Comparison

Grainsmith Field vs NuSaw

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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.

About

NuSaw

Create massive, detuned '90s dance sounds with this polyphonic synthesizer. Features a stack of sawtooth oscillators, a resonant filter, and a full effects chain. Generate dynamic patches with LFOs, a modulation matrix, and an arpeggiator.

Highlights
  • Polyphonic SuperSaw engine
  • Detuned sawtooth oscillators
  • Resonant low-pass filter
  • Full effects chain (chorus, delay, reverb, drive)
  • Multiple LFOs and modulation matrix
  • Sequenced gate and arpeggiator
  • AUv3 plugin and standalone app
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

NuSaw is a polyphonic SuperSaw synthesizer: the huge, detuned '90s dance sound, built for accuracy and tuned to fill the room. At its heart is a stack of 3 to 25 detuned sawtooth oscillators with a sine sub, a resonant lowpass filter, and dual ADSR envelopes for amp and filter. On top sits a full effects chain: an accurately modeled chorus, a tempo-syncable stereo ping-pong delay, plate reverb, and drive. Motion is built in: three LFOs, a flexible modulation matrix, a sequenced gate, and an arpeggiator, so patches breathe, wobble, all on their own. • 50+ factory presets: leads, basses, stabs, pads, strings, arps, and keys • Authentically modeled SuperSaw engine with accurate drift and stereo spread • FX rack with authentic chorus + ping-pong delay + reverb + drive • 3 LFOs, mod matrix, sequenced gate, and arpeggiator • Resonant switchable filter, with slope control and key tracking • Save and share your own patches • AUv3 plug-in for AUM, Logic, GarageBand, Cubasis, and more, plus a full standalone app with an on-screen keyboard Whether you're chasing a festival trance lead, a snarling Reese bass, or a wide evolving pad, NuSaw gets you there fast. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Roland Corporation. Roland, JP-8000 and JP-8080 are trademarks of Roland Corporation, used for reference only.

Screenshots

Grainsmith Field3 screens
NuSaw4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: NuSaw at $6.99 against Grainsmith Field's $11.99. NuSaw also leads on chart position (#194 vs unranked) and device support (4 vs 2). On rating, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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

Grainsmith Field costs $11.99 and NuSaw $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Grainsmith Field against 5.0 for NuSaw. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Grainsmith Field ships an update every 3 days, NuSaw every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Grainsmith Field versus NuSaw: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGrainsmith FieldNuSaw
Price$11.99$6.99 — better
Rating5.0 (5 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings5 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 3 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank—#194 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size81 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPlastic Factory LLCCharles Vestal

Customer experience

Grainsmith Field

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

NuSaw

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Grainsmith Field

No in-app purchases

None

NuSaw

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Grainsmith Field free?
Grainsmith Field costs $11.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is NuSaw free?
NuSaw costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Grainsmith Field or NuSaw?
Grainsmith Field and NuSaw are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 5 and 2 ratings respectively.
Do Grainsmith Field or NuSaw have ads?
Neither Grainsmith Field nor NuSaw shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Grainsmith Field or NuSaw?
Grainsmith Field ships an update every 3 days, and NuSaw every 2 days. Most recently, Grainsmith Field was updated on October 28, 2026 and NuSaw on October 25, 2026.

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