SynthBridge MIDI Synth vs Rithmatic
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SynthBridge MIDI Synth
Transform your device into a portable sound module and practice space. Connect a MIDI keyboard or use the on-screen controls to play with a vast sound library, layer instruments, and apply effects. Record performances, practice with loops and metronomes, and export your creations.
- MIDI keyboard connectivity
- SoundFont (SF2/SF3) import
- Layered sound design
- MIDI CC parameter control
- MIDI file playback and recording
- Metronome and loop functionality
- Performance scene saving
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Connect your MIDI keyboard, choose a sound, and play. SynthBridge turns your phone or tablet into a portable sound module and practice workspace. You can also start with the on-screen piano and drum pads. Your sounds: use the built-in library or import SF2/SF3 SoundFonts. Layer sounds and adjust their balance, effects and keyboard ranges. Your keyboard: connect compatible USB MIDI or Bluetooth MIDI devices. Control supported parameters with MIDI CC messages. Your practice: play MIDI files, follow the note visualization, and combine a metronome, loops and Style accompaniment. Your ideas: record MIDI performances, keep named drafts, preview takes and export MIDI files. MIDI files can also be converted to WAV or AAC audio. Your setup: save performance scenes and return to your sounds and playing settings. Use portrait or landscape layouts on phones and tablets. Some features and resources require in-app purchases. iOS or iPadOS 15.0 or later. USB and Bluetooth MIDI require compatible devices and accessories. https://synth.64bit.us/privacy.html https://synth.64bit.us/terms.html
Rithmatic
Explore a vast library of classic synthesizer sounds and learn the intricacies of FM synthesis. Create, blend, and play unique sounds using on-screen keys or a MIDI controller. This app functions as a standalone instrument and an AUv3 plugin for music production software.
- 36,118 classic DX7 voices included
- AUv3 plugin for DAWs
- Interactive FM synthesis learning tool
- Patch blending and creation
- On-screen and MIDI keyboard support
- Arpeggiator and recording capabilities
- Multiple tuning systems
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Rithmatic is an FM synthesizer with 36,118 classic DX7 voices built in, and an AUv3 plugin for GarageBand on iPad and your DAW on the Mac. Browse them by family and by character, learn how FM works by watching it shape each one, build and blend your own, and play them from the on-screen keys or a MIDI keyboard. No account, no ads, nothing locked. Built for iPhone Duo: half open, it stands like a keyboard synth, the waves above the fold and long keys on the flat half. IN YOUR DAW • Put it on a track in GarageBand on iPad, or in an Audio Unit host on the Mac such as Ableton Live. • Its window is the app's own Patches screen and Patch Builder, with your library. • Your bank appears as the plugin's presets, and Brightness, Attack, Decay, Release and Feedback can be automated. The patch is saved with your project. A LIBRARY THAT SHIPS FULL • 36,118 unique DX7 voices come with the app: no download, no account, no network. • Start with Essentials: the famous sounds and the songs they're on. • Browse by family, or by character: percussive, plucked, metallic, bright, sustained, swell, evolving, mellow. Or search by name. • Patch of the day: one classic voice each day, in the app and in a widget for iPhone, iPad and Mac. PLAY IT • A DX7-compatible synthesis engine runs inside the app, so every patch plays with nothing plugged in. • Play from the on-screen keys, your Mac's keyboard, or any MIDI keyboard you connect. • Pitch bend, mod wheel, breath, sustain and aftertouch, with aftertouch set to vibrato, tremolo or swell. • Velocity from a MIDI keyboard, or turn it off and choose how hard every note plays. • An arpeggiator (up, down, up and down, random or as played, over up to three octaves) and a latch that holds each key. • Record what you play and share it as a WAV. • Five tunings: equal, just, and Wendy Carlos's Alpha, Beta and Gamma scales. • Light or dark, as your device is set or as you choose. Drag the keys taller or shorter. SEE THE SOUND The waveform follows what you play: each operator's envelope, how hard you hit, the pitch, the LFO's wobble, and a chord as one layer per note. Resize it, go full screen, or watch the output itself in the Scope look. PATCH BUILDER: LEARN HOW FM WORKS FM is famous for being hard to program. The Patch Builder shows you why a sound sounds the way it does. • All six operators on a graph, each cable carrying its wave: see a modulator reshape its carrier as you drag. • Draw a cable and the builder snaps to the nearest of the 32 algorithms, so you learn routing by doing it. • Plain words beside the jargon. Edit each operator's ratio, level, envelope and tuning, the LFO and pitch envelope, or use FEEL: thickness, touch and brightness. BLEND Pick two patches and Rithmatic blends them into eight new ones. Play each, and keep the ones you like. YOUR BANK AND FILES • Gather patches from anywhere into your bank, then drag pads to swap or reorder them. • Export the bank as standard DX7 .syx files. Open .syx banks, or a .zip of them, from Files, Mail, AirDrop or the Finder. • Share a sound as a short clip of it playing, with a card and a code that brings the patch into anyone's Rithmatic. WITH A SYNTH, IF YOU HAVE ONE Hardware is optional. Choose your synth in Settings: • Korg Volca FM2 (firmware 1.10 or later, over MIDI): read its current patch, write to any of its 64 memory slots, back up and restore all 16 sequencer patterns, and capture the whole instrument to a snapshot. • DX7 family: send patches and 32-voice banks to a DX7, TX7, TX802, the original Volca FM or the M-VAVE FM-1 over standard Yamaha voice dumps. FREE AND PRIVATE Every feature is free; tips are optional and unlock nothing. Rithmatic works offline and collects no personal data: no account, no analytics, no ads. KORG and volca are trademarks of Korg Inc., DX7 and TX of Yamaha Corporation, M-VAVE of its owner. Rithmatic is an independent app, not affiliated with or endorsed by any of them.
Screenshots
Verdict
SynthBridge MIDI Synth and Rithmatic both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of SynthBridge MIDI Synth's written reviews are positive against 67% of Rithmatic's. Rithmatic's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and update cadence (every 3 days vs fortnightly). 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
Both are free to download. SynthBridge MIDI Synth sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Rithmatic sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
SynthBridge MIDI Synth holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 10 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of SynthBridge MIDI Synth's written reviews are positive against 67% of Rithmatic's.
SynthBridge MIDI Synth ships an update fortnightly, Rithmatic every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SynthBridge MIDI Synth | Rithmatic |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (4 ratings) — better | 4.6 (10 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 66.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4 | 10 — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 76 MB | 61 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 啟东 徐 | MADE WITH BEST PRACTICE LLC |
Customer experience
SynthBridge MIDI Synth
Rithmatic
In-app purchases
SynthBridge MIDI Synth
- Cloud Monthly7 Days trial$1.991 Month
- Cloud Yearly7 Days trial$12.991 Year
- Supporter Tip$0.99
- Remove Ads$1.99
- Supporter Plus$4.99
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- SynthBridge Pro$4.99
- Supporter Patron$9.99
Rithmatic
- Small Tip$4.99
- Medium Tip$9.99
- Large Tip$19.99
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Extra Large Tip$49.99
Questions
Is SynthBridge MIDI Synth free?
Is Rithmatic free?
Which has better reviews, SynthBridge MIDI Synth or Rithmatic?
Do SynthBridge MIDI Synth or Rithmatic have ads?
Which is updated more often, SynthBridge MIDI Synth or Rithmatic?
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