Comparison

Audio Unit Player vs 1981 FM

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

Head to head
About

Audio Unit Player

This music player allows real-time audio processing including time stretching, pitch shifting, and equalization. It functions as an AUv3 host and supports A-B loop playback, center cancel, and background audio. Import audio files from other apps for practice or performance.

Highlights
  • Real-time time stretch (0.5-2.0x speed)
  • Real-time pitch shift (-1 to +1 octave)
  • 31-band equalizer with presets
  • Adjustable reverb with presets
  • AUv3 host functionality
  • A-B loop playback
  • Audio file import from other apps
Read full description

This app is a music player that can process the following effects in real time. - Time stretch (0.5-2.0 double speed) - Pitch shift (-1 ~ +1 octave) - 31 band equalizer - Reverb - AUv3 (Audio Unit v3) host [Use cases] - Karaoke's training. (Can be changed speed units of 10%, pitch shift in semitones easily) - Can playback at reduced tempo to copy phrase for guitar or bass, the keyboard instrument. - Can playback by changing the pitch to play by changing the key in the band performance (Developer himself has experience). [Function] - Perform time stretch (50 - 200%) / pitch shift (-12 - +12) in real time. - 31 bands EQ (Hz: 20, 25, 31.5, 40, 50, 63, 80, 100, 125, 160, 200, 250, 315, 400, 500, 630, 800, 1k, 1.25k, 1.6k, 2k, 2.5k, 3.15k, 4k, 5k, 6.3k, 8k, 10k, 12.5k, 16k, 20k). - EQ preset (Abundant Built-in Presets / Custom Presets). - Reverb: Adjustable decay time (Low freq, High freq) / 13 presets - Reverb preset (Built-in Presets / Custom Presets) - Can be used as an AUv3 host. - A-B loop playback. - Center Cancel / Center Emphasis. - Lch, Rch each mute. - Quick fast forward, rewind (specify the number of seconds). - Check and set current position graphically in wave view. - Supports Auto-Lock ON/OFF. - Supports background playback. - Supports export (file writing) function (Each effect (speed/pitch/EQ) value set for each song is also reflected. The range specified in the loop section is output.) In addition to loading "music" data included in the standard music app, it also supports the function to import audio files from other apps ("Voice Memos" etc.). [How to import from "Voice Memos"] 1. Start the app "Voice Memos" and tap the mark "..." of the file to be imported from the list. 2. Tap "Share" on the sheet displayed from the bottom. 3. Tap "More" found by scrolling the displayed list of sharing destination apps to the right. 4. Select "AU Player" if available. The file is copied to this app. ================================================ [Note 1] This application will not be able to read songs of the following formats. - Songs from Apple Music, iCloud, iTunes Match - Songs that are protected by digital copyright (DRM) [Note 2] Depending on the state of your device, your custom AUv3 effects may not appear in the list. As a solution, you can solve the problem by starting "GarageBand" once and restarting this app. ================================================

About

1981 FM

This app generates complete, unique musical tracks using chaotic mathematical principles. It offers various styles, modes, and keys, with customizable FM synth sounds and effects. Tracks can be recreated using seeds and exported via MIDI.

Highlights
  • Chaos-driven track generation
  • Four-operator FM synth engine
  • Multiple musical styles and modes
  • MIDI export and input
  • Customizable effects (chorus, delay, reverb)
  • Offline functionality
Features
Read full description

1981 FM writes complete tracks. Press generate and you get 64 bars with an intro, verses, choruses, a break and an outro, played by a four-operator FM synth. Lead, bass, arp, pad and a drum machine, through chorus, delay and reverb. Nothing is sampled. Every note is made on the fly and no two tracks come out the same. The music comes from chaos maths. A Lorenz attractor shapes the melody, rhythm and mood. A Hénon map keeps the arpeggio moving. A logistic map handles the drum fills: turn it down and they repeat every bar, turn it up and they never do. Chaos on its own is noise, so a small model filters it. It gets rewarded for consonant intervals and practises over the chord changes before it writes anything. The CHAOS / POLICY slider decides how much say each one gets. Ten styles, and they are properly different. Funk plays a 16th-note slap line with ghost notes between the backbeats. Bebop walks the bass and puts the ride in charge of the time. Bossa runs a clave. Space strips the kit back to a pulse. Every track is built from its seed. Write the seed down and you can have that exact track again, note for note, whenever you want it. You can play over it, too. The pads are the notes of the song's key rather than a piano keyboard, so nothing you touch is wrong, and the sixteen-step lane runs in time with the song and follows your host. Both play any part you like: lead, bass, arp or pad, through that part's sound and out on its MIDI channel. Choose which sections the lane plays in - just the choruses, say - and preview it on its own without starting the song. Turn on RADIO and it keeps playing, picking a new key, mode, style and tempo for each track. You also get: • 10 styles, 6 modes, 12 keys, tempo and density • Four-operator FM engine, 6 algorithms, 11 presets, random patch • Five-part mixer, chorus, delay, plate reverb and filter • A PLAY panel: pads in the song's own key, and a 16-step lane running in time with the song and only in the sections you pick • MIDI in, so your keyboard plays whichever part you have selected • MIDI export: five tracks, one per part • Live spectrum, waveform and a view of the chaos engine at work Two Audio Units, an instrument and a MIDI processor. Each part sends on its own MIDI channel, drums on 10, so one instance can drive five instruments. The MIDI version passes your keyboard through instead of swallowing it. Both follow your host's tempo and transport. One install registers both. The app is free and nothing in it is held back. Using the Audio Units inside other apps is a one-time purchase, and each AUv3 session plays for two minutes first so you can try them properly. No account, no ads, no subscription. Works offline.

Screenshots

Audio Unit Player3 screens
1981 FM4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: 1981 FM at 5.0 against Audio Unit Player's 3.9. 1981 FM also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (100% vs 67%). Audio Unit Player's advantage is ratings volume (32 vs 3). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Audio Unit Player sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and 1981 FM sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

1981 FM holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Audio Unit Player has 32 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Audio Unit Player's written reviews are positive against 100% of 1981 FM's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Audio Unit Player versus 1981 FM: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAudio Unit Player1981 FM
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (32 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings32 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 2 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLoop-Sessions.LLC.Soft Brew Mobile

Customer experience

Audio Unit Player

All ratings32 ratings
Positive68.8%
Neutral9.4%
Negative21.9%
Written reviews48 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral4.2%
Negative29.2%

1981 FM

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Audio Unit Player

One-time1
  • Always remove banner ads.$3.99
1 purchases

1981 FM

One-time1
  • AUv3 Unlock$2.99

Questions

Is Audio Unit Player free?
Audio Unit Player is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is 1981 FM free?
1981 FM is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Audio Unit Player or 1981 FM?
1981 FM is rated higher. Audio Unit Player averages 3.9 out of 5 from 32 ratings, while 1981 FM averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Audio Unit Player or 1981 FM have ads?
Audio Unit Player shows ads; 1981 FM does not.
Which is updated more often, Audio Unit Player or 1981 FM?
Audio Unit Player ships an update every 2 weeks, and 1981 FM every 2 weeks. Most recently, Audio Unit Player was updated on November 11, 2026 and 1981 FM on November 6, 2026.

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