Comparison

sir Sampleton vs Relic Waves

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

"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.

About

Relic Waves

Generate unique Lo-Fi sounds, pads, and effects using advanced synthesis algorithms. Explore billions of sonic possibilities with intuitive controls and real-time recording. Perfect for musicians and sound designers seeking experimental audio.

Highlights
  • Billions of unique Lo-Fi sounds
  • Random sound generation with search
  • Multiple keyboard input options
  • Real-time audio recording to WAV
  • Export to WAV, SunVox, and clipboard
  • MIDI control and processing
  • iOS Audio Unit Extension (AUv3)
Features
Read full description

Relic Waves is a generator of Lo-Fi noises, pads and effects based on unique synthesis algorithms from NightRadio. More than 4 billion samples from the depths of the Mathematical Universe! Features: * search for new sounds with three buttons: next random set, edit code, previous set; each set of 12 sounds corresponds to a code of 8 characters; * three types of keyboards for live performing: on-screen buttons, PC keyboard, MIDI input; * several processing parameters + control via MIDI; * real-time audio recording to WAV (32-bit); * export to: WAV (one file or a set), SunVox (samples + effects in one file), text clipboard; * the LCK button freezes individual samples - they will not change during the search for new sets; * iOS Audio Unit Extension (AUv3). Double clicking on a parameter opens a window for setting the exact value. If you enable the Hold option, the notes will play endlessly, without reacting to key release (noteOff) events; turning the note on again works like turning it off; there are two ways to enable this option: 1) using the Hold parameter in the "MIDI Mapping" window; 2) by pressing the HOLD button, which appears in place of LCK while playing the musical keyboard: press HOLD, release the desired notes - then the released notes will continue to play.

Screenshots

sir Sampleton4 screens
Relic Waves1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Relic Waves at 5.0 against sir Sampleton's 3.3. Relic Waves also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 66%). sir Sampleton's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 11 months) and price ($0.99 vs $1.99). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

sir Sampleton costs $0.99 and Relic Waves $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Relic Waves holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 47 and 42 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of sir Sampleton's written reviews are positive against 100% of Relic Waves's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

sir Sampleton ships an update every 3 months, Relic Waves every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
sir Sampleton versus Relic Waves: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parametersir SampletonRelic Waves
Price$0.99 — better$1.99
Rating3.3 (47 ratings)5.0 (42 ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings47 — better42
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 11 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS10.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size21 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPaul SlocumAlexander Zolotov

Customer experience

sir Sampleton

All ratings47 ratings
Positive46.8%
Neutral19.1%
Negative34.0%
Written reviews104 reviews
Positive66.3%
Neutral10.6%
Negative23.1%

Relic Waves

All ratings42 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews22 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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
Show 8 more
  • 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 more
  • 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

Relic Waves

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

sir Sampleton

No in-app purchases

None

Relic Waves

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is sir Sampleton free?
sir Sampleton costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Relic Waves free?
Relic Waves costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, sir Sampleton or Relic Waves?
Relic Waves is rated higher. sir Sampleton averages 3.3 out of 5 from 47 ratings, while Relic Waves averages 5.0 from 42 ratings.
Do sir Sampleton or Relic Waves have ads?
Neither sir Sampleton nor Relic Waves shows ads.
Which is updated more often, sir Sampleton or Relic Waves?
sir Sampleton ships an update every 3 months, and Relic Waves every 11 months. Most recently, sir Sampleton was updated on September 28, 2026 and Relic Waves on September 27, 2026.

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