Comparison

Retro Spectrum vs Syn

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

Head to head
About

Retro Spectrum

Transform your phone into a retro audio visualizer for your car or desk. It analyzes sound from your speakers in real-time, displaying dynamic visuals inspired by classic 80s-90s car stereos. Enjoy multiple retro skins and track identification for a unique audio-visual experience.

Highlights
  • Real-time spectrum analyzer
  • Retro 80s-90s car stereo style
  • Listens via microphone to any speaker source
  • Multiple retro skin options
  • Now Playing song identification
  • Desk mode with clock and date
Features
Read full description

Retro Spectrum turns your phone into a retro audio display for your car or your desk. Mount your phone, play music through your speakers, and watch a real-time spectrum analyzer light up in the style of classic 80s–90s car stereos. Built for JDM and neo-classic car fans, and just as good as an always-on visualizer on your desk. NEW: MOTION SKINS Two new skins that don't just react to your music—they travel with it. They estimate the genre from what the mic hears and use song info when available, so no two shows are ever the same. • Rezolution — fly nonstop through a wireframe cyberspace. As the music builds, detail and distant views emerge, and at top speed it hits OVERDRIVE. • Rezonance — cruise an endless foggy highway under a clean white HUD. Pure chill for the long drive home. Motion skins are graphically intensive and may run warm on older devices. HOW IT WORKS Retro Spectrum listens through your device's microphone and analyzes the sound in real time. Because it uses the mic, it reacts to ANY source playing through your speakers—streaming, radio, CD, anything. No cables, no pairing. Important: it responds to sound from SPEAKERS, not headphones or earphones. Point your phone toward the speakers and turn the volume up. RETRO SKINS Switch between display styles inspired by legendary in-dash stereos: • VFD Green — a fluorescent-tube display (included free) • Plasma Orange — spinning-CD deck with artwork and a big clock • JDM Night — KENWOOD-style dual-zone EQ with 7-segment clock • Bubble Grid — synthwave neon grid with a perspective floor • Wireframe LCD — Y2K retro-future tunnel HUD • Gaming RGB — flowing RGB bars with mirror reflections Every skin works in both portrait and landscape. NOW PLAYING See the song that's playing right now. When you use Apple Music, the title, artist, and artwork are read directly from the system for instant accuracy. For any other source, Retro Spectrum identifies the track from the mic using Shazam technology. Double-tap to look up a song on demand. SHARE THE MOMENT Tap the artwork to turn your current skin and song into a share card for Instagram Stories and more. DESK MODE A built-in clock, date, and battery readout make Retro Spectrum a great always-on display for your desk setup—a glowing retro visualizer and clock in one. Choose 24-hour or 12-hour time with AM/PM. PRIVACY Microphone audio is analyzed on your device and is never recorded or saved. Song recognition can be turned off anytime. See our privacy policy for details. FREE + SKIN PACK + MOTION PACK The app and the VFD Green skin are free. Unlock the five other retro skins with the one-time Skin Pack purchase, and Rezolution and Rezonance with the one-time Motion Pack purchase. The two packs are sold separately.

About

Syn

Record, edit, and mix audio with a multi-track timeline and real-time visualizers. Enhance vocals, organize projects, and export in various formats. Ideal for musicians, podcasters, and content creators on the go.

Highlights
  • Multi-track audio editing
  • Simple recording and editing
  • Track volume and mute/solo controls
  • Real-time audio visualizers
  • Voice enhancement tools
  • Flexible audio export options
  • Project organization and notes
Read full description

Syn-Waves is a simple yet powerful mobile audio editor built for recording, arranging, mixing, and visualizing sound. Create songs, podcasts, voiceovers, interviews, sound designs, and everyday recordings in one focused workspace. Record into a multi-track timeline, import existing audio, shape every clip, and watch your sound come alive through beautiful real-time visualizers. Whether you’re a musician, podcaster, voice artist, filmmaker, or simply capturing an idea before it disappears, Syn-Waves helps you move from first take to finished mix wherever inspiration strikes. FEATURES Multi-Track Audio Editing Build detailed arrangements with a flexible waveform timeline. • Record or import audio on multiple tracks • Trim, split, move, copy, paste, and delete clips • Edit with simplicity and ease Recording Made Simple • Start a project directly from a recording • Record onto an existing or new track • Replace a clip or overwrite part of an arrangement • Follow the live waveform and input meter Mixing & Track Controls • Adjust track volume easily • Mute or solo individual tracks • Loop individual tracks or the full arrangement • Close timeline gaps quickly • Preview the complete mix in real time Beautiful Audio Visualizers See your sound move through several responsive visual experiences, including Spectrogram, Aurora, Constellation, Chroma Keys, and more. Switch visualizers while listening or open fullscreen for an immersive playback experience. Voice Enhance Give speech and vocals clarity, presence, and control. • Shape tone with Voice EQ • Remove low-frequency rumble • Balance loud and quiet moments with compression • Catch sudden peaks with a limiter • Choose voice presets or fine-tune the sound • Compare enhanced and original audio before applying Flexible Audio Export • Export as M4A, WAV, or AIFF • Choose 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, or 96 kHz • Export in mono or stereo • Export active tracks, a selected track, or every track • Quickly reuse your latest export settings Project Organization • Organize projects into folders • Rename, move, and duplicate projects • Import and export complete Syn-Waves projects • Add notes that stay with each project • Create a project from an audio file Private & Ready Anywhere Your projects and audio are stored locally on your device. Edit offline and keep creating wherever you are. Built-In Guide Learn recording, timeline editing, track controls, visualizers, shortcuts, saving, and export directly inside the app. Syn-Waves is made for musicians, songwriters, podcasters, interviewers, voice artists, filmmakers, content creators, sound designers, and anyone who wants a focused mobile audio editor. Sound has shape. Make it yours with Syn-Waves. --- SYN-WAVES PRO — AUTO-RENEWABLE SUBSCRIPTION Subscribe to Syn-Waves Pro to unlock unlimited audio projects, export mixes with enhanced voice processing, and receive ongoing improvements. • Subscription options are available monthly or annually • Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation • Your subscription renews automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period • Your account will be charged within 24 hours before the end of the current period if auto-renew is enabled • You can manage your subscription and turn off auto-renew in your Apple Account settings after purchase Terms of Use: https://www.syn-fx.com/waves-terms Privacy Policy: https://www.syn-fx.com/waves-privacy Apple EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ --- Thank you for supporting Syn-Waves. Questions, feedback, bug reports, or feature suggestions: support@syn-fx.com

Screenshots

Retro Spectrum4 screens
Syn4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Syn at 5.0 against Retro Spectrum's 4.8. Syn also leads on device support (3 vs 1). Retro Spectrum's advantage is ratings volume (8 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Retro Spectrum sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Syn sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Syn holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Retro Spectrum has 8 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Retro Spectrum versus Syn: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRetro SpectrumSyn
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (8 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings8 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015 — better
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB13 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperTAKUMA FUJITSUKASYN-FX LP

Customer experience

Retro Spectrum

All ratings8 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Syn

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Retro Spectrum

One-time2
  • Skin Pack$1.99
  • Motion Pack$2.99
2 purchases

Syn

Subscriptions2
  • Syn-Waves Pro - Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Syn-Waves Pro - Yearly$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Retro Spectrum free?
Retro Spectrum is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Syn free?
Syn is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Retro Spectrum or Syn?
Syn is rated higher. Retro Spectrum averages 4.8 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Syn averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Retro Spectrum or Syn have ads?
Neither Retro Spectrum nor Syn shows ads.

Other comparisons