Ring Modulator vs Ember
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Ring Modulator
This app creates unique metallic and bell-like timbres by multiplying two audio signals. It offers three modes for versatile sound design, from internal oscillators to sidechaining external audio.
- Ring modulation effect
- Dual input capability
- Three distinct modes (OSC+OSC, INPUT+OSC, INPUT+SIDECHAIN)
- Mono and stereo input support
- Adjustable carrier and modulator frequencies
- Mix and output gain controls
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Ring modulation multiplies two signals together sample by sample. The result contains the sum and difference of their frequencies, the sidebands, while the original carrier and modulator tones are suppressed. This produces the metallic, bell-like, and clangorous inharmonic timbres associated with classic ring modulators, from robot voices to detuned percussion. Signal path: the carrier is multiplied by the modulator to form the wet signal, Mix blends that against the dry carrier, and Output applies a final makeup gain. Ring Modulator is usable in three modes and can take either mono or stereo inputs. The host app must support mixing to bus inputs or sidechaining in order to use Ring Modulator with dual input. Outputs mono signal. OSC + OSC Both carrier and modulator are internal sine oscillators, set by Car Freq and Mod Freq. Produces classic two-tone ring modulation with no input required, good for bell tones and metallic drones. INPUT + OSC The carrier is your track's audio and the modulator is the internal sine at Mod Freq. This is the standard ring-mod effect: it turns voices and instruments metallic or robotic and adds inharmonic sidebands. This is the default mode. INPUT + SIDECHAIN The carrier is the main input and the modulator is a second, independent input routed into the plugin's sidechain bus. Use it to ring-modulate one track by another, for example a vocal shaped by a drum loop or synth pad. This requires a host that supports sidechain routing; if nothing is routed to the sidechain, the input passes through dry. Car Freq and Mod Freq do not apply in this mode.
Ember
This app offers a versatile guitar drive experience, combining overdrive, fuzz, and compression into a single unit. It provides three distinct sound profiles and extensive control over tone, bite, and bias for studio or stage use.
- Integrated overdrive, fuzz, and compression
- Three distinct sound voices: Warm, Drive, Ravage
- Adjustable drive, tone, bite, and bias controls
- AUv3 support for hosts like GarageBand and Logic Pro
- MIDI learn for hands-free control
- Standalone app for practice and recording
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Ember is a full drive chain in one pedal — not another single-circuit distortion. A gritty, tweed-flavored overdrive sits on the bottom, a filthy fuzz runs layered on top, and compression is built in. It's the stacked-amps sound that normally takes three pedals and an afternoon of gain-staging, dialed in with one knob. THREE VOICES WARM — distortion the way it was first discovered: a pushed vintage amp with sliced speaker cones. Raw, retro, and touch-sensitive. Roll BITE up and it tips into blown-speaker sizzle with a starved-supply quiver in the note. DRIVE — everything, more. A doubled, dual-amp crunch straight out of the 1980s. The sustain sings, sizzles, crackles, and rings — and stays articulate. Chords keep their edges; every note in a run stays clear. RAVAGE — unhinged. The amps are on fire and the ship is going down. Stomp BOOST and single notes bloom into screaming, feedback-laced sustain that hangs on for the better part of a minute. Pinch harmonics, smoldering solos, sixties-fuzz recklessness at modern gain. WHAT IT'S FOR • Recording guitar direct — a finished, layered drive tone with no amp, no mics, no reamping. • Replacing a drive + fuzz + compressor stack, and the hour spent making them agree. • Leads that hold: BOOST adds gain, presence, and a sustain compressor that carries the note for you. • Practice anywhere — standalone app, plug in and play. CONTROLS THAT MATTER • DRIVE — one knob from edge-of-breakup to inferno. The molten orb burns hotter as you push it — and as you play harder. • TONE — dark and thick to bright and cutting, with a speaker-style rolloff that keeps fizz out. • BITE — round and smooth to sharp and shredded. • BIAS — starve it for choked, dying-battery textures. • IN / OUT / MIX for gain staging and parallel blends, stereo or mono, click-free bypass. ON STAGE AND IN THE STUDIO • AUv3 for GarageBand, Logic Pro, AUM, and any Audio Unit host. • MIDI learn on everything — knobs, voices, BOOST, bypass, even program-change recall of specific presets. A MIDI footswitch runs the whole pedal hands-free. • Factory presets plus custom presets. One purchase. Mac, iPad, and iPhone.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is device support: Ember at 4 against Ring Modulator's 2. Ember also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, ratings volume 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
Ring Modulator costs $1.99 and Ember $1.99 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 Ring Modulator against 5.0 for Ember. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively.
| Parameter | Ring Modulator | Ember |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | $1.99 |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 2 — better |
| Update frequency | — | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 8 MB | 17 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Callback Audio, LLC | Joshua Rideout |
Customer experience
Ring Modulator
Ember
In-app purchases
Ring Modulator
No in-app purchases
Ember
No in-app purchases








