Comparison

S98Player for iPhone vs CVOsc

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

Head to head
About

S98Player for iPhone

This app plays sound logs in S98 format and PMD files from Yamaha FM sound chips. Enjoy chiptunes with features like album art, loop/shuffle playback, adjustable volume, and CarPlay support for on-the-go listening.

Highlights
  • Plays S98 and PMD file formats
  • High-quality FM synthesis
  • Adjustable sound source volumes
  • Loop and shuffle playback
  • CarPlay support
  • File transfer via Files app
Features
Read full description

S98Player plays the FM synth music of the PC-9801 and X68000 on your iPhone and iPad. Alongside sound logs (S98), the PMD, FMP and MDX drivers are built into the app, so you can drop the original song files straight in and play them. Formats - S98 (Version 1 / 3) — .s98 - PMD — .m / .m2 / .mz / .mp / .ms / .pmd - FMP — .opi / .ovi / .ozi / .mfm / .mf2 / .m86 / .m26 - MDX — .mdx (put .pdx in the same folder for songs that use ADPCM) Voiced for the machine The same FM chip sounded different on each computer: the external DAC and the analogue stage after it were not the same. PC-98, PC-88, X68000 and X1turboZ each have their own DAC, output stage, cutoff and per-chip mix. The machine is chosen from the S98 system tag, and can also be set in Settings.plist. Channel monitor Watch every channel on a piano-style keyboard while the music plays, with level meters, stereo panning, rhythm pads and a spectrum analyser. Tap a row to mute it, long-press to solo, and study each part on its own. Waveform seek bar The seek bar is a waveform. It draws the intro and one turn of the loop, and shows which time around you are on by how dark it is. Drag it to jump anywhere. More - Rotate your iPhone for a two-pane view: keyboard and spectrum analyser - Song info shows everything the file contains, unmodified - Album and song details can be edited in the app, album art included - You are told when a PCM file is missing - CarPlay support - Shuffle, and looping over an album Rhythm samples To hear the OPNA rhythm section you need ym2608_adpcm_rom.bin, or the rhythm files (2608_BD.WAV / 2608_HH.WAV / 2608_RIM.WAV / 2608_SD.WAV / 2608_TOM.WAV / 2608_TOP.WAV). Put them in the S98Player folder under "On My iPhone" in the Files app. Song files go there too, in a folder per album. Third-party software - PMDWin Ver. 0.52 Copyright & Programmed by C60 - ymfm Copyright (C) Aaron Giles - 98Fmplayer (fmdriver) Copyright (c) 2016 Takamichi Horikawa - portable_mdx (MXDRV) Copyright (C) 2018 Yosshin (MXDRV: milk. / K.MAEKAWA / Missy.M / Yatsube / GORRY / m_puusan)

About

CVOsc

Features
Read full description

Connect an Expert Sleepers ES-9, ES-8, or any class-compliant DC-coupled interface to your iOS Device, and visualize up to sixteen simultaneous channels of Control Voltage and audio — no laptop, no patch cables to a computer. See your patch • Up to 16 simultaneous channels in a paged, responsive grid • Three display modes: All (every channel), Selected (just the channels you tag), and Overlay (selected traces superimposed on a single canvas for phase and correlation work) • Per-channel range, offset, and time base, in volts for CV and normalized units for audio • Auto-trigger on zero crossing for rock-steady waveforms • Auto-fit to waveform when you just want the trace centered • Independent CV vs Audio mode per channel, with renameable identities ("VCO 1", "LFO Slow", etc.) Listen in • Built-in live monitor: route any input channel to any physical output of the interface • Monitor multiple channels simultaneously, each to its own output • Output assignments persist across sessions • Hot-plug aware — disconnect and reconnect, and CVOsc rebinds automatically Pro features (auto-renewing annual subscriptions) • Tuner — pitch detection that works on both CV pitch signals and audio. See note name and cents offset live in the pane. • Record & Playback — capture every selected channel to its own WAV file, then play recordings back through the interface. CV recordings are routed only to DC-coupled outputs; the app warns you if you try otherwise. Live monitoring and playback share the same USB pipeline, so you can play recordings while monitoring live channels at the same time. • Saved Channel Settings — every channel comes back exactly the way you left it on the next launch. • Presets — save and recall whole-rig configurations: channel names, signal types, all scale settings, monitor routings — under a single name. Each subscription is independent. Restore Purchases in Settings re-entitles anything you've previously bought on this Google account. Cancel anytime; cancellations take effect at the end of the current billing period. Hardware requirements CVOsc requires a class-compliant USB audio interface and a USB-C OTG cable. To visualize CV signals (not just audio), the interface must be DC-coupled. A powered USB hub is recommended for tablets that don't supply enough bus power. Supported DC Coupled USB Sound Cards Expert Sleepers - ES-9 (14 ch) - ES-8 (8 ch) - ES-3 (8 ch) - ES-40 (8 ch) Solid State Logic - SSL 2 MKII (2 ch) - SSL 2+ MKII (4 ch) - SSL 12 (4 ch) - SSL 18 (10 ch) - SSL ALPHA 8 (8 ch) MOTU - M2 / M4 / M6 (2 / 4 / 6 ch) - UltraLite-mk5 (10 ch), UltraLite AVB (8 ch) - 624 (6 ch), 8A (8 ch), 8M (8 ch), 10pre (8 ch), 16A (16 ch), 24Ao (24 ch) - 1248 (8 ch), 828 (8 ch), 828es (8 ch), 848 (12 ch) RME - Fireface UCX II (6 ch) Universal Audio - Apollo Twin / Twin MkII / Twin X / Twin USB / Twin X USB (4 ch) - Apollo x4 (6 ch), x6 (8 ch), x8 (10 ch), x8p (10 ch), x16 (18 ch) Native Instruments - Komplete Audio 6 MK2 (4 ch) Non-DC Coupled interfaces still work for audio I/O; they just won't pass the validator's DC-coupling check for CV playback. EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy: https://cvosc.com/privacy.html

Screenshots

S98Player for iPhone4 screens
CVOsc1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: S98Player for iPhone at none against CVOsc's 4. S98Player for iPhone also leads on iOS requirement (16.6 vs 26.4). On price, update cadence, ads 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. CVOsc sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per year. S98Player for iPhone asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

S98Player for iPhone ships an update every 2 months, CVOsc every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
S98Player for iPhone versus CVOsc: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterS98Player for iPhoneCVOsc
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews83.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS16.6 — better26.4
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHiroaki KimuraAleph Void LLC

In-app purchases

None

S98Player for iPhone

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

CVOsc

Subscriptions4
  • CVOsc Annual Tuner$0.991 Year
  • CVOsc Annual Recording$0.991 Year
  • CVOsc Preset Annual$0.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • CVOsc Annual Convert To Gate$0.991 Year

Questions

Is S98Player for iPhone free?
S98Player for iPhone is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is CVOsc free?
CVOsc is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do S98Player for iPhone or CVOsc have ads?
Neither S98Player for iPhone nor CVOsc shows ads.
Which is updated more often, S98Player for iPhone or CVOsc?
S98Player for iPhone ships an update every 2 months, and CVOsc every 6 weeks. Most recently, S98Player for iPhone was updated on October 14, 2026 and CVOsc on October 6, 2026.

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