Comparison

MIDI vs ScoreShelf

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

Head to head
About

MIDI

This app helps you discover, test, and troubleshoot MIDI devices like controllers and synths. It allows you to send specific MIDI commands and monitor incoming messages with timestamps for verification.

Highlights
  • Discover USB, Bluetooth, and RTP MIDI devices
  • Send specific MIDI commands (Notes, CC, System Common, Real-Time)
  • Monitor inbound MIDI with live, timestamped log
  • Filter MIDI messages by command type
  • Verify pitch bend and high-resolution CCs
  • Test custom hardware and software MIDI implementations
Read full description

MIDIProbe is a pocket MIDI utility for iPhone and iPad that helps you discover, test, and troubleshoot MIDI devices (e.g., controllers, synths, mixers). Pick which endpoints to send to or listen to, fire off the exact MIDI commands you need, and watch a live, timestamped log to verify every message. • Discover USB, Bluetooth, and RTP network MIDI devices, and see detailed info like IDs, serial numbers, and transport type before selecting send/receive targets. - Send MIDI fast with interactive cards: - Notes, Control Change (CC), Program Change, Aftertouch, Pitch Bend; - System Common (Song Position Pointer, Song Select, Tune Request); - Real-Time (Start/Stop/Continue, Clock, Active Sensing, Reset); • Monitor inbound MIDI with a live log or grouped-by-command view, with filters for command types, clear controls, and timestamps. Typical use cases: • Reverse-engineer mixer control quickly:  You have an X32 mixer and want to use a floorboard to mute/unmute channels. Connect both to MIDIProbe, discover the right endpoints, and watch which channel/CC/value combinations actually toggle mutes—then verify your floorboard sends the exact same messages before you risk it live. • Map a foot controller to a multi-FX unit:  You want to configure a floorboard to switch presets/settings on your multi-effects processor. Use MIDIProbe to identify which Program Changes or CCs trigger the functions you need, then confirm the outgoing messages match your intended mapping. • Confirm keyboard controller channel routing:  Check whether your keyboard is transmitting on the correct MIDI channel (or accidentally sending Omni), and verify splits/layers are hitting the channels your synth or app expects. • Validate DAW controller templates:  Debug pad controller mappings for Ableton/Logic/Cubase—see exactly which notes/CCs each pad/knob/fader is sending, catch duplicated CC numbers, and confirm bank switching. • Troubleshoot “why doesn’t it respond?” fast:  If your synth/module isn’t reacting, use MIDIProbe to confirm whether it’s receiving anything at all, whether the messages are on the wrong channel, or whether you’re sending the wrong command type. • Verify pitch bend and high-resolution CCs:  Check pitch bend ranges and whether devices send 14-bit (MSB/LSB) pairs correctly for smooth parameter changes. • Build and test custom hardware/software:  If you’re developing MIDI controller firmware or a MIDI iOS/macOS app, use MIDIProbe as your “known good” sender/receiver to test parsing, edge cases, and message timing. If you’re into this kind of thing, MIDIProbe is for you.

About

ScoreShelf

Features
Read full description

ScoreShelf is a simple sheet music viewer designed to help you manage PDF scores comfortably on iPad. Import PDFs into your library, organize them as scores, and quickly resume practice from the last page you opened. With Apple Pencil support, you can write notes and marks directly on your scores, just like on paper. Bookmarks let you remember pages you often return to or important places in a score. You can also save current practice locations as “Practice Spots,” so you can return to the parts you want to work on next without searching. Practice History helps you look back on your practice in a quiet, visual way. You can view a calendar-style heatmap of your practice, see which scores you worked on in the past, and return directly to the score and page you were practicing. ScoreShelf is not an app that pushes you to practice or judges your progress. It is a quiet shelf for your daily practice, remembering the scores you need, your handwritten notes, your practice history, and the places you are working on. Main Features: ・Import and manage sheet music PDFs ・PDF score viewer ・Write with Apple Pencil ・Save handwritten notes per page ・Bookmarks ・Practice Spot management ・Practice History with calendar-style heatmap ・View previously practiced scores and pages ・Return directly to a score and page from practice history ・Remember the last opened page ・Show today’s time spent on each score If you manage sheet music as PDFs but find it hard to write notes, keep track of practice locations, or look back on what you have practiced, ScoreShelf is a simple and calm score management app for you.

Screenshots

MIDI4 screens
ScoreShelf1 screens

Verdict

The call

MIDI and ScoreShelf are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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

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

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
MIDI versus ScoreShelf: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMIDIScoreShelf
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequency—Every 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.618.6
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMichael HitzHiroshi Kojima

In-app purchases

None

MIDI

No in-app purchases

None

ScoreShelf

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MIDI free?
MIDI is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ScoreShelf free?
ScoreShelf is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do MIDI or ScoreShelf have ads?
Neither MIDI nor ScoreShelf shows ads.

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