Comparison

Synesthesia Synth vs MD_Buddy

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

Head to head
About

Synesthesia Synth

An experimental audio-visual instrument that allows users to sculpt evolving spatial audio by manipulating floating capsules. Position, rotation, and pulse changes affect tone, texture, and synchronized particle generation. It's a visual synthesizer, not a game.

Highlights
  • Experimental audio-visual instrument
  • Sculpt evolving spatial audio
  • Manipulate floating capsules
  • Control tone, texture, and particles
  • Visual synthesizer
Read full description

Synthaestesia is a free experimental audio-visual instrument. Three capsules float in space. Every contraction produces sound. Move them, rotate them, reshape their pulse — and sculpt evolving spatial audio. Position changes tone. Rotation alters texture. Delay generates synchronized particles. This is not a game. It’s a spatial synth you can see.

About

MD_Buddy

Features
Read full description

--- MD Buddy - Ableton Setlist Controller MD Buddy puts your entire Ableton Live set in the palm of your hand. See every song, every section, and exactly where the playhead is - all in real time from your iPad. And now, your whole team can follow along too. Designed for worship teams, live performers, and anyone running Ableton backing tracks, MD Buddy lets the music director stay in control without touching the computer. Jump to any section on the beat, mute individual tracks per song, and keep the service moving without missing a note. REAL-TIME PLAYBACK TRACKING MD Buddy mirrors Ableton's playhead live - current song, current section, tempo, and bar number update as the music plays. A progress bar shows exactly where you are inside each section so you always know what's coming. JUMP TO ANY SECTION Tap any section button to cue Ableton to jump there. Jumps respect Ableton's Launch Quantization so they always land on the beat - no awkward cuts, no off-time transitions. OBSERVER MODE - YOUR WHOLE TEAM, IN SYNC Every other musician can now open MD Buddy on their own iPad or iPhone and follow the set live - current section, progress, tempo - without touching anything. No vocal cues, no guessing when the bridge repeats or the outro's coming. A green border shows at a glance which device is actually in control, and Settings lists everyone currently connected by name. TRACK MIXER Toggle individual Ableton tracks on or off directly from the iPad. Want to drop the drums for a quieter moment or bring in extra instrumentation? Tap once. Mute presets save automatically per song and restore every time you navigate back to that song. AUTOMATIC SETUP MD Buddy finds the bridge app on your Mac automatically - no IP address, no manual configuration. Connect via Wi-Fi or plug in a USB-C cable for a rock-solid stage connection independent of the venue's network. Save named Trusted Connections in Settings for an instant one-tap reconnect anywhere Bonjour discovery is blocked. SETLIST CONTROL Drag songs to reorder your setlist for the night. Your order is remembered between sessions. One device is always the primary controller; every other device connects read-only as an Observer, so accidental taps can never disrupt playback. FLEXIBLE MARKER NAMING Works with your existing Ableton project. Name songs using the == Song Name == convention or simply drop a marker called "Start" - MD Buddy recognizes common words in English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, and Italian. DEMO MODE No bridge? No problem. Explore the full interface with sample songs before your first live use. ---MD Buddy requires the free MD Buddy Bridge companion app running on the Mac connected to Ableton Live. Compatible with Ableton Live 10, 11, and 12 (Standard or Suite). Not compatible with Intro or Lite editions. ---

Screenshots

Synesthesia Synth2 screens
MD_Buddy4 screens

Verdict

The call

Synesthesia Synth and MD_Buddy are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Synesthesia Synth ships an update every 10 days, MD_Buddy every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Synesthesia Synth versus MD_Buddy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSynesthesia SynthMD_Buddy
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size141 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMICHELE ZACCAGNINIWilliam Almond

In-app purchases

None

Synesthesia Synth

No in-app purchases

None

MD_Buddy

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Synesthesia Synth free?
Synesthesia Synth is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is MD_Buddy free?
MD_Buddy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Synesthesia Synth or MD_Buddy have ads?
Neither Synesthesia Synth nor MD_Buddy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Synesthesia Synth or MD_Buddy?
Synesthesia Synth ships an update every 10 days, and MD_Buddy every 3 weeks. Most recently, Synesthesia Synth was updated on October 3, 2026 and MD_Buddy on October 10, 2026.

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