Comparison

Spreadsheets Synth vs Arch Carrier Instrument Lab

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

Head to head
About

Spreadsheets Synth

Features
Read full description

The 303 lives between the sheets. Spreadsheets Synth is an acid bass synthesizer with a built-in step sequencer — a cultural product of the band Spreadsheets, tuned to 313K and pointed straight at the dance floor. THE SQUELCH Sawtooth or square through a resonant filter with cutoff, resonance, decay, and accent — from rubbery basslines to screaming acid leads. Add distortion for grit, then send it into orbit with the phaser and delay. THE SEQUENCER Program patterns step by step, set the line looping, and ride the cutoff live. It's an instrument for performing, not just programming. PLAYS WITH YOUR WHOLE RIG • AUv3 plugin — load it as an instrument in GarageBand, AUM, Cubasis, Loopy Pro, and any AUv3 host • Standalone app with background audio • MIDI in and out, including Bluetooth MIDI NO STRINGS No account, no ads, no tracking, no data collected. Just voltage.

About

Arch Carrier Instrument Lab

Features
Read full description

Draw a shape. Tap it. Hear it ring. Arch Carrier turns drawn shapes into a playable physical modelling instrument. A ring, a plate and a tuning fork each have their own resonances. Change the outline, cut a hole or move your strike, and explore how the sound changes. PLAY AND SHAPE • Strike up to three resonant bodies by touch. • Add and subtract material without degrading untouched contours. • Watch sand trace nodal patterns, and tilt your device to move it. • Start from five seeds or save your own instruments. TUNE AND SEQUENCE • New shapes start at A3, 220 Hz. • Tune by frequency, semitone or octave, with note names and cents. • Audition a tuning or hear the natural model. • Place four mallets and set strength and modal focus for each step. • Choose seven mallet speeds, from 0.25Ɨ to 2Ɨ. • Record looping mallet motion, synchronized to each rhythm. MIDI PATHS • Add editable traces with independent MIDI note ranges and channels. • Each key selects a strike position; velocity sets its strength. • Play from a connected MIDI keyboard while Arch Carrier is in the foreground. • Show the paths when you need them, then hide the overlay while MIDI keeps playing. KEEP YOUR INSTRUMENT • Save shapes, tuning, rhythms, motion, tempo, damping, tone and MIDI mappings together. • Resume your last instrument without automatic playback. • Record stereo 24-bit WAV files and export them to Files or other apps. Free. No account, advertising or in-app purchases. Designed for iPhone and iPad.

Screenshots

Spreadsheets Synth2 screens
Arch Carrier Instrument Lab4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Spreadsheets Synth at 15.0 against Arch Carrier Instrument Lab's 18.0. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard1 real difference Ā· 4 level
Spreadsheets Synth versus Arch Carrier Instrument Lab: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpreadsheets SynthArch Carrier Instrument Lab
PriceFreeFree
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJames HurlbutJeroen Rombouts

In-app purchases

None

Spreadsheets Synth

No in-app purchases

None

Arch Carrier Instrument Lab

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Spreadsheets Synth free?
Spreadsheets Synth is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Arch Carrier Instrument Lab free?
Arch Carrier Instrument Lab is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Spreadsheets Synth or Arch Carrier Instrument Lab have ads?
Neither Spreadsheets Synth nor Arch Carrier Instrument Lab shows ads.

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