Comparison

Transcriby vs VAPolyEnsemble

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

Head to head
About

Transcriby

Features
Read full description

Transcribe music by ear, faster. Transcriby helps musicians, students, and music teachers figure out songs by ear. Load any audio file or video from your device, slow it down without changing the pitch, loop the tricky bars, and visually scrub through the waveform until every note clicks into place. Designed for iPad in landscape β€” also great on iPhone in portrait β€” Transcriby gives you the controls professional transcription software has, in an app that opens in two taps. WHAT YOU CAN DO β€’ Load any audio or video. MP3, WAV, FLAC, M4A, MP4, MOV β€” anything iOS can play. β€’ Slow down without pitch shift. Drop to 25% speed and the music stays in the same key, so you can hear every nuance without re-tuning your instrument. β€’ Loop a section. Tap Set In where the phrase begins, scrub to the end, tap Set Out β€” the loop activates instantly and plays back gaplessly. β€’ See the music. The full waveform fills the screen. Pinch to zoom up to 64Γ—, swipe up while dragging to scrub with sub-second precision. β€’ Move loops freely. Drag the loop region to slide it through the song, drag the green or orange handle to resize either edge. β€’ Works with video, too. If you load a video file, the picture appears above the waveform β€” swipe sideways on the video to scrub through time. WHY MUSICIANS USE TRANSCRIBY You shouldn't need a desktop DAW or a monthly transcription subscription just to figure out a guitar solo or a chord voicing. Transcriby is built around the workflow you actually use: load β†’ loop β†’ slow β†’ repeat. No accounts, no clouds, no friction. REMOVE ADS β€” A ONE-TIME PURCHASE The free version is supported by banner ads and an occasional full-screen ad between file loads. The optional Remove Ads in-app purchase ($8.99, one-time) removes every ad permanently across all your devices signed in to the same Apple ID. PRIVACY Your music stays on your device. Files are copied to Transcriby's private folder, played back locally, and never uploaded anywhere. The full privacy policy is linked from the in-app settings menu.

About

VAPolyEnsemble

Create rich, detuned synthesizer sounds with a powerful unison oscillator and multiple stereo filters. This app offers a built-in step sequencer, a variety of effects, and extensive MIDI support. It functions as a standalone application or an AudioUnit Extension for music production workflows.

Highlights
  • Unison oscillator with 7 detuned waves per voice
  • Stereo resonant low-pass and high-pass filters
  • Stereo amplifier
  • 3-channel analog-style step sequencer
  • Built-in delay, chorus, flanger, reverb, EQ, and compressor
  • Standalone and AUv3 extension support
  • Ableton Link and MIDI 2.0 support
Features
Read full description

VAPolyEnsemble features a unison oscillator that can produce seven detuned saw, pulse, or triangle waves per voice. It is followed by a stereo resonant low-pass filter, a stereo resonant high-pass filter, and a stereo amplifier. VAPolyEnsemble 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 Unison oscillator that can produce seven detuned saw, pulse, or triangle waves per voice. Stereo VCF and Stereo VCA. Low pass Filter is modeled on cascaded OTA -24dB per octave low pass filter circuit. 3 channel analog style step sequencer. - 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 Ableton Link, Bluetooth MIDI, MIDI In / Out. - Works on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Support iCloud Drive to share project files between the platforms. - Support MIDI Foot Pedal (CC#11, CC#64) - MIDI CC Settings are saved. It will be recovered when the app launched in the next time. - Selectable UI Color. - Font size for title of controls are adjustable. - Factory Preset 128 - Effects Preset 40 System Requirements - iOS 17.0 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 don’t support AudioUnit Extension. - Sound may be distorted if CPU of the device doesn't have enough power. If it happens reduce number of voices.

Screenshots

Transcriby3 screens
VAPolyEnsemble4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Transcriby at Free against VAPolyEnsemble's $14.99. VAPolyEnsemble's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On 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

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Transcriby is free to download; VAPolyEnsemble costs $14.99 up front. Transcriby sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. VAPolyEnsemble asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard4 real differences Β· 4 level
Transcriby versus VAPolyEnsemble: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTranscribyVAPolyEnsemble
PriceFree β€” better$14.99
Positive reviewsβ€”100.0% of reviews
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksβ€”
AdsYesNo β€” better
In-app purchasesYesNo β€” better
Monetizationβ€”Paid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac β€” better
Requires iOS26.416.6 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size7 MB18 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJun Young LeeRyo Togawa

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Transcriby

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$8.99
None

VAPolyEnsemble

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Transcriby free?
Transcriby is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is VAPolyEnsemble free?
VAPolyEnsemble costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Transcriby or VAPolyEnsemble have ads?
Transcriby shows ads; VAPolyEnsemble does not.

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