Comparison

NightShine AUv3 Compressor vs PolyrhythmLab

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

Head to head
About

NightShine AUv3 Compressor

This professional audio effect emulates the classic Alesis 3630 hardware compressor. It offers authentic analog modeling with advanced oversampling for pristine sound quality and musical compression. Features include dual detection modes, variable knee processing, and precise control over dynamics.

Highlights
  • Alesis 3630 hardware emulation
  • 16x oversampling for pristine audio
  • Dual Peak/RMS detection modes
  • Advanced knee processing with variable width
  • Authentic analog-style waveshaping
  • Brickwall limiter and auto makeup gain
  • 16 professional presets
Features
Read full description

Transform your audio with NightShine, a premium AUv3 compressor that captures the legendary warmth of the classic Alesis 3630 hardware compressor. This professional dynamics processor combines authentic analog modeling with cutting-edge 16x oversampling technology for pristine audio quality and musical compression characteristics. NightShine features dual detection modes (Peak/RMS), advanced knee processing (Hard/Soft with variable width), and authentic analog-style waveshaping for harmonic saturation. The 16x oversampling engine eliminate digital artifacts while maintaining automatic latency compensation, delivering pure analog-like sound quality. Controls include precise threshold (-40dB to 0dB), ratio (1:1 to 20:1), attack (0.1ms to 200ms), and release (50ms to 3000ms) settings. Additional features include an optional brickwall limiter and auto makeup gain. Ready to use with 16 professional presets covering vocals, drums, bass, mix bus compression, and mastering. Perfect for vocal processing, drum enhancement, mix bus compression, and mastering. NightShine delivers professional results with the perfect blend of vintage character and modern precision.

About

PolyrhythmLab

Create complex, evolving musical rhythms and dynamic visual performances. This app offers a unique polyrhythmic engine for sound layers and a live visual mixer with customizable effects and camera controls. Export audio, MIDI, or video of your creations.

Highlights
  • True polyrhythm engine with independent step/pulse counts per layer
  • AUv3 plugin support for DAWs like GarageBand and Logic
  • Live MIDI output for driving external synths
  • Integrated VJ mixer with audio-reactive visuals and effects
  • Song mode for arranging patterns into full tracks
  • Save and reload groovebox patterns and VJ setups as presets
  • Export audio, MIDI, and video recordings
Features
Read full description

PolyrhythmLab is a groovebox built around true polyrhythms: every sound layer gets its own step count, pulse count, and rotation, so layers of different lengths interlock and drift in and out of phase instead of locking to one shared grid. NEW IN 2.0 — AUv3 PLUGIN Use PolyrhythmLab as a real instrument inside GarageBand, Logic, AUM, and any other AU-compatible host. Four independent polyrhythmic layers, each exposed as automatable parameters, real MIDI output so your performance actually records as a MIDI region, and its own compact control panel with a live pattern wheel, a randomizer, and optional sync to your session's tempo. NEW IN 2.0 — LIVE MIDI OUTPUT Send a real Note On/Off for every layer hit straight from the main app — one MIDI channel per layer, over a virtual MIDI connection — to drive another synth, app, or piece of hardware in real time, not just sync tempo. NEW IN 2.0 — CAST VJ MIX Send the VJ Mix visuals to a TV or projector over AirPlay or a wired adapter, while your device keeps the full set of live controls. Save and reload VJ Mix setups — visual styles, effects, camera moves, and their LFOs — as named presets, same as patterns. GROOVEBOX • Euclidean-style rhythm engine — set steps, pulses, and rotation per layer • Drums, glitch/textural one-shots, classic synth voices (piano, bell, pad, bass), and melodic synth patches • Per-layer filter, reverb, delay, pitch, and LFOs on every parameter • Randomize engine biased toward musical, playable combinations • Chord modes, scales, and modal note selection for melodic layers SONG MODE Arrange your saved patterns into sections and chain them into a full song. VJ MIX A live visual performance surface: blend two audio-reactive visualizations, layer on real-time color and shader effects — RGB split, kaleidoscope, pixelate, glow, trail — and a 3D camera with zoom, pan, orbit, and tilt, each with its own LFO. Randomize the whole look by hand, or hand it to an autonomous "robot" that keeps remixing itself. Record the performance in real time via ReplayKit, or export a styled video clip. PRESETS Save and reload both groovebox patterns and VJ Mix setups as named presets. EXPORT Render your patterns and songs to audio, or export them as MIDI. No account, no ads, no analytics. Everything is stored locally on your device.

Screenshots

NightShine AUv3 Compressor1 screens
PolyrhythmLab4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: NightShine AUv3 Compressor at 100% against PolyrhythmLab's 0%. NightShine AUv3 Compressor also leads on rating (3.3 vs 1.0) and ratings volume (3 vs 1). PolyrhythmLab's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

NightShine AUv3 Compressor costs $4.99 and PolyrhythmLab $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

NightShine AUv3 Compressor holds the better App Store score, 3.3 against 1.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 1 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of NightShine AUv3 Compressor's written reviews are positive against 0% of PolyrhythmLab's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NightShine AUv3 Compressor ships an update every 3 months, PolyrhythmLab fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
NightShine AUv3 Compressor versus PolyrhythmLab: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNightShine AUv3 CompressorPolyrhythmLab
Price$4.99$4.99
Rating3.3 (3 ratings) — better1.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings3 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB401 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDiscoDSP LLCMartin Adler

Customer experience

NightShine AUv3 Compressor

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

PolyrhythmLab

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

None

NightShine AUv3 Compressor

No in-app purchases

None

PolyrhythmLab

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is NightShine AUv3 Compressor free?
NightShine AUv3 Compressor costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is PolyrhythmLab free?
PolyrhythmLab costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, NightShine AUv3 Compressor or PolyrhythmLab?
NightShine AUv3 Compressor is rated higher. NightShine AUv3 Compressor averages 3.3 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while PolyrhythmLab averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.
Do NightShine AUv3 Compressor or PolyrhythmLab have ads?
Neither NightShine AUv3 Compressor nor PolyrhythmLab shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NightShine AUv3 Compressor or PolyrhythmLab?
NightShine AUv3 Compressor ships an update every 3 months, and PolyrhythmLab fortnightly. Most recently, NightShine AUv3 Compressor was updated on October 1, 2026 and PolyrhythmLab on October 7, 2026.

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