Comparison

SL Tape vs M

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

Head to head
About

SL Tape

This audio effect plugin emulates the warm sound of analog tape, adding saturation, hiss, and pitch variations to music productions. It offers six adjustable controls and a visually engaging cassette interface with animated elements.

Highlights
  • Tape saturation
  • Tape hiss emulation
  • Pitch modulation (Wow & Flutter)
  • Tape wear simulation
  • Mix control for wet/dry blend
  • Factory presets and custom saving
  • Animated cassette interface
Features
Read full description

SL Tape 2.0 is an AUv3 cassette-style audio effect for music-making apps. Add saturation, tape hiss, pitch movement and wear to drums, vocals, samples and mixes. Six controls: - Drive: tape saturation - Noise: tape hiss - Wow: slow pitch movement - Flutter: faster pitch movement - Age: tape wear - Mix: blend original and processed audio Choose from 10 factory presets or save your own settings. Preset changes move the controls smoothly. The redesigned cassette interface includes animated reels, a layered mechanism and audio-responsive lighting. Use SL Tape as an AUv3 effect in a compatible host on iPhone or iPad. The standalone app does not automatically monitor the built-in microphone through the speaker.

About

M

Features
Read full description

That 8-bit sound — with the real mechanism behind it. M-NES is a chiptune workstation that recreates the RP2A03 APU, the sound chip of the classic 8-bit game console, at the register level. Two pulse channels, a triangle, a noise channel, and 1-bit DPCM samples: the five channels the hardware actually has, laid out on a piano roll. You are not composing with presets that sound "close enough" — you are driving the chip itself. FIVE-CHANNEL APU SOUND ENGINE • Two pulse waves with four duty cycles, hardware sweep, and envelopes • Triangle with the linear counter — that round, fat bass • Noise with 16 periods plus the 93-step short mode; pick the period by note pitch • DMC channel playing 1-bit DPCM samples • Switchable NTSC, PAL, and Dendy clocks and frame rates • 48 kHz mono output, just like the hardware A PIANO ROLL THAT FEELS RIGHT • Tap to write, drag to move, pull the edge to resize • 8th, 16th, and 32nd quantize • Note velocity maps straight to the APU volume registers • Per-track mute and solo, undo and redo, autosave BUILT-IN NSF PLAYER • Open .nsf or .nsfe and the built-in 6502 CPU and APU emulation play the original • Multi-song files show a track list with titles and durations • Single, repeat, and play-all modes TURN A SONG INTO EDITABLE NOTES • Re-emulates the selected song and tracks every APU register write, frame by frame • Recovers pitch, timing, velocity, duty cycles, and noise periods into five editable tracks • Use it to study, remix, or continue a track — transcribed songs play back immediately DPCM SAMPLES • Import raw 1-bit .dmc data • Convert WAV, AIFF, and CAF to hardware-spec 1-bit DPCM automatically • Place drums and voice clips with a waveform preview HARDWARE-ACCURATE EXPORT • NSF and NSFe export with a built-in 6502 driver and APU register stream • 48 kHz mono WAV master • .nesseq project files containing all editing data PRIVACY • No account, no ads, no tracking • Composing, playback, and export all happen on your device, fully offline MADE FOR • Chiptune musicians who want the real sound, not an imitation • Game developers preparing hardware-spec music and sound effects • Anyone who wants to learn how 8-bit sound actually works — duty cycles, DPCM, noise periods — hands on --- M-NES is an independent product. It is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by any video game console manufacturer. NSF and NSFe are community file formats used to preserve 8-bit game music. NSF files may contain third-party copyrighted material; import and export only within the rights you hold.

Screenshots

SL Tape3 screens
M4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: SL Tape at 15.0 against M's 17.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

SL Tape costs $6.99 and M $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SL Tape ships an update every 6 days, M every 4 days. Both last shipped on November 10, 2026.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
SL Tape versus M: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSL TapeM
Price$6.99$6.99
Rating3.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 daysEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size54 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVIACHESLAV ZHILTSOVCode and DESIGN inc.

In-app purchases

None

SL Tape

No in-app purchases

None

M

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SL Tape free?
SL Tape costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is M free?
M costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do SL Tape or M have ads?
Neither SL Tape nor M shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SL Tape or M?
SL Tape ships an update every 6 days, and M every 4 days. Most recently, SL Tape was updated on November 10, 2026 and M on November 10, 2026.

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