Comparison

GranSample vs MIDI Controller/Oscilloscope

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

Head to head
About

GranSample

This app offers a 16-pad sampler with a powerful granular engine for sculpting unique audio textures and sequencing patterns. It functions as a standalone application and an AUv3 plugin for popular DAWs. Unlock advanced features with a one-time purchase.

Highlights
  • 16-pad granular sampler
  • AUv3 plugin support
  • Step sequencer
  • Modulation matrix
  • Sample chopping
  • Kit sharing
  • Per-pad effects
Features
Read full description

A 16-pad sampler with a granular engine underneath. Standalone app + AUv3 plugin for GarageBand / Logic / AUM / Drambo / Loopy Pro. Tap pads, sculpt textures, sequence patterns, chain songs. Same instrument either way. Free to try. One purchase unlocks GranSample Pro — everything listed at the bottom. No subscription, no ads, no telemetry. NEW IN 1.5 Swing, in the app and in your host. Choke groups: hi-hats that cut each other off. Resample (Pro): record your beat back onto a pad as a bar-locked loop. A rebuilt AUv3 plugin editor. PATTERN BANK & SONG MODE Eight patterns per project (A–H). Switch live — the change waits for the bar end so the groove never stumbles. Then chain them into a song: tap letters to build, set repeats per section, loop or play once (song mode is Pro). Patterns, song and BPM save with the project. MODULATION MATRIX (PRO) LFO + ADSR envelope on 8 destinations per pad: grain position / size / pitch / density, volume, pan, pitch, playback start. Drag the envelope chart, set depth per lane — host-automatable in AUv3. SAMPLE CHOP (PRO) Slice any sample across the pads — equal grid, transient detection, or manual markers you drag. Audition before you commit; the grid shows where every slice lands. KIT SHARING Export any kit as a single .gskit file — samples, settings, effects, patterns. Send it anywhere. Importing is free for everyone; exporting is Pro. PAD NAMES, COLORS & CHOKE GROUPS Name your pads, pick from 8 colors, set one of 8 choke groups. AUv3 PLUGIN Load "nono.audio: GranSample" under AU Instruments in any AUv3 host. Same grid, Kits and engine, with Sound, Grain and Sequence tabs. 900 host-automatable parameters. Load your own samples without leaving the host. Sequencer locks to host transport; everything persists in the host project. LIBRARY Factory Kits + your Projects in one place — load, tweak, save. GRANULAR ENGINE Eight knobs per pad. Position scans the sample; grain size + density set the texture from pebbles to glass. Pitch + jitter, spray + stereo spread, four window shapes, an ADSR cloud envelope, Freeze for infinite sustain. 128 grains per voice — and you can watch them fire. CHROMATIC MODE Any pad becomes the root; the grid plays chromatically. STEP SEQUENCER Per-pad patterns at 16/32/64 steps, per-step velocity, drag-to-paint, swing. SAMPLE EDITOR Waveform view — drag the grain region, trim playback range, loop, reverse, normalize per pad. LINEAR or GRAN preview. Works inside the plugin too. EFFECTS Per-pad AND master bus. Reverb, Delay, Distortion, EQ, Compressor, Chorus, Filter — up to 8 per chain, automatable from any DAW. Hand-tuned presets; save your own. IPAD Pads bigger than an MPC; recorder, properties and sequencer get their own column. MIDI USB, Bluetooth (built-in browser), or virtual MIDI. MIDI Learn on every knob standalone, per-pad channel routing. The plugin routes MIDI in through the host and emits MIDI out for pad taps. RECORDING 60 seconds from the mic straight into a pad with a live waveform. Resample the master onto a pad, free or locked to 1–8 bars (Pro). Master bounces to WAV/M4A (Pro). 10 FACTORY KITS, 16 SAMPLES Late Night Room, Outer Space, Neon City, Midnight Dub, Tape Machine, Crystal Cave, and more — each with bespoke granular settings. FREE TIER Pads 1–8 — drums and melody, enough to finish a track — with the full granular engine, effects, pattern bank, mixer, MIDI in/out. Same in standalone and AUv3. Kit import (.gskit) is free too. GRANSAMPLE PRO — ONE PURCHASE, NO SUBSCRIPTION All 16 pads unlocked everywhere — standalone AND AUv3 plugin Song mode — chain patterns into an arrangement Modulation matrix — LFO + envelope on 8 destinations per pad Sample chop to pads Resample to pads Kit export (.gskit) Per-pad ADSR envelope editor Custom backgrounds — wallpapers or your own photo, with dim and pad-opacity WAV / M4A export Made by one person who wanted a granular beat pad that fit on a phone — and in their DAW.

About

MIDI Controller/Oscilloscope

This app combines a multi-touch performance keyboard, a 16-channel step sequencer, and a real-time oscilloscope. It allows seamless integration with hardware synthesizers and audio gear via USB, enabling music creation and analysis.

Highlights
  • Multi-touch velocity-sensitive keyboard
  • 16-channel step sequencer with piano roll
  • Real-time 8-channel oscilloscope
  • USB MIDI and audio interface support
  • Network and Bluetooth MIDI compatibility
  • Live recording and transposition
  • Sub-millisecond sequencer timing
Features
Read full description

A powerful all-in-one studio companion for hardware synthesizers, drum machines, and audio gear. Connect your USB MIDI devices and audio interfaces and start playing, sequencing, and analyzing instantly. KEYS — Multi-Touch Performance Keyboard • 3-octave velocity-sensitive piano with multi-finger support • Velocity from touch position — soft on top, loud at the bottom • Spring-loaded pitch bend wheel (14-bit precision) • Mod wheel (CC#1) for expressive control • Program change selector with quick recall • Octave shifting from -2 to +5 • Per-channel routing to different synths • Transpose mode — keyboard transposes the live sequence SEQ — 16-Channel Step Sequencer • 16 independent MIDI channels, up to 32 steps each • Mono mode for melody and bass lines • Poly mode with full piano roll editor • Swing control for groove (0-50%) • Live recording from your external keyboard • MIDI clock sync — auto-detects tempo from incoming clock • Per-channel destination routing — each track plays a different synth • Live transpose during playback • Adjustable note range and pattern length SCOPE — Real-Time Multi-Channel Oscilloscope • Up to 8 channels simultaneously from USB audio interfaces • 1-2-5 standard time/division (10 microseconds to 500 ms) • Configurable voltage/division with auto-scale • Rising and falling edge trigger with adjustable level • Auto and Normal trigger modes • Per-channel color, vertical offset, and on/off • Phosphor persistence with adjustable decay • Glow effect with intensity control • Three background themes — Classic, Space, Shockwave • Metal-accelerated rendering CONNECTIVITY • USB MIDI — plug in your hardware controllers and synths • USB audio interfaces — multi-channel input for the oscilloscope • Network MIDI / Bluetooth MIDI compatible • Companion iPhone app — record video while iPad captures audio over Wi-Fi (Bonjour) DESIGNED FOR PERFORMANCE • Sub-millisecond sequencer timing • Lock-free audio buffers for glitch-free capture • Optimized for iPad landscape — full immersive UI • Per-app settings for every channel, every parameter, persistent across sessions Whether you're sketching ideas in the studio, performing live, debugging a Eurorack patch, or learning synthesis, this app brings keyboard, sequencer, and oscilloscope into a single, fast, focused interface. No ads. No subscriptions. No accounts. Just plug in and play.

Screenshots

GranSample4 screens
MIDI Controller/Oscilloscope3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MIDI Controller/Oscilloscope at none against GranSample's 1. MIDI Controller/Oscilloscope also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.6). GranSample's advantage is ratings volume (16 vs 1). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

Both are free to download. GranSample sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. MIDI Controller/Oscilloscope asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

MIDI Controller/Oscilloscope holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: GranSample has 16 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
GranSample versus MIDI Controller/Oscilloscope: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGranSampleMIDI Controller/Oscilloscope
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (16 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews40.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings16 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 5 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size17 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChih Han LinCollective Vision, LLC.

Customer experience

GranSample

All ratings16 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral6.3%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative40.0%

MIDI Controller/Oscilloscope

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

GranSample

One-time1
  • GranSample Pro$3.99
None

MIDI Controller/Oscilloscope

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is GranSample free?
GranSample is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MIDI Controller/Oscilloscope free?
MIDI Controller/Oscilloscope is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, GranSample or MIDI Controller/Oscilloscope?
MIDI Controller/Oscilloscope is rated higher. GranSample averages 4.6 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while MIDI Controller/Oscilloscope averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do GranSample or MIDI Controller/Oscilloscope have ads?
Neither GranSample nor MIDI Controller/Oscilloscope shows ads.

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