Comparison

PhaseRings vs AudioKit Digital D1 Synth

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

Head to head
About

PhaseRings

Create expressive music with intuitive touch gestures. Explore various sound schemes and generative composition tools to craft unique musical pieces. Supports MIDI and Audiobus for advanced integration.

Highlights
  • Expressive touch gesture music creation
  • Seven unique sound schemes
  • Generative composition engine
  • Customizable pitch compositions
  • Core MIDI support
  • AudioBus and Inter-App Audio support
Features
Read full description

PhaseRings is a musical instrument for performing expressive music with touch gestures. Anyone can create a beautiful piece of music with our sound schemes and generative composition engine! Each ring on the screen represents a different pitch, and you can tap and swirl on each ring to create combinations of long and short notes. The angle and size of your tap will change the timbre of the notes you create! New in version 3.0, PhaseRings is also an AUv3 Audio Unit plugin. Load it as an instrument in hosts like AUM, GarageBand, Logic Pro for iPad, and Cubasis — play the rings inside your host, run several instances at once, drive it from MIDI tracks, and record it through your host's effects. PhaseRings includes seven expressive "sound schemes" featuring percussive sounds like marimba and singing bowls as well as pure synth sounds like phase and string synthesis. Four "compositions" of pitches are included in the app, but you can also create your own custom composition by choosing three base notes and scales. PhaseRings will do the rest, generating a series of great setups from the harmony you choose! Features: - AUv3 Audio Unit instrument for AUM, GarageBand, Logic Pro, Cubasis, and other hosts - 7 sound schemes - 4 built-in compositions - Custom generative composition - 11 scales and modes - Core MIDI in and out for iOS MIDI accessories and MIDI-enabled apps - VoiceOver support and light/dark appearance

About

AudioKit Digital D1 Synth

This app is a virtual analog and PCM synthesizer for iPad, inspired by the digital synthesizers of the 80s and 90s. It offers a vast library of presets, advanced synthesis features, and built-in effects for creating rich, retro-inspired sounds.

Highlights
  • 64-voice hybrid digital poly synthesis
  • 1GB+ of original samples
  • Stand-alone, IAA, and AUv3 support
  • Vintage-style arp/step sequencer
  • 3 LFOs with fun routings
  • Dual independent per-layer filters
  • Built-in FX suite
Read full description

Epic 64-voice Virtual Analog / PCM iPad Synth Inspired by the Digital Synths of the 80s and 90s - ** TOP 3 iOS MUSIC APPS OF 2018 *** - Music Radar Awards (Computer Music & Future Music Magazine) - * Featured By Apple in "New Apps We Love!" ** "Fans of the D-50, JD-990, 01/W, Wavestation... Rejoice!" - Music Radar FULLY LOADED w/ 500+ presets by Brice Beasley, Matthew Fecher, Red Sky Lullaby, Jakob Haq, Dean Daughters (Electronisounds), Sound of Izrael, Brian Funk, and more DIGITAL D1 is AWESOME: - 64-voice Hybrid Digital Poly Synthesis. - Full 1+ Gigabyte of original samples recorded from analog & fm synths over 30+ years old - Stand-alone iPad Synth, plus IAA & Audiobus - Basic AUv3 Plugin support. Works best with AUM. We're working on upgrading Audio Unit support. - Space-saving Compression - The whole app is under 200mb! - Dual layers per voice. Keyboard splits. Velocity Scaling. - Vintage-style Arp/Step Sequencer that can be routed to specific layers. - 3 LFOs. Fun Routings. LFOs can modify other LFOs. - Dual Independent per-Layer filters - Plus, per-voice Harmonic key-tracked Envelope filters. "Digital D1 Sounds and plays AMAZING!" - The Sound Test Room "Rad retro synth sounds" - Cult of Mac, App of the Week "AudioKit Digital D1 is a beautiful Synthesizer app that recreates the spirit of legendary synths" - Synth Anatomy ADDITIONAL FEATURES: - FX: Glorious Reverb, Phaser, Digital Delay, Distortion, Flanger, Chorus, Crush, and more. - Perfect with a MIDI Keyboard - Ableton Link - All kinds of awesome stuff - The Sound. Oh, the sound. You won't believe it. "Digital D1 synth is pure ‘80s and ‘90s digital lushness" - Computer Music/Music Radar "Beautiful. Lush. Modern and Amazing… An Instant Classic." REQUIREMENTS: Requires newer iPads for best performance. May be slow on iPad 4. IAA is being deprecated by Apple in iOS 13. We're moving to AUv3 as well. Please replace IAA with AUv3 in your projects. GarageBand Audio Unit (AUv3): You can run one instance of D1 as an AUv3 in GarageBand. With a host like AUM, you can run 3 or more instances at once. TROUBLESHOOTING: For iPad 4 - Open the "Settings" button (to the upper left above the keyboard). Turn the buffer to 512 or above. And turn the "CPU Efficient" toggle to on. If still having trouble, try closing other music apps and/or rebooting your iPad. Thanks! - * NOMINATED: Best iOS Music Apps of 2018 ** by Computer Music & Future Music magazine. Subscribe to access to premium app features; subscription details are the following: - Length: weekly or yearly - Free trial: only on selected subscriptions - Your payment will be charged to your iTunes Account as soon as you confirm your purchase - You can manage your subscriptions and turn off auto-renewal from your Account Settings after the purchase - Your subscription will renew automatically, unless you turn off auto-renew at least 24 hours before the end of the current period - The cost of renewal will be charged to your account in the 24 hours prior to the end of the current period - When canceling a subscription, your subscription will stay active until the end of the period. Auto-renewal will be disabled, but the current subscription will not be refunded - Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when purchasing a subscription Terms & Conditions: [https://magic-cake-e95.notion.site/AudioKit-Digital-D1-Synth-Terms-Conditions-14dcf6557a0880beb991f20561329664?pvs=4](https://www.notion.so/AudioKit-Digital-D1-Synth-Terms-Conditions-14dcf6557a0880beb991f20561329664?pvs=21) Privacy Policy: [https://magic-cake-e95.notion.site/AudioKit-Digital-D1-Synth-Privacy-Policy-14dcf6557a088042b2beee2382f5d62f?pvs=4](https://www.notion.so/AudioKit-Digital-D1-Synth-Privacy-Policy-14dcf6557a088042b2beee2382f5d62f?pvs=21) - * NOTE: This app has no official affiliation with AudioKit Pro, LLC. It was built using the free AudioKit source code.

Screenshots

PhaseRings3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PhaseRings at none against AudioKit Digital D1 Synth's 6. PhaseRings also leads on ads (none vs shown) and device support (3 vs 1). AudioKit Digital D1 Synth's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 months) and rating (4.8 vs 4.4). On price and review sentiment 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. AudioKit Digital D1 Synth sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. PhaseRings asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

AudioKit Digital D1 Synth holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AudioKit Digital D1 Synth has 2K ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 80% of PhaseRings's written reviews are positive against 76% of AudioKit Digital D1 Synth's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PhaseRings ships an update every 5 months, AudioKit Digital D1 Synth every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on July 7, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
PhaseRings versus AudioKit Digital D1 Synth: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhaseRingsAudioKit Digital D1 Synth
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (16 ratings)4.8 (2K ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews — better76.0% of reviews
Number of ratings162K — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPad
Requires iOS16.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB636 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCharles MartinAudiobus Pty Ltd

Customer experience

PhaseRings

All ratings12 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral8.3%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews20 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral5.0%
Negative15.0%

AudioKit Digital D1 Synth

All ratings2,007 ratings
Positive95.4%
Neutral1.7%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews242 reviews
Positive76.0%
Neutral7.4%
Negative16.5%

Bugs and requests

PhaseRings

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

AudioKit Digital D1 Synth

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Presets not loading correctly
  • MIDI note dropouts and latency
  • Crashes when used with certain DAWs
  • Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add Audio Unit (AUv3) support
  • Improve MIDI integration and responsiveness
  • Implement a built-in recording/sampling feature
  • Expand preset library with more genres and styles
  • Add more sound design controls and modulation options

In-app purchases

None

PhaseRings

No in-app purchases

6 purchases

AudioKit Digital D1 Synth

Subscriptions4
  • Weekly premium$4.997 Days
  • Weekly premium7 Days trial$4.997 Days
  • Yearly premium7 Days trial$9.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Yearly premium$9.991 Year
One-time2
  • D1 PCM Expansion-01Free
  • Platinum Expansion PCM EXP-01Free

Questions

Is PhaseRings free?
PhaseRings is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is AudioKit Digital D1 Synth free?
AudioKit Digital D1 Synth is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PhaseRings or AudioKit Digital D1 Synth?
AudioKit Digital D1 Synth is rated higher. PhaseRings averages 4.4 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while AudioKit Digital D1 Synth averages 4.8 from 2K ratings.
Do PhaseRings or AudioKit Digital D1 Synth have ads?
AudioKit Digital D1 Synth shows ads; PhaseRings does not.
Which is updated more often, PhaseRings or AudioKit Digital D1 Synth?
PhaseRings ships an update every 5 months, and AudioKit Digital D1 Synth every 3 weeks. Most recently, PhaseRings was updated on July 7, 2026 and AudioKit Digital D1 Synth on September 25, 2026.

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