Pinkish Trombone vs Microtonal Lab
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Pinkish Trombone
This app is a studio-ready instrument for iOS, expanding on a classic web-based speech synthesizer. It offers multitouch playability with modulation options and automatable parameters, functioning as a standalone app or AUV3.
- Articulatory speech synthesizer
- Multitouch playability
- Modulation options
- Automatable parameters
- Standalone app
- AUV3 support
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Based on Neil Thapen's classic web-based interactive articulatory speech synthesizer, Pink Trombone, Pinkish expands the original into a studio-ready instrument for iOS. While staying faithful to the original's multitouch playability, Pinkish Trombone adds a suite of modulation options and automatable parameters that breath new life into that venerable vocal tract. Pinkish Trombone operates as a standalone app as well as an AUV3 so you can use it in any of your favorite iOS DAW apps. Apple Silicon macOS users can even use it in Ableton Live!
Microtonal Lab
Explore music beyond the traditional 12-note scale with this comprehensive microtonal studio. Create custom scales, play a microtonal keyboard, sequence patterns, and perform live with a launchpad. Export your creations as MIDI files for further production.
- Harmonic Galaxy visualizer
- Microtonal keyboard with custom scales
- 32-step sequencer with FX
- Launchpad for live performance
- Extensive world scale library
- Multiple tuning systems support
- MIDI export for DAWs
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Microtonal Lab is a complete microtonal music studio for iOS. Break free from the 12-note octave and explore the infinite space between the notes. AUv3 PLUGIN Use MicrotonalLab as a plugin inside GarageBand, AUM, Cubasis, Drambo, and any AUv3-compatible host. The full step sequencer, tuning system, and SF2 instruments are available directly in your DAW. Record sequences as MIDI regions with automatic tempo sync. HARMONIC GALAXY Discover musical intervals as a visual universe. Every dot is an interval above the root — its size shows consonance, its color shows its position in the octave, and its number shows the exact distance in cents. Pinch to zoom and new microtones emerge from the depths. Build custom scales by tapping intervals and save them to your library. MICROTONAL KEYBOARD A fully playable keyboard with exact microtonal tuning. Choose from piano, strings, marimba, vibes, bass, pad, flute, or synthesized waveforms. Activate any scale from the library and the keyboard reconfigures to show precisely those notes. Supports glide between notes for expressive playing. STEP SEQUENCER A 16-step sequencer with microtonal note assignment per step, velocity, gate, and swing control. Syncs to the host tempo in AUv3 mode. LAUNCHPAD A grid-based launchpad for live performance. Rows correspond to scale degrees, columns to time — tap to toggle notes and play your patterns in real time. SCALE LIBRARY Browse world scales from dozens of musical traditions, including Arabic maqam, Indian ragas, Persian dastgah, Javanese gamelan, and many more. Preview any scale, then activate it across all views with one tap. TUNING SYSTEMS Switch between 12-TET, 19-TET, 24-TET, 31-TET, and 53-TET. Full access to all scale degrees in the sequencer for every tuning system. MIDI EXPORT Export your sequences to standard MIDI files with full microtonal pitch bend on each channel. Import directly into any DAW for further production. FX Filter (low-pass with cutoff and resonance), reverb (from small room to cathedral), and delay — all controllable via XY pads in real time during playback. Microtonal Lab is built for composers, sound designers, music theorists, and anyone curious about the music that lives between the keys.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Pinkish Trombone at 5.0 against Microtonal Lab's 1.0. Pinkish Trombone also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months) and price ($4.99 vs $6.99). On ratings volume, 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
Pinkish Trombone costs $4.99 and Microtonal Lab $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Pinkish Trombone holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively.
Pinkish Trombone ships an update fortnightly, Microtonal Lab every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Pinkish Trombone | Microtonal Lab |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 — better | $6.99 |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | 1.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 55 MB | 90 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Aaron Meyers | Martin Adler |
Customer experience
Pinkish Trombone
Microtonal Lab
In-app purchases
Pinkish Trombone
No in-app purchases
Microtonal Lab
No in-app purchases









