Comparison

Synthwaver vs ScopeNode

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

Head to head
About

Synthwaver

Features
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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.

About

ScopeNode

Features
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ScopeNode is a multi-input oscilloscope, capable of visualizing multiple tracks layered on top of each other. The plugin features a suite of phase alignment tools built around an interactive visual workflow tailored specifically for the low end. These can help eliminate low-frequency clashes at the source so your tracks layer perfectly without heavy reliance on aggressive sidechain dips. The result is a much smoother, more fluid bass response. Beyond phase alignment, ScopeNode is perfect for visualizing how individual components line up, checking delays between signal points, or analyzing precise pre and post waveform differences across third-party plugins or subchains. FEATURES: - Free-Running & Beat-Synced Modes - 4-Layer Scope Matrix + Live Summing: Layer up to four audio tracks simultaneously with a real-time composite summing view for instant clash detection - Separate controls for visualization and sum inclusion to accommodate special use cases (optional) - Phase shifter with configurable center frequency and Q factor (one per track) - Sample grid delay, phase invert, gain control also available for each track - Multi-instance workflow: Drop plugin instances ("probes") anywhere in your signal paths to capture and compare tracks instantly TECHNICAL NOTES: - When enabled, it's recommended to verify that Plug-in Latency Compensation is not affecting synchronization in unexpected ways with the given set of active third-party plugins - Manual phase alignment is an advanced, hands-on process that requires time and active engineering effort, depending on the complexity of the tracks involved - Workflows could be greatly impacted by specific features of your DAW, e.g. ease of automation envelope editing, ways of laying out multiple viewports, etc. PLEASE NOTE: • An AUv3-compatible host is required to use this app (true interoperability can vary across different apps) • Please check our support page for a list of compatible host applications • Officially supported sampling rates: 44.1, 48, 96 kHz

Screenshots

Synthwaver3 screens
ScopeNode3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Synthwaver at $0.99 against ScopeNode's $4.99. ScopeNode's advantage is iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.5). On 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

Synthwaver costs $0.99 and ScopeNode $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard2 real differences Ā· 3 level
Synthwaver versus ScopeNode: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSynthwaverScopeNode
Price$0.99 — better$4.99
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.516.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRichard Barberquantovox

In-app purchases

None

Synthwaver

No in-app purchases

None

ScopeNode

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Synthwaver free?
Synthwaver costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ScopeNode free?
ScopeNode costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Synthwaver or ScopeNode have ads?
Neither Synthwaver nor ScopeNode shows ads.

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