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.
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.
- 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
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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 โข Five ETHER-inspired layers: mains hum / PWM buzz / static hiss / high squeal / pulse train โข Three sensor-driven synth voices: saw / square / noise โข With the camera on, light falling on the lens drives a tremolo across level and timbre EFFECTS โข CRUSH โ bit crusher with sample-rate reduction โข COMB โ comb filter with feedback โข REVERB โ multi-tap reverb with shimmer โข STUTTER โ BPM-synced gate โข MUTE โ momentary kill switch; tap it repeatedly to articulate a tremolo by hand โข HOLD latch on every effect pad, from the button or a second finger ABLETON LINK โข Automatic tempo sync with Live, Logic and other iOS music apps โข STUTTER locks to the Link tempo at 1/4, 1/8, 1/16 and 1/32 โข Uses Ableton's official Link settings panel โข Plays alongside other audio apps rather than interrupting them VISUALS โข 3D point-cloud frequency spectrum โข Spectrum bar mode โข With the camera on, a grayscale image sits behind the field in depth WAYS TO PLAY โข A field-sound tool: walk it past appliances and hear the timbre shift โข An atmospheric noise source to drop into a live set โข 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.
Roomtone
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
| Parameter | GRAB EM Field Synth | Roomtone |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 | Free โ better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | โ |
| Update frequency | Daily โ better | Every 10 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | โ |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 38 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Hiroya Tanaka | HANDSUM.INC |
In-app purchases
GRAB EM Field Synth
No in-app purchases
Roomtone
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is GRAB EM Field Synth free?
Is Roomtone free?
Do GRAB EM Field Synth or Roomtone have ads?
Which is updated more often, GRAB EM Field Synth or Roomtone?
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