AudioKit Synth One Synthesizer Reviews

by AstraLover53

After playing on its own onscreen keyboard, I can say that the interface fails badly. The keys are either too small or too large, in the option of dark mode you can’t see the keyboard at all, the notes played cuts or don’t sound at times. Better make a onscreen keyboard like it is on Sunrizer synth or better yet on Bismarck bs16i.
I think the synth engine is good for create new sounds. But the presets you included are pretty the same each other, slow and nothing to wow about.
Maybe the arpeggiator has something good but I don’t use that in my music.
I feel this synth was exclusively created toward some kind of music, maybe reggaetón or hip hop and may not work with all kinds of music. I play electronic rock but I prefer Poison-202 or Sunrizer on the iPad.
I hope this sincere review will help you to excel your project

by =jD

This thing is almost there... So good and so fun! The one missing "feature of a feature" that I feel is quite common, even on stomp-box delays and in various music apps is a setting for a dotted eighth note delay time (an 8th plus a 16th note). This would allow much easier creation of rhythmic effects on a 16th-note pulse that are the backbone of tracks from Pink Floyd (ABITW Pt. 1 and lots more, on The Wall and after) to Kraftwerk & The Orb all the way up to Deadmau5, LCD Soundsystem and lots of modern trap, house, hip-hop, jungle, w. coast bass, techno, and other genres. Right now AudioKitSynthOneSynthesizer has all the triplets, which is cool, but not the same thing as the dotted effect. Synth One could consider adding it for 16th and/or 1/4 note intervals but they're less important. Your users will get a lot of mileage with just dotted-Eighth making a 16th-note rhythm unless they are tempo extremists. =) One can come close, setting delay time without using Tempo Sync, but the control is honestly jumpy and hard to finesse, and if you change the synth global tempo, it's wrong again. I humbly offer the last otherwise well-deserved star on this review in return. (It's open source; I suppose I should just learn how it all works and add it myself LOL.)

by B-Bop ENe

I love AudioKitSynthOneSynthesizer . 🔥🔥🔥 Fires all I can say. But if you can add it to GarageBand’s “Audio Unit Extension” on the External option. It works in the Eternal“Inter-App Audio” option, to where you can play your synth-one piano and record it to GarageBand. But on the “Audio Unit Extension” it would let you pencil in your notes, chords, melodies, etc, on the piano roll. And you would be able to edit your notes and fix them and arrange them, and move certain ones around if you need too, just like any garbageband instruments. And that would be nice if you guys can work on doing that sometime in the future. And not just for Garbageband, but for probably any DAW phone app that has those “Audio Unit Extensions” option.

by Winj3r

With the arrival of this synth app I feel as though iOS has finally reached a level where the instruments on my tablet are just as valid, powerful and great sounding as my actual hardware gear.

Between the ODYSSEi, the Models D/15, Kauldron and now the AudioKit Synth One, it’s obvious that our phones and tablets are not to be taken lightly as an option for creative music endeavors. That’s not to even mention the midi capabilities, Ableton Link and other utilities that have been developed as this new frontier of electronic music continues to grow.
Just think what machine learning will be able to contribute in the not-too-distant future!

The fact that this was free is such a wonderful blessing for the world! I was confused after I opened AudioKitSynthOneSynthesizer and began to noodle with the synth engine - it sounded way too good and had too much processing functionality to be free!

Then I watched the intro video... wow!

As far as I’m concerned Matthew Fecher is the patron saint of public music education!
Thank you so much to everyone who was/is/will be involved with this project!
You’ve inspired me to learn coding and work on developing my own functions to enhance the Synth One!

by Cyntrifical

So I’m an audiophile, I love guitars, basses, drums, but my first and greatest love will always be programming and audio synthesis and it’s modulation.
I’ve owned many hardware synths over the years, just to mention a few: KORG microKORG, M-Audio Venom, IK Multimedia Analog iOS Synth, and I still own my Novation MiniNova.

Just tinkering around with AudioKit’s synth, quickly you begin to realize they meant business. It’s absolutely amazing the quality of the audio and the various components known to synths. Using a midi controller you’d basically be indistinguishable from a high dollar hardware synthesizer.

Since downloading this free app, I’ve since purchased ALL of audiokits other offerings (some of which are limited - Bass808 being one of the nastiest Bass Synth plugins I’ve ever heard) and they are also great with support and service. 5 stars for AudioKitSynthOneSynthesizer and the developers.

P.s. Any progress towards making this synth available with Garageband as an in app synth as opposed to inter-app audio?

by EikeMusic

As someone who has wanted to get into music production even since I was a kid, I was never able to find the right apps to do so. I finally did some research and stumbled across AudioKitSynthOneSynthesizer - not only is it a completely free and completely functional, but it’s good for both beginners and pros alike. I’ve learned a lot about how synths work just by fooling around with the controls. It has a large bank of pre made patches that sound amazing. Another thing I love about it is the fact I can record audio from it through Garage Band. This allows much easier mixing and also means you can pair AudioKitSynthOneSynthesizer with the instruments on Garage Band. Get AudioKitSynthOneSynthesizer. You will not regret it.

by Artfoundry

[Update 2] please please please if possible, change AudioKitSynthOneSynthesizer into an Audio Unit. Interapp audio is so buggy - audio connection from Synth one to the DAW is constantly becoming lost. Happens with every iOS DAW I've tried - Cubasis, Music Studio, and others. And it's not just Synth One - other sound modules have the same problem. I end up having to either restart the module or the DAW to re-establish the connection. But I never have this problem with Audio Unit apps (plus the in-app integration, altering the module to become accessible inside the DAW, is very cool!).

[Update] YES!!! Either I missed it before, or you guys added the arpeggiator tempo adjustment! Thank you!!! This synth is the best! [End update]

Just get it! One of, if not the best synth on iOS! Awesome sounds, huge level of control and flexibility, and great support from the team. One thing - PLEASE add the ability to set the tempo of the sequencer/arpeggiator, not just the division length (and by the way, the label for division is misspelled as "dev"). That way we can record sequences that match whatever tempo we're using in other DAWs.

by Carlos_Carlsen

Everyone knows that a great song idea needs to be written down, or it’s gone forever. This has helped me create and fine tune my ideas. It’s especially helpful when I don’t have my DAW readily accessible. This synthesizer is top notch. Industry grade controls and sounds right on your phone. Thank you for AudioKitSynthOneSynthesizer and thank you for making it free. One ability I wish AudioKitSynthOneSynthesizer had would be a drum machine. Like a launchpad that took up your whole screen so you could play leads and basses within a scale without fat fingering the keyboard. That would be sick. Regardless, still a phenomenal app!

by Yo177

This is a very good synthesizer. However, when I use it as an instrument in GarageBand, I have to switch back and forth between the two, which annoys me when making a song or beat over 90 BPM. I just wish that there was a way to directly load it into GarageBand like for say, Synth Master Player, which has a extension instead of just outputting the audio into a track. What I’m trying to say is instead of using inter-app audio just use Audio unit extension. Other than that, this is a great tool for musicians, especially beginners to make their own patches or sounds to use in production. Thanks to everyone who took their dear time to make an amazing product. Have been using this for over a year now and still loving it.

by Tracypilot2002

I came of ‘music age’ in the early 70’s loving what was coming out of my radio and finally realized just what was tickling my ears! The wonderful and marvelous sound of electronic music!! I quickly fell in love with the amazing sounds of Robert Moog’s Minimoog Model D and so wished that I could have one. Fast forward to well, now - and here is this Synth One app that popped up in one of my App Store searches and it intrigued me with all its promises and ... FREE??? Well, I took the bait and was instantly transported back to my youth with all that it could do on my little old iPhone! Talk about a-mazing! If you have read this far then get this thing! You will not be disappointed! Well done and congrats on a fine app!!

by MARTIN LUCIFER

AudioKitSynthOneSynthesizer is a must have. I have forwarded AudioKitSynthOneSynthesizer to all my musician friends. And Ive been teaching non musicians to make music and therefore become musicians. I actually use AudioKitSynthOneSynthesizer every day. I’m exporting audio on the regular and using it with all my other music making endeavors. That includes using the iPad as an caustic style instrument. I use it at a synth module in my studio And i often import files I made on the subway to protools and everything between in the iOS world. Is there anything else.. well yah its actually endless. But I’ll stop now because I need to open my AKS1 and put up a drone tuned to my Ora and meditate. Peace!

by RuthlessVendettaChip

I wanted a synthesizer app to play with some original songs. Wasn’t looking for anything too complicated, just something to do a sequence or two on. I thought I’d check it out before I went to bed. Two hours later and I was still finding things to tweak and play with. There are an insane amount of options, so it’s really impressive how user-friendly the interface is. The fact that it’s open-source let’s you know that it was created for its functionality, not to turn a buck with an iffy app. I’d recommend it to anyone, and I recommended it to other musicians whenever music apps are brought up. Thank you for giving me a way to experiment/learn with a feature-heavy synthesizer without having to sacrifice a lot of money or space.

by Guitars&saxes

I’m fairly new to iOS but have been using an EWIusb for several years with pc. When I switched to iOS I expected to and was willing to pay a lot for a good synth. Well to my surprise the best on in my opinion is free. The things that I like about AuioKit synth one are it’s layout is easy to understand, it’s intuitive and I was quickly able to adapt it to my needs. The thing that I won’t say don’t like as much as don’t understand fully is how the LFO works because I’m used to a certain type of matrix. With all the available presets I found ones that come closest to the sound I require and the ability to have a user bank and favs was really the seal on the deal. It works flawlessly with my EWI and my BlueBoard. I think I love this synth😏

by SimuL8Nist

AudioKitSynthOneSynthesizer definitely deserves five stars one it really is free to it is what it says three well the controls the interface how smoothly it runs and it literally as I said does what it says I can plug it in is it is a medium but I can use it as a direct sound input I can use it all by itself. Oh guess what it’s free and that’s what it says whenever you ever got that app that is not full of junk and just tricks you to download it so you can pay for what it doesn’t do....??? Thank you AUDIOKIT and everyone who put it together... I have never or rarely give five stars because I’ve stars is the top you can get which means you are the best of the best what I have to say that through I search of sense media and put in any other way to help produce my mediocre talent have music this is definitely the way to go

by Crafting Personas

It wasn’t exactly what I was looking for, but I can’t believe how amazing it is! 😄And for free? Created by volunteers? That’s awesome you guys! If I could make a request it would be for better control of the hold note melody. Like if we could change the time signature so it will sound different?

I love that I learn by just playing with AudioKitSynthOneSynthesizer ! Hopefully the loops I’ve made transfer to Piapro studio, I’ll find out. I have similar functions in that studio but it’s hard to manipulate keys on a laptop. But this is fantastic, truly an asset! I still have a lot of exploring to do! I’ll write more reviews as time goes on. But this is truly a gem of an app! Thank you so very much for all of your hard work! I’ll be sure to recommend it to my friends! 😁

I can’t say it enough! AudioKitSynthOneSynthesizer is awesome and I really appreciate all of your hard work!

by Dj Jiggz

This synth has a very large range of sounds and it can go from dirty to clean, atmospheric to percussive. The feature set reminds me of the expensive Korg apps. It has a great sounding engine and the fx are all usable. The reverb isnt too metallic like many others imo. The two kaoss style pads are an awesome extra for a free app, or ANY app for that matter. The filter is warm and smooth, LFOs can go from slow to crazy. Envelopes are also mainly very smooth even with fast attack and long decay, etc, no click but good punch for drums. The arp and sequencer are the kicker, just so good and very intuitive, wish every synth had a similar feature. I cant say enough, this is a “go to” for so many uses I couldnt live without it. If you like AudioKitSynthOneSynthesizer try D1 and FM Player by the same dev. Only con is the obvious, AUv3. The documentation could be a bit deeper but I feel that way about most apps and this one is actually pretty good.

by TechDude64

Amazing app! Extraordinarily easy to use, fantastic sounding patches, and free! When I first downloaded AudioKitSynthOneSynthesizer and was asked for my email address to unlock additional patches, I used the address for my throwaway account. Once I started using AudioKitSynthOneSynthesizer , I was so impressed with the ease-of-use and quality of patches, that I deleted AudioKitSynthOneSynthesizer and re-downloaded it just so I could use my primary email address for notification of any application updates. I’ve downloaded most of the mid- to high-end synth apps for iOS (free and paid) over the years and this one easily rates within my top five overall and is my current favorite. Each time I launch AudioKitSynthOneSynthesizer, I experiment with new patches and I’m still awestruck with how amazing they all sound. The only thing that I would ask of the developers is please, Please, PLEASE port this to macOS and consider making a pro version for both platforms. I would buy them without hesitation!

by Angelr1128

I have to say, I have owned many hardware synths from Kronos to M1 to Motifs,Kurzweil. Ensoniqs(showing my age with that one lol). I open your app and am completely blown away with the level of depth and movement in some of your patches and tweak able options. I also on your paid app ,just another level together. Never thought years ago I could this quality of sound on an iPad or iPhone that sits in my lap. You guys truly love you work. I have never written a review but after reading your updates notes and listening, using your latest version...all I can say is AWESOME. Your other apps...what can I say, Just as good ...my only complaint is a persistent battery drain on my 2018 iPad Pro that would run in the background ...even if you had global background turned off. Had to go on global and specifically go into the background setting of fm player and turn it off. Trust nothing major. Have a DX on a tablet is; awesome. Can’t wait for full AU3 integration. Again keep it going and keep inspiring us to create music !

by TBMisamazing

This synth sounds amazing, looks amazing, has more features than you would expect, and it’s free!! This quickly became a favorite synth of mine; I’m more pleased with it than apps I’ve paid $20+ for. I’m running it on an Air 1 and haven’t run into any performance problems with this.

Some features I really dig are the oscilloscope, the tuning controls, and the effects. It’s cool being able to see your sounds in real-time and not many synths—hardware or software—have that feature. The tuning page is really inspiring because you can get some nice variations while using the sequencer. And the effects sound absolutely beautiful. I also enjoy the ability to scroll through the different pages while playing the onscreen keyboard.

That’s not where the awesomeness of AudioKitSynthOneSynthesizer ends though. I cannot speak highly enough of what Matt and the rest of the team have pulled off here. To me, the greatness of a synthesizer is judged by how immersive the playing experience is, and Synth One delivers. You can quickly get lost in playing this because it is just that good. If you have an iPad, you need AudioKitSynthOneSynthesizer.

by JWGoodspeed

Thank you to all the designers who took time to make this happen. I have been so happy with its responsiveness to input using my keyboard. Haven’t tapped into the midi capabilities yet, but all things considered, there is so much creative potential here, it’s a power trip. For anyone trying out a synth app for the first time or if you just need to test your keyboard’s functions out, this is a mainstay for your phone and tablet to maximize their sound-generating capabilities. If I had a personal desire to improve AudioKitSynthOneSynthesizer it would be to allow it to continue playing in the background so I could use other apps simultaneously. Otherwise it does everything you need to get working on your own synth sounds and sequences.

by Czefght

After playing on its own onscreen keyboard, I can say that the interface fails badly. The keys are either too small or too large, in the option of dark mode you can’t see the keyboard at all, the notes played cuts or don’t sound at times. Better make a onscreen keyboard like it is on Sunrizer synth or better yet on Bismarck bs16i.
I think the synth engine is good for create new sounds. But the presets you included are pretty the same each other, slow and nothing to wow about.
Maybe the arpeggiator has something good but I don’t use that in my music.
I feel this synth was exclusively created toward some kind of music, maybe reggaetón or hip hop and may not work with all kinds of music. I play electronic rock but I prefer Poison-202 or Sunrizer on the iPad.
I hope this sincere review will help you to excel your project

by Coolbreeze318

I just watched the video for the starting of AudioKitSynthOneSynthesizer and it’s creators vision and I must say that we need more people like this in the world 🌎 I will never forget the message behind AudioKitSynthOneSynthesizer and it’s creator and everyone else who’s heart ♥️ is as big as His. Much love 💗 and many blessings to everyone who contributed and contributes in the future and I highly recommend everyone to watch their video message and mission of creative ideas and sharing ideas and creative ideas for the future. Thank you 😊 I appreciate you sharing this wonderful Synth with us all.☮️💜😃🙏⭐️🙏♾🧘‍♀️🧘‍♂️🕉⚛️

by Vern&Son

We were looking for a cool iOS synth to give to our child to help him broaden his interest and explore his talent in music, and along came AudioKit Synth One. It’s free, open-source, and truly an amazing gift from this team of talented individuals to musicians everywhere. Best of all, because it is open-source, it will only get better. Our joy comes from knowing he’ll be able to create music right away, and that greater details and capabilities of AudioKitSynthOneSynthesizer lie just under the surface, waiting for him to explore and utilize them. Many warm thanks to the Developers. We are grateful for your selfless gift.

by That0neGuyB

To the devs who volunteered their time and expertise making this project happen: Thank You!!!
This synth is professional grade quality from top to bottom. Rich sounding, with an intuitive UI, has deep and diverse functionality built in, and features almost seamless integration with other music production apps on IOS via Audiobus, IAA, and now Live Link compatibilities.
The coolest new addition to my beatmaking toolbox. Better than most other apps, some of which I’ve paid upwards of $25, and other ‘free’ apps with constant in app expansion purchasing ‘upgrades’.
You will not be disappointed.

by Deceptive-Intentions

This synth is better than any of the pay apps I have tried. Aside from the excellent interface the sonic sound quality is better and more alive sounding than most of my virtual synths. The range of the analog development makes it feel like you are working on an old Roland 700 or ESM Systems. The output is clean “fat” without getting muddy or stuttering from latency. The clock speed is solid. I found it works best with a controller that has lots of buttons, slides and knobs. I’m testing a composition using just this synth as my only sound source. My initial reaction is “wow, color me impressed,”

by Rockguy654

Hats off to the dev and audio team behind this amazing app. This is truly a well put together app and I can tell a lot of thought was put into this. Also, thanks for making it free!! Now to my feature request. Obviously I could hook this up to a usb/midi keyboard, but what would be really cool for those times I’m on the go is if the keys would map to the Apple Smart Keyboard. That would be amazing. The touch screen works flawlessly, but for that added accuracy of having a button to press this would take the portability to the next level. That is all. Thanks for creating such an awesome app!

by Russ Nixon

I’m an enthusiastic user of hardware synths in a keyboard-based studio. Pair this thing up with a midi controller and it holds its own to my Kronos, Motif, Montage, etc. in the synth department. Loads of patches that inspire on their own, and infinitely and easily programmable on my iPad, I just love this thing. Do yourself a favor and spend the money for their latest release Digital D1. It supports this project, and it’s the perfect companion to Synth One.

To the developers: A heartfelt thank you for this iOS synth that is such a powerful tool to add to my portable studio. This thing is for real. This is the most exciting thing I’ve added to my rig in a long time. Keep up the good work!

by PianoManna86

All the apps by AudioKit are amazing! I just love the sounds they’ve recreated! They were alright in the beginning, but as they’ve developed and added new features and sounds, they’ve become indispensable in my music! I’d be glad to pay money for these apps, but it’s crazy how they’re free! I notice I’m using a lot of explanation marks lol but these apps are just so good!

My only issue so far is that when I’m using it with GarageBand, it seems to forget that I have the apps installed on my iPad. I don’t know if it’s an issue with my budget iPad, or GarageBand, but it’s a little annoying. Other than that, these apps are incredible!

by Laurence Gudge

I honestly never really worked with synth modules of any kind. I would use a preset to play along with a piano or Rhodes or something. When I heard about AudioKitSynthOneSynthesizer, I said “why not. It’s free.”
I love it so far. I haven’t been able to use it live yet (I’m a musician), but man it makes experiment more than I ever did before.
I’m more interested in the bass I can get out of this. Although there are presets that come with AudioKitSynthOneSynthesizer , I played around and ended up saving presets of my own!
Once again, I have yet to use it live. I also haven’t tried a midi controller yet (my connection kit has been ordered; I have an iPad Air 2). Let's hope the 5 star railing stays lol

by Anonymous_agent

I’m am blown away by the depth and versatility of AudioKitSynthOneSynthesizer, not to mention the ease of use, responsiveness and incredibly user friendly layout. I’m a very seasoned and experienced musician, my intention was to download this for my son to give him some synth tools without having to learn overly complex software.

I’m pretty sure he will have fun with it, unfortunately for him I have not put it down long enough for him to use. Without getting to deep into the detail, I’ll just say, try it for yourself and see what I mean. Thank you to the team who developed and gave us AudioKitSynthOneSynthesizer, it’s simply outstanding.