Refrain vs GuideTone

Refrain is a focused loop player for anyone who learns by repetition: musicians working out a solo, language learners drilling a phrase, dancers counting an eight, transcribers catching every word. Import any audio file from your device, set an A and a B point right on the waveform, and loop that section on repeat until you've got it. Save the sections you keep coming back to, and jump straight to them next time. FEATURES • A/B loop: drop A and B markers on the waveform and loop that section instantly • Waveform view: see the shape of the audio and place your markers precisely • Saved segments: store the loops you practice most and reload them in a tap • Snippet preview: audition a segment before you commit to it • Precise skip: jump forward or back by 1, 3, 5, 10, 15, or 30 seconds, or 1 or 5 minutes • Count-in timer: get a lead-in before playback so you're ready to come in • Bookmarks: mark the spots you want to find again • Volume control: set a comfortable practice level • Your library: everything you import, organized and ready to pick up again Everything happens on your device. Refrain works fully offline and collects no data. No account, no sign-up, no tracking. Bring in a track and start looping.

GuideTone turns any recording into your personal practice room. A guide tone is the 3rd or the 7th of a chord — the note that tells you where the harmony is going, and the one worth hearing first. That is the whole idea: show you what actually matters in a song, so the practice can start. Import a track, loop the hard parts, slow them down without changing the pitch, pull the band apart, and see the changes written out — all on your iPhone or iPad, and all without an internet connection. WRITE YOUR OWN MUSIC Start a new score with its key, time signature and tempo, then tap notes in on the piano and hear each one as it lands. Add dynamics, accents, slurs and chord symbols, lay out repeats and endings, copy and paste bars, or write a phrase through all twelve keys. Export a PDF to print, or a MusicXML file that opens in MuseScore, written for your instrument or at concert pitch. OPEN SCORE FILES Bring in a MusicXML or .mxl chart and read it engraved: as written or at concert pitch, one part at a time, with a tap on any note to hear it. Anything GuideTone can't draw yet is listed, and your original file is kept. IMPORT MUSIC YOU OWN Bring in tracks from Files, iCloud Drive, or AirDrop — MP3, M4A, WAV, AIFF, FLAC. GuideTone renders a clean waveform so you can see the music while you work. (Streaming subscription downloads are copy-protected and cannot be imported by any app.) LOOP & SLOW DOWN Set A/B markers and loop any passage. Change tempo and pitch independently, a fast lick at half speed without the chipmunk effect or a friendlier key, and ramp the tempo up rep by rep with the Speed Trainer. ISOLATE THE PARTS (ON-DEVICE) Split a song into 2, 4 or 6 stems right on your iPhone or iPad. Mute the vocals for karaoke, mute the melody and take the solo, or solo the drums to lock in your time. Nothing is uploaded. SEE THE CHORDS GuideTone listens to the song and writes out its chords, laid out bar by bar on a Chord Ribbon that follows along as it plays. Choose a Pop or Jazz vocabulary. Wrong chord? Correct the label, set its exact spelling, or retime it by hand — your edit sticks. READ THE WORDS GuideTone listens to a song and writes down its lyrics on your iPhone or iPad, each word lined up to the audio. Read them as a chord sheet, or open the Karaoke page to read from across the room: each word lights as it's sung and the page turns itself. Tap a word to jump there, hold a line to loop it, and fix a word right in the sheet. READ IT ON THE STAFF Open the Chart to read the chords on a properly engraved lead sheet that follows the playhead, re-engraves when you transpose, and takes your edits right on the page. Engraved or handwritten-jazz notation, your choice. Tap Edit to write your own notes on it in the Transcription Editor. KNOW THE SHAPES Every chord in the song, drawn for guitar and for piano — and they sound when you touch them. Switch benches to see the same chord either way, with the positions and inversions laid out beneath it. CAST THE WORDS TO A TV Cast the Karaoke page to a TV or a second screen, with words lighting as they're sung and chords in time, while your iPhone or iPad stays the remote. RECORD YOUR TAKES Play along and capture it with a built-in count-in, then balance the backing against your mic before you save. EDIT LIKE A PRO A live, non-destructive audio editor: cut, copy, paste, fade, gain, one-tap normalize and snap to the beat. Hear every change at once, then save, or save a copy. TUNER & METRONOME A precise chromatic tuner and a sample-locked metronome are built in, and the song's own tempo and beats set the metronome and the count-in. EVERYTHING STAYS ON YOUR iPhone or iPad Your audio, your recordings, and your practice happen on-device. No account required. PRICING Try every feature free for 14 days. After that, unlock GuideTone forever with a single one-time purchase — no subscription. Restore Purchases is built in. Questions or feedback? We'd love to hear from you.