Comparison

iStem vs Chiptune Sequencer

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

Head to head
About

iStem

Features
Read full description

iStem lets you split songs into drums, bass, vocals, and other instruments, remix them, and practice with tempo/pitch/metronome controls. Features: - Split in instrument/vocal tracks - Detect beats - Count-in function - Speed up or slow down songs - Change pitch - Set up loops for detailed practice - No login or user data required - All computation is done on the device - Export to file

About

Chiptune Sequencer

Create authentic chiptune music with a four-channel sequencer and a vintage handheld console sound. Arrange songs, design patterns, and shape sounds with intuitive controls and a retro interface. Export your creations as WAV or MIDI.

Highlights
  • Four-channel chiptune sequencing
  • Vintage handheld console sound emulation
  • Pattern-based note entry
  • Intuitive sound shaping controls
  • MIDI keyboard support
  • WAV and MIDI export
  • Retro pixel art interface
Features
Read full description

C.H.I.P. is a Chiptune Handheld Instrument Player: sequence and build four channel chiptune, the sound of a 1989 handheld console. Arrange is your song. Sections stack top to bottom and play in order. Drag one to move it, or drag its right edge to loop it. Pattern is where notes go. Four lanes down, time across. Tap a cell, then play a key or a drum pad to fill it. Effects come from a menu you can read, so you pick Arpeggio, major instead of memorising a code. Sound is the synth. Every control has a plain name, a sentence saying what it does, and a button to hear the result. There is a preset library if you would rather start from something that already works. Song is everything else. Tempo, tuning, the mixer, saving, and export. The whole interface is drawn a pixel at a time, in the style of an early nineties desktop. Have it in grey, or behind a green LCD. Every sound is made as you play. Nothing streams, and there is no sample pack hiding in the background. Two pulse channels, a wave channel you can shape, and a noise channel, emulated at the register level so the controls mean what they meant on the original chip. Plug in a MIDI keyboard to play the instrument you are editing, and write notes straight into the grid. Export a mix as a WAV, or the song as a MIDI file to carry into whatever studio you use. There is a compare screen for the curious. Load a recording of real hardware and it lines the two up to the sample, matches their levels, and tells you how far apart they are and where. You can listen to just the difference. Songs and save files read and write in their original layouts, byte for byte, so something you write here can go back to the device it came from. Whether you want a quick lofi beat or a finished song, it is a music maker for sitting down and actually writing. Made for people who like retro sound and do not want a manual to get going.

Screenshots

iStem4 screens
Chiptune Sequencer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chiptune Sequencer at none against iStem's 1. On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. iStem sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Chiptune Sequencer asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
iStem versus Chiptune Sequencer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriStemChiptune Sequencer
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequency—Weekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size79 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJan MaesTech with you LLC

In-app purchases

1 purchases

iStem

One-time1
  • iStem Activation$4.99
None

Chiptune Sequencer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iStem free?
iStem is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chiptune Sequencer free?
Chiptune Sequencer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do iStem or Chiptune Sequencer have ads?
Neither iStem nor Chiptune Sequencer shows ads.

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