Comparison

GSDSP MagicFilter vs Synthwaver

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

Head to head
About

GSDSP MagicFilter

This audio effect plugin allows for intricate, non-linear filter shaping and dynamic spectral transformations. Create unique soundscapes by designing custom filter curves and modulating them for subtle to extreme audio manipulation.

Highlights
  • Multi-curve spectral filtering
  • Independent filter amounts per frequency
  • Morph between four filter curves
  • Curve Modifier for shifting and inverting
  • Global cut/boost controls
  • Built-in lowpass and highpass filters
  • Wet/dry mix control
Features
Read full description

This Spectral Processing Workstation lets you craft evolving, non-linear filter shapes and movements impossible to achieve with analogue EQs. Multi-Curve Spectral Filtering MagicFilter is a multi-curve spectral filter and EQ workstation designed for detailed, creative frequency shaping. Apply independent filter amounts per frequency or frequency range, then mix, modulate, and spread your curves to create anything from subtle, organic movement to extreme spectral transformations. Beyond Conventional EQ Unlike analogue or traditional digital EQs, MagicFilter operates in the frequency domain, enabling filter curves and dynamics that would be impossible with hardware. Design non-linear, highly customized shapes and introduce dynamic movement through modulation. Morph seamlessly between four different filter curves, and use the Curve Modifier to shift, invert, or skew them — even in stereo — for precise and flexible control over spectral motion. Global Controls & Fine Shaping Quickly adjust cut and boost amounts to refine your overall curve, and use the built-in lowpass and highpass filters to set the tonal boundaries of your sound. Fine-tune the balance using wet gain and dry/wet control, enabling anything from subtle enhancement to bold, transformative filtering. These controls ensure fast, intuitive workflow while offering deep flexibility. MagicFilter is an AUv3 audio effect plugin compatible with Logic Pro, AUM, Cubasis, GarageBand and many more. A Desktop version is also available for Windows and macOS (VST3 / AU / AAX). More information here: https://gs-dsp.com/products

About

Synthwaver

Features
Read full description

SYNTHWAVER: SOUND IN MOTION Step inside the sound. SYNTHWAVER is a spatial synthesizer for iPhone and iPad that turns pure tones, noise, frequency modulation, and movement into an instrument you can feel around you. Every voice travels through a three-dimensional orbit, giving drones and atmospheres a sense of direction and depth. Put on headphones, press play, and hear synthesis leave the flat plane. BUILD A WORLD, ONE VOICE AT A TIME Start with one synth, then add more to create layers of pitch, color, rhythm, and space. Each voice has its own frequency, level, orbit speed, tilt, noise, FM, and reverb. Let one tone circle slowly beneath a fast-moving signal. Blend a warm noise bed behind a cluster of pitches. Set every layer in motion, or hold movement still and focus on timbre. Complex spatial scenes stay approachable because every sound remains visible, independent, and immediately playable. SCULPT PITCH BY EAR OR BY NOTE Explore the audible range from 20 Hz to 20 kHz with a responsive frequency control. Use the one-octave keyboard for familiar notes, then shift across ten octave positions to reach the register you need. Indicators identify voices at a glance, while numerical readouts keep precise tuning close. Whether you are building intervals, beating tones, low-end rumbles, or glassy highs, pitch never feels buried in a menu. MAKE EVERY SOUND MOVE Movement is part of the synthesis engine. Set each voice to orbit from near stillness to 6.8 revolutions per second, then tilt its path through the Z-plane. High-quality HRTF headphone rendering creates a binaural field with changing position. Layer speeds and angles until simple waveforms become kinetic patterns: circling, crossing, separating, and reconnecting in space. GO BEYOND THE SINE Turn on frequency modulation for sidebands, metallic edges, animated basses, bells, buzzes, and unstable textures. Dial in the modulation index, choose a frequency in hertz or a musical ratio tied to the carrier, then refine it with coarse and fine controls. FM can add subtle shimmer or push far into complex territory. Each voice has its own settings, so one layer can remain pure while another fractures into rich motion. BLEND TONE, NOISE, AND SPACE Move from a clean oscillator to noise, or settle anywhere between them. Shape noise continuously from white to pink, from bright hiss to softer ambience. Then place each voice in one of ten acoustic spaces, including rooms, halls, chambers, plate, and cathedral, and set the wet/dry balance. Orbit, noise color, FM, and reverb make SYNTHWAVER at home creating test tones, evolving drones, cinematic atmospheres, strange machines, and abstract sound art. FAST, TACTILE, AND READY TO EXPERIMENT SYNTHWAVER keeps essential controls on the surface. Start or stop voices, minimize them into frequency chips, bring any synth forward, and stop the scene instantly from the master bar. Shape individual levels or adjust overall output. The interface adapts to portrait and landscape on iPhone and iPad, so it stays playable whether you are exploring on the couch, sketching with headphones, or presenting an idea. SAVE THE MOMENT When a combination clicks, save it as a preset. SYNTHWAVER remembers every voice and its playing state, pitch, spatial motion, FM, volume, noise, octave, and reverb. Open a scene later, continue shaping it, or build a library of drones, studies, and sonic environments. Move from discovery to a sound you can revisit. FOR CURIOUS EARS SYNTHWAVER is for musicians, sound designers, composers, students, educators, spatial-audio enthusiasts, and curious listeners. Study frequency relationships, explore modulation, design moving textures, build meditative soundscapes, or lose yourself in a strange orbit of your own making. No timeline. No maze of pages. Just sound, motion, and direct control. Your headphones are not just the output. They are the listening space. Create a voice. Set it in motion. Shape the air. Enter SYNTHWAVER.

Screenshots

GSDSP MagicFilter3 screens
Synthwaver3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Synthwaver at $0.99 against GSDSP MagicFilter's $29.99. GSDSP MagicFilter's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 18.5). On ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

GSDSP MagicFilter costs $29.99 and Synthwaver $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
GSDSP MagicFilter versus Synthwaver: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGSDSP MagicFilterSynthwaver
Price$29.99$0.99 — better
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better18.5
Further details — not scored
Size52 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGustav ScholdaRichard Barber

In-app purchases

None

GSDSP MagicFilter

No in-app purchases

None

Synthwaver

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is GSDSP MagicFilter free?
GSDSP MagicFilter costs $29.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Synthwaver free?
Synthwaver costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do GSDSP MagicFilter or Synthwaver have ads?
Neither GSDSP MagicFilter nor Synthwaver shows ads.

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