Synthwaver vs BitDecay
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Synthwaver
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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.
BitDecay
This creative audio effect simulates the character of aging hardware, unstable digital systems, and worn media. It introduces dynamic instability and evolving imperfections to transform pristine audio into lo-fi textures, degraded samplers, or entirely new sound design landscapes.
- Creative digital degradation processor
- Bit crushing and sample rate reduction
- Dynamic instability and clock imperfections
- Musical tone shaping
- Progressive signal erosion controls
- AUv3 support
- Single-page interface
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Some digital processors sound broken. Bit Decay sounds like they're breaking. Bit Decay is a creative degradation effect that recreates the character of aging hardware, unstable clocks, failing digital systems, worn media, and collapsing fidelity. Instead of simply reducing bit depth and sample rate, Bit Decay introduces movement, instability, and evolving imperfections that bring static digital destruction to life. Shape classic lo-fi textures, degraded samplers, damaged tape transfers, corrupted audio artifacts, and entirely new sound design landscapes. From subtle vintage coloration to complete digital collapse, Bit Decay gives you precise control over how pristine audio slowly falls apart. Whether you're producing electronic music, processing drums, designing cinematic textures, mangling synths, or adding character to vocals, Bit Decay delivers degradation with personality. Features • Creative digital degradation processor • Bit crushing and sample rate reduction • Dynamic instability and clock-style imperfections • Musical tone shaping • Progressive signal erosion controls • AUv3 support for iPad and Mac hosts • Fast workflow with a simple single-page interface
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Synthwaver at $0.99 against BitDecay's $2.99. BitDecay's advantage is device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 18.5). On 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
Synthwaver costs $0.99 and BitDecay $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | Synthwaver | BitDecay |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 — better | $2.99 |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | — | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.5 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 19 MB | 17 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Richard Barber | Jeremy Phillips |
In-app purchases
Synthwaver
No in-app purchases
BitDecay
No in-app purchases









