ChipWave vs VocalRig Studio
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ChipWave
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Make music that sounds like it came straight from a 16-bit game console. ChipWave is a chiptune DAW built around a faithful recreation of the classic 16-bit console sound chip: 8 voices, BRR-compressed samples, ADSR envelopes, hardware-style echo and a noise generator — all running at an authentic 32 kHz. COMPOSE ON A PIANO ROLL • 8 tracks mapped 1:1 to 8 hardware voices • Draw, move and resize notes with your finger • Pinch to zoom, grid snapping from 1/4 to 1/32 notes • Full undo/redo, mute/solo while playing • Up to 256 bars, tempo 20–300 BPM AUTHENTIC SOUND ENGINE • BRR sample decoding with 4-point Gaussian interpolation • ADSR and GAIN envelope modes, per-voice stereo volume • Hardware-style echo: delay, feedback and an 8-tap FIR filter • Shared LFSR noise with 32-step frequency control (NCK) • Pitch modulation driven by the previous voice (PMON) • A strict 64 KB audio RAM budget, just like the real hardware BRING YOUR OWN SOUNDS • Import WAV / AIFF / CAF — converted to chip-native BRR by an adaptive encoder • Import BRR samples directly • Analyze SPC snapshot files you have rights to: extract samples, registers and echo settings, and turn the performance into an editable piano roll • Built-in pulse, triangle, saw and organ waves so you can start right away EXPORT & SHARE • Render your song to 32 kHz stereo WAV • Export individual BRR samples • Save and open projects as portable JSON files MADE FOR iPHONE AND iPAD • Three-pane studio layout on iPad, focused tab layout on iPhone • Touch keyboard for instant sound preview • Works completely offline PRIVATE BY DESIGN Everything runs on your device. No account, no ads, no tracking. Please import only audio and music data for which you have the necessary rights. ChipWave does not include any copyrighted game content.
VocalRig Studio
This app provides a comprehensive vocal processing chain for mobile devices. It offers real-time effects, pitch correction, and a doubler, allowing users to achieve studio-quality vocals on their iPhone or iPad. It can be used standalone or as an AUv3 plugin within other music production apps.
- Real-time vocal processing chain
- AUv3 plugin for DAWs
- Pitch correction with custom scales
- Doubler for stacked vocals
- Macro knobs for chain control
- 60 genre-specific presets
- Standalone operation
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VocalRig Studio is the complete vocal chain for iPhone and iPad. Sing into your headset or audio interface and hear a finished, studio-ready vocal in real time, or load it as an AUv3 plug-in on any track in GarageBand and other AUv3 hosts. WHAT'S INSIDE • A full chain in one plate: cleanup EQ, channel strip, opto and FET compression, Pultec-style EQ, de-esser, multiband OTT, Fresh Air and final EQ • Six macro knobs (Warmth, Presence, Air, Comp, De-Esser, Drive) that move the whole chain at once • Reverb and tempo-synced delay with ping-pong, analog and lo-fi modes • Pitch Correction with key and scale, speed, vibrato, flex and humanize, and an on-screen keyboard for custom scales • Doubler for wide, stacked vocals • Analyze: sing a few lines and VocalRig listens to your voice and dials in the chain for you • 60 presets by genre: Pop, Hip-Hop, RnB, Drill, K-Pop, Afrobeats, Amapiano, Ballad, Hyperpop, Megaphone, Stadium Echo and more, each with Male and Female voicings BUILT FOR IPHONE AND IPAD • iPhone: portrait layout with Chain and FX pages; iPad: full-screen landscape design; real rotary knobs on both • In GarageBand on iPhone: a landscape plug-in layout, full and compact • Standalone with headphones or an audio interface, and as an AUv3 Audio Unit inside your DAW • One-time purchase. No account, no subscription, no data collection VocalRig Studio is the iPhone and iPad version of the VocalRig plug-in for Mac and PC by ToplineBase.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: ChipWave at 100% against VocalRig Studio's 0%. ChipWave also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1). VocalRig Studio's advantage is price (Free vs $6.99) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months). On ads and device support 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
VocalRig Studio is free to download; ChipWave costs $6.99 up front. VocalRig Studio sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. ChipWave asks for nothing beyond the download.
ChipWave ships an update every 3 months, VocalRig Studio every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ChipWave | VocalRig Studio |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $6.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | — | 3.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 11 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Code and DESIGN inc. | Yael Nahar |
Customer experience
ChipWave
VocalRig Studio
In-app purchases
ChipWave
No in-app purchases
VocalRig Studio
- VocalRig Studio Pro$9.99









