AUFX vs OtherDesertCities
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
AUFX
Enhance your audio with a powerful 4-band parametric stereo equalizer. Achieve subtle adjustments or dramatic sound shaping with its high-quality DSP engine and real-time frequency response visualization. Supports various audio processing methods and preset management.
- 4-band parametric stereo equalizer
- High-quality 32-bit DSP engine
- Real-time frequency response graph
- Real-time FFT spectrum analyzer
- Inter-App Audio and Audiobus support
- Save, load, and share presets
- MIDI controllable
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A versatile 4-band parametric stereo equalizer for everything between subtle frequency enhancements and agressive boosting/cutting or special resonator effects. This app is part of the AUFX series, a collection of simple and powerful audio effect apps. • High quality 32-bit DSP engine. • Two parametric peak filters with gain, frequency and Q. • Low-shelf filter with gain and frequency. • High-shelf filter with gain and frequency. • Displays the resulting frequency response graph in real-time. • Real-time FFT spectrum analyzer with pre/post/off switch. • Process hardware input/output. • Process other apps through Inter-App Audio or Audiobus (input/filter/output slots supported). • Save, load and share user presets. • Supports Audiobus 2 state saving. • Comes with several bundled presets. • Fully MIDI controllable, including Virtual MIDI. • Background Audio. • Built-in lookahead limiter to prevent clipping. • Record the result directly in app. • Email recordings or export to AudioShare audio document manager app. • Access user presets and recordings through iTunes File Sharing.
OtherDesertCities
Explore a versatile audio effect with six unique delay algorithms, offering everything from classic stereo delays to experimental granular pitch-shifting. Extensive modulation and I/O controls allow for deep sonic manipulation and creative sound design.
- Six unique delay algorithms
- Extensive modulation capabilities
- Tempo-synced LFOs
- Envelope follower
- Diffusor for feedback smearing
- Advanced I/O control
- Granular pitch-shifting
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Other Desert Cities, named for a famous sign on the I-10 highway leaving Los Angeles, is a workshop for creativity. As its namesake implies, there are many strange and wonderful things lurking inside. With six delay algorithms, each with its own personality, and extensive modulation, Other Desert Cities covers everything from basic stereo dual delays to never-before-heard granular pitch-shifting chaos. ALGORITHMS 01 Desert Shores Stereo Delay. A standard dual delay, with basic EQ, saturation, crossfeed, and spread. 02 Mecca Reverse Delay. A normal dual delay, except the repeats play backwards, with smooth crossfading and an optional Reflect mode that alternates direction on each repeat. 03 Cactus Dual-Delta Delay. More like a pair of tape decks in use, with individual speed controls from zero to 2x in either direction, and pitch quantizing to octaves, fifths, or semitones. 04 Thermal Multi-Tap Delay. A dual multi-tap with sixteen taps per side, spread, crossfeed, and basic EQ. 05 Mirage Multi-Head Delay. Imagine a tape delay, but the head is the rotating head of a VCR. Experimental, strange, and wonderful. 06 Sky Valley Granular Delay. A pitch-shifting granular delay, with control over grain size and scatter, and EQ. TEMPO Sync to your host, or don't: set the sync source to Tap and everything synced follows the tap button instead. Tap on screen, or assign a MIDI note or CC and tap from your controller; the AUv3 accepts MIDI input directly. MODULATION Other Desert Cities includes a full suite of modulation. Two tempo-synced variable-waveshape LFOs and an envelope follower, sourced from the main input or a sidechain, can modulate nearly every control in the user interface. DIFFUSOR A built-in diffusor smears the feedback path, pushing Other Desert Cities toward reverb territory, especially with the Thermal algorithm. LEVELS The secret superpower is I/O control. Every aspect of the signal chain's gain structure can be controlled and modulated: ducked, panned, oscillated, and enveloped to your heart's content. Mute and Input Level feed only the delay block, not the dry signal, so you get natural tails and send-style behavior from an insert. PRESETS A full factory bank, plus designer presets from Matthew Lyon, Red Means Recording, and Time Rival. Presets are cross-platform (patches made on the desktop version work on iOS, and vice versa) and appear in your host's own preset list, so you can change sounds without opening the UI. FEATURES - AUv3 plugin and standalone app - Delay times up to 2 seconds free, 10 seconds tempo-synced - Tap tempo from the screen or MIDI - Resizable, scrolling user interface - Cross-platform XML preset manager Also available for macOS, Windows, and Linux in CLAP, VST3, AAX, AudioUnit, and LV2 formats at audiodamage.com.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: OtherDesertCities at 4.8 against AUFX's 4.5. OtherDesertCities also leads on chart position (#96 vs unranked). AUFX's advantage is price ($4.99 vs $6.99) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 16.0). On review sentiment, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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
AUFX costs $4.99 and OtherDesertCities $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
OtherDesertCities holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 25 and 59 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 86% and 86% positive.
AUFX ships an update every 3 months, OtherDesertCities every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | AUFX | OtherDesertCities |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 — better | $6.99 |
| Rating | 4.5 (25 ratings) | 4.8 (59 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 86.0% of reviews | 86.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 25 | 59 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #96 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 29 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Kymatica AB | Audio Damage, Inc. |
Customer experience
AUFX
OtherDesertCities
In-app purchases
AUFX
No in-app purchases
OtherDesertCities
No in-app purchases









