Comparison

iPulsaret vs OPL AUv3 FM Synth

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

Head to head
About

iPulsaret

This app offers a real-time granular synthesis playground for iPad, generating diverse audio effects. It provides extensive control over grain parameters and includes a post-effects chain. Users can shape sounds, manipulate live input, and save presets.

Highlights
  • Real-time granular synthesis
  • Live input manipulation
  • Grain control and shaping
  • Post FX chain (Echo, Reverb, Filters)
  • Snapshot presets morphing pad
  • AUv3 support
Features
Read full description

iPulsaret is rated as a Killer App by Apps4iDevices. iPulsaret is a new real-time software capable of all time-domain varieties of granular synthesis. A genuine granular playground able to generate a wide range of usual and not so usual effects: Grainlet, Trainlet, FM, time/pitch shifting, time/pitch jittering, intricate textures, grain fountain/pulverizer, Live Input manipulation and many more. Control and shape grains, anytime, anywhere with iPulsaret for iPad. - Full AUv3 support - 32 Polyphony Voices - Granulation Sources: Wave, Trainlet, Sample, Live and Harmonic - Grain Envelope Deformation - Grain Glisson Sweep - Grainlet Linkage - ADSR Note Envelope - Snapshots Presets Morphing Pad - Sharing common audio files via iTunes, Dropbox AudioCopy etc... - Post FX chain: Echo, Ring Modulation, Lowpass Ladder and High Shelf filters, Reverb FDN and Dynamic Compressor/Expander - Capture Master Audio Output - Keyboard Musical Scales, up to 35 + User Defined Scale - etc...

About

OPL AUv3 FM Synth

Emulates the iconic Yamaha OPL2 chip for classic game soundtracks and electronic music. Offers FM and additive synthesis with over 2000 presets and 16x oversampling for clear audio. Requires a MIDI keyboard for standalone use.

Highlights
  • OPL2 chip emulation
  • FM and additive synthesis
  • Distinctive percussion mode
  • 16x oversampling
  • Over 2000 presets
  • Standalone MIDI keyboard support
Read full description

The Yamaha OPL chips, introduced in 1985, shaped the sound of 80s and 90s video game soundtracks. discoDSP OPL emulates their FM and additive synthesis, including the distinctive percussion mode. With up to 16x oversampling for crystal-clear sound and over 2000 included presets, discoDSP OPL is ideal for classic game soundtracks, electronic music, or crafting unique sounds. Play it with the built-in on-screen keyboard on iPad, a MIDI controller, or your DAW. On iPhone, connect a MIDI keyboard or run it as a plugin. CORE FEATURES • YMF262 (OPL3) FM engine with all eight waveforms per operator. • Percussion mode with bass drum, snare, tom, cymbal, and hi-hat. • Over 2000 SBI instruments, organised by category. • Two operators with wave, multiplier, envelope, and attenuation. • Selectable oversampling from 1x to 16x, with a separate bounce setting. • Key-tracking stereo panning that places notes across the field by pitch. • AN1x-style unison with 32-step detune and stereo spread. • MPE support with pressure and slide routable to synth parameters. • On-screen keyboard with pitch and modulation wheels (iPad, standalone). • Analog modeled wave shaper on the carrier. • SBI instrument import and export through the Files app. • Bluetooth MIDI device discovery. • AUv3 plugin for GarageBand, AUM, Cubasis, BeatMaker, and Drambo. THE OPL SOUND Two-operator FM is the sound of Adlib and Sound Blaster era games. Each voice pairs a modulator and a carrier, each with its own waveform, frequency multiplier, envelope, and attenuation. Route them in FM for the metallic, bell-like timbres the chip is known for, or in additive to stack the two operators as independent tones. Feedback on the modulator pushes the tone from clean to gritty, and all eight OPL3 waveforms are available on every operator: sine, half sine, absolute sine, quarter sine, alternating sine, camel sine, square, and logarithmic sawtooth. They are the chip's own, not approximations. PERCUSSION MODE The rhythm section repurposes the last channels into five dedicated drum voices: bass drum, snare, tom, cymbal, and hi-hat. It is how the chip made drums without samples, and it is included here in full. INSTRUMENTS Over 2000 SBI instruments are included, sorted into categories: bass, drum, FX, guitar, keys, and more. Load one from the menu, step through them with the previous and next buttons, or import your own SBI files from the Files app. Anything you edit can be exported back out as SBI. OVERSAMPLING The chip is emulated at up to 16 times the host sample rate, which stops the FM sidebands folding back into the audio band as aliasing. Playback and offline bounces have separate settings, so you can run a lighter factor while playing and render at the highest quality. ON-SCREEN KEYBOARD The standalone app on iPad includes a keyboard with pitch and modulation wheels, so you can play without any external hardware. The mod wheel drives a vibrato LFO with continuous depth, going well beyond the original chip's fixed two-position vibrato. Hide the keyboard from the settings menu when you would rather give the panel the whole screen. STANDALONE OR AUV3 Load OPL inside GarageBand, AUM, Cubasis, BeatMaker, Drambo, or any AUv3 host, with settings saved in your project. Or run it standalone with a MIDI controller, over Bluetooth MIDI, or with the on-screen keyboard.

Screenshots

iPulsaret4 screens
OPL AUv3 FM Synth1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: iPulsaret at 4.8 against OPL AUv3 FM Synth's 4.4. iPulsaret also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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

iPulsaret costs $9.99 and OPL AUv3 FM Synth $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

iPulsaret holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 31 and 24 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 78% of iPulsaret's written reviews are positive against 73% of OPL AUv3 FM Synth's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iPulsaret ships an update every 3 weeks, OPL AUv3 FM Synth every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
iPulsaret versus OPL AUv3 FM Synth: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriPulsaretOPL AUv3 FM Synth
Price$9.99$9.99
Rating4.8 (31 ratings) — better4.4 (24 ratings)
Positive reviews78.3% of reviews — better72.7% of reviews
Number of ratings31 — better24
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB35 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperapeSoftDiscoDSP LLC

Customer experience

iPulsaret

All ratings31 ratings
Positive96.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative3.2%
Written reviews46 reviews
Positive78.3%
Neutral4.3%
Negative17.4%

OPL AUv3 FM Synth

All ratings24 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive72.7%
Neutral9.1%
Negative18.2%

In-app purchases

None

iPulsaret

No in-app purchases

None

OPL AUv3 FM Synth

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iPulsaret free?
iPulsaret costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is OPL AUv3 FM Synth free?
OPL AUv3 FM Synth costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, iPulsaret or OPL AUv3 FM Synth?
iPulsaret is rated higher. iPulsaret averages 4.8 out of 5 from 31 ratings, while OPL AUv3 FM Synth averages 4.4 from 24 ratings.
Do iPulsaret or OPL AUv3 FM Synth have ads?
Neither iPulsaret nor OPL AUv3 FM Synth shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iPulsaret or OPL AUv3 FM Synth?
iPulsaret ships an update every 3 weeks, and OPL AUv3 FM Synth every 3 months. Most recently, iPulsaret was updated on September 21, 2026 and OPL AUv3 FM Synth on September 20, 2026.

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