Baethoven 2 vs VU Studio
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Baethoven 2
Create and export melodic pad banks for Akai MPCs directly from your mobile device. Features original samples, multiple banks, and MIDI controller support for seamless beatmaking.
- 379 original melodic samples
- 8 pad banks with individual octaves
- Tune samples across pads
- Export native MPC kits
- MIDI controller support
- Built-in sample browser
Read full descriptionHide full description
Baethoven 2 turns any sound into a playable melodic or chord kit, then hands that kit to your Akai MPC. You don't need to play keys: pick a key, pick a sound, and every pad is already in tune and in scale. Built by a producer, for producers. 8 BANKS, 16 PADS EACH Every bank is SCALES, CHORDS, DRUMS or CUSTOM, with its own sound, octave, tuning, volume and POLY / MONO. One good note fills a whole melodic bank, pitched across all 16 pads. Change the key and every bank follows instantly. CHORDS THAT BELONG TOGETHER Diatonic or fixed chord sets in any key. Set the SIZE (triad to 13th) and VOICE (inversions, drop 2, open). NEXT suggests what usually follows the chord you just played, EDIT lets you pick or BUILD any chord, and RANDOM deals a fresh set in the same key. STRUM rolls the notes UP, DOWN, IN or OUT, and HUMAN loosens them so they play like a hand. PRESETS, FX AND EXPRESSION PRESETS fill all eight banks at once in your key. An FX rack with EQ, COMP, DRIVE, TAPE and REVERB, with GAIN MATCH so every effect stays as loud as it went in. EXPR adds vibrato, bend-in, fall, glide, MORPH between chords, pressure, timbre and drift, plus MPE on MIDI Output. SHAPE EVERY SAMPLE Trim with zero-crossing snap, loop with a crossfade, and set A·D·S·R. NOTE ON and LOOP pads sustain for as long as you hold them. EXPORT TO YOUR MPC Save a complete MPC project (an .xpj with a WAV per pad, already tuned), an MPC 3 program (.xpm), your pads added straight into an MPC Sample project, or your chord banks as MPC progressions. Save to Files, iCloud Drive, or straight onto a USB drive or SD card. THE BAETHOVEN AUv3 Play Baethoven inside GarageBand, AUM, Cubasis, Logic Pro for iPad and any app that hosts Audio Units. MIDI IN AND OUT Play the pads from a MIDI keyboard or pad controller. MIDI Output sends your chords, strums and expression to another synth, app or computer, over USB or Wi-Fi, with an X/Y joystick and 64 knobs. YOUR LOOK Four styles (CLASSIC, SOFT, STUDIO, HARDWARE) and seventeen colour palettes, with haptics. Ludwig's tutorials and a searchable HELP walk you through everything. FREE AND PRO Free: every bank and pad, the keys C, A and G, three scales per feel, the first five sounds of every category, FX, EXPR, the SAMPLE drawer, your own files and MIDI in. Pro, a one-time $14.99 purchase with no subscription: every key, scale and sound, PRESETS, every MPC EXPORT, MIDI Output with X/Y and KNOBS, and the AUv3. A killaviccheatcodes.app account that already owns Baethoven unlocks Pro too. Baethoven is part of the Killavic Cheat Codes family of tools for beatmakers and sample-based producers.
VU Studio
Create music on the go with a portable beatmaking workstation. Build beats, shape samples, and arrange full tracks with a structured yet fast workflow. Import and edit audio, then organize your ideas into complete songs.
- Portable project workflow
- Sample shaping and editing
- Pattern and sequence building
- Full track arrangement timeline
- Dedicated editing views
- Mixer for balancing tracks
- Live performance effects
Read full descriptionHide full description
VU Studio is a beatmaking workstation built for creating ideas, shaping samples, and arranging full tracks in one portable project workflow. Start with pads and sounds, build patterns per group, combine those patterns into sequences, then arrange patterns, sequences, and audio tracks on the song timeline. The workflow is direct enough for sketching beats quickly, but structured enough to grow an idea into a finished arrangement. Import audio into pads, preview waveforms, edit sample regions, and use CHOP to split samples into playable slices. VU Studio keeps imported audio inside the project package, so your songs stay portable instead of depending on temporary file picker paths. Use dedicated views for the way you want to work: - PADS for samples, pad settings, and sound preparation - STEPS for fast pattern programming - PIANO for detailed note and event editing - SEQUENCE for building song sections from patterns - SONG / Timeline for arranging the full track - MIXER for balancing groups, pads, audio tracks, sends, inserts, and master output - LIVE for performance effects and quick sound manipulation - BROWSER for finding and loading audio sources VU Studio projects are saved as managed .vustudio packages. Export creates a portable .vustudio archive for transfer or backup, with project data and assets kept together. On iOS, projects live in Documents so they remain visible in Apple Files. You're a fan of my previous VU202 app? That's great - VU Studio supports .vu202 project file - move your project and keep 100% edit possibilities! Whether you are chopping drum breaks, programming patterns, building sections, importing samples, or moving a project between iOS and desktop, VU Studio is designed around a simple idea: keep the beatmaking flow fast, organized, and portable.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Baethoven 2 at 100% against VU Studio's 56%. Baethoven 2 also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.4). On price, ratings volume, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Baethoven 2 holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 7 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Baethoven 2's written reviews are positive against 56% of VU Studio's.
Baethoven 2 ships an update every 5 days, VU Studio every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Baethoven 2 | VU Studio |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better | 4.4 (7 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 55.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 7 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days — better | Every 6 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 49 MB | 171 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | victor borges | Dariusz Chynek |
Customer experience
Baethoven 2
VU Studio
In-app purchases
Baethoven 2
No in-app purchases
VU Studio
No in-app purchases









