Comparison

Launchpad vs Trace Sequenced Sample Box

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

Head to head
About

Launchpad

Create and remix electronic music with a professional sound library and intuitive grid interface. Layer beats, melodies, and vocals, then apply DJ-style effects to craft unique tracks. Record and share your musical creations with the world.

Highlights
  • Multi-color grid for playing sounds
  • Mix and remix soundpacks
  • DJ-style performance effects
  • Weekly soundpack releases
  • Record and share music
  • Import custom sounds (iPad)
  • Ableton Link integration
Features
Read full description

The original Launchpad — Make & Remix Music. Enter an inspiring world of music creation and remixing on your iPhone & iPad. 8 free soundpacks included. Hundreds more available, updated weekly. Launchpad is the original number-one app for making and remixing electronic music. Instantly combine beats, basslines, melodies, vocals and FX loops into new creations. Layer DJ-style effects to chop and change your sound. Record your performance and share it with others. There’s never been a better time to make music. // MAKE & REMIX MUSIC Instantly create and remix music. Use the world-famous Launchpad grid to trigger loops and sounds from a huge professional library. Launchpad is always locked to the beat, so you’ll never go out of time. // EASY TO USE DJ-STYLE FX Free, easy-to-use DJ-style FX turn every remix into a creative performance. Advanced options on iPad further enhance your remixes. The pro DJ-style effects include filter, gater, stutter, stopper, flanger and delay. // INSPIRING SOUNDPACKS, UPDATED WEEKLY Launchpad comes with 8 remix soundpacks to get you started. Hundreds more are available in the store, with new ones added every week. // PRO FEATURES COLLECTION For the advanced or adventurous, the Pro Features Collection for iPad add-on lets you import your own sounds, use the extended FX features and sync easily to other apps and external hardware. Connect the world famous Launchpad hardware to your iPad for the ultimate sonic experience. At any time, capture your performance and share it easily. Features • Make music instantly — Play a multi-colour grid of amazing sounds • Be a DJ — Mix soundpacks together endlessly • 8 free soundpacks — Nearly 400 sounds included. Discover hundreds more in the store. • Weekly releases — Professional remix soundpacks released every week • DJ-style performance FX — Make your mixes unique with powerful DJ effects • Share your music — Soundcloud, YouTube, Facebook, Dropbox, Audiocopy and more • Create your own remixes — Craft your own remix by combining sounds from your library • Reuse soundpacks — Launchpad soundpacks appear automatically in Blocs Wave • Play in key — Set the key of your session and browse all clips in that key Advanced Features • Real-time tempo — Change tempo at any time, with real-time audio stretching • Blocs Wave export — Easily send your Blocs Wave projects to Launchpad • Audio Import* — Supports Dropbox, AudioShare, AudioCopy and Airdrop • Advanced performance FX* — Enhanced Stutter, Autofilter, Gater, Delay, Stopper & Flanger • Launchpad hardware — Integrates with Novation’s Launch hardware (iPad only) • Ableton Link — Jam in sync with your other apps, devices or Ableton Live • MIDI sync output* — Connect Launchpad to external hardware synths and drum machines* (iPad only) • Audiobus Support — Use any Audiobus-compatible apps to extend your music-making setup • Bluetooth — Supports Bluetooth speakers and headphones *In-App Purchase Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Trace Sequenced Sample Box

Create music with this versatile sample-based creation tool. It functions as a drum computer, groovebox, and sample animator with built-in effects and live performance capabilities. Generate unique rhythms and soundtracks using its priority-driven sequencer and extensive sound library.

Highlights
  • Sample-based music creation
  • Drum computer and groovebox
  • Sample animator
  • Priority-driven sequencer
  • Onboard effects
  • Live performing skills
  • Internal recorder
Features
Read full description

WELCOME TO TRACE Trace is a versatile tool for sample based music creation presented by immons audio tools. It´s a drumcomputer, groovebox, sample animator and metronome with onboard effects and live performing skills. Use it intuitively to achieve unexpected, inspiring results and produce rhythms, complete playbacks, atmospheric soundtracks, etc.. It comes with a really special sequencer which is priority driven, means: One channel trigger at a time to create unusual patterns with automatic generated death notes. Do not have to preprogram any sequence. Just dial in the pattern length and tempo, choose a sample and divisor for each channel and let it swing. Create a song with the arranger and synchronize your patterns and selected channel delays to the global song speed. Play your animated samples, patterns and songs live with multiple realtime FX options per channel/group and use the internal recorder to tape your session to wav. Share your recorded wav´s via social media, e-mail and cloud, or drag and drop them, patterns and songs to your computer. Trace comes with more than 160 carefully created sounds. Each sequencer channel includes: Beat Divisor/Trigger 18 divisors/trigger points, including different subdivisions of 1/4 note. Changes happen on the fly, with preview. Sound Make your selection out of the provided onboard sounds and import your own samples and soundbanks to dial in your favorite tone. Changes happen on the fly, with preview. Volume Set the volume for each channel. Solo/Mute Select channel solo or mute a various number of channels and control this group with just one button. Swing/Probably Bring your beats up to life and build spacy rhythmical sculptures, jazzy grooves and audio landscapes. Includes negative swing. EFFECTS & PERFORMANCE Mixer is the integrated effects and performance tool of the sequenced sample box. It is intuitive operable without any menu scrolling and performance ready with the groupable options. You can shape the sound for each channel with: Delay 1 Every channel has it´s own full featured delay plus tap tempo, ms/bpm input and the possibility to sync the delays to future pattern speed changes. Delay 2 Rhythm delay with eighth dotted, quarter triplet, eighth and eighth triplet time presets relatet to delay 1 or pattern speed. Ring Modulator Add and subtract the dialed in oscillator frequency to your sample frequency and bring them together again for some really weird results. Bit Crusher Reduce the bit depth to add noise and sustain, works great in cooperation with the ring modulator. Varispeed Speed up or slow down the samples read speed, like a pitched tape recorder. Panorama Place sound in the stereo field. Mute With group option for assigned channels. RSP Reverse sample playback with group option for assigned channels to swap the status quo. Shortener Divide the sample length by factors 2/4/8 with group option for assigned channels to swap between your choice and full sample length. NOTE: All of the blocks listed above can be assigned to the master toggle switch to swap the status quo.

Screenshots

Launchpad4 screens
Trace Sequenced Sample Box4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Trace Sequenced Sample Box at free against Launchpad's free with in-app purchases. Trace Sequenced Sample Box also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). Launchpad's advantage is ratings volume (35K vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. Launchpad sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and Trace Sequenced Sample Box sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Trace Sequenced Sample Box holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Launchpad has 35K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Launchpad ships an update every 3 weeks, Trace Sequenced Sample Box monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Launchpad versus Trace Sequenced Sample Box: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLaunchpadTrace Sequenced Sample Box
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (35K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews85.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings35K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size129 MB215 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFocusrite Audio EngineeringGrohe & Giannakakis Applications GbR

Customer experience

Launchpad

All ratings34,908 ratings
Positive95.6%
Neutral2.5%
Negative1.9%
Written reviews833 reviews
Positive85.1%
Neutral5.8%
Negative9.1%

Trace Sequenced Sample Box

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

Bugs and requests

Launchpad

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • Audio import not working
  • Inability to delete unnecessary recordings
  • Inability to see name of soundpack a loop belongs to
  • Pad selections disappearing when hitting stop
  • Inability to import audio after updating
Show 4 more
  • Inability to access audio import after signing out of account
  • App crashing when trying to import audio
  • App constantly closing when importing stuff
  • Inability to restore audio import after getting a new device

Requested features

11 requests
  • Ability to edit after a track is recorded, adjusting levels/adding effects
  • Pause button
  • Ability to duplicate a current song
  • Sequencer to use drum hits
  • Ability to change key of project
Show 6 more
  • Display key when pressing tempo button
  • Ability to sync projects across devices
  • Ability to record and save instruments, drums, piano etc.
  • Ability to export separate stems
  • Dark mode option
  • Advanced analytics dashboard

Trace Sequenced Sample Box

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Launchpad

Subscriptions1
  • Launchpad Premium (Monthly)7 Days trial$7.991 Month
One-time9
  • Found Sound Journey: Hip HopFree
  • EDM HazeFree
  • Dub TrapFree
Show 6 more
  • Found Sound Journey: TechnoFree
  • FoundSoundJourney:ItalianChillFree
  • Glitchstep$1.99
  • Viral Hip Hop$1.99
  • Hypnotic Energy$1.99
  • Audio Import$6.99
2 purchases

Trace Sequenced Sample Box

One-time2
  • Pro$7.99
  • Storage and Recoding$7.99

Questions

Is Launchpad free?
Launchpad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Trace Sequenced Sample Box free?
Trace Sequenced Sample Box is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Launchpad or Trace Sequenced Sample Box?
Trace Sequenced Sample Box is rated higher. Launchpad averages 4.8 out of 5 from 35K ratings, while Trace Sequenced Sample Box averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Launchpad or Trace Sequenced Sample Box have ads?
Neither Launchpad nor Trace Sequenced Sample Box shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Launchpad or Trace Sequenced Sample Box?
Launchpad ships an update every 3 weeks, and Trace Sequenced Sample Box monthly. Most recently, Launchpad was updated on September 24, 2026 and Trace Sequenced Sample Box on June 1, 2026.

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