Comparison

Circa Looper vs GSDSP Quantum Granulator

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

Head to head
About

Circa Looper

A powerful multi-channel looping instrument for iPad, designed for musicians and producers. It offers six independent stereo loop layers, deep modulation, precision syncing, and built-in effects for creating complex patterns and evolving soundscapes. Its touch-friendly interface allows for hands-on creative control and seamless DAW integration.

Highlights
  • Six independent stereo loop layers
  • Deep modulation control
  • Precision syncing
  • Built-in reverb and delay
  • Touch-friendly interface
  • Full MIDI mapping
  • Drag-and-drop audio export
Read full description

IMPORTANT: Circa is an AUv3 plugin. It requires an AUv3 host such as AUM (recommended), Garageband, Logic, or Cubase. It will not run on its own. Circa is a six-layer stereo looping instrument for iPad, built for players and producers who want a looper that does more than loop. Each layer is independent, fully modulatable, and deeply controllable, with a touch-first interface designed for live performance and studio exploration alike.Inspired by modern loopers like the BOSS RC-505 and MLRE on the Monome Norns, Circa pairs the playability of a hardware looper with the routing and modulation of a serious production tool. Capture a spontaneous take, carve it up with slices, pitch it, scrub it, route it through built-in effects, and let gesture recorders play your UI back like a second instrument. SIX LAYERS Six independent stereo loop layers, each with its own transport, sync mode, trigger mode, filter, and effect sends. Layers can sync to the host, sync to a master loop, or run free. Triggers can fire on sync, on audio input, or freely. Record from the stereo input or self-record through an internal buss for feedback loops and generative behavior. TOUCH-FIRST PERFORMANCE Dedicated pages for Speeds and Positions let you perform loops with your hands. The position strip can be divided into slices for chopped playback. Speed, position, filter, and sends are all continuous and playable. Damper, scrub, and slice controls are built for tactile manipulation, not mouse input. GESTURE RECORDERS Six UI loopers that record and play back your actual control movements. Almost every parameter in Circa can be captured as a gesture, then looped or played as a one-shot. Trim silence from the front, toggle loop mode, or fire gestures from MIDI. Build evolving performances without touching the interface twice. MODULATION Deep modulation across the plugin. Continuous targets include layer delay and reverb sends, output levels, A/B selectors, play position, and more. Momentary targets cover mute, solo, and toggle states. Assign multiple modulators to any target and build performances that develop on their own. FULL MIDI CONTROL A complete MIDI controller system with continuous, momentary, and hold assignments. Use any controller to drive most of Circa's functions. MIDI modulation assignments light up briefly when triggered, so you can see your rig working at a glance. BUILT-IN EFFECTS Studio-grade reverb, delay, parametric EQ, and compressor drawn from Audio Damage's effect library. Send any layer to reverb and delay independently, then route through the stereo bus EQ and compressor on the way out. SEVEN OUTPUTS Six assignable stereo outputs plus a dedicated cue output. Send any layer to any output. Solo, record, and edit through the cue bus without the audience hearing. CROSS-PLATFORM PRESETS Circa's user presets are XML-based and cross-platform. A preset made on iOS opens on macOS, Windows, or Linux, and vice versa. Sessions built in GarageBand or Logic on iOS open on desktop if you have a license to the desktop version. WHAT'S INCLUDED Six independent stereo loop layers Slice-based position playback Gesture recorders for UI automation Continuous and momentary modulation system Full MIDI controller mapping Built-in reverb, delay, EQ, and compressor Six assignable stereo outputs plus cue Cross-platform XML preset format AUv3 plugin for iPad Also available as a desktop plugin for macOS, Windows, and Linux in VST3, AU, AAX, and CLAP formats at audiodamage.com.

About

GSDSP Quantum Granulator

This live granular processor allows you to break down audio into small pieces or create atmospheric soundscapes. It features dual live buffers, a musical grain engine with tempo sync, and expressive pitch control with MIDI support. Shape your sound with an intuitive XY pad and mix section for detailed sonic manipulation.

Highlights
  • Dual live recording buffers
  • Tempo-synced grain triggering
  • Expressive pitch control with scales
  • 2D XY pad for grain shaping
  • MIDI playable granular instrument
  • AUv3 audio effect plugin
Features
Read full description

This Live Granular Processor lets you decompose audio into bits and pieces or lovely clouds. Dual Live Buffers Quantum Granulator is a powerful live granular processor designed for deep, hands-on sonic manipulation in real-time. Two independent recording buffers capture your signal and let you freeze, loop, or continuously record audio for instant transformation. Whether you’re sampling from the Main Input, Sidechain A, or Sidechain B, you’re in full control of what goes in — and what comes out. Musical Grain Engine Trigger grains freely in Hz or lock them to tempo for tight rhythmic effects. Adjust grain length, offset and density — from crisp stutters to blurred, cinematic clouds. Randomization adapts to your mode: in Hz it behaves like a geiger counter, adding sharp, bursty unpredictability; in BPM sync it becomes more spray-like, scattering grains around the beat for rhythmically coherent textures. Expressive Pitch Control Our easy-to-use scale picker lets you quantize grains to 30+ built-in musical scales, create your own, or let randomness take over. Play grains via MIDI to turn Quantum Granulator into an expressive granular instrument. Pitch shifting covers a broad ±24 semitone range and a separate fine control allows subtle adjustments within ±1 semitone, perfect for microtonal tuning or adding vibrato-like motion. Versatile Grain Shaping An intuitive 2D Envelope XY pad lets you sharpen or soften vertically, adjust attack and release horizontally. Control level, panning, and filtering to craft subtle movement or fully chaotic sound clusters. Shape the balance using the mix section — from subtle texture to complete granular obliteration. Granular Synthesis, Made Playable Quantum Granulator isn’t just a tool — it’s an instrument. Built for performers, producers, and sound explorers alike, it offers a deep but immediate interface into the world of granular synthesis, with every detail tuned for musicality and expression. Quantum Granulator 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

Screenshots

GSDSP Quantum Granulator3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: GSDSP Quantum Granulator at 100% against Circa Looper's 33%. GSDSP Quantum Granulator also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and device support (3 vs 1). Circa Looper's advantage is price ($7.99 vs $14.99). On ratings volume, 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

Circa Looper costs $7.99 and GSDSP Quantum Granulator $14.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

GSDSP Quantum Granulator holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 7 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of Circa Looper's written reviews are positive against 100% of GSDSP Quantum Granulator's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Circa Looper ships an update every 3 weeks, GSDSP Quantum Granulator every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on June 11, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Circa Looper versus GSDSP Quantum Granulator: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCirca LooperGSDSP Quantum Granulator
Price$7.99 — better$14.99
Rating4.6 (9 ratings)5.0 (7 ratings) — better
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings9 — better7
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS12.012.0
Further details — not scored
Size39 MB61 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAudio Damage, Inc.Gustav Scholda

Customer experience

Circa Looper

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%

GSDSP Quantum Granulator

All ratings7 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Circa Looper

No in-app purchases

None

GSDSP Quantum Granulator

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Circa Looper free?
Circa Looper costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is GSDSP Quantum Granulator free?
GSDSP Quantum Granulator costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Circa Looper or GSDSP Quantum Granulator?
GSDSP Quantum Granulator is rated higher. Circa Looper averages 4.6 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while GSDSP Quantum Granulator averages 5.0 from 7 ratings.
Do Circa Looper or GSDSP Quantum Granulator have ads?
Neither Circa Looper nor GSDSP Quantum Granulator shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Circa Looper or GSDSP Quantum Granulator?
Circa Looper ships an update every 3 weeks, and GSDSP Quantum Granulator every 5 weeks. Most recently, Circa Looper was updated on June 11, 2026 and GSDSP Quantum Granulator on September 22, 2026.

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