Grainsmith Field vs Sungalizer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Grainsmith Field
Transform any sound into unique sonic textures using a powerful granular synthesizer. Manipulate audio with multiple playheads, record live input, and play it like an instrument via MIDI. Optimized for mobile, it offers extensive control and export options.
- Granular synthesis engine
- Multiple independent playheads
- Live audio recording and manipulation
- MIDI instrument mode
- AUv3 music effect
- Performance recording with Live Activity
- Built-in reverb and filter
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Grainsmith Field is a granular instrument for iPad and iPhone. Load a sound or record one live, then pull it apart into grains. Stretch and scatter it until it stops sounding like the source, or pitch it and play it like an instrument. It shares its granular engine with our desktop Grainsmith plugin, but it's rebuilt for touch. Field is a single multitouch screen: four XY pads control paired parameters (Density and Size, Jitter and Spread, Pitch and Reverse, Cutoff and Resonance), and a Morph control sweeps several at once. THREE PLAYHEADS Run up to three independent grain streams from one sample at the same time. Each head has its own position, speed, pitch, level, pan, grain size, and spread. Grab a playhead line on the waveform to move it independently, or move them as a group. Double-tap to gather them. Set a second head a fifth or an octave away and the streams blend into a single granular texture. MODULATION Six modulation slots drive the controls: LFOs and Euclidean patterns with per-route depth, assigned by long-pressing a knob. The MOVE dial sets the Morph macro itself in motion, and each destination drifts on its own phase. Rates sync to tempo, in the app or from the host clock. RECORD AND MANGLE Capture audio from your hardware input and granulate it as it comes in, or loop a phrase and let the engine chew on it. Scrub the waveform directly. Freeze the grain cloud to hold a sound for as long as you want. Run the stereo delay to smear the grain tails into echoes; it syncs to tempo too. Export captures as WAV to the Files app. RECORD YOUR PERFORMANCE Start a recording from the presets menu and everything you play is captured to a WAV file. Keep playing through app switches and screen locks; a Lock Screen Live Activity shows while recording runs. Recordings save to the Files app and share straight from Field. PLAY IT AS AN INSTRUMENT Switch to Instrument mode and play the grain engine from a MIDI keyboard: four-voice polyphony, an attack/release envelope, and a root-note control. The pitch ribbon snaps to musical intervals: Free, Chromatic, Scale, Octaves, or Oct+5ths, with twelve scale options and a probability control. Works with hardware MIDI in the standalone app and with host MIDI in AUv3. USE IT IN YOUR HOST The AUv3 music effect loads in AUM, Logic for iPad, and other AUv3 hosts. Parameters are exposed for host automation and MIDI learn. Your patch saves and restores with the session, including head count, every per-head control, the modulation slots, and pitch snap mode. ALSO IN THE BOX - Ten factory presets grouped by character, with a browser and a Favorites section for your own - Background audio: the standalone keeps playing when you switch apps - Reverb, stereo delay with tempo sync, filter, grain-shape windows, pitch randomization - Runs on iPhone with a compact layout No account and no subscription. Field collects no data.
Sungalizer
Transform sound into dynamic visuals with this live audio visualizer. Choose from multiple display modes like Spectrum, Depth, and Scope to create real-time motion from your microphone or audio source. It's a visual instrument designed for artists and musicians.
- Live audio-reactive display
- Multiple visual modes (Spectrum, Depth, Trace, Scope, Quad)
- Input source selection
- Retro-inspired interface
- Visual companion for music and audio gear
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Sungalizer is a live audio visualizer inspired by classic scopes, studio displays, and retro signal screens. Use it standalone with your microphone or a compatible connected audio source, or load it as an AUv3 audio effect in a compatible iOS or iPadOS music host. Incoming sound drives five real-time visual modes: Spectrum for frequency motion, Depth for dimensional landscapes, Trace for scrolling spectral memory, Scope for waveform display, and Quad for a combined view. Three preset slots let you save and recall visual setups. Adjust the controls, select slot A, B, or C, then tap Save. To restore a setup, select its slot and tap Load. The control rack keeps input and display settings close at hand. Double-tap the visual display to hide the right-hand rack for a full-screen view, then double-tap again to show the controls. Built for artists, musicians, and performers, Sungalizer turns synths, mixers, audio interfaces, live sets, voices, and routed tracks into expressive motion.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Grainsmith Field at 5.0 against Sungalizer's 4.3. Grainsmith Field also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 6 weeks). Sungalizer's advantage is price ($3.99 vs $11.99) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.0). 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
Grainsmith Field costs $11.99 and Sungalizer $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Grainsmith Field holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 4 respectively.
Grainsmith Field ships an update every 3 days, Sungalizer every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Grainsmith Field | Sungalizer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $11.99 | $3.99 — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (5 ratings) — better | 4.3 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 5 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 81 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Plastic Factory LLC | Geoffrey Graven |
Customer experience
Grainsmith Field
Sungalizer
In-app purchases
Grainsmith Field
No in-app purchases
Sungalizer
No in-app purchases









