Egoist vs Oriental Strings
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Egoist
This app lets you extract grooves from any audio file, transforming your music library into a sound source. It offers tools for sketching tracks with sample slicing, basslines, beats, and effects, suitable for both studio and on-the-go use.
- Audio Unit v3 & Standalone
- Sample slicing and manipulation
- Onboard bass and beat synthesizers
- Effect sequencer
- Pattern chaining for song creation
- Slice keyboard functionality
- iCloud synchronization
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Egoist is a groove instrument. Load any audio file and squeeze the groove out of it! Try your mp3 library and use it as a sound source! The additional onboard bass, beat and fx units make Egoist the perfect track sketch tool in the studio and on the road. • Audio Unit v3 & Standalone • Quick + Easy track sketching, based on sample slicing • Minimal, yet effective bass line • Unique beat box with more than 1000 drums from vintage to electronic • Effect Sequencer • Randomizers in all areas • iCloud Synchronization of Presets and Samples • AudioShare • Mixdown / Bounce • Full Midi Support (Virtual, Network, Bluetooth, Extern) • Music Library Access SLICER: The Slicer arranges up to 16 slices of the loaded sample. Apply different parameters like Reverse, Attack, Decay, Level and pitch with the sequencer. Using the 16 available patterns, up to 16 different samples can be used at any time. BASS & BEAT: Egoist includes a great sounding bassline synthesizer/sequencer. The bassline synth offers a mean and strong sound, with different lowpass filter flavors and overdrive. The versatile sequencer is capable of notes and pitch bends of any length. The internal beat box offers kick, snare and hihat, along with a simple sequencer. If you imagine, that you can change the drum sounds with each pattern, limitations start to get you inspired! EFFECTRIX INSIDE: The Effect unit brings funky hickups to your tracks. Engage tapestop, looper, reverb or filter at any time to give your beats that otherworldly feel and create stunning breaks! SONG SEQUENCER: Chain your patterns! Or create stunning breakbeats by changing patterns quickly! The internal Part/Song sequencer lets you sketch your pattern progressions and line out your next track. ALWAYS SPECIAL: The very special Slice Keys turn Egoist into a slice keyboard! Play the sequencer steps on the keyboard, with all their settings and effects, you will not believe how cool that is!
Oriental Strings
This professional sound module app provides authentic oriental and Arabian string instrument sounds for musicians. It offers high-quality stereo samples, master tune, scale tuning, and integrated effects. Connect via Bluetooth MIDI or use it as a virtual instrument within your favorite DAW.
- Authentic oriental and Arabian string sounds
- High-quality stereo samples
- Master Tune & Scale Tuning
- Integrated effects with 18 presets
- MIDI velocity response curve editor
- Audio Unit, Audiobus, and Inter-App Audio support
- MIDI Player/Recorder
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Oriental Strings is a professional sound module app for oriental keyboard players and for musicians who simply want to resemble the typical sound of the Orient and Middle East in their songs. Connect an external MIDI keyboard to your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch by using Bluetooth MIDI or by using the Apple USB camera adapter or another adapter supported by Apple, or launch Oriental Strings as virtual instrument directly within your favourite DAW app on your iOS device!¹ Watch and listen to the demo video on our product website! This app supports "Audio Unit", "Audiobus" and Apple's "Inter-App Audio" System for audio & MIDI connections from/to other audio apps, as well as Bluetooth LE MIDI ! The sounds of Oriental Strings were exclusively recorded with players who are professionally dedicated to oriental style of music. Typical string instrument sounds for the Arabian genre are covered by this app. Besides rather exotic instruments like the Chinese erhu, typical western string instruments were used as well, but since the players of the recording sessions are focused on oriental music, those western instruments sound completely different than you might be used to from western orchestra players. The sounds of this app were once again created by Kurt Ader, winner of the NAMM 2015 "Best Sound Designer of the Year" award. 32 Sounds are included with this App: • Chinese Erhu 1 - 3 • Chinese Erhu Trill • Turkish Strings 1 - 4 • Arabian Strings 1 - 3 • Tremolo Strings 1 - 5 • Spiccato Strings • Oriental Spiccato Strings • Oriental String Quartet 1 - 3 • Oriental Staccato Strings • Arabian Solo Strings 1 - 3 • String Quartet • Oriental String Ensemble 1 - 5 • Slow Oriental Strings There is no in-app purchase in this app. So all sounds and all app features are immediately available to you as one buy. General Features: • Sounds based on high quality stereo sample set. • Master Tune & Scale Tuning (including factory presets for common Arabian & Turkish scales). • Low latency disk streaming. • Configurable audio latency down to 1 ms. • Polyphony up to several hundred stereo voices.² • Integrated effects with 18 presets. • 16 parts. • App States: Save app's entire state as user presets. • MIDI velocity response curve editor to fine tune the feeling of your MIDI keyboard. • App can keep running in the background, so you can play on your keyboard while e.g. using Safari or another app to display scores or surfing the Internet. • Audio Unit plugin version of this app, to be used as virtual instrument directly within third-party multi-track DAW apps. • Audiobus support. • Supports Apple's "IAA" system for audio & MIDI streaming between other apps. • Virtual on-screen piano keyboard with velocity support, scalable & scrollable. MIDI Player / Recorder: • Record, save and load your songs in standard MIDI file format. • Share your songs easily as audio file. • Unlimited amount of tracks. • Configurable target MIDI channel per track. • Unlimited recording and playback length. • Open MIDI (.mid) files directly from other apps (i.e. from Safari, Mail). • Download or upload MIDI files with iTunes. • Load your favorite songs as MIDI files from the Internet, and watch at the virtual keyboard how to play it. • Metronome. • Use the "Tempo Zoom" dial knob to i.e. slow down playback at any time and learn your favorite songs more easily. ¹ For more information about adapters and connecting external MIDI keyboards: https://doc.crudebyte.com/iOS/External_MIDI_devices/ ² Some sounds are using several voices per note. Polyphony depends on the exact device model being used. You find a polyphony table on our product website.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Egoist at Free against Oriental Strings's $7.99. Egoist also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.2) and ratings volume (65 vs 11). Oriental Strings's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and device support (3 vs 1). On review sentiment, 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
Egoist is free to download; Oriental Strings costs $7.99 up front. Egoist sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Oriental Strings asks for nothing beyond the download.
Egoist holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Egoist has 65 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 69% and 69% positive.
Egoist ships an update every 6 weeks, Oriental Strings every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on August 7, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Egoist | Oriental Strings |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $7.99 |
| Rating | 4.6 (65 ratings) — better | 4.2 (11 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 69.0% of reviews | 69.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 65 — better | 11 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 434 MB | 1.9 GB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sugar Bytes GmbH | Christian Schoenebeck d/b/a Crudebyte |
Customer experience
Egoist
Oriental Strings
In-app purchases
Egoist
- Egoist Full Version$29.99
Oriental Strings
No in-app purchases









