sir Sampleton vs SNESynth
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
sir Sampleton
Record and play back sounds on dual keyboards with a built-in rhythm machine. Inspired by 80s samplers, this app lets you create lush, complex musical textures from your voice, instruments, or other noises. Samples can be looped, customized, saved, and shared.
- Sample from microphone
- Dual piano keyboards
- Built-in rhythm machine
- Save and email samples
- Download free samples
- Adjust tuning and effects
- Sample from other apps via Audiobus
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"surprisingly powerful" - Wall Street Journal used by DJ/producer Zedd! // supports Audiobus, MIDI, iOS13 Sir Sampleton is a sampling musical keyboard inspired by Casio and Yamaha samplers from the 80s. The app allows you to record sounds through the microphone and then play them on dual piano keyboards accompanied by a rhythm machine. You'll be surprised at the lush, complex musical sounds that can be created with samples of your voice, musical instruments, and other noises. Samples can be looped, customized, saved, and emailed, and we offer free samples for download on our website. Supports Audiobus, Inter-app Audio, CoreMIDI, MIDI Mobilizer 1 and 2. Works as a virtual instrument for apps like Cubasis, Beatmaker 2, and Genome sequencer. Capable of sampling other apps and effects through Audiobus. Sampleton applies a subtle stereo effects process to the audio giving it a fuller, warmer sound that you'd typically get from sampling a monaural microphone. If you like my apps please leave ratings or reviews! For support email sirsampleton@gmail.com FEATURES: • Sample from the microphone and immediately play your sounds on dual keyboards • Save and email sample packs to friends, or to yourself for backup/transfer • Download free samples from our website • Built-in beats and computer beat generator • Adjust tuning, release, vibrato, sample time, and much more • Record, add effects, and sample from other apps (requires Audiobus app) • Put a different sample on each keyboard in dual-sample mode • Multitouch with 18 voices for rich sound • Automatic smart microphone level adjustment • Supports all CoreMIDI devices, Line6 MIDI Mobilizer 1 and 2 • Virtual MIDI for compatibility with Cubasis, Beatmaker 2, and Genome • Multichannel MIDI mode places different samples on each MIDI channel, up to 24 samples • Supports iRig external audio input adapter and iRig microphone • Low latency • Coming soon: Audio copy/paste, additional sample banks, and more! INSTRUCTIONS: TO SAMPLE: press the red button and speak into the microphone. It will sample for about 3 seconds. TO PLAY A DRUM BEAT: press the drum icon button in the upper left to open the Rhythm Menu, and then select the beat you want to play. To change the tempo or beat volume, use the buttons on the right. Press the X to return to the keyboard. TO GENERATE A RANDOM BEAT: press the drum icon button to open the Rhythm Menu, and then press the RANDOM button. To generate a new random beat, press the button again. TO SAVE A SAMPLE: press the keyboard icon button in the upper left to open the Sounds Menu. Press SAVE and then choose one of the flashing numbered buttons. Your sample is then saved on that button. Press the X to return to the keyboard. TO LOAD A SAMPLE: press the keyboard icon button in the upper left to open the Sounds Menu. Press the numbered button where you saved the sample. Press the X to return to the keyboard. TO PREVIEW A SAVED SAMPLE: press and hold the numbered button in the Sounds Menu. TO SAVE CHANGES TO A SAMPLE'S SOUND SETTINGS: press and hold the 'save' button in the Sounds Menu.
SNESynth
Create authentic 16-bit video game music and sound effects with a powerful synth engine. Explore over 400 presets, utilize a step sequencer, and record your creations. Works standalone or as an AUv3 plugin in iOS DAWs.
- 16-bit video game synth
- 2,500+ samples from video game chips
- Standalone app & AUv3 plugin
- Over 400 presets
- Step sequencer
- Audio recording and export
- MIDI keyboard support
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SUPER NINJA ENTERTAINMENT SYNTH. SUPER FUN! Chiptune and 16-Bit video game synth. Uses real synthesis and samples from actual video game chips. ** Leads, Sound FX, Inspiration, and FUN – you're gonna find it in this app! NOW, YOU’RE PLAYING WITH SYNTH POWER! This app uses "real" synthesis, combined with samples for the ultimate creative control and authentic sound. “AUDIOKIT HAVE STRUCK GOLD, PROVIDING SOME OF THE THE MOST AUTHENTIC RETRO SYNTH SOUNDS YOU’LL EVER HEAR!” -- The GarageBand Guide, 5 star YouTube review ++ Over 400+ Presets to inspire you, including 240+ "Starter" sounds to make your own sound! ++ Exclusive Free Presets by Analog Matthew, Cokomairena, DMT Cymatics, Electronisounds, GarageBand Guide, Gavinski, Mark Hupkens, Moby Pixel, and more! FEATURES: • 2,500+ Samples packed into 240+ Multi-sampled PCM instruments! • Standalone app & iOS AUv3 Plugin • Over 350+ presets to inspire you • Fun free-running step sequencer • 16-bit Synth, Drum, and Sound FX sounds included • Over 1 GB of sounds compressed to under 120 Mb • Audio recording, record your sounds then export wav files! No other apps needed • Use with MIDI keyboard or iOS MIDI host • Ableton Link MORE FEATURES: • Use as an AUv3 (AudioUnit Plugin) in iOS DAWs such as Logic, GarageBand, Cubasis, AUM, more • Step Sequencer with “Magic Gate”, variable divisions, multiple oscillator & layer destinations • Traditional Synth Engine (including Pulse Width Modulation - PWM the heart of chiptune sounds) • On board RECORDING – easily record your melodies, and sounds and export! • LFO: Multiple waveforms + Re-trigger + 2 Destinations • Full ADSR (Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release for each layer) ++ Exclusive sounds made for this app... You can't get these sounds anywhere else! It's your secret sauce. + iPhone & iPad versions included for one low price More Info: www.audiokitpro.com/snesynth ** No video games themselves were sampled. The synthesis from vintage hardware sound chips was sampled. Plus, this app uses a "real" on board synth engine. This app does not sample any Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Sega, or Gameboy games. Nor does it have any affiliation with any of the companies or trademarks. We respect their pioneering work in sound design and have attempted to pay homage. We hope you enjoy the sounds and are able to be inspired! :) ### AudioKit is an open-source project intended to bring joy and music to people, and enlighten people on how to build custom instruments and iOS apps. All product names, images, and trademarks are the property of their respective ownes, which are in no way associated or affiliated with the creators of this app, including AudioKit, AudioKit Pro, LLC, and the other contributors. Product names are used solely for the purpose of identifying specific products related to hardware, synthesizers, sampling, sound design, and music-making. Use of these names and images does not imply any cooperation or endorsement. We thank them for their incredible hardware and instruments.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: SNESynth at 4.8 against sir Sampleton's 3.3. SNESynth also leads on review sentiment (85% vs 66%) and update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). sir Sampleton's advantage is price ($0.99 vs $4.99) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 14.4). On ratings volume, ads, 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
sir Sampleton costs $0.99 and SNESynth $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
SNESynth holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 48 and 75 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of sir Sampleton's written reviews are positive against 85% of SNESynth's.
sir Sampleton ships an update every 3 months, SNESynth monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | sir Sampleton | SNESynth |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 — better | $4.99 |
| Rating | 3.3 (48 ratings) | 4.8 (75 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 66.3% of reviews | 84.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 48 | 75 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 14.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 21 MB | 114 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Paul Slocum | AudioKit Pro |
Customer experience
sir Sampleton
SNESynth
Bugs and requests
sir Sampleton
Reported bugs
13 issues- Screen stuck in portrait mode, won't rotate to landscape
- Touch input only registers on 1/4 of screen
- Graphics and app engine mismatch causing display corruption
- App incompatible with iOS 16, 16.2, 16.4.1, 17.5.1
- Microphone recording produces unintelligible distorted crackling
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- Audio outputs through earpiece speaker instead of main speaker
- App crashes on startup
- App freezes and locks up device
- Keys play different notes than pressed
- Some keys don't register input
- Requires full device restart to fix screen orientation
- MIDI interface not recognized
- Volume too low or no volume after updates
Requested features
15 requests- Export samples as MP3/WAV files
- Sequencer for arranging samples into songs
- Reverse/reverse-loop functionality
- Sustain button/function for live performance
- Arpegiator feature
Show 10 moreShow fewer
- Sample envelope presets
- Ability to assign different samples per key
- GarageBand compatibility
- Audio copy/paste between apps
- Sample gain adjustment
- Pitch shift without changing playback rate
- Record and layering features
- Loop begin/end point selection
- Effects (reverb, delay, etc.)
- Sample naming and preset saving per sample
SNESynth
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
sir Sampleton
No in-app purchases
SNESynth
No in-app purchases








