Comparison

Tonic Synth vs Disto Disco

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

Head to head
About

Tonic Synth

A powerful synthesizer app offering three oscillators with diverse sound sources, including physical modeling and wavetables. It features eight analog filter simulations, extensive modulation options, and a full effects rack. Available as a standalone app or AU/AUv3 plugin for Mac and iOS.

Highlights
  • Three oscillators with physical modeling, virtual-analog, wavetable, SF2, and sysex FM
  • Eight analog filter simulations (LP/HP/BP/Notch, 12/24 dB)
  • Comprehensive modulation: LFO, envelope follower, note-per-note filter envelope
  • Full effects rack: chorus, delay, reverb, EQ, compressor, flanger, phaser
  • Standalone app and AU/AUv3 plugin support
  • Live performance features: editable presets, six scenes, MIDI Learn
Features
Read full description

Eight sound engines in one instrument — and a whole preset community living inside it. Physical modeling, virtual analog, 3D wavetable, 6-operator FM and a full SoundFont player: stack up to three engines per sound, each with its own filter, envelope and modulation. Play it standalone on iPhone, iPad and Mac, or load it as an AUv3 plug-in — instrument and effect — in your favorite host. One purchase. No subscription, no ads, nothing locked behind a paywall. • TONICA — THE SOUND COMMUNITY Your next signature sound might come from a player on the other side of the world. Browse what the community publishes without ever leaving the app: one tap auditions it under your fingers, two taps keep it. Love an author? Take their whole collection at once, into a bank named after them. And publish yours with a single tap — no account, no sign-up, no cost. • THREE OSCILLATORS Up to three independent layers — each with its own source, filter, envelope and modulation, plus mute/solo and keyboard split. From a simple patch to a fat, detuned stack on one spread knob. The Vector pad morphs across all three layers in real time: draw a path and the sound travels it on its own. • SOUND ENGINES Per layer: physical modeling (string, modal, wind, bowed), virtual analog (sine, saw, square, triangle, pulse and super-saw, with sub-oscillator and noise), wavetables up to 128 frames, SoundFont (.sf2 and compressed .sf3) and 6-operator FM that opens .syx cartridges. Record anything through the mic and turn it into a wavetable — or draw the waveform with your finger and hear it instantly, on a 3D landscape you can drag, rotate and resize. • FILTERS Eight analog-modeled voicings — LP/HP/BP/Notch, 12 or 24 dB per octave, resonance into self-oscillation, drive and 4× oversampling. From warm ladder to creamy SVF, from acid squelch to screaming resonance. • ARPEGGIATOR & SEQUENCER A step editor with a live playhead: ties, ratchets, accents and per-step probability, polymetric rhythm masks, capture of what you just played, swing, gate mode, key range and per-layer arping. Imports .mid patterns, follows MIDI Clock, and with Hold the pattern runs by itself. • EFFECTS RACK Chorus, tempo-synced ping-pong delay, 6-type FDN reverb, 5-band EQ, compressor and a Flanger/Phaser module — each one switchable and routable per layer. • BUILT FOR THE STAGE Six scenes (A–F) swap the entire patch live without cutting the sound: the note ringing out finishes naturally while the next one already speaks with the new tone. Switched apps mid-set? A sustain pedal left down or a mod wheel parked halfway no longer hijacks your sound — every control starts working again the moment you move it. The MIDI filter decides what each pedal, wheel or controller is allowed to do, and can target one specific device when there's more than one keyboard in the rack. Program Change and Bank Select switch sounds from your controller. MIDI Learn on any control, over USB or Bluetooth. • YOUR LIBRARY 280+ factory sounds in banks, and your own collection beside them: favorites, renaming, saving, tagging and search by name, tag or bank. Two file formats of its own — one to share sounds (.tpr) and one for a full library backup (.tbk). Double-click a file, or receive one by AirDrop, and it merges straight in without duplicating anything. • WHERE IT RUNS iPhone, iPad and Mac, from a single purchase. As an AUv3 it runs in the major recording apps on iOS and macOS. Using software that doesn't load AUv3 yet? See rsjb.com.br/support for the route other users have already proven. Thank you for playing with RSJB - made by musicians for musicians! Follow the news at www.rsjb.com.br/en

About

Disto Disco

This app transforms sound with a wide range of distortion and sound-shaping effects. Explore unique sonic territories, from gentle warmth to brutal textures, with beat-synced modulation and randomizers for creative sonic exploration.

Highlights
  • 28 sound-shaping modes
  • Beat-synced modulation
  • Random and Spice controls
  • AUv3 and standalone operation
  • Granular and spectral effects
  • Drive, Math, Time, and Spectral territories
Read full description

WHAT IT IS Disto Disco turns distortion into movement. It starts with gentle drive and classic distortion, then ventures into stranger territory: degrading echoes, vocoders, morphing vowels, spectral effects, ring modulation, granular clouds, and more. Every dial can move with the beat, while Random and Spice can send the whole patch somewhere new. Shape something smooth, tuned, and shimmering; push it toward harsh, brutal, and broken; or take it somewhere weird and otherworldly. WHAT IT DOES * 28 sound-shaping modes: explore five distinct sonic territories, each with its own controls and character. * Drive: move from gentle warmth through folding, fuzz, bit crushing, and high gain. * Spectral: filter, morph, vocode, swap, or silence different parts of the sound. * Math: combine versions of the input with simple mathematical operations for raw, harsh, and unusual textures. * Time: turn recent sound into echoes, loops, and resonances, then bend, shift, or scrub it into motion. * Granular: cut sound into tiny pieces and scatter, repeat, or layer them into sparse grains and dense clouds. * A modulator on every dial: draw a 16-step pattern, choose a shape, or generate one, all synced to the beat. * Random and Spice: generate a new direction for the whole patch, from subtle changes to complete chaos. Keep what works and refine the rest by hand. * Tone and dynamics: shape the effected signal with Low Cut, Tube, and High Cut, then use the envelope follower to make distortion react to the input. * AUv3 and standalone: use Disto Disco as an effect inside your favorite host, or process live input directly in the app. REQUIREMENTS * An AUv3 host such as AUM, Cubasis, Drambo, GarageBand, Loopy Pro, or Logic Pro.

Screenshots

Tonic Synth4 screens
Disto Disco4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Disto Disco at $6.99 against Tonic Synth's $24.99. Disto Disco also leads on ratings volume (4 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On rating, review sentiment, update cadence 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Tonic Synth costs $24.99 and Disto Disco $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Tonic Synth against 5.0 for Disto Disco. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 4 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tonic Synth ships an update every 4 days, Disto Disco every 2 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Tonic Synth versus Disto Disco: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTonic SynthDisto Disco
Price$24.99$6.99 — better
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings14 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size34 MB68 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRubens FelicioSnorkel Audio, Inh. Michael Kaisser

Customer experience

Tonic Synth

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Disto Disco

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Tonic Synth

No in-app purchases

None

Disto Disco

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Tonic Synth free?
Tonic Synth costs $24.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Disto Disco free?
Disto Disco costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Tonic Synth or Disto Disco?
Tonic Synth and Disto Disco are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 4 ratings respectively.
Do Tonic Synth or Disto Disco have ads?
Neither Tonic Synth nor Disto Disco shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tonic Synth or Disto Disco?
Tonic Synth ships an update every 4 days, and Disto Disco every 2 days. Most recently, Tonic Synth was updated on October 24, 2026 and Disto Disco on October 24, 2026.

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