Comparison

Arctic ProSynth vs VisualSound

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Read full description

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

About

VisualSound

This app is a modular instrument that synthesizes sound and visuals using a unified patching system. Explore over 140 modules for audio, control, and graphics, and even generate custom effects with AI. It's designed for performance and integrates with your existing studio setup.

Highlights
  • Unified sound and visual patching
  • Over 140 modules (sound, control, visuals, code)
  • AI-powered module creation
  • GPU-native visuals
  • Performance-oriented features
  • AUv3 integration and hosting
  • Cross-device functionality (iPad, Mac, iPhone)
Read full description

---- Launch offer — introductory pricing for a limited time. The price goes up after launch week: now is the moment to patch in --- VisualSound is a modular instrument where sound and image are made of the same material. One canvas, one cable language: patch an oscillator into a filter, then patch the same signal into light, liquid and geometry. Nothing is a visualizer bolted on top — the picture IS the patch. ONE CANVAS, FIVE REALMS More than 140 modules across sound, control, visuals, geometry and code. Drag a cable and anything can play anything: an envelope strikes a fluid simulation, a sequencer bends a shader, a camera feed becomes an oscillator. INSTRUMENTS WITH OPINIONS • VYPER — a snarling acid bassline machine with slides, accents and pattern morphing. • KINETIC — a step-sequenced drum machine built on lovingly recorded classic analog kits. • KEYS — a playable polyphonic keyboard panel; on Mac, your QWERTY becomes the keybed. • SEQ, LFO, ENV, granular engines, a looper, a tape-stop, reels you can scrub like vinyl. LIGHT AS SIGNAL GPU-native visuals: shaders, feedback, bloom, fluid dynamics, sculpted 3D geometry. Point the camera at the world and use it as a texture. OCULUS tracks your hands and face so you can play parameters by moving. WRITE YOUR OWN MODULES — OR JUST ASK GRAIN is VisualSound's per-sample DSP language: code your own audio and visual processors right on the canvas. Tap the wand, describe the effect in plain English — "a dark tape echo that wobbles" — and an AI running entirely ON YOUR DEVICE writes the code, compiles it, and tells you honestly when something isn't possible. No cloud, no account. It works in airplane mode. (The AI brain is a free one-time download.) BUILT TO PERFORM Eight scenes with beat-synced morphing, motion loops, MIDI learn on everything, a timeline that can bend the tempo itself. Record your performance — audio and video — straight out of the app. PLAYS WELL WITH YOUR STUDIO Runs as an AUv3 instrument inside your DAW, and HOSTS your AUv3 synths and effects inside the canvas. MIDI in and out. Background audio. Files in, stems out. YOUR IPHONE IS THE REMOTE Install VisualSound on iPhone and it becomes VS Remote: a wireless control surface for the instrument running on your iPad or Mac, over your local network. No setup, no cloud. ONE PURCHASE, EVERY SCREEN Buy once and VisualSound is yours on iPad, Mac and iPhone. Same patches, same engine — the Mac gets QWERTY keys and plugin hosting depth, the iPad gets ten fingers on glass. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No accounts, no analytics, no ads. Your patches, recordings and prompts never leave your device. Privacy policy: https://visualsound.app/privacy/ Open the app and you land on Welcome — a living patch, already playing, wired for you to pull apart. That's the whole philosophy: understanding by unscrewing. Sound and light, patched together.

Screenshots

VisualSound2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Arctic ProSynth at $9.99 against VisualSound's $19.99. Arctic ProSynth also leads on ratings volume (8 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.0). VisualSound's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 3.3) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 4 months). On ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Arctic ProSynth costs $9.99 and VisualSound $19.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

VisualSound holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Arctic ProSynth has 8 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Arctic ProSynth ships an update every 4 months, VisualSound every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Arctic ProSynth versus VisualSound: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterArctic ProSynthVisualSound
Price$9.99 — better$19.99
Rating3.3 (8 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews71.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings8 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS15.6 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size47 MB40 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOne Red Dog MediaMike Gazzaruso

Customer experience

Arctic ProSynth

All ratings8 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral12.5%
Negative37.5%
Written reviews28 reviews
Positive71.4%
Neutral3.6%
Negative25.0%

VisualSound

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Arctic ProSynth

No in-app purchases

None

VisualSound

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Arctic ProSynth free?
Arctic ProSynth costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is VisualSound free?
VisualSound costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Arctic ProSynth or VisualSound?
VisualSound is rated higher. Arctic ProSynth averages 3.3 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while VisualSound averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Arctic ProSynth or VisualSound have ads?
Neither Arctic ProSynth nor VisualSound shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Arctic ProSynth or VisualSound?
Arctic ProSynth ships an update every 4 months, and VisualSound every 2 days. Most recently, Arctic ProSynth was updated on November 1, 2026 and VisualSound on October 31, 2026.

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