Comparison

Audio Object vs RasterFX

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

Head to head
About

Audio Object

This pocket-sized instrument turns your iPhone into a portable music creation studio. It features a four-track looper, a three-voice drum machine, and an eight-pad sampler with extensive editing capabilities. Seamlessly integrate with your Mac DAW via USB for professional workflows.

Highlights
  • Four-track looper with bar-quantized recording
  • Three-voice drum machine click track
  • Eight-pad sampler with EQ and varispeed
  • Project save, load, and WAV stem export
  • Stereo audio streaming to Mac DAWs via USB
  • MIDI clock output over USB
  • Records stereo from Core Audio interfaces
Features
Read full description

Audio Object is a pocket-sized music instrument for iPhone. It looks and works like a small piece of hardware — a wooden body with an instrument panel on each face. Pull the wood edge and the body rotates to the next face. WHAT IT DOES - Four-track looper with bar-quantized recording and per-loop trim - Three-voice drum machine as the click track — kick, snare, hi-hat with a per-step accent grid - Eight-pad sampler with grid, auto, and tap chopping, two switchable banks, three-band EQ, varispeed tuning - Project save, load, and WAV stem export with tempo map - Streams audio to any Mac DAW over USB (Inter-Device Audio & MIDI) - Sends MIDI clock over USB — Ableton, Logic, and Bitwig lock transport to the phone - Records stereo from any Core Audio interface (iRig, Focusrite, MOTU, and others) HOW IT WORKS Six faces. Perform pads on one, sampler on another, click and time signature on a third, projects on the back, I/O on top, master on the bottom. No menus, no tabs. Every control lives on the body. The click track is not a metronome. It is a three-voice drum machine with per-step accents, subdivisions from quarter notes to swing, and time signatures from 3/4 to 12/8. Set up a kick-snare-hat pattern, press record, loop on the beat. The sampler holds eight pads across two banks. Record from the mic or load from Files. Chop by grid, by transient, or by tapping markers. Each pad carries a three-band EQ, varispeed pitch, and an amplitude envelope. All eight play polyphonically. Recording quantizes to the bar, the beat, or runs free. A dedicated loop-adjust face trims each loop to the sample — drag the region brackets, snap to the grid, hear the result while the brackets move. Plug the phone into a Mac over USB. Audio Object appears as an audio input and MIDI clock source. The DAW locks transport to the phone's tempo. No drivers, no setup. Plug a USB audio interface into the phone. Audio Object names the device on screen and records through its preamps at up to 48 kHz stereo. WHAT IS NEXT A synthesizer — bass, chord, and lead modes — is in development for the next major release.

About

RasterFX

This app is a playable modular multi-effects processor for music creation. It allows users to build complex audio effect chains, modulate any control with various sources, and perform patches live. Visualizers provide real-time feedback on sound changes.

Highlights
  • Modular multi-effects processor
  • Build custom effect chains
  • Modulate any control
  • Live performance features
  • Real-time visualizers
  • Record and share audio
Features
Read full description

Make any sound move. RasterFX is a playable modular multi-effects processor for iPhone and iPad. Use it standalone with a microphone, an imported audio file or built-in signals — or load it as an AUv3 audio effect in AUM, GarageBand, Logic Pro for iPad, Loopy Pro, Cubasis and other Audio Unit hosts. BUILD YOUR EFFECT CHAIN Choose from Filter, Delay, Drive, Reverb, Grain, Repeat, Motion and Dynamics. Arrange up to six plates in series or split them into parallel A/B paths. Reorder the chain and the sound changes with it. MODULATE ANY CONTROL Patch LFOs, envelope followers, random and chaos sources, step sequencers, MIDI, macros, the XY pad or device tilt to any control. Create up to 16 modulation lines, with live arcs showing exactly how the sound is moving. PERFORM THE PATCH Morph between four snapshots on the XY pad. Turn eight macros. Hold four momentary throws for stutter, sweep, reverse and freeze. RasterFX is built to be played with one hand, not programmed and left alone. GENERATE, LOCK, EVOLVE Nudge a patch, reshape it or roll a new one. Lock the parts you want to keep, undo any result and save the seeds worth returning to. Evolve lets the patch drift over time while staying anchored to the sound you chose. SEE WHAT YOU HEAR Every effect has its own live visualizer. The CRT and halftone interface makes filters, delay taps, grains, dynamics and modulation visible without turning the screen into a wall of meters. RECORD THE RESULT Record the processed output to WAV, rename takes and share them from the app. FREE TO START. PRO ONCE. Free includes all eight effects, all modulation sources, every factory preset, three plates, four modulation lines and 60-second recordings. No ads, account, watermark or reduced audio quality. RasterFX Pro is a one-time purchase — not a subscription. It unlocks six plates, 16 modulation lines, split routing, XY snapshot morphing, Evolve, A/B compare, unlimited recording length and your own saved presets. Your saved sound always plays back exactly as created, even if it uses Pro features; Free limits editing, never playback. Made for headphones, late at night.

Screenshots

Audio Object4 screens
RasterFX4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Audio Object at none against RasterFX's 1. 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. RasterFX sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Audio Object asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Audio Object against 5.0 for RasterFX. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Audio Object versus RasterFX: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAudio ObjectRasterFX
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 2 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGreen Rose Systems, LLCChih Han Lin

Customer experience

Audio Object

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

RasterFX

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

In-app purchases

None

Audio Object

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

RasterFX

One-time1
  • RasterFX Pro$3.99

Questions

Is Audio Object free?
Audio Object is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is RasterFX free?
RasterFX is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Audio Object or RasterFX?
Audio Object and RasterFX are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Audio Object or RasterFX have ads?
Neither Audio Object nor RasterFX shows ads.

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