VAPolyMk5 vs Retromulator
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β with what reviewers say about each.
VAPolyMk5
This is a powerful bitimbral polyphonic synthesizer with a re-designed step sequencer. It offers advanced oscillator features, a cascaded OTA low-pass filter, and extensive modulation capabilities. Operate it as a standalone app or an AudioUnit Extension.
- Bitimbral polyphonic synthesis
- Re-designed step sequencer
- Hard sync and through zero FM oscillators
- Cascaded OTA low-pass filter
- AudioUnit Extension (AUv3) support
- Ableton Link and MIDI 2.0 support
- Built-in effects suite
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VAPolyMk5 is bitimbral polyphonic synthesizer. Main feature of Mk5 is re-designed step sequencer which contains one note sequencer and three modulation sequencers. Oscillator feature hard sync and through zero FM. Low pass Filter is modeled on cascaded OTA -24dB per octave low pass filter circuit. Each synthesizer consists of three oscillators, resonant low pass and high pass filter, amplifier, three envelope generators, two LFO and key tracking. Two synthesizers can be configured as layer or split. Mk5 also features global LFO, output morphing, classic ring modulator and easy target assignment for mod wheel and aftertouch. VAPolyMk5 operates as a stand alone or as an AudioUnit Extension (AUv3) for iPhone, iPad and Mac. Stand Alone supports Ableton Link, MIDI and audio file export. Built-in Effects include delay, chorus, flanger, reverb, eq and compressor. Project files can be saved in iCloud Drive, so that the project can be accessed from iPhone, iPad or Mac. Main Features Bi-timbral Polyphonic Synthesizer Oscillators feature hard sync and through zero FM. Low pass Filter is modeled on cascaded OTA -24dB per octave low pass filter circuit. Re-designed step sequencer Re-designed offset control Improved output morphing. Improved classic ring modulator. Improved key tracking Easy target assignment for mod wheel and aftertouch Maximum 8 voice polyphony. it depends on performance of the device it is running. Built-in effects and piano roll sequencer. Audio Export. Linear PCM format (AIFF, WAV and CAF) and compressed format (AAC) Support Audio Unit Extension (AUv3). Support MIDI 2.0. Support Foot Pedal and Per Note Control. Support Ableton Link, Bluetooth MIDI, MIDI In / Out. Works on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Support iCloud Drive to share project files between the platforms. General Improvements Support MIDI Foot Pedal (CC#11, CC#64) Support MIDI2.0 Per Note Control Messages MIDI CC Settings are saved. It will be recovered when the app launched in the next time. UI Color can be selected from black, navy, gray or blown. Adjustable text size for title of controls Factory Preset 208 Synth CH Preset 256 Effect Preset 40 Default & Macro 8 System Requirements iOS 17.0 or later macOS 14.0 or later Devices with Apple Silicon are recommended. A13 Fusion or above is highly recommended. AudioUnit Extension (AUv3) requires host application which support AudioUnit Extension. AudioUnit Extension is supported by Apple Logic and Apple Garage Band on iOS and macOS. For any other DAW, it depends on the application and some of them donβt support AudioUnit Extension. Sound may be distorted if CPU of the device doesn't have enough power. If it happens reduce number of voices or enable Low Power Mode in setting panel. App launches in Low Power Mode in the first time on device with iOS earlier than iOS 18.0 as mono-timbral.
Retromulator
This app recreates legendary vintage synthesizers, samplers, and keyboards through accurate emulation. It functions as a standalone application or an AUv3 plugin, offering classic electronic music hardware sounds on iOS devices.
- Cycle-accurate hardware emulation
- AUv3 plugin support
- Standalone app functionality
- Full MIDI control
- ROM firmware loading
- Background audio support
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Retromulator is a multi-core retro hardware emulation app and AUv3 plug-in that brings legendary synthesizer, sampler, and keyboard cores back to life through authentic low-level emulation. Each core runs its actual firmware, physical model, or sample data β delivering the unmistakable character of the hardware that defined electronic music from the early 80s through the 2000s. Version 1.6 adds the 88emu core, covering the Roland SC-88, SC-88VL, SC-88Pro, SC-8850 and SC-55mkII GS sound modules with their own Standard MIDI File player. β EMULATED CORES β VIRTUAL ANALOG SYNTHS Motorola DSP 56300 recreation (requires M1 iPad or iPhone 15 Pro or newer): β’ Access Virus A, B and C β’ Access Virus TI / TI2 / Snow β’ Clavia Nord Lead 2X β’ Waldorf microQ β’ Waldorf Microwave XT FM SYNTHESIS β’ Yamaha DX7 β original chip set emulation, based on VDX7 by Charles Chiaccona β’ Yamaha OPL3 β Nuked OPL3 cycle-accurate FM by Nuke.YKT GM / GS SOUND MODULES β’ 88emu β Roland SC-88, SC-88VL, SC-88Pro, SC-8850 and SC-55mkII boards, emulation by Giulio Zausa, with GS variation, map and rhythm handling, program and drum kit names read straight from the board ROM, 16-part multitimbral operation, and a Standard MIDI File player with offline rendering to WAV or AAC. CHIPTUNE β’ Commodore 64 SID 6581/8580 β based on reSID. 3-voice polyphony, 8580 chip model with high-quality RESAMPLE, GoatTracker .sng / .ins bank loading (GTS3/4/5, GTI3/4/5) and .sid file import (PSID/RSID), full macro playback engine (wavetable, pulsetable, filtertable, speedtable) and live MIDI control of cutoff (CC 74), resonance (CC 71), pulse width (CC 75), vibrato (CC 1) and pitch bend. β’ Ayumi (AY-3-8910 / YM2149) β the PSG behind the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST and MSX. Ayumi emulation by Peter Sovietov with the Ym2149Synth voice engine, 3-voice polyphony, switchable AY / YM engine, .ay patch loading, Factory and User banks, and 11 live CC controls. ELECTRIC PIANO AND SAMPLER β’ Wurlitzer 200A β OpenWurli physical modelling by hal0zer0 (Rust ported to C++ by discoDSP) β’ Akai S1000 β SFZero sample engine by Steve Folta, with Bliss Sampler support and resampling engine by discoDSP (SF2 / SFZ / ZBP / ZBB) β KEY FEATURES β β’ Native AUv3 plug-in for AUM, Cubasis, GarageBand, Logic Pro and more β’ Standalone app for iPhone and iPad β’ Full MIDI control: CC, mod wheel, expression, pitch bend β’ 8-point sinc interpolation for sample playback β’ Auto-slice drum mapping and global retuning via MIDI β’ ROM firmware loading from original hardware β’ Background audio, iCloud and Files app integration β’ Optimised interpreter compatible with the iOS App Store sandbox
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: VAPolyMk5 at 100% against Retromulator's 50%. Retromulator's advantage is price ($9.99 vs $14.99) and update cadence (every 3 days vs weekly). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS
VAPolyMk5 costs $14.99 and Retromulator $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
VAPolyMk5 ships an update weekly, Retromulator every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | VAPolyMk5 | Retromulator |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $14.99 | $9.99 β better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews β better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Every 3 days β better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | 15.0 β better |
| Further details β not scored | ||
| Size | 21 MB | 67 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ryo Togawa | DiscoDSP LLC |
Customer experience
VAPolyMk5
Retromulator
In-app purchases
VAPolyMk5
No in-app purchases
Retromulator
No in-app purchases








