Knob Lab vs Timecode Tool App
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Knob Lab
This application transforms your iOS device into a versatile MIDI controller. It allows you to manage various DAWs and music software remotely via USB, WiFi, or Bluetooth. Create intricate control setups with a single rotary knob, affecting multiple MIDI destinations simultaneously.
- Remote DAW control
- USB, WiFi, Bluetooth connectivity
- Virtual MIDI support
- Audiobus integration
- Complex control mapping
- iPad support
- MIDI logger
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Knob Lab turns your iPhone or iPad into a MIDI controller built around one idea: a single knob can do many things at once. ONE KNOB. MANY MOVES. Map a knob to up to 8 MIDI destinations. Each has its own range, direction, channel and colour, so one turn can open a filter, pull the resonance back and bring the delay in over the second half of the sweep. BUILD YOUR OWN MACROS • Control Change, Program Change and Pitch Bend destinations • Name every knob and every destination, so a setup reads at a glance • Invert any range, or start a destination part-way through the turn • Rotate completely, snap to middle, pan left/right, or return to origin on release • A coloured lane for every destination shows where each one is A LAYOUT FOR EVERY SETUP Start with one big knob, or unlock layouts with 2, 6 or 12 knobs on a single screen. PLAYS WITH EVERYTHING • Music apps on the same device, through Knob Lab's virtual MIDI output • Computers over Wi-Fi, with a network MIDI session • A Mac over USB or Bluetooth, with Sonic Logic Central • Class-compliant USB MIDI interfaces and synths plugged into your iPhone or iPad MADE FOR TOUCH Large, precise knobs, a quick guided start, and Dark, Light and Neon themes. The one-knob layout is free. The 2, 6 and 12 knob layouts are in-app purchases, available one at a time or all together.
Timecode Tool App
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Timecode Tool is a focused utility for live-show technicians who need to generate, monitor, convert, measure or calculate SMPTE timecode on iPad, iPhone, and Apple Silicon Mac. Five tools: GENERATE • Output LTC audio and Art-Net Timecode driven by system time-of-day, a free-running 1-hour block, or a custom Start Timecode you type in (e.g. 02:03:20:15) that free-runs from that point. • A media-player transport while running — previous block, back to start of block, play/pause, next block. (Hidden for time-of-day, which follows the wall clock instead of a block you can skip through.) • Pick FPS (24, 25, 29.97 NDF, 29.97 DF, 30) including correct SMPTE drop-frame counting. • Send to a specific Art-Net destination IP (unicast or broadcast). MONITOR • A large, glanceable timecode readout for monitoring. • Choose the source: decode LTC from an audio input, or receive Art-Net Timecode over the network. Frame rate and lock state are shown live. CONVERT • Route one timecode input to up to two simultaneous outputs, freely chosen: input is LTC audio, Art-Net, or MTC; each output is LTC audio, Art-Net, or MTC. • MTC: Timecode Tool publishes a virtual MIDI port, "Timecode Tool", that shows up as a MIDI input in every other app on your device — your DAW can chase it with no cable or MIDI interface. Output can also go to a real MIDI destination, and input can come from any MIDI source. • Warns up front about setups that would misbehave: Art-Net in and out sharing a UDP port, LTC in and out on the built-in speaker and mic, and MTC feeding back into itself. • Latency compensation per output, with drift tracking and a re-sync control. Auto-detects the source frame rate and the drop-frame flag, with an override for 29.97 non-drop versus 30 fps. MEASURE • A delay checker. Tap the pad twice — or keep tapping along to a beat — and read the interval in milliseconds, frames at the rate you choose, timecode, BPM, seconds, or audio samples. • Then hear it: two clicks exactly that far apart, a click every interval, or your own taps replayed, placed on the audio clock to the sample. • A tap far from the others — a double tap, a missed beat — is flagged as it lands and left out of the statistics. Save a measurement with its taps, rate and statistic, and bring it back later. • Last, average, min, max and jitter at a glance; every unit has Copy. CALCULATE • A timecode calculator. Add, subtract, multiply and divide timecode, frames, seconds, milliseconds and h:mm:ss clock time in any mix — for example "01:03:40:15, one minute thirty-five later". • Pick each operand's unit on a sliding switch under the field. Shorthand accepted: 95s, 1500ms, 1m35s, 40f, or just digits into a timecode field. Paste into any field; the unit follows the text. • A sentence above the result says what was done — "Added 1 min 35 s to timecode 01:03:40:15" — and the result appears in every form at once, each with its own Copy, chaining back into the next calculation. Drop-frame arithmetic uses the same frame counting as the generator. • Measure and Calculate also work at 59.94 and 60 fps. Cross-cutting features: • Background audio — keeps generating / decoding when the screen is locked or another app is foreground. • Phone calls and Siri don't break the timecode stream; it resumes. • Shows your device's IP addresses. Works with Class-Compliant USB audio interfaces. Available in English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, French and German. Timecode Tool does not collect, store, or transmit any personal data.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Knob Lab at Free against Timecode Tool App's $1.99. Knob Lab also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). Timecode Tool App's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 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
Knob Lab is free to download; Timecode Tool App costs $1.99 up front. Knob Lab sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Timecode Tool App asks for nothing beyond the download.
Knob Lab ships an update every 5 months, Timecode Tool App every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Knob Lab | Timecode Tool App |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $1.99 |
| Rating | 4.3 (12 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 91.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 12 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 66 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Uri Nachmias | llcheesell Inc. |
In-app purchases
Knob Lab
- Two Knob Layout$0.99
- Four/Six Knob Layout$0.99
- Nine/Twelve knob layout.$0.99
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- Unlock all layouts$1.99
Timecode Tool App
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Knob Lab free?
Is Timecode Tool App free?
Do Knob Lab or Timecode Tool App have ads?
Which is updated more often, Knob Lab or Timecode Tool App?
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