Comparison

Land Waves vs Virtual ANS 3

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

Head to head
About

Land Waves

This app generates sound waves from a 1D reaction-diffusion system simulation. It translates pixel brightness into audio frequencies, creating complex soundscapes from simple mathematical models found in nature.

Highlights
  • 1D reaction-diffusion system simulation
  • Sonification of pixel brightness
  • Generates complex soundscapes
  • Mathematical models of natural fluid behaviors
  • Translates pixel values to audio frequencies
Features
Read full description

Raw sonification of a 1D reaction diffusion system. Reaction diffusion systems are mathematical representations of the behaviours of fluids that can be found in nature. A key characteristic of these systems is that the initial parameters are simple but the resulting process can be extremely complex. Here, each pixel brightness affects the brightness in the corresponding pixel line. Frequencies of the sound waves are the sonification of these pixel values.

About

Virtual ANS 3

This app simulates a unique photoelectronic musical instrument, allowing users to draw music as spectrograms. It functions as a graphics editor to convert sound to images and vice versa, enabling the creation of atmospheric sounds and microtonal music.

Highlights
  • Unlimited pure tone generators
  • Sonogram editor for drawing and playing spectra
  • Convert sound to image and vice versa
  • MIDI device support
  • Polyphonic synth mode with MIDI mapping
  • Audio Unit Extension (AUv3) and Audiobus support
Features
Read full description

Virtual ANS is a software simulator of the unique Russian synthesizer ANS - photoelectronic musical instrument created by Evgeny Murzin from 1938 to 1958. The ANS made it possible to draw music in the form of a spectrogram (sonogram), without live instruments and performers. It was used by Stanislav Kreichi, Alfred Schnittke, Edward Artemiev and other Soviet composers in their experimental works. You can also hear the sound of the ANS in Andrei Tarkovsky's movies Solaris, The Mirror, Stalker. The simulator extends the capabilities of the original instrument. Now it's a full-featured graphics editor where you can convert sound into an image, load and play pictures, draw microtonal/spectral music and create some unusual deep atmospheric sounds. This app is for everyone who loves experiments and is looking for something new. Key features: * unlimited number of pure tone generators; * powerful sonogram editor - you can draw the spectrum and play it at the same time; * any sound (from a WAV file or a Microphone/Line-in) can be converted to image (sonogram) and vice versa; * support for MIDI devices; * polyphonic synth mode with MIDI mapping; * supported file formats: WAV (only uncompressed PCM), PNG, JPEG, GIF; * Audio Unit Extension (AUv3), Audiobus; * many new features compared to version 2.3; see the full list: https://warmplace.ru/soft/ans/changelog.txt Homepage, user manual and versions for other systems: https://warmplace.ru/soft/ans

Screenshots

Land Waves2 screens
Virtual ANS 33 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Land Waves at Free against Virtual ANS 3's $5.99. Land Waves also leads on iOS requirement (8.0 vs 12.0). Virtual ANS 3's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.3) and update cadence (every 3 months vs every 31 months). 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

Land Waves is free to download; Virtual ANS 3 costs $5.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Virtual ANS 3 holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 12 and 57 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of Land Waves's written reviews are positive against 88% of Virtual ANS 3's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Land Waves ships an update every 31 months, Virtual ANS 3 every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on August 23, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Land Waves versus Virtual ANS 3: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLand WavesVirtual ANS 3
PriceFree — better$5.99
Rating4.3 (12 ratings)4.8 (57 ratings) — better
Positive reviews60.0% of reviews87.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1257 — better
Update frequencyEvery 31 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB31 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAgoston NagyAlexander Zolotov

Customer experience

Land Waves

All ratings12 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral8.3%
Negative8.3%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative20.0%

Virtual ANS 3

All ratings57 ratings
Positive93.0%
Neutral5.3%
Negative1.8%
Written reviews32 reviews
Positive87.5%
Neutral6.3%
Negative6.3%

In-app purchases

None

Land Waves

No in-app purchases

None

Virtual ANS 3

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Land Waves free?
Land Waves is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Virtual ANS 3 free?
Virtual ANS 3 costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Land Waves or Virtual ANS 3?
Virtual ANS 3 is rated higher. Land Waves averages 4.3 out of 5 from 12 ratings, while Virtual ANS 3 averages 4.8 from 57 ratings.
Do Land Waves or Virtual ANS 3 have ads?
Neither Land Waves nor Virtual ANS 3 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Land Waves or Virtual ANS 3?
Land Waves ships an update every 31 months, and Virtual ANS 3 every 3 months. Most recently, Land Waves was updated on August 23, 2026 and Virtual ANS 3 on September 28, 2026.

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