Comparison

KQ Tixie vs AU Studio

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

Head to head
About

KQ Tixie

This app is a 4-operator FM synthesizer for iOS devices, recreating the iconic sounds of 1980s hardware. It offers a modern interface with MPE support and AUv3 compatibility, allowing for deep sound editing and layering up to eight sounds.

Highlights
  • 4-operator FM synthesis recreation
  • MPE and AUv3 support
  • Import SysEx data
  • Thousands of patches included
  • Layer up to 8 sounds
  • Real-time performance controls
  • Built-in effects
Features
Read full description

KQ Tixie is a 4-operator FM synthesizer for iPhone and iPad that faithfully recreates the sound and behavior of classic FM instruments from the 1980s. Experience the iconic character of vintage FM synthesis with a modern touch interface, MPE support, and AUv3 compatibility. FM synthesis generates sound mathematically rather than playing back recorded samples. 4-operator FM is not simply a smaller version of 6-operator FM. With fewer operators, sound design becomes more immediate and intuitive, making it easier to reach the sound you want without unnecessary complexity. Despite its streamlined architecture, 4-operator FM is capable of producing powerful basses, sparkling bells, rich electric pianos, cutting leads, and many of the iconic sounds that defined an era. KQ Tixie faithfully recreates the character and workflow that make 4-operator FM unique. It's not about having fewer operators—it's about a more refined design. 4-operator FM is another evolution of FM synthesis. Features - Faithful recreation of classic 4-operator FM synthesizers from the 1980s - Import SysEx data from supported hardware synthesizers and reproduce their sounds accurately - Includes thousands of patches - User-friendly sound editor designed for efficient patch creation and editing - Layer up to 8 sounds simultaneously - Supports MPE (Pitch-bend, Aftertouch, and MIDI CC#74) - Real-time performance controls for expressive sound shaping - Built-in effects inspired by the Yamaha V50 and Korg DS-8 - AUv3 Instrument support - iCloud support - Patches edited in KQ Tixie can be transferred to compatible DX-series synthesizers (excluding the DX7 and DX9), earlier EOS-series synthesizers, FB-01, Reface DX, and SEQTRAK. * - Users can download a VST3 Wrapper for supported Macs. *The Reface DX and SEQTRAK engines cannot reproduce the operator waveforms or feedback behavior. Choose KQ Tixie if you want: - The sound of Yamaha DX100, TX81Z, V50, FB-01. - 4-operator FM synthesis with all eight operator waveforms. - Built-in effects inspired by the Yamaha V50 and Korg DS-8. - Compatibility with SysEx data from supported hardware synthesizers. Compatible synthesizers include - Yamaha FB-01 - Yamaha DX21 / DX27 / DX100 / DX11 / V50 / TX81Z / WT11 - Yamaha EOS YS200 / YS100 / B200 / DS55 / TQ5 - Korg DS-8 / 707 Names of hardware synthesizers and manufacturers mentioned in this description are trademarks of their respective owners. The developer of this app is independent of those companies. This app and its accompanying description include AI-generated text.

About

AU Studio

This app acts as a dedicated host for Audio Unit extensions, allowing musicians and developers to inspect, audition, and test installed audio plugins. It provides detailed information about each unit's capabilities and behavior without requiring a full digital audio workstation.

Highlights
  • Scan and catalog installed Audio Units
  • Filter plugins by developer, type, and status
  • Load AUv3 interfaces or use detailed inspector
  • Inspect registry identity, MIDI support, and parameters
  • Route CoreMIDI sources and audition audio effects
  • Monitor runtime CPU and memory usage
  • Built-in manual for guidance
Read full description

AU Studio is a focused Audio Unit host, not a DAW. Open the plug-ins you already own, hear them in seconds, and see exactly what they expose. Made for musicians, sound designers, and Audio Unit developers who need a fast, honest test bench. No session to build, no tracks to arm. Pick a unit from your catalog and its interface opens in a panel of its own, named and sized to the plug-in, with your host controls in a bar above it. Key features: - Scan the instruments, effects, music effects, generators, and MIDI processors already installed on your device: AUv3 on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro, plus AUv2 on Mac. - Filter by developer, type, or search text, and hide Apple built-ins to focus on third-party gear. - Open a plug-in's own interface when it ships one, and fall back to a metadata view when it doesn't, with the full inspector always one tap away. - Inspect identity, four-character codes, version, sandbox and cached validation status, MIDI support, busses, parameters, presets, latency, and tail time. - Step through factory presets, then save your own working state without leaving the interface. - Play instruments from the floating MIDI keyboard: notes, pitch bend, mod wheel, auto, mono or poly voicing, a shiftable range, and one-tap panic for stuck notes. Your hardware controller lights up the on-screen keys as you play. - Run a guitar, a microphone, or any channel of your interface through a loaded effect. Pick the device, pick mono or stereo, pick the channels. - Load a track into the floating media player, scrub the waveform, loop a section, and play along with your live input at the same time. - Check a signal path in seconds with the built-in test tone. - Route external CoreMIDI sources in, and send generated MIDI back out to a CoreMIDI destination. - Test MIDI 2 units with automatic, MIDI 1, or MIDI 2 protocol selection: high-resolution notes, registered and per-note controllers, per-note pitch bend, discovered MIDI-CI Profiles, and a monitor showing raw or decoded MIDI going in and coming out. - Choose your output device on Mac, and set sample rate, buffer size, and which MIDI sources are enabled. - Keep host-process CPU and memory in view while you work. - Open unfamiliar plug-ins with less risk. AU Studio asks first when the system does not mark a unit sandbox-safe, and a peak limiter sits across the host output. - Read the built-in manual, fully searchable: discovery, routing, presets, hardware input, floating tools, troubleshooting, and developer notes. What AU Studio is: A focused host for discovering, opening, auditioning, and inspecting the Audio Units already on your device. It answers the practical questions: Is the unit visible? Does it load? Does it have an interface? What busses, parameters, presets, and MIDI capabilities does it expose? Does MIDI reach it? Does audio pass through it? What AU Studio is not: It is not a DAW. No multitrack recording, clip launching, timeline arrangement, piano-roll sequencing, MIDI learn, automation lanes, song export, or mastering tools. AU Studio ships no Audio Unit of its own — no instrument, no effect, no DSP engine. It hosts the units other apps provide and wraps them in host-owned routing, auditioning, and inspection. Discovery uses the system Audio Unit registry. If a provider app is not installed, not enabled, or not visible to the platform, AU Studio cannot invent it. Interface behavior, presets, parameter meaning, MIDI mapping, and DSP results belong to each Audio Unit.

Screenshots

KQ Tixie3 screens
AU Studio4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: KQ Tixie at 5.0 against AU Studio's 4.5. KQ Tixie also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs monthly) and review sentiment (71% vs 50%). On ratings volume, 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

KQ Tixie costs $8.99 and AU Studio $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

KQ Tixie holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 4 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of KQ Tixie's written reviews are positive against 50% of AU Studio's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

KQ Tixie ships an update every 3 days, AU Studio monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
KQ Tixie versus AU Studio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKQ TixieAU Studio
Price$8.99 — better$9.99
Rating5.0 (6 ratings) — better4.5 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews71.4% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings6 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRyouta KiraChristian Thompson

Customer experience

KQ Tixie

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive71.4%
Neutral14.3%
Negative14.3%

AU Studio

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

KQ Tixie

No in-app purchases

None

AU Studio

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is KQ Tixie free?
KQ Tixie costs $8.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is AU Studio free?
AU Studio costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, KQ Tixie or AU Studio?
KQ Tixie is rated higher. KQ Tixie averages 5.0 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while AU Studio averages 4.5 from 4 ratings.
Do KQ Tixie or AU Studio have ads?
Neither KQ Tixie nor AU Studio shows ads.
Which is updated more often, KQ Tixie or AU Studio?
KQ Tixie ships an update every 3 days, and AU Studio monthly. Most recently, KQ Tixie was updated on October 6, 2026 and AU Studio on October 17, 2026.

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