Comparison

Oriental Strings vs Espressivo

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Read full description

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.

About

Espressivo

Features
Read full description

This app enables you to dynamically control the following musical elements: - Tempo - Velocity - Articulation All you need to get a first impression of the app is a MIDI player such as GarageBand or Numa Player. The app already comes with a collection of musical pieces. To get the best out of the app, consider connecting a gamepad or a camera. With this app you will be able to: - Import musical data in formats such as MusicXML and others - Assign analog sticks, sensors, buttons and gestures to musical elements and functions - Use profiles to store device configurations - Control the display of the musical score - Transpose pieces of music - Manage musical repertoires Among others the app offers you: - An interactive musical score that follows the progress of the performance - An interactive piano roll and a table view of the score - A visualization of the controllers' actions - An interface for a remote performance control over Bluetooth and UDP - Numerous settings to control the performance of musical instructions - A collection of sound examples Detailed instructions are contained within the app. Enjoy your musical performance!

Screenshots

Oriental Strings4 screens
Espressivo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Espressivo at Free against Oriental Strings's $7.99. Oriental Strings's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 9 months) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 26.0). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Espressivo is free to download; Oriental Strings costs $7.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Oriental Strings ships an update every 2 months, Espressivo every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Oriental Strings versus Espressivo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOriental StringsEspressivo
Price$7.99Free — better
Rating4.2 (11 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews69.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings11 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 9 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS12.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.9 GB44 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChristian Schoenebeck d/b/a CrudebyteHansruedi Bar

In-app purchases

None

Oriental Strings

No in-app purchases

None

Espressivo

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Oriental Strings free?
Oriental Strings costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Espressivo free?
Espressivo is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Oriental Strings or Espressivo have ads?
Neither Oriental Strings nor Espressivo shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Oriental Strings or Espressivo?
Oriental Strings ships an update every 2 months, and Espressivo every 9 months. Most recently, Oriental Strings was updated on October 16, 2026 and Espressivo on October 8, 2026.

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