Arctic ProSynth vs mTonal
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Arctic ProSynth
Create bold and tough electronic music with a modern subtractive synthesizer. Explore rich sound design with powerful oscillators, dual filters, and versatile effects. Record and share your creations easily.
- HyperOscillators for fat sounds
- Dual multi-mode filters
- Master effects with adjustable order
- Integrated Vocoder
- 16x4 gated step sequencer
- Live audio and MIDI recording
- Preset and bank sharing
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Be rude. Be rough. Be bold. Be tough! Arctic Pro Synthesizer / Vocoder is a modern subtractive synthesizer. It does not aim to accurately model or re-create vintage synths of yesteryear. Instead Arctic Pro offers the contemporary synthesist a rude, rough, bold and tough palette of sound to get stuck into. Including two massively fat HyperOscillators, dual filters, and easy to re-order master effects. While the Vocoder, used in conjunction with a suitable microphone, adds an extra dimension to your musical performance. HyperOscillators =========== Combine two HyperOscillators and one Sub Oscillator for some seriously fat sounds. Layer up to 8 oscillators in unison to create very thick and powerful tones. Spread detune and Mix these separate oscillators in real-time. More than just a "SuperSaw" - it's also a Super-square and Super-triangle. Powerful Presets =========== Legendary sound designer John ‘Skippy’ Lehmkuhl has exclusively designed the factory presets. John has worked as a professional sound designer since 1988 for Korg - making patches, combinations, drum kits as well as creating the sample data for almost every synth Korg has released since the M1. If you have owned one of these historic synthesizers you have heard John's presets. Sharing ===== Arctic Pro includes everything you need to record and share your audio and MIDI with others. Live record to WAV and MIDI files. Use AudioCopy, open audio directly in apps, or share with Kymatica AudioShare. Presets and Banks can be emailed and transferred via Wi-Fi and iTunes Files Sharing. And of course we also support Audiobus. SPECIFICATION ========== • Synthesis: analog modelling • Polyphony: up to 4 voices • HyperOscillators: 2 per voice, alias free, saw, triangle and square with pulse width, hard sync, ring mod, noise generator, sub-oscillator • Filter: 2 multi-mode resonating filter with 4 filter types and variable routing • Envelopes: mod, filter and amp ADSR envelopes with adjust curve • Modulation: 2 LFOs with multiple wave shapes, sample and hold, 3 routable destinations per LFO, independently sync-able • Effects: stereo master effect processors with adjustable order: 3-band EQ, Distortion, Chorus, Phaser, Vocoder, Delay, Reverb • Arpeggiator: classic arpeggiator with octave shift, MIDI-sync-able • Sequencer: 16 x 4 gated step sequencer with multiple modulation destinations, MIDI-sync-able • Keyboard: glissando, scroll, multi-touch poly pitch bend and aftertouch • Works with Wizdom Music's Geo Synthesizer continuous pitch bend • Polyphonic Aftertouch for use with CME Xkey FEATURES ======== • Inter-App Audio for iOS 7 • Audiobus • AudioCopy 2.0 • MIDI Learn • Live phrase recorder with audio and MIDI export • File and patch sharing via iTunes File Sharing, e-mail and Wi-Fi • Supports external MIDI in and out via CoreMIDI Networking and USB with the Camera Connection Kit • Audio background operation • Virtual MIDI Ports • Open Music App Collaboration compliant Requirements: iPad 2 or later recommended iOS 7.0 or later
mTonal
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mTonal is an expressive 24-tone keyboard synth that can be used to smoothly glide across the frequency spectrum, something which is not possible with a regular MIDI keyboard controller. It can send MIDI information to digital audio workstations (DAWs) that support MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE), making this app extremely versatile for recording and processing microtonal MIDI data. Record audio files using the synth presets of the app and share them across other apps, email, or social media. BASICS Explore the world of quarter-tone music using this 24-tone keyboard. Blue keys between the white and black keys mark the quarter-tones. Switch between octaves using the octave controls on the upper-right corner of the keyboard. Choose between three keyboard layouts: one octave, two octaves, and seven octaves. The seven-octave layout gives you a wide range of tonal possibilities without taking the size of a grand piano. Use the warning button to clear any unreleased touches in the synth. MIDI FUNCTIONALITY Send MIDI information to various DAWs and software synthesizers that support MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression) like Logic Pro, Cubase, and Max/MSP. You have the option of using a wired, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth MIDI connection, and you can change the connection anytime using the settings button on the upper-left corner of the keyboard. FEATURES Turn on gliding to smoothly transition between two notes and create a microtonal soundscape. Use the cents button to display the note's cents value for precise control over the pitch. Familiarize yourself with the keyboard’s layout using the notes button, which displays the note names on top of the keyboard. For more expressiveness in playing, activate the velocity feature to control note velocity based on the touch size. Hold notes for an extended period of time even after they have been released using the pedal. EFFECTS Apply delay and reverb to customize the sound. These effects only apply to the app's synth presets and will not be sent through MIDI out. RECORD, PLAY, SHARE Record and save your favorite tunes to the iPad. The files are saved in .m4a format. Once recorded, the audio files can be played back in the app. The files can be shared through email, social media, or between other apps. You can also organize your audio files and delete unwanted ones from the iPad to free up space.
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: mTonal at fortnightly against Arctic ProSynth's every 4 months. mTonal also leads on price ($4.99 vs $9.99) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). On ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
Arctic ProSynth costs $9.99 and mTonal $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Arctic ProSynth ships an update every 4 months, mTonal fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on June 10, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Arctic ProSynth | mTonal |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 | $4.99 — better |
| Rating | 3.3 (8 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 71.4% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 8 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPad | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 47 MB | 7 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | One Red Dog Media | Skeflect |
In-app purchases
Arctic ProSynth
No in-app purchases
mTonal
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Arctic ProSynth free?
Is mTonal free?
Do Arctic ProSynth or mTonal have ads?
Which is updated more often, Arctic ProSynth or mTonal?
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