Pinkish Trombone vs TraceSonic
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!
TraceSonic
Transform images into unique sounds by drawing on a spectral canvas. This app uses brush strokes and imported images to generate additive synthesis, offering a creative way to craft musical instruments and soundscapes.
- Draw on spectral canvas
- Import images to create sound
- 128 additive oscillators
- Multiple brush types
- Pitch snapping to scales
- MIDI note input
- Save custom patches
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TraceSonic turns pictures into sound. Paint directly on a spectral canvas and hear each mark become part of a playable additive instrument: horizontal position is time, height is pitch, and brightness controls the level of each partial. Start with an empty canvas and draw with solid, soft, textured, tapered, or harmonic brushes. Fill the canvas with generated patterns, or import an image and turn its brightness into sound. Pitch snapping keeps freehand marks on your selected scale. Shape your sound with: • 128 additive oscillators spanning four octaves • Seven classic waveforms and 12 built-in wavetables • Forward, reverse, and ping-pong scanning • Adjustable pass length and tempo-synchronized loops in compatible Audio Unit hosts • MIDI note input for retuning the complete canvas • More than 60 factory patches, including tones, sequences, gestures, textures, drones, and sound effects • User patches that save the canvas and its synthesis settings • Solid, harmonic, soft, textured, and tapered brush families • Undo, redo, erasing, pitch snapping, and scale selection Use TraceSonic as a standalone instrument on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, or load its AUv3 instrument in a compatible host.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Pinkish Trombone at $4.99 against TraceSonic's $7.99. On rating, ratings volume, update cadence and 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
Pinkish Trombone costs $4.99 and TraceSonic $7.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Pinkish Trombone against 5.0 for TraceSonic. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively.
Pinkish Trombone ships an update fortnightly, TraceSonic every 9 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.
| Parameter | Pinkish Trombone | TraceSonic |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 — better | $7.99 |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 55 MB | 7 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Aaron Meyers | r6 appz |
Customer experience
Pinkish Trombone
TraceSonic
In-app purchases
Pinkish Trombone
No in-app purchases
TraceSonic
No in-app purchases








