Soundtract vs Synthwaver
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Soundtract
This app simplifies transcribing field recordings and aids musicians learning by ear. It offers real-time, sophisticated noise reduction using spectral subtraction, allowing users to clean audio from recordings and videos. Additional features include audio isolation, tempo reduction, and various export options.
- Real-time spectral subtraction noise reduction
- Import audio from videos
- Zoom and isolate audio portions
- Tempo reduction up to 70%
- Export to m4a and mov formats
- Video re-export with cleaned audio
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Soundtract is a little pocket audio app we put together initially to make transcribing field recordings easier. We then realised it's perfect for musicians learning to play by ear, etc... While it's a small app with a simple interface, Soundtract really packs a punch in the feature department. Perhaps the thing we're most proud of, and where the app gets it's name, is the ability to apply very sophisticated noise reduction in real time to existing audio. We use a technique known as spectral subtraction, where we literally remove the noisy bits from the audio. Not only will Soundtract clean up audio recordings, but you can import the your VIDEOS as well, clean up the audio, and re-export back into video. And unlike other apps, our noise reduction is done on-the-fly in real time. Other notables features include the ability to zoom and isolate portions of audio for replay, reduce tempo by up to 30%, and export m4a and mov formats. Features Include: - Import all non-DRM audio from iTunes. - Import the audio channel from videos. - Real-time noise reduction based on spectral subtraction. Noise can be chosen automatically or isolated specifically by selection within the waveform. - Fast OpenGL waveform rendering optimised for very long recordings. - Gesture-based panning/zooming. - Tempo reduction up to 70%. - Isolate portions of audio for looping playback. - Resume last song and play marker location on relaunch. - MP4A export with all effects (tempo change/noise reduction) for either whole audio or isolated portions. - Video export. Export “clean” audio back into the original video source and render the new video back into the Photo library.
Synthwaver
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SYNTHWAVER: SOUND IN MOTION Step inside the sound. SYNTHWAVER is a spatial synthesizer for iPhone and iPad that turns pure tones, noise, frequency modulation, and movement into an instrument you can feel around you. Every voice travels through a three-dimensional orbit, giving drones and atmospheres a sense of direction and depth. Put on headphones, press play, and hear synthesis leave the flat plane. BUILD A WORLD, ONE VOICE AT A TIME Start with one synth, then add more to create layers of pitch, color, rhythm, and space. Each voice has its own frequency, level, orbit speed, tilt, noise, FM, and reverb. Let one tone circle slowly beneath a fast-moving signal. Blend a warm noise bed behind a cluster of pitches. Set every layer in motion, or hold movement still and focus on timbre. Complex spatial scenes stay approachable because every sound remains visible, independent, and immediately playable. SCULPT PITCH BY EAR OR BY NOTE Explore the audible range from 20 Hz to 20 kHz with a responsive frequency control. Use the one-octave keyboard for familiar notes, then shift across ten octave positions to reach the register you need. Indicators identify voices at a glance, while numerical readouts keep precise tuning close. Whether you are building intervals, beating tones, low-end rumbles, or glassy highs, pitch never feels buried in a menu. MAKE EVERY SOUND MOVE Movement is part of the synthesis engine. Set each voice to orbit from near stillness to 6.8 revolutions per second, then tilt its path through the Z-plane. High-quality HRTF headphone rendering creates a binaural field with changing position. Layer speeds and angles until simple waveforms become kinetic patterns: circling, crossing, separating, and reconnecting in space. GO BEYOND THE SINE Turn on frequency modulation for sidebands, metallic edges, animated basses, bells, buzzes, and unstable textures. Dial in the modulation index, choose a frequency in hertz or a musical ratio tied to the carrier, then refine it with coarse and fine controls. FM can add subtle shimmer or push far into complex territory. Each voice has its own settings, so one layer can remain pure while another fractures into rich motion. BLEND TONE, NOISE, AND SPACE Move from a clean oscillator to noise, or settle anywhere between them. Shape noise continuously from white to pink, from bright hiss to softer ambience. Then place each voice in one of ten acoustic spaces, including rooms, halls, chambers, plate, and cathedral, and set the wet/dry balance. Orbit, noise color, FM, and reverb make SYNTHWAVER at home creating test tones, evolving drones, cinematic atmospheres, strange machines, and abstract sound art. FAST, TACTILE, AND READY TO EXPERIMENT SYNTHWAVER keeps essential controls on the surface. Start or stop voices, minimize them into frequency chips, bring any synth forward, and stop the scene instantly from the master bar. Shape individual levels or adjust overall output. The interface adapts to portrait and landscape on iPhone and iPad, so it stays playable whether you are exploring on the couch, sketching with headphones, or presenting an idea. SAVE THE MOMENT When a combination clicks, save it as a preset. SYNTHWAVER remembers every voice and its playing state, pitch, spatial motion, FM, volume, noise, octave, and reverb. Open a scene later, continue shaping it, or build a library of drones, studies, and sonic environments. Move from discovery to a sound you can revisit. FOR CURIOUS EARS SYNTHWAVER is for musicians, sound designers, composers, students, educators, spatial-audio enthusiasts, and curious listeners. Study frequency relationships, explore modulation, design moving textures, build meditative soundscapes, or lose yourself in a strange orbit of your own making. No timeline. No maze of pages. Just sound, motion, and direct control. Your headphones are not just the output. They are the listening space. Create a voice. Set it in motion. Shape the air. Enter SYNTHWAVER.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Soundtract at Free against Synthwaver's $0.99. Soundtract also leads on iOS requirement (6.1 vs 18.5). On ads, in-app purchases 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
Soundtract is free to download; Synthwaver costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | Soundtract | Synthwaver |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $0.99 |
| Rating | 2.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 6.1 — better | 18.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 8 MB | 19 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Alex Shaykevich | Richard Barber |
In-app purchases
Soundtract
No in-app purchases
Synthwaver
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Soundtract free?
Is Synthwaver free?
Do Soundtract or Synthwaver have ads?
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