ChannelStrip LE vs Cab ML
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ChannelStrip LE
This app offers a modeled tube preamp with a 3-band EQ and an oscilloscope. It's designed for music production to add smooth tube saturation and gentle tone-shaping, allowing users to monitor waveform compression.
- Modeled tube saturation
- 3-band equalizer
- Oscilloscope waveform monitoring
- Adjustable oversampling
- AUV3 and standalone app support
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ChannnelStrip is a modeled tube preamp with 3 band EQ and a simple oscilloscope available as AUV3 and standalone app. Controlling dynamics with saturation is an often overlooked technique in music production. ChannelStrip is intended as an end-of-chain effect giving you smooth modeled tube saturation combined with an oscilloscope to monitor how the waveform is compressed. The integrated 3-band equalizer will furthermore help you apply gentle, unobtrusive tone-shaping. Even as a simple distortion effect or equalizer, ChannelStrip will make a great addition to your FX collection. Features: - Modeled tube saturation with character control - Gentle 3-band equalizer - Oscilloscope - Adjustable oversampling factor (WARNING: uses a lot of resources on higher settings and may cause audio dropouts)
Cab ML
This app generates custom impulse responses using a neural network, allowing interactive sound shaping. It also includes a poweramp and microphone reverb generator for further audio manipulation.
- Neural network impulse response generation
- Interactive tag-based sound shaping
- Poweramp with multiple options
- Microphone reverb generator
- AUv3 plugin support
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Cab ML is both a standalone app and an AUv3 plugin that provides a neural network for impulse response generation. By moving tags in a window you can change the impulse response in an interactive way. Underlying a neural network will generate an impulse response based on the position of the tags. Instead of trying out all your impulse response files through a classic impulse response loader, you can now find the right sound interactively by moving the marks until you like what you hear. Furthermore Cab ML also provides a poweramp with many options and a microphone reverb generator. The free version allows you to test Cab ML completely, but every minute the plugin will be silent for 3 seconds. To remove these limits there is a one time in-app purchase. You need an audio interface to connect your instrument to your Mac. Known audio interface brands for guitar or bass are for instance Focusrite or iRig. If you don't have an audio interface, you can use the AUv3 plugin in a DAW such as GarageBand or Logic Pro. Any (guitar/bass) sound you have recorded can be fed through the Cab ML audio unit.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: ChannelStrip LE at 100% against Cab ML's 50%. ChannelStrip LE also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.0) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. Cab ML sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. ChannelStrip LE asks for nothing beyond the download.
ChannelStrip LE holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 12 and 4 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of ChannelStrip LE's written reviews are positive against 50% of Cab ML's.
ChannelStrip LE ships an update every 4 days, Cab ML every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ChannelStrip LE | Cab ML |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (12 ratings) — better | 4.0 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 12 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 14 | 14.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 63 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Christopher Herb | Jan Maes |
Customer experience
ChannelStrip LE
Cab ML
In-app purchases
ChannelStrip LE
No in-app purchases
Cab ML
- Cab ML Activation$11.99









