Sonofield Ear Trainer vs Scale Theory
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sonofield Ear Trainer
This app helps musicians develop their ear by focusing on the feeling of individual notes within a key, rather than traditional interval training. It uses sustained drones and offers various modes like identifying scale degrees, melodies, and singing exercises. The app adapts to your skill level with an intuitive interface and progression path.
- Feeling-based note recognition
- Scale degree identification
- Melody recognition training
- Singing exercises
- Hands-free training mode
- Interactive exploration instrument
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Sonofield Ear Trainer (SET) is a revolutionary ear training app designed to help you intuitively play the melodies you hear and imagine. Instead of relying on traditional old methods like intervals, SET focuses on helping you feel the unique character of each note within a key. By using sustained drones to create a tonal foundation, you’ll learn to recognize scale degrees based on their *feeling*, not just how they sound. The app offers a variety of ways to train: * Degrees Mode - Identify individual notes against the drone by feeling. The heart of SET. * Melody Mode - Identify short melodic phrases, preparing you for real music. * Voice Mode - Sing the requested scale degree into your microphone. * Pocket Mode - Hands-free training for when you're on the go. * Free Play - An interactive instrument for exploration. With its intuitive, color-coded interface, thoughtfully designed progression path, and multiple difficulty levels, SET adapts to your skill level while keeping practice engaging. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced musician, SET is your guide to unlocking true musical fluency through intuitive, feeling-based ear training. No ads or forced payments. The free version contains full foundations for feeling-based ear training. Download the ear training app now!
Scale Theory
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You know the theory. You just have to look it up. Scale Theory is a drill tool for musicians who want faster, more reliable recall — key signatures, diatonic harmony, modes, chord functions, and relative minor relationships. Not slower. Not effortful. Just known. What you'll learn: • Key signatures: sharps, flats, and which notes they are, in both directions • Relative minor keys, quizzed both ways • Diatonic triads and seventh chords in every major key — names, qualities, and notes • All seven modes: names, interval formulas, and characteristic chords • Chord functions: identify and spell the dominant seventh and half-diminished chord in any key How it works: Each topic follows a review-then-quiz loop. New items are revealed one piece at a time, so you're predicting the next step before it appears. After every few new items, a recap quiz covers everything learned so far — not just what's recent. A randomized Practice mode presents questions in mixed formats across all keys, with upcoming answers hidden so you can't read ahead. Key signatures follow circle-of-fifths order, which is how keys actually relate to each other. Who it's for: • Players who want to think faster when improvising or reading charts. • Anyone whose theory knowledge lives in their head in a slow, effortful way. • Students prepping for graded exams. This is a drill tool, not a lesson. It assumes you've encountered these concepts — it's here to make them automatic.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Sonofield Ear Trainer at Free against Scale Theory's $1.99. Sonofield Ear Trainer also leads on ads (none vs shown) and device support (3 vs 1). Scale Theory's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5).
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Sonofield Ear Trainer is free to download; Scale Theory costs $1.99 up front. Sonofield Ear Trainer sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Scale Theory asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | Sonofield Ear Trainer | Scale Theory |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $1.99 |
| Rating | 4.9 (389 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 88.8% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 389 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | — |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 105 MB | 19 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sonofield Ear Trainer Education Ltd. | YellowDress |
Bugs and requests
Sonofield Ear Trainer
Reported bugs
1 issue- None reported
Requested features
5 requests- Option to switch between 12TET and just intonation
- Ability to reduce octave range
- Incorporate more timbre options for drone and notes
- Tracking and visualization of progress and learned skills
- Add interactive tutorial for level 1
Scale Theory
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Sonofield Ear Trainer
- Lifetime Pro$14.99
- Lifetime Pro$17.99
- Lifetime Pro2 variants$19.99
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- Lifetime Pro$24.99
Scale Theory
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Sonofield Ear Trainer free?
Is Scale Theory free?
Do Sonofield Ear Trainer or Scale Theory have ads?
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