Grainsmith Field vs Ambiotica
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.
Ambiotica
Transform any audio input into evolving ambient soundscapes. This app offers a unique signal chain with looping, granular synthesis, and modulated reverb, all controlled by a master 'Gravity' parameter for creating drones and textures.
- Evolving ambient soundscapes
- Looper, granular cloud, and modulated reverb
- 'Gravity' macro control
- Chord-tuned reverb
- Standalone app and AUv3 plugin
- Night-sky inspired interface
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Ambiotica turns any sound into a slowly evolving ambient spacescape. Feed it a chord, a field recording, a guitar, or your voice, and it spins that input into a living drone: a rolling looper, a granular cloud, micro-loops, and a modulated, chord-tuned reverb, all pulled together by one macro called Gravity. THE SIGNAL CHAIN Your sound splits into two parallel paths. One is a Looper feeding a Granular cloud; the other is a parallel Micro-loop. Both merge into a modulated Reverb, and the reverb tail regenerates back into the source, so the texture keeps re-graining and evolving on its own. THE CONTROLS Orbit: a tempo-synced rolling looper. Sets the loop length and feeds it back on itself, so layers stack into an evolving bed. Constellate: clouds the sound into grains. Turn it up and the grains grow and spread in pitch, from a sparse sparkle to a thick pad scattering into octaves and fifths. Satellite: a second, faster loop. Down for a long, rolling loop; turn it up and it tightens into a tiny fragment that freezes and sustains into a drone. Tail: the reverb's decay, from a small room to an endless wash. Flux: sets the reverb tail in motion (shimmer and a stereo drift) and feeds it back into the chain, driving the self-evolving regeneration. Spectra: a bank of resonators tuned to your chord. Rings the reverb tail into a harmonic shimmer (set Key and Chord). Dilation: reverse. Flips the loops and grains so they play backward. Gravity: the master pull. Raises feedback, decay, granular density, freeze and motion all at once, collapsing the whole chain into a single sustained drone. Event Horizon: the counter-force. Pulls feedback, decay, the chord ring and the regeneration down together, emptying the chain toward silence. Mix and Level: dry/wet blend and output trim. Tap any stage's constellation to bypass it and build the exact chain you want. Sixteen factory presets give you starting points, from gentle shimmer to a full frozen drone. A NIGHT-SKY INSTRUMENT The interface is a living constellation. Each stage is a glyph that breathes and moves with the sound, and Gravity collapses the whole field into a glowing well. A reduce-motion option stills the animation whenever you want. FORMATS Ambiotica is an AUv3 plug-in for iPhone and iPad. Load it in AUM, GarageBand, Drambo, Loopy, and other AUv3 hosts, plus a standalone app. Built for ambient, drone, film scoring, sound design, and live texture.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Ambiotica at $4.99 against Grainsmith Field's $11.99. Grainsmith Field's advantage is chart position (#175 vs unranked). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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 Ambiotica $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Grainsmith Field against 4.9 for Ambiotica. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 9 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
Grainsmith Field ships an update every 3 days, Ambiotica every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Grainsmith Field | Ambiotica |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $11.99 | $4.99 — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (5 ratings) — better | 4.9 (9 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 5 | 9 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #175 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 81 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Plastic Factory LLC | Charles Vestal |
Customer experience
Grainsmith Field
Ambiotica
In-app purchases
Grainsmith Field
No in-app purchases
Ambiotica
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Grainsmith Field free?
Is Ambiotica free?
Which has better reviews, Grainsmith Field or Ambiotica?
Do Grainsmith Field or Ambiotica have ads?
Which is updated more often, Grainsmith Field or Ambiotica?
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