Quartet 2 vs MidiStep
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Quartet 2
Practice and perform jazz standards with live studio recordings. Mute your instrument to play along, change key, adjust tempo, and loop sections. Features animated chord diagrams and royalty-free multitrack exports for creative remixing.
- Live jazz standard play-alongs
- Adjustable tempo and key
- Looping practice sections
- Animated chord diagrams
- Multitrack audio export
- Cross-app playlist syncing
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Practice and perform jazz standards on another level with Quartet. And with a host of brand-new features, the top-selling jazz play along apps just got even better. No subscriptions. No in-app purchases. Volume 2 includes another 150 stunning jazz standards recorded exclusively by 7 of the world’s best jazz musicians. All ‘live’ studio recordings with intros, endings and top line solos. Whether you play jazz piano, guitar, saxophone, trumpet, bass, drums…simply mute your instrument from the Quartet for the ultimate jazz play along. And for jazz singers too, each edition of Quartet is an unrivalled collection of jazz backing tracks powerful enough to gig with. Change key on the fly. Speed up or slow down the audio seamlessly. Loop sections and slow them right down for practice. Select the number of repeats. Choose from preset mixes or create your own custom mix using the new onboard mixer. Arrange each song exactly the way you want it with the new ‘Arranger’ feature. Add a touch of reverb and you’re good to go. Improve your skills with full screen animated chord diagrams for Piano, Guitar and Ukulele. Search the entire Quartet song library (650 songs) by composer, style, BPM, associated artist and more. Build and share multi-app playlists and easily export PDF chord charts for every song. Export your stereo mix or export the multitrack if you want to develop the high quality separated parts in GarageBand or whatever DAW you use. Either way, all recordings are offered to you royalty-free giving you endless creative possibilities. The 150 jazz standards in Quartet Volume 2 include improvisations in the style of… ‘Ain’t Misbehavin’’, ‘As Time Goes By’, ‘Blue Skies’, ‘Chega de Saudade’, ‘Corcovado’, ‘Dream a Little Dream of Me’, ‘Emily’, ‘Invitation’, ‘Laura’, ‘Mambo Inn’, ‘(A) Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square’, ‘Old Devil Moon’, ‘Over the Rainbow’, ‘Pennies from Heaven’, ‘Recado Bossa Nova’, ‘Sunny’, ‘Sway’, ‘What a Difference a Day Makes’, ‘You Make Me Feel So Young’, ‘You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To’… and 130 more. Install Quartet on all of your iOS devices plus your Mac devices (M series only) at no extra cost. Ready to take your jazz standards to another level? Hear more at www.quartetapp.com Featured artists Saxophones and Flutes Graeme Blevins Recording and performing credits include Phil Collins, Robbie Williams, Kylie Minogue, Kyle Eastwood, Mark Knopfler, Quincy Jones, Mark Ronson, Tom Jones, Taylor Swift, Martha Reeves, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Andy Panayi Credits - Shirley Bassey, Jessye Norman, Paul McCartney, Seth MacFarlane, Elaine Paige, Salena Jones, Elvis Costello, Georgie Fame, Irene Reed, Elaine Delmar, Helen Shapiro, Madeline Bell, Patty Austin, Freddie Hubbard, Wynton Marsalis, Joe Lovano Dave O’Higgins Credits - Joey Calderazzo, Joe Locke, Dave Kikoski, Eric Alexander, Grant Stewart, Max Ionata, Phil Dwyer, Joe Lovano, Phil Woods, Jimmy Smith, Nancy Wilson, Peggy Lee, Kurt Elling, Wayne Shorter, Eddie Gomez, Jamie Cullum, Stephane Grappelli, Michel Legrand Piano Graham Harvey Credits - Incognito (MD), Stacey Kent, George Benson, M People, Hamish Stuart, Will Lee, Philip Bailey, Chaka Khan, The BBC Big Band, Omar, Madeline Bell, Jocelyn Brown, Mica Paris, Kenny Thomas, Sir Cliff Richard Bass Geoff Gascoyne Credits - Jamie Cullum (MD), Sting, Van Morrison, Bill Bruford, Mari Wilson, Paloma Faith, Georgie Fame, Gloria Estefan, Guy Barker, Charlie Watts, Chris Standring, Everything But The Girl, Benny Golson, Jacqui Dankworth, Bob Dorough, John Martyn, Eartha Kitt Drums Sebastiaan de Krom Credits - Herbie Hancock, John Scofield, Phil Woods, Dave Holland, Jamie Cullum, Guy Barker, Wynton Marsalis, Clark Terry, Tim Garland’s Big Band Rod Youngs Credits - Gil Scott-Heron, Lee Konitz, Sia, Courtney Pine, Jon Hendricks, Hugh Masekela, Natalie Cole, Bennie Maupin, Mica Paris, Denys Baptiste, Abdullah Ibrahim, Juliet Roberts, BBC Concert Orchestra, Ronnie Laws...
MidiStep
Create complex rhythms and generative music with a powerful step sequencer. Control randomization for notes, chords, velocity, and more to generate unique, ever-changing musical patterns. Automate synth parameters with independent modulation lanes.
- User-controlled randomization for musical parameters
- Polyphonic chord playback per step
- Variable step sequence lengths
- Multiple linked patterns
- 8 independent modulation lanes
- Real-time modification of randomization
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MidiStep is a powerful and inspirational polyphonic step sequencer, and a dream for lovers of complex rhythms and generative music creation tools. The program uses sophisticated, user-controlled randomization to generate notes with a variety of parameters, including note values, note length, chords, patterns, velocity, gate, dividers, repeats, swing, and many more. You have complete control over what, when, and how much is randomized on a step-by-step basis. You can easily create patterns that have little to no variation, patterns that maintain a recognizable pattern but have some degree of variations to the notes, velocity, etc., all the way to patterns with extreme randomness with every pass – the degree of randomization is completely under your control for every parameter and for every step of a pattern. Features include per-step polyphonic chord playback, variable step sequence lengths for all parameters such as pitch, octave, velocity, note duration, beat divisions etc, and the capability to create multiple patterns which can be linked together in various ways. MidiStep also features 8 additional modulation lanes with independent play speeds. These can be used to automate parameters within your favourite synths. MidiStep uses sophisticated randomization settings for note values, note lengths, velocity, gate, dividers, repeats, swing, pitch bend and modulation. In addition, by setting different cycle lengths, step skips, step repeats, jumps, rewinds, cursor positions, pattern jumps, octave shifts, and many other parameters, you can create an infinite number of non-repeating sequences. The degree and types of randomizations for each of these parameters is up to you! Aleatoric music, also known as chance music, allows you to create patterns and entire compositions with user-controlled randomisation. The word 'aleatory' is derived from the Latin word 'alea' meaning dice. MidiStep allows you to turn on/off randomisation on a stepwise basis for almost all parameters, set the percent probability that the randomisation will occur, set min/max values, set exactly which parameters will be randomized, etc. The exact realization of the music will vary with each pass of the sequence, resulting in unique and captivating aleatoric renditions. All randomization controls can be modified in real-time. Features include: •Each of the 16 sequences can have unlimited types and degrees of randomness that you control. •8 independent sequencer lanes: Notes, Chords, Octaves, Velocity, Gate, Divider, Repeat, Delay. •8 independent Modulation sequencer lanes. •16 Patterns and 4 types of pattern switching, independent for each pattern. •Up to 16 steps per pattern, 16 patterns, and 16 cycles per pattern for a maximum sequence length of 4096 notes. •Independent sequencer length (1–16 steps) for each of the 16 lanes. •A Master step cursor independent of all other lanes. •Independent randomization parameters for each of the 16 lanes, with probability, min/max values, default values, skips, repeats, etc. •Unlimited variety of sequences, from slight variation to wildly different sequences on every pass. •126 scales and 126 chords – in every key, along with a scale and chord editor for you to create your own. •Chord complexity for 2–8 note chords, with notes specified or randomly generated. •Chord Articulation options – Block chords, Strum up/down, Arp up/down – with accent, length, speed, and random note order parameters. •Master lane and Chord lane previews. •Pattern Creator - automatic melody, chord, bass and drum backing. •Auto-scroll chord lane. •7-octave range for notes and chords (from C1–C8), with static and random octave offsets. •11 note lengths – from 1/32 note to 4 full measures, plus ties across notes, rests, repeated notes, and delays. •Two types of Swing with adjustable offset. •Humanize settings for note velocity and note timing. •Transposition of sequences using a keyboard – mono for single notes, and poly for chords.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Quartet 2 at Free against MidiStep's $14.99. MidiStep's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months). On rating, 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
Quartet 2 is free to download; MidiStep costs $14.99 up front. Quartet 2 sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. MidiStep asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Quartet 2 against 4.8 for MidiStep. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 27 and 25 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 88% of Quartet 2's written reviews are positive against 81% of MidiStep's.
Quartet 2 ships an update every 3 months, MidiStep every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 1, 2026.
| Parameter | Quartet 2 | MidiStep |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $14.99 |
| Rating | 4.9 (27 ratings) — better | 4.8 (25 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 88.2% of reviews — better | 81.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 27 — better | 25 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 588 MB | 44 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | UK Music Apps Ltd | 4Pockets.com |
Customer experience
Quartet 2
MidiStep
In-app purchases
Quartet 2
- Upgrade song$0.99
- Buy 10 tokens$8.99
- Buy 20 tokens$14.99
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- Buy 50 tokens$22.99
- Upgrade all songs$49.99
MidiStep
No in-app purchases









