Comparison

Steve Roach Immersion I vs Kalimba Keys

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

Head to head
About

Steve Roach Immersion I

Create infinite ambient music soundscapes from the soundworlds of pioneer Steve Roach. This interactive tool allows you to mix loops to craft the perfect atmosphere for deep listening, meditation, work, reading, or sleep.

Highlights
  • Create custom soundscapes from source loops
  • Infinite mix combinations from five loops
  • Save and control custom mixes
  • Evolve function for new mixes
  • Background playback
  • CD quality sound
Features
Read full description

A re-release of the classic Immersion Station App. Immersion Station brings you infinite ambient music, created from the soundworlds of ambient music pioneer Steve Roach. Use Immersion Station to create the perfect atmosphere for deep listening, meditation and supportive sound spaces for working at the computer, reading, and sleeping. Immersion Station is an elegant interactive sound immersion tool. Create infinite mix combinations from five different loops of varied lengths for endless playback. These sounds have been extracted from the heart of Steve Roach’s soundworlds and carefully chosen for a congruent relationship allowing the user to sculpt constantly changing ambient music. The Immersion Station interface and application, created by Software Artist Eric Freeman (working closely with Steve), allows you to mix loops using a simple, intuitive, interactive and organic interface that is reflective of Steve's work. You can visit http://www.immersionstation.com for a complete demonstration. FEATURES * Easily create custom soundscapes from Steve Roach's source loops * Includes 80 megabytes of loops custom crafted by Steve Roach * Includes five custom mixes from Steve Roach * Each mix provides constantly changing ambient music * Save your own mixes at any time * Control the volume or stereo pan of each loop * Incubate new mixes using the evolve function * Plays music in the background with iOS 4 * Optimized with HD Images for iPhone 4 Retina display * CD quality sound * Supports Apple's remote interface for controlling playback * User's guide provided in the App and online Recommended for headphones or external speakers. ATTENTION iPhone/iPod touch 3.1 Users iOS 3.1 does not support stereo pan, but that's okay, the Immersion station still sounds wonderful. To enable control of stereo pan, just freely upgrade to iOS 4.

About

Kalimba Keys

This app offers a realistic and expressive Kalimba instrument experience with studio-quality sound. It features detailed sampling, a variety of built-in effects, and cross-platform preset management for seamless creativity.

Highlights
  • Individually-sampled Kalimba notes
  • Multiple Kalimba sound variations
  • Modulation and Space & Time FX
  • Adjustable effects order
  • 35 included presets
  • Cross-platform preset sharing
  • Standalone app and AUv3 compatibility
Features
Read full description

Kalimba Keys is your gateway to expressive Kalimba sounds. Experience the richness of Kalimba Keys, the go-to Kalimba instrument app that brings studio-quality sound to your fingertips. Immerse yourself in authenticity with round robin and per-key sampling, allowing for genuine and nuanced playback. Elevate your compositions with essential effects, including tape-style delay, powerful stereo reverb, and versatile modulation FX (Chorus, Phaser, Flanger, Tremolo, Auto Pan). Unlock the simplicity of creativity as you save and load configurations with cross-platform presets, ensuring seamless compatibility across sessions. Enjoy the freedom of full automation control, sculpting your ideal sound effortlessly. AUv3 compatible for use with your favorite host apps like Cubasis, GarageBand, AUM, & more! Explore the world of expressive Kalimba Keys – where simplicity meets precision. Features - Individually-sampled Kalimba notes - 4X Kalimba Sounds (Original, Classic, Large, & Small) - Modulation Multi-FX: Multiple FX section with 6 modes including Chorus, Flanger, Phase, Vibrato, Tremolo, Auto Pan - Space & Time FX: Further customize your sounds with natural reverb and tape-style delay effects - Effects Pre/Post Mode: Space & Time and Modulation effects orders can be swapped. - 35 Presets include for instant playability and inspiration - Cross-platform support: presets can be shared between iOS and macOS & Windows - Preset Manager included for saving, editing, and loading different presets - Standalone app and AUv3 included

Screenshots

Steve Roach Immersion I4 screens
Kalimba Keys3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Steve Roach Immersion I at Free against Kalimba Keys's $4.99. Kalimba Keys's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and update cadence (every 6 months vs every 43 months). 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

Steve Roach Immersion I is free to download; Kalimba Keys costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Kalimba Keys holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 27 and 14 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 90% of Steve Roach Immersion I's written reviews are positive against 100% of Kalimba Keys's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Steve Roach Immersion I ships an update every 43 months, Kalimba Keys every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Steve Roach Immersion I versus Kalimba Keys: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSteve Roach Immersion IKalimba Keys
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating4.6 (27 ratings)5.0 (14 ratings) — better
Positive reviews90.4% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings27 — better14
Update frequencyEvery 43 monthsEvery 6 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS12.012.0
Further details — not scored
Size121 MB112 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEric FreemanOSC Audio

Customer experience

Steve Roach Immersion I

All ratings29 ratings
Positive89.7%
Neutral3.4%
Negative6.9%
Written reviews73 reviews
Positive90.4%
Neutral4.1%
Negative5.5%

Kalimba Keys

All ratings14 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Steve Roach Immersion I

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • My mixes scroll issue
  • Pause on lock screen issue
  • Cannot save mixes anymore (iOS 7)
  • Cannot enter track name when saving
  • Default title save doesn't work
Show 3 more
  • No new mix appears in list after saving
  • Save new mix doesn't work on iOS7
  • Scroll on loop selection page doesn't allow reaching mixes at the bottom

Requested features

48 requests
  • Sleep timer function
  • More loops available
  • More spheres
  • More stations for variety
  • Ability to pause on lock screen
Show 43 more
  • More complexity
  • More spheres, especially chants or angelic choirs
  • Customizable spheres
  • More sphere-loops added
  • More presets (by composer) and/or tracks
  • Automatic updates of loops and other acoustic components
  • Option to keep screen lit while charging
  • Access to additional loops (paid option)
  • iPad version
  • More sounds
  • Sleep timer
  • More options for setting a sleep timer
  • More sounds please
  • More balls/loops
  • Reverb adjuster
  • More sound orbs
  • Upgrade to evolve feature (randomly turn spheres on/off)
  • Add more balls
  • Put your own wallpaper (photo) in the background
  • Mixes run in the background
  • Background play is awesome
  • Evolve feature changes sounds, not just mix
  • More spheres, especially chants or angelic choirs
  • Customizable spheres
  • More sphere-loops added
  • More presets (by composer) and/or tracks
  • Automatic updates of loops and other acoustic components
  • Option to keep screen lit while charging
  • Access to additional loops (paid option)
  • iPad version
  • More sounds
  • Sleep timer
  • More options for setting a sleep timer
  • More sounds please
  • More balls/loops
  • Reverb adjuster
  • More sound orbs
  • Upgrade to evolve feature (randomly turn spheres on/off)
  • Add more balls
  • Put your own wallpaper (photo) in the background
  • Mixes run in the background
  • Background play is awesome
  • Evolve feature changes sounds, not just mix

Kalimba Keys

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Steve Roach Immersion I

No in-app purchases

None

Kalimba Keys

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Steve Roach Immersion I free?
Steve Roach Immersion I is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Kalimba Keys free?
Kalimba Keys costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Steve Roach Immersion I or Kalimba Keys?
Kalimba Keys is rated higher. Steve Roach Immersion I averages 4.6 out of 5 from 27 ratings, while Kalimba Keys averages 5.0 from 14 ratings.
Do Steve Roach Immersion I or Kalimba Keys have ads?
Neither Steve Roach Immersion I nor Kalimba Keys shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Steve Roach Immersion I or Kalimba Keys?
Steve Roach Immersion I ships an update every 43 months, and Kalimba Keys every 6 months. Most recently, Steve Roach Immersion I was updated on October 22, 2026 and Kalimba Keys on October 24, 2026.

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