper?
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