GrainProc vs synthQ
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
GrainProc
Create unique sounds and musical textures in real-time by processing external audio. This app features two parallel granular engines for layering sounds, offering a versatile tool for musicians and sound designers.
- Real-time granular synthesis
- Two parallel grain engines
- AudioBus input support
- Waveform sound source manipulation
- Control over volume, feedback, and density
- Visual level monitoring
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GrainProc is a real-time granular synthesizer with which you can create new sounds and musical textures by affecting your voice, your instrument, or any input from AudioBus. 2 grain engines run in parallel, allowing you to layer two sounds and create rich textures, even as a solo performer! Features: • 2 Granular synthesizers running in parallel • Waveform representation of the sound allowing you to touch where you want the sound source to be • Sliders to control dry volume, wet volume, feedback level, and grain density • Visual level monitors of the dry, wet and feedback levels • Simple enough to be used with your feet! We discourage using your device with your feet, though it has been used that way for public performances!
synthQ
This music creation tool for iPad offers a unique module queuing system and a customizable interface for dynamic sound design. Create complex sounds with virtual cables, a resizable keyboard, and a wide array of modules for production, performance, and education.
- Customizable module queuing system
- Virtual cable-based modulation
- Resizable multi-octave keyboard
- Extensive module library (oscillators, envelopes, filters, FX)
- Ableton Link support
- MIDI input/output
- Preset sharing and import
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Introducing the queuing synthesizer for iPad. SynthQ has been designed from the ground up with the touchscreen interface in mind. SynthQ is a subtractive synthesizer with a customizable interface. A unique module queuing system, resizable multi-octave keyboard, and intuitive cable-based modulation controls offer a truly dynamic music-making experience for iOS. Each part of the synth is separated into units called modules. Each module snaps into place along a scrollable surface above the keyboard. Control the number of modules shown on the screen at any time. Control which modules appear for each sound. Tap a button on the module menu to launch a module and add it to the queue. Drag a module up and release to remove it from the queue. Drag a module down to move it within the queue. Add variability to your sound by connecting different modules using virtual cables. Alter the sound with synthQ's movable keys. SynthQ provides an intuitive and engaging way to get started creating your own sounds, and is ideal for production, performance and music education environments. Full feature list: MODULES: —three oscillators — sine, triangle, saw, square, pulse and resonant noise waves —three adsrs — amp, filter and modulation envelopes —filter with lowpass, hipass, bandpass, band-reject and peak filter modes —glide —frequency modulation oscillator —ring modulation oscillator —eight modulation bays with virtual cables enable interactions between modules —three tempo-syncable LFOs with sine, triangle, saw, reverse saw, square, random curve and random step waves —two XY matrix pads —XY keys module turns the keyboard's movable keys into modulation sources —sequencer module with Ableton Link support and built-in arpeggiator mode —vocoder using microphone or Inter-App Audio Effect input —two FX slots with chorus, flanger, phaser, reverb, tremolo, distortion, delay and bitcrush —analog simulation with soft clipping and random pitch wavering —midi module with pitch bender, modwheel and velocity —master volume control INTERFACE: —multi-octave resizable keyboard with 10-voice polyphonic, monophonic and legato modes —optional "sticky keys" mode locks each key to your finger after being pressed —when used as a modulation source, sound can be altered by moving the keys in different directions —unique rearrangeable module queuing area defines which controls are present per preset —fully featured preset menu system with options to share and import via e-mail or iTunes File Sharing —import presets directly from iOS mail by tapping and holding the attachment and pressing "Open in synthQ" —functional graphic design and layout eliminates screen switching by keeping the control modules and keyboard in constant view OTHER FEATURES: —Audiobus 3 support with Inter-App Audio —A=432Hz, A=440Hz and A=444Hz tuning modes —44100k Hz, 32000 Hz and 22050 Hz sampling rate modes —MIDI input and output per channel —basic recording feature to save, play, loop, and share recordings —import .WAV files from iTunes File Sharing for playback —parallax motion effects Follow @synthQ on Twitter for latest announcements and free preset packs, updated regularly! Share your presets with the developer for a chance to get them added to an official update!
Screenshots
Verdict
GrainProc and synthQ both sit at 4.1 stars, but that hides the real split: 80% of synthQ's written reviews are positive against 60% of GrainProc's. synthQ also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.0). GrainProc's advantage is price ($2.99 vs $5.99). On rating, ratings volume, update cadence 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
GrainProc costs $2.99 and synthQ $5.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.1 for GrainProc against 4.2 for synthQ. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 17 and 13 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 60% of GrainProc's written reviews are positive against 80% of synthQ's.
GrainProc ships an update every 2 months, synthQ every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on July 5, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | GrainProc | synthQ |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 — better | $5.99 |
| Rating | 4.1 (17 ratings) | 4.2 (13 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 60.0% of reviews | 80.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 17 — better | 13 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 78 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Mayank Sanganeria | Chris Niven |
Customer experience
GrainProc
synthQ
In-app purchases
GrainProc
No in-app purchases
synthQ
No in-app purchases





