Comparison

GRAB EM Field Synth vs Roomtone

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

Head to head
About

GRAB EM Field Synth

This experimental synthesizer uses your iPhone's magnetic sensor to capture ambient electromagnetic waves and transform them into sound. Explore unique soundscapes by "playing" the electromagnetic noise from everyday electronics like power adapters and Wi-Fi routers.

Highlights
  • Electromagnetic wave to sound conversion
  • Multi-layered sound engine
  • Sensor-linked synth voices
  • Camera-driven tremolo effect
  • Bitcrush, comb filter, reverb, stutter effects
  • Ableton Link tempo synchronization
  • 3D point cloud frequency spectrum visualization
Features
Read full description

GRAB uses the magnetometer in your iPhone as an antenna. It receives the electromagnetic noise around you and turns it into sound in real time. Power adapters, motors, displays, Wi-Fi routers โ€” the invisible field they radiate becomes the source material, and you play it the way you would play a field recording. Move to a different room and the instrument sounds different. SOUND ENGINE โ€ข Five ETHER-inspired layers: mains hum / PWM buzz / static hiss / high squeal / pulse train โ€ข Three sensor-driven synth voices: saw / square / noise โ€ข With the camera on, light falling on the lens drives a tremolo across level and timbre EFFECTS โ€ข CRUSH โ€” bit crusher with sample-rate reduction โ€ข COMB โ€” comb filter with feedback โ€ข REVERB โ€” multi-tap reverb with shimmer โ€ข STUTTER โ€” BPM-synced gate โ€ข MUTE โ€” momentary kill switch; tap it repeatedly to articulate a tremolo by hand โ€ข HOLD latch on every effect pad, from the button or a second finger ABLETON LINK โ€ข Automatic tempo sync with Live, Logic and other iOS music apps โ€ข STUTTER locks to the Link tempo at 1/4, 1/8, 1/16 and 1/32 โ€ข Uses Ableton's official Link settings panel โ€ข Plays alongside other audio apps rather than interrupting them VISUALS โ€ข 3D point-cloud frequency spectrum โ€ข Spectrum bar mode โ€ข With the camera on, a grayscale image sits behind the field in depth WAYS TO PLAY โ€ข A field-sound tool: walk it past appliances and hear the timbre shift โ€ข An atmospheric noise source to drop into a live set โ€ข A platform for experimenting with electromagnetic noise music PRIVACY All audio is processed on the device. Nothing is recorded and nothing is sent anywhere. Ableton Link communicates only within your local Wi-Fi network.

About

Roomtone

Features
Read full description

Roomtone is a lens that transforms the sounds around you into ambient music, in real time. Sounds picked up by the microphone are dissolved, stretched, and reshaped into a new space. The quiet of your room, rain, the hum of an air conditioner, distant voices โ€” ordinary surroundings become music that exists only in that moment. The same sound never plays twice. TAPE DECAY โ€” vast silence of a worn-out tape LABYRINTH โ€” folding echoes POOL โ€” ripples beneath the surface PRISM โ€” sound, refracted INNER BODY โ€” pulse from within RAIN DESK โ€” rain on your desk PROMENADE โ€” music for walking DEEP SEA โ€” pressure of the deep CHOP COLLECTOR SATOSHI โ€” collected fragments MANHOLE โ€” resonance underground LAST TRAIN โ€” after the last train Best experienced with headphones. Background playback supported. No recording, no storage, no transmission. No network connection. No tracking, no account, no ads.

Screenshots

GRAB EM Field Synth4 screens
Roomtone4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Roomtone at Free against GRAB EM Field Synth's $3.99. GRAB EM Field Synth's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 10 days). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Roomtone is free to download; GRAB EM Field Synth costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

GRAB EM Field Synth ships an update daily, Roomtone every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 6 level
GRAB EM Field Synth versus Roomtone: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGRAB EM Field SynthRoomtone
Price$3.99Free โ€” better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviewsโ€”
Update frequencyDaily โ€” betterEvery 10 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidโ€”
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size2 MB38 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHiroya TanakaHANDSUM.INC

In-app purchases

None

GRAB EM Field Synth

No in-app purchases

None

Roomtone

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is GRAB EM Field Synth free?
GRAB EM Field Synth costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Roomtone free?
Roomtone is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do GRAB EM Field Synth or Roomtone have ads?
Neither GRAB EM Field Synth nor Roomtone shows ads.
Which is updated more often, GRAB EM Field Synth or Roomtone?
GRAB EM Field Synth ships an update daily, and Roomtone every 10 days. Most recently, GRAB EM Field Synth was updated on October 11, 2026 and Roomtone on October 4, 2026.

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