RasterFX vs Arch Carrier Instrument Lab
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Modular multi-effects processor
- Build custom effect chains
- Modulate any control
- Live performance features
- Real-time visualizers
- Record and share audio
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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.
Arch Carrier Instrument Lab
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Draw a shape. Tap it. Hear it ring. Arch Carrier turns drawn shapes into a playable physical modelling instrument. A ring, a plate and a tuning fork each have their own resonances. Change the outline, cut a hole or move your strike, and explore how the sound changes. PLAY AND SHAPE • Strike up to three resonant bodies by touch. • Add and subtract material without degrading untouched contours. • Watch sand trace nodal patterns, and tilt your device to move it. • Start from five seeds or save your own instruments. TUNE AND SEQUENCE • New shapes start at A3, 220 Hz. • Tune by frequency, semitone or octave, with note names and cents. • Audition a tuning or hear the natural model. • Place four mallets and set strength and modal focus for each step. • Choose seven mallet speeds, from 0.25× to 2×. • Record looping mallet motion, synchronized to each rhythm. MIDI PATHS • Add editable traces with independent MIDI note ranges and channels. • Each key selects a strike position; velocity sets its strength. • Play from a connected MIDI keyboard while Arch Carrier is in the foreground. • Show the paths when you need them, then hide the overlay while MIDI keeps playing. KEEP YOUR INSTRUMENT • Save shapes, tuning, rhythms, motion, tempo, damping, tone and MIDI mappings together. • Resume your last instrument without automatic playback. • Record stereo 24-bit WAV files and export them to Files or other apps. Free. No account, advertising or in-app purchases. Designed for iPhone and iPad.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Arch Carrier Instrument Lab at none against RasterFX'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
Both are free to download. RasterFX sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Arch Carrier Instrument Lab asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | RasterFX | Arch Carrier Instrument Lab |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Chih Han Lin | Jeroen Rombouts |
In-app purchases
RasterFX
- RasterFX Pro$3.99
Arch Carrier Instrument Lab
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is RasterFX free?
Is Arch Carrier Instrument Lab free?
Do RasterFX or Arch Carrier Instrument Lab have ads?
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