u/DSZABEETZ

Big news for the iPad synth heads—Roland just officially dropped ZENOLOGY GX on the App Store.

This isn't just a preset browser; it’s the full ZEN-Core engine that they use in their flagship hardware, rebuilt with a touch-friendly interface. It’s got 4 voices per tone, deep mod matrices, and all the classic Roland FX (Dimension D, Juno Chorus, etc.).

The pricing situation (The Good & The Bad):

• The Good: Right now, they are doing a "Free Experience" promo. If you download it and sign in with a free Roland account, the entire app and all 4,200+ presets are fully unlocked for free until later in 2026.
• The Bad (Eventually): Once the promo ends, the free app will revert to a limited "lite" version. To keep the full features, you'll either need a Roland Cloud subscription OR you'll have to buy a one-time "Lifetime Key" (price TBD, but probably not cheap).
• AUv3: It's standalone right now, but Roland confirmed an AUv3 update is dropping during this free period.

https://imusicnews.com/zenology-gx-by-roland/

I'm always trying to create my music (including vaporwave sounds) on portable devices and came across these two guys:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/lo-fi-tape/id1591581486

The developer is kindly sharing his app for free for a short while in celebration of career switch that led him to launching his own FX suite (https://bywestonfletcher.com/). There is an in-app purchase but those are extra presets. You can create and save your own.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mighty-synth-sampler/id6445898095

This one also has iaps but the full app is unlocked by default.

As I said, I love the idea of just making things on the go with an iphone (most android devices have a slow reaction time unfortunately). If any of you out there do this and wanna chat, trade notes. let me know! The iOS music landscape is ridiculous!