Comparison

Pixound vs Ring Modulator

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

Head to head
About

Pixound

Transform any image into a musical instrument and create unique songs. Explore a deep musical experience with extensive controls, over 127 instruments, and various scales. It's a fun and educational tool for all ages, allowing you to play live video and record your performances.

Highlights
  • Turn any picture into music
  • Play live video as an instrument
  • Record performances with touch playback
  • Over 65 scales and modes
  • 127+ instruments for four voices
  • Save and share creations
  • MIDI export
Features
Read full description

"Pixound Turns Photos into Musical Instruments, and It’s Better Than You Think" — Gizmodo "Pixound is a trippy music app for iOS that allows users to turn any snap into a song." — MTV Hive Enjoyed by top musical artists including: Herbie Hancock, David Byrne (Talking Heads), Mark Mothersbaugh (DEVO), Michael Shrieve (Santana) and many more. Have you ever jammed on Saturn's Rings with a whammy bar? Have you ever played the rainbow? What about you're dog's nose? What does it sound like? How about creating your own music just by dancing? With Pixound you can do all this and much more! Pixound is a revolutionary form of musical entertainment! Pixound provides a deep musical experience that lets YOU instantly create music using any picture. It's pure fun to play (at any age) and deep because it can be used to play music like you've never heard before. It's so much fun that artist Peter Max bought an iPhone just to have Pixound! Since there is no limit to what pictures you can play from art and graphics to photos and they can be combined with thousands of different musical settings, there is no limit to the music you can create and enjoy. You owe it to yourself to try Pixound!!! By the way, you will learn a lot about music just playing with Pixound so it's also an educational tool, sometimes referred to as a Deep Toy. Features: • Play any picture from snaps to outer space to art masterpieces • Play Live Video (in-app purchase) so that reality becomes a musical instrument • Record audio or use effects processors via Audiobus 2.1 or Inter-app Audio • Record performances including where you touched in the photo that plays back for others to see. • Play in any key or scale (over 65 scales/modes) • Add Bass and Drums from lots of choices • Tons of musical controls to create a huge variety of great music • Select from many different autoplay styles including device tilt • Add harmony voices • Add Song Progressions from basic to classical and more • Select from over 127 instruments for four voices R, B, G and bass • Import samples using AudioShare™ • Save your own settings to Banks and share with others via community or email • Built-in Reverb • Save MIDI files and go direct out to MIDI synthesizers (in-app purchase) • Access and share your creations with the Pixound Community

About

Ring Modulator

This app creates unique metallic and bell-like timbres by multiplying two audio signals. It offers three modes for versatile sound design, from internal oscillators to sidechaining external audio.

Highlights
  • Ring modulation effect
  • Dual input capability
  • Three distinct modes (OSC+OSC, INPUT+OSC, INPUT+SIDECHAIN)
  • Mono and stereo input support
  • Adjustable carrier and modulator frequencies
  • Mix and output gain controls
Features
Read full description

Ring modulation multiplies two signals together sample by sample. The result contains the sum and difference of their frequencies, the sidebands, while the original carrier and modulator tones are suppressed. This produces the metallic, bell-like, and clangorous inharmonic timbres associated with classic ring modulators, from robot voices to detuned percussion. Signal path: the carrier is multiplied by the modulator to form the wet signal, Mix blends that against the dry carrier, and Output applies a final makeup gain. Ring Modulator is usable in three modes and can take either mono or stereo inputs. The host app must support mixing to bus inputs or sidechaining in order to use Ring Modulator with dual input. Outputs mono signal. OSC + OSC Both carrier and modulator are internal sine oscillators, set by Car Freq and Mod Freq. Produces classic two-tone ring modulation with no input required, good for bell tones and metallic drones. INPUT + OSC The carrier is your track's audio and the modulator is the internal sine at Mod Freq. This is the standard ring-mod effect: it turns voices and instruments metallic or robotic and adds inharmonic sidebands. This is the default mode. INPUT + SIDECHAIN The carrier is the main input and the modulator is a second, independent input routed into the plugin's sidechain bus. Use it to ring-modulate one track by another, for example a vocal shaped by a drum loop or synth pad. This requires a host that supports sidechain routing; if nothing is routed to the sidechain, the input passes through dry. Car Freq and Mod Freq do not apply in this mode.

Screenshots

Pixound4 screens
Ring Modulator4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Ring Modulator at 5.0 against Pixound's 4.1. Ring Modulator also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2). Pixound's advantage is ratings volume (8 vs 1) and price ($0.99 vs $1.99). On ads, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Pixound costs $0.99 and Ring Modulator $1.99 up front. Pixound sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Ring Modulator asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Ring Modulator holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pixound has 8 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Pixound versus Ring Modulator: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPixoundRing Modulator
Price$0.99 — better$1.99
Rating4.1 (8 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews72.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings8 — better1
Update frequencyMonthly—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.1 GB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTechné MediaCallback Audio, LLC

Customer experience

Pixound

All ratings8 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral12.5%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews18 reviews
Positive72.2%
Neutral0.0%
Negative27.8%

Ring Modulator

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Pixound

One-time2
  • Pixound Live Video$1.99
  • Pixound MIDI Features$2.99
None

Ring Modulator

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pixound free?
Pixound costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Ring Modulator free?
Ring Modulator costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Pixound or Ring Modulator?
Ring Modulator is rated higher. Pixound averages 4.1 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Ring Modulator averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Pixound or Ring Modulator have ads?
Neither Pixound nor Ring Modulator shows ads.

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