Aether Synth vs BloopMachine
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Aether Synth
This music creation app offers a professional synthesizer engine with dual-layer sound design and rhythmic motion. It can be used as a standalone workstation or as an AUv3 instrument within compatible iOS hosts for recording and production.
- AUv3 instrument support
- Standalone synth workstation
- Dual preset layering
- Melodic and drum sequencers
- Sampler tools
- Multitrack audio workspace
- Arpeggiator and motion controls
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Aether Synth is an AUv3 synthesizer, sequencer and sampler for iPhone Duo, iPhone and iPad, built for creating expressive sounds that move. Start with a sound, combine two sounds into something new, introduce motion, build a pattern, capture a sample, or simply play. Aether brings synthesis, sequencing, sampling and performance together in one instrument designed to keep ideas moving. CREATE YOUR OWN SOUND Build rich synth patches for pads, basses, leads, textures, atmospheres and evolving sounds. Aether is designed to make sound creation immediate. Shape a patch directly, explore presets for inspiration, or use Random Sound to discover combinations you might not have reached manually. The result can become a finished sound or the starting point for something completely different. DUAL — TWO SOUNDS BECOME ONE Dual lets you combine two independent sounds into a new composite instrument. Choose a sound for A. Choose another for B. Blend between them and shape the result. The two sides can complement each other, contrast with each other, or create something that neither patch produces alone. Save your favorite Blends and return to them later. MAKE SOUNDS MOVE Aether is built around motion as part of the instrument. Use Motion and Random Motion to animate sound over time and create patches that evolve rather than remain static. Movement can be subtle and organic or become a major rhythmic part of the sound. This makes Aether especially suited to evolving pads, shifting textures, rhythmic sounds and patches that respond like performances rather than snapshots. SEQUENCE IDEAS Turn sounds into patterns with Aether's built-in sequencer. Create melodic and rhythmic phrases, experiment with different rates and musical feels, and develop ideas without leaving the instrument. The arpeggiator provides another immediate way to transform held notes and chords into movement, while tempo synchronization keeps rhythmic material locked to the music. SAMPLING Capture and work with audio directly inside Aether. Use sampling alongside synthesis to bring recorded material into the same creative environment as your patches, patterns and performances. A sample can become part of a larger musical idea instead of living in a separate workflow. PERFORM Aether is designed to be played. Use the keyboard and performance controls to shape sounds in real time, then connect a MIDI controller when you want a more traditional playing experience. Velocity, sustain and expressive controls allow patches to respond dynamically instead of behaving like static presets. DISCOVER INSTEAD OF SEARCHING Sometimes you know exactly what sound you want. Sometimes you don't. Random Sound and Random Motion make exploration part of the workflow. Generate a new direction, keep what works, reshape it, combine it with another sound in Dual, and continue from there. The goal is not randomness for its own sake. It is getting from a blank idea to something musically useful quickly. STANDALONE OR AUV3 Use Aether as a standalone instrument on iPhone and iPad, or load it as an AUv3 instrument inside compatible hosts and DAWs. That means the same sound-design environment can work as an instrument on its own or become part of a larger mobile production setup. BUILT FOR MUSICIANS Aether brings together: • Synthesizer sound design • Dual layered instruments and saved Blends • Motion and evolving sound • Random Sound and Random Motion • Preset exploration • Sequencing • Arpeggiation • Sampling • Performance controls • MIDI • Standalone operation • AUv3 plugin support Whether you're designing an evolving ambient texture, building a bass or lead, creating a rhythmic patch, experimenting with layered sounds, or starting a new musical idea from scratch, Aether is designed to keep the distance between inspiration and sound as short as possible. Create a sound. Make it move. Turn it into music.
BloopMachine
Create unique electronic music with a monophonic synth-sequencer. Generate acid lines and glitchy textures with a chaotic yet musical approach. Shape sounds with a versatile FX section and build full tracks with pattern chaining and song mode.
- Monophonic wavetable synth with resonant filter
- Deep step sequencer with parameter automation
- Mutate function for unpredictable sound design
- 5-effect FX section with parameter sequencing
- 48 patterns and Song mode for track building
- Real-time audio recording and export
- AUv3 plugin support
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BloopMachine is a monophonic synth-sequencer built for acid lines, glitchy textures and generative electronic music. Inspired by the sound worlds of Aphex Twin, Autechre and Morton Subotnick, it behaves like a TB-303 pushed way past the edge: squelchy, alive and gloriously unpredictable. At its heart is a wavetable synth with a resonant filter, driven by a deep step sequencer that can automate every parameter. Lean into the machine's love of chaos: the Mutate function reshapes your entire patch in one tap, turning simple sequences into organic, ever-shifting patterns that always stay musical. Shape your sound with a 5-effect FX section: Ring Modulator, Distortion, Chorus, Delay and Reverb, and sequence or mutate those parameters too, for movement and grit that evolves bar after bar. Build full tracks with 48 patterns and a Song mode that chains them into a timeline. Save your favourite machines as presets, then capture the result with real-time audio recording. Run it standalone or as an AUv3 plugin inside your favourite host, on iPhone, iPad and Mac. BloopMachine is free to download and explore. Unlock the full version with a single in-app purchase to use the complete FX section, access all 48 patterns, build tracks in Song mode, save and manage your own presets, export your music with real-time recording, and enable Undo. Features: • Monophonic wavetable synth with resonant filter • Synth octave, shape, decay, tone, phase & LFO parameters • Synth bend function • Mutate function for all synth parameters • Step sequencer for note, octave and all synth parameters • Variable step count up to 32 steps • FX module with 5 effects: Ring Modulator, Distortion, Chorus, Delay & Reverb (Full version) • Mutate function for all FX parameters • Step sequencer for all FX parameters • 48 patterns (Full version) • Song mode & Timeline (Full version) • Sequencer tempo & swing support • Audio export with real-time recording (Full version) • Undo function (Full version) • User presets management (Full version) • User presets import & export (Full version) • AudioUnit (AUv3) support More to come, new features are on their way (Midi mapping & Midi In clock support, Ableton Link, …). Questions or feedback? We'd love to hear from you: contact@fingerlab.net Enjoy BloopMachine! Fingerlab Team
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: BloopMachine at Free against Aether Synth's $2.99. BloopMachine also leads on device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). Aether Synth's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 3.7) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). On 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
BloopMachine is free to download; Aether Synth costs $2.99 up front. BloopMachine sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Aether Synth asks for nothing beyond the download.
Aether Synth holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 10 and 3 respectively.
| Parameter | Aether Synth | BloopMachine |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (10 ratings) — better | 3.7 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 62.5% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 10 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 35 MB | 13 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jacob Kirk | Fingerlab |
In-app purchases
Aether Synth
No in-app purchases
BloopMachine
- BloopMachine - Full Version$6.99









