Mochizuki vs Beat Kitchen Harmonic Synth
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Mochizuki
This is a subtractive synthesizer application featuring four oscillators. It offers a platform for creating and manipulating sounds. More detailed information is available on the product website.
- Subtractive synthesis
- Four oscillators
- AUv3 plugin support
- Sound manipulation
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Mochizuki is a polyphonic synthesizer built around four oscillators and two filters. The four oscillators can be mixed in parallel or connected in series to create more complex sounds. Each oscillator can also be configured as one of four types: AM, FM, Noise, or Resonator. Most parameters can be modulated using a wide range of modulation sources, including envelopes, LFOs, step sequencers, macros, and per-note expression such as pitch bend and slide. Signals from each oscillator and filter can be routed individually, with independent control over their destinations and levels. This makes it possible to create flexible and complex signal routings, combining conventional serial connections with parallel paths and multiple signal paths. For more information, including the user manual, compatibility details, and important notices, please visit the product website. iceGear Instruments https://icegear.net/
Beat Kitchen Harmonic Synth
Shape the overtone series directly to create unique sounds. This additive synthesizer allows real-time manipulation of harmonics, LFOs, and envelopes. Explore sound design and synthesis on your device.
- Additive synthesis engine
- Overtone series shaping
- Live waveform and spectrum response
- Modulation matrix with LFOs and envelopes
- AUv3 support
- On-device processing
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BKS Harmonic is an additive synthesizer that builds sound from individual overtones, then gives you tools to shape, scan and filter them by harmony. Load it as an Audio Unit v3 inside AUM, GarageBand, Cubasis, Loopy Pro or any AUv3 host, or run it standalone. A TUNER THAT KNOWS ABOUT STRETCH Tune mode turns the scope into a tuner: it names the note it hears and shows how far sharp or flat it is in cents, with a ring that closes as you land on the pitch. It tunes against the stretch curve rather than equal temperament, so it follows a real instrument. Stretch shapes the overtones inside a note; Key Stretch makes the keyboard follow it, so octaves widen the way a piano's do. FOURTEEN TUNING SYSTEMS, AND A TEMPERAMENT EDITOR Equal and Just, five historical temperaments, and six from outside the European tradition including Maqam Rast, Turkish Rast, Slendro, Pelog and the Harmonic Series. The Temperament slider is a morph, not a switch: fully left is Just, fully right is whichever you chose. Twelve bars show any system as cents away from equal; drag one to make the tuning yours, then copy it out as plain text. Tunings save with the preset. FIVE HUNDRED SCALES Searchable by alternate name: malkauns, nikriz, bhupali and freygish find the right set. THE PARTIALS ARE THE INSTRUMENT The partials display shows every overtone in your sound, and four tools work on it directly. FOLD sweeps upper partials below the fundamental, redistributing energy across harmonic layers — not a filter. The OVERTONE SCAN steps a spotlight through individual partials with triangle, saw or random patterns, and can visit only partials in the active scale. The HARMONIC GATE reinforces partials whose pitch class matches your chord and suppresses the rest: capture a chord, follow MIDI, split the keyboard, or pick the notes on the gate's own keys. SCULPT draws the level and pan of every partial, slides the curve up the grid as a formant, and locks partials in place while the rest moves. THE HARMONIC VOCODER Pass live input or a sample through the synth as an effect. Your sound travels through a bank of tuned peaking bells rather than being replaced by filtered noise: open the Air and the source stays dry, tighten it and the bands resonate into it. Key Track is the mode switch: on it plays as an instrument, off it is a fixed filter you can sweep. Aimed at a sample, the bands track that sample's spectrum as it evolves. One level-matched Blend control crossfades it against the oscillators. PULSE-WIDTH MODULATION Set the core to a saw and Source 2 to a saw: the two ramps subtract, which is what a pulse wave is, and the phase between them sets the duty cycle. Modulate it and you have PWM. A preset in the Utility folder is ready to play. MODULATION A cog on almost every control, so the synth's own engine can drive nearly anything in the interface, including the display. Sources include velocity, envelopes, LFOs, how many notes you hold, how many oscillators sound, the synth's own output level, and Atmo, a shape driven by 84 years of barometric weather data from the Beat Kitchen Weather Sonification Project. Rates run from audio rate down to cycles that span years. THE SCOPE A stereoscope, oscilloscope, spectrum and a live per-partial display. Glow takes the trace from a hard line to a diffuse bloom, Colour sets the hue, Trace Speed and Dot set how it draws — and every one is a modulation target. Route velocity to Colour and the trace shifts as you play. LIVE INPUT A headphone button passes the side-chain straight to the output, so you can hear and see your input with nothing held: green when signal arrives, amber when a bus is connected but silent, red when nothing is. Resynth Speed locks a sample's playback speed to pitch, tape-style, or keeps them independent. Every control has a tooltip, presets work offline, and a harmony wheel follows what you play. One purchase, every update. Made by Beat Kitchen, a music production and teaching community.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Beat Kitchen Harmonic Synth at 100% against Mochizuki's 57%. Beat Kitchen Harmonic Synth also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.8) and update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 weeks). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Mochizuki sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and Beat Kitchen Harmonic Synth sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Beat Kitchen Harmonic Synth holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 13 and 12 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of Mochizuki's written reviews are positive against 100% of Beat Kitchen Harmonic Synth's.
Mochizuki ships an update every 2 weeks, Beat Kitchen Harmonic Synth every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Mochizuki | Beat Kitchen Harmonic Synth |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.8 (13 ratings) | 4.8 (12 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 57.1% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 13 — better | 12 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 38 MB | 60 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | iceWorks, Inc. | Beat Kitchen LLC |
Customer experience
Mochizuki
Beat Kitchen Harmonic Synth
In-app purchases
Mochizuki
- Free 7-day trialFree
- Small Tip$1.00
- Medium Tip$3.00
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- Large Tip$5.00
- Core Features$20.00
Beat Kitchen Harmonic Synth
- Full Unlock$14.99
Questions
Is Mochizuki free?
Is Beat Kitchen Harmonic Synth free?
Which has better reviews, Mochizuki or Beat Kitchen Harmonic Synth?
Do Mochizuki or Beat Kitchen Harmonic Synth have ads?
Which is updated more often, Mochizuki or Beat Kitchen Harmonic Synth?
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