Audiotools App Reviews

I want to use a parametric eq to tune some monitors to flat, but this is not possible to verify in LARSA because Audiotools won't let me run it through the same EQ. The easiest way to do this would be to add audiobus support to Audiotools/LARSA. Then the signal sweep can get corrected by the same EQ I apply to other apps.

So far, I have only made use of the LARSA tool in this suite, but the attention to detail is very high, so I get the impression that everything in this suite of tools is just as good. The author, Andrew Smith, was also very responsive and helpful in email when I asked some usage questions. The LARSA tool is amazing. My goal was to find out if my car stereo had any need for EQ correction because I thought I could hear an unnatural peak at 1.5k. So I was able to pair my iPhone with the car stereo so that the LARSA app played a frequency sweep through the car speakers, while the app simultaneously listened to the resulting sweep with its internal mic, and then graphed it. Sure enough, there was the proof: a h*** at 1.5k in the graph, about 8db’s worth. I could then easily make a parametric EQ correction of the exact amount, and now it sounds much better. I was able to do all this immediately without any special configuration, it just worked out of the box. The author has posted about how the app turns off some of the built in filtering and limiting on the iPhone’s internal mic so that it gets an accurate response. For adjusting my car stereo, this was enough for my needs, but it’s great to know that I could also attach a calibrated microphone and get and even more accurate result. The app lets you run multiple tests (up to 8 of them I think) and compare them or average them together. I used this to get multiple samples from different listening positions in the car. It also lets you save and recall multiple test runs, adjust for latency, and other things. Very feature-complete. Final note: the LARSA tool is among the “in-app-purchases”, so you will need to buy it separately, though it has a 7-day trial built in. I think you can also buy it “a la carte”, or with other bundles, in the App Store.

I can’t get to step 1 with Audio Tools. The setup will not import my mic’s calibration txt file and the app keeps hasseling me to review it so 0 stars would be preferable but 1 is as close as I can get to that rating. It’s just a sales platform not a useful app as-is. You have to buy the add-ons to get actual useful data from it.

I am still working with the many modules I now have. If they all work as well as the ones l have tried.... this will earn a 5 star!

Very handy for checking speakers and acoustics for shows Not as advanced as smaart or some software based products But does exilent job for the price. I use it all the time

It used to be that there were two very serious audio / acoustic analyzer iOS apps available on the iTunes Store platform, i.e., Studio Six Digitals (S6D) AudioTools and Faber Acoustical, LLC’s various iOS apps. I have purchased all of these with every single option enabled as well as the “Pro” versions of Faber Acoustical’s iOS apps too. However, approximately one year ago, Faber Acoustical has opted to go to a “subscription” type of iTunes Store model which I can and will not support. That doesn’t mean the latter’s iOS products are now bad per se, but it does mean that if you want to “own” forever your iTunes Store iOS apps purchases, and you’re serious about having a high quality audio / acoustics analyzer - - Now there only S6D’s AudioTools remaining - - It stands alone in terms of being a professional grade audio / acoustics iOS app (especially when coupled with S6D’s hardware, e.g., iAudioInterface2 and the iPrecisionMic). For those of you whom have panned S6D’s in-app purchase model for being a “bait and switch” please look around at commercial grade audio analyzers / software and stop complaining! I also own the Prism Sound dScope III audio analyzer as well as the RTX6001 audio analyzer & the Virtins MI Pro software with all add-on modules, (and a CLIO v11 FC QC analyzer, etc.). The cost of the latter audio analyzers is MUCH higher than the purchase price of the iAudioInterface2, the iPrecisioniMic and the S6D’s AudioTools plus all add-on modules combined. It can’t do everything the latter audio analyzers do, but it can do MANY of their measurements and it is FAR more portable in nature. So stop complaining about the in-app purchases and expecting to get all of S6D’s R&D for $10 with their constant fixes for whenever Apple decides to upgrade the iOS version, etc. If you’re deadly serious about having a great and portable audio / acoustics analyzer, look no further than S6D’s hardware / AudioTools combination IMO. Keep up the GREAT WORK Andrew!!! P.S. I am not affiliated in any way with S6D / Andrew Smith (owner of S6D) but I love their iOS apps and hardware products and I truly appreciate how they constantly improve their products with both new features as well as updates for whenever Apple decides to release a new iOS version too. If they were to move to a “subscription based model,” as has Faber Acoustical, LLC, I will of course change my review, but I don’t believe this will occur.

I have used this app for setting up sound systems (pinpointing feed back quick and easy), tuning speaker cabinets, mastering Cds. You will need more than this but its another tool. Few jobs can be done with just one tool. Yes to make some things easier you will need to purchase some additional tools. Still When a mechanic buys a tool box he generally adds more tools. No doubt your ears are your most important tools that you have, but this suit of apps are definitely a huge help. With this app you get a lot for 20 bucks. The additional modules make a complete tool box. With the ability to see what you hearing.

I REALKY WANTED THIS APP TO WORK TO SAVE ME TIME ANALYZING ROOM DESIGN. I CAN’T TRUST IT!! In room mode calc - for an example - this calculator is not consistent with most university calculators I can find through the series of frequencies you need to have to design room dimensions. Kind of difficult for me to put trust in this. As in most coding that’s heavy in multiple simple mathematical computations it is quite easy to make mistakes. I have bought a few of the sections from this company because some of them are handy and fast but I don’t trust ANY of the computations in this app because of the errors I have found. Ho to a good acoustical engineering college site - the european colleges are the best but you will have to convert to meters a lot but this is something that you can learn to do quickly with google calculator, even if you are a math dunce. It is probably going to be difficult for most people to analyze all these numbers in a full mathematical stat output but if you take your time you will - I hope - see the patterns. Just methodically look for numbers being close together. Acoustics are for math wizards, I guess, but it is a d***** shame these people don’t really understand math and/or are sloppy coders. Is this app just another “money maker” for a sloppy coder?? There are far more sloppy coders than math wizard coders out there. Oh well, back to the spreadsheets. This IS ok for on-the-run pocket calculations but don’t trust it.

As an Audio Professional, I use this App everyday in my work. I have have been at it fo 50 years. This App for about 5 years!

30 plus years as a professional sound engineer, well versed in SMAART and TEF analysts. This is a very useful “On the Fly” APP!

Really wanted to like this app. I read about all these different tools it supports in the description, and decided to pull the trigger on the most expensive app purchase of my life. Twenty dollars. Turns out that this only gets you a couple of simple "tools", most of which are available for free through other apps. The kicker is that the useful tools can cost anywhere between 5 and TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS. Who do these guys think they are? It's absolutely insane. Not even those videogames with endless "microtransactions" are this much of a shameless money steal. When you pay twenty dollars for an app, it had better be good. It shouldn't just be a portal to dropping another absurd amount of money for basic functionality you would expect.

I want the old fashion spl with the blue background back. They just took it out of nowhere. Not cool when that is the one you have always used. Otherwise great app.

Excellent choice if you are considering an audio utility for your phone. AudioTools has a lot of in-depth and crucial features, and they are always working on it. -1 star because it is difficult to restore purchases.

One of the best, and precise tool !

Great app. Gets the job done.

I’ve had AudioTools for several years now and have added and updated as necessary. The tools are very useful, accurate and well maintained.

Works every time and anytime

This is possibly the best app in the app store. I purchased the iAudioInterface off Studio Six Digital web site and it is a great setup. I really like the part of being able to buy the modules I need as I go along instead of purchasing a complete software package for hundreds of dollars that is full of things I don't use. The other thing that impressed me is that when I had a problem I emailed for support and with in a few hours had a reply and a solution to the problem. The accuracy of the measurements seems to be right on. Some have gave it a poor rating because of the price. When is the last time you priced a audio measurement software? Bet it didn't fit in your pocket either...

Every time I try to update, it finishes and reverts back to showing the update button. I installed eight other apps with no problems.

Love the functionality and usability which this app offers. Hands down, the best tool on the iOS platform for audio professionals. Accurate (given the limitations of the onboard mic, external interface makes all the difference!) and detailed, great reports and relatively easy to figure out interface make it a great tool!

Have used this since it released in the App Store. Buy some of the items to see what it's about. I own 5 so far an will be buying more. The features are very good for not having to be tied to a computer for smaartlive. I use it on phone and ipad! Awesome!

I'm an acoustic professional and I find this app a valuable 'real' tool. I've done noise analysis on HVAC system, background noise and hunted down room modal problems with my iPad and iPhone since I purchased this great suite. The SPL meter is quite accurate with the built in iPhone mic (I have a 3G now waiting on 5) and the RTA is versatile and fun to use. I use TEF and Fuzzmeasure on my laptops and I can't wait for the 2 Channel SMAART package to work with the new interface. This is really an exciting suite and by adding a small interface and measurement mic to my bag Audiotools allows me to have all this functionality with me all the time! This is a winner. Studio Six is a responsive company. They send out regular updates via email and they respond to questions right away. There are a few bugs and it's not the best solution for saving data, but for in-the-field measurements and diagnoses this app rocks. Being totally cable free (using the internal mic) is very liberating and convenient for many of the field measurements we need to make.

Was a great tool now the screen on the RTA is off, white lines above and below the freq field. No bueno.

The faux-realistic look for the SPL meter is OK, but fails on the Signal Generator, which looks silly and u*** instead of professional. The oscilloscope has serious bugs that limit it's usefulness. Bug fixes are promised in version 4.1; but this is their flagship product, so I am seriously concerned about making any further investment until they get this right.

Bought this app at the end of a long day, not noticing that extra modules are at additional cost. By the time you get all the modules this app will cost in excess of $40. If its what you need, no big deal. Just understand what you're signing on for.

You could spend thousands, even tens of thousands of dollars on powerful and sophisticated software and equipment which my iPhone and Audiotools can easily match for the price of a nice dinner out. I use it almost everyday for quick noise measurements, FFT analysis and sound monitoring. Love it.

I buy delay finder but now i can't used it

This package of software is a phenomenal set of tools for the amateur or pro, highly recommend !

A little pricy for some components, but quite useful.

Regularly use this app and the IR module for testing. Solid build, excellent and intuitive interface. Optional hardware is pro. Highly recommended.

I regularly use the JL Audio Tools app. It works great in a pinch. It advertised to me that this "pro version" was half off. I went for it hoping for some new useful tools. I was very disappointed. Most of the interesting tools require expensive in app purchases ($10). There wasn't anything new from what the free JL Audio app offers me. It does include a new sine wave/noise generator, but there are better free apps for that available. I wish I could get my money back. This app is totally useless.

I don't mix a gig without it sitting on my console anymore. Quick, at-a-glance reference for SPL and RTA. I've ot just scratched the surface of all this app can do. Many, many thank you's to the creators.

I used the iPhone rta made by these guys on a weekly basis. I felt it was really accurate. Bought an iPad to do my mixing, went straight to the guys I trusted. This thing is terrible. 1.) it doesn't pick up anything under 100Hz that well. 2.) gives you an inaccurate depiction of the dB your running (A weight or C weight). I ran some test over my system and compared this app side by side with iPhone rta app I'd been using. The iPhone said around 90 dB(C) with my low end Hz running louder than my high end Hz while the iPad rta app was giving me an overall volume lever reading of around 80 dB(C) and telling me that any frequency below 100 Hz was running at a volume of around 20-30 dB(C).?? I dont trust this app like I do my iPhone rta (which I've been using for a good 5-6 months. If they update it with a correct algorithm I'd use it but until then I guess I'll go back to the iPhone app. :-/

I am a semi-professional sound tech and have had plenty of experience with software like this on the computer. This is a a great app, and has all the features you could possibly want. The in-app purchases can get a bit expensive, but for what you get, you could easily pay four or five times for separate software/hardware. Everything works great, and I wouldn't trade it for anything I can get for OS X or Windows. This will be my choice for a long time to come.

To those who complained that they didn't know that certain features needed in-app purchases, I, and probably a whole bunch of people who have been using this for a long time, knew this all along. The developer has been upfront about this for the longest time, and the description of what you are getting has always been CRYSTAL CLEAR. They have always broken it down as to what was included in the base price and what was extra. Most apps in the iTunes store are trivial or even useless. This one is on the other side of the spectrum. ;-) It is one of the rare heavy weight lifting apps ever developed for the iPhone. The developer is a professional in the field, and clearly puts a lot of effort in the code. The accuracy, from my experience and others, has been really good and quite impressive given how cost effective the setup you're using is. The updates are really solid -- unlike others who introduce annoying bugs more often than they fix. So, it is worth what I invested in it! For a true audiophile that has the right technical background or a professional in a pinch who wants to get reasonably accurate figures without dragging along a bunch of professional equipment, this is really recommended.

Updated: deleting the app and reinstalling fixed the problem. Back to 4 stars Used to love it. No it wont even start! Fix it folks!

This app is awesome. I am a lead audio engineer at a growing church! Our sound board is in a less than ideal location, Sunday mornings I have the pleasure of having a floor guy directing us. But on Wednesday night for our youth program I am often alone. I rely heavily in my iPad, this app, and the itestmic to help me. Provide the best possible sound. We have occasional use of a smaart7 system set up with a measurement mic on the floor and the difference between the two readings is minimal. I strongly suggest this app!

If you want a smart audio helper this app is it!!! I learned about it from Wayne Munn engineer out of the Carolina's and I also got to tell the commodores engineer about it!!!🙌

ios9 totally breaks audio tools 7.8.7 on the iPad mini 2. audio tools works on an iPhone 6 running iOS 9.0.2, but the iPad encounters -decibel levels counting down into the -130 dB range before crashing.

I'm with you. I like the app but didn't know that all the other portions of this come as an upgrade with a price attached. Need to look a little further in before I purchase more from this company. But my iPhone app is good overall

The iPhone and iPad microphone or mic in have a low frequency cutoff of 200Hz, making them unsuitable for audio measurements. Maybe you could get around this with a usb sound card.

A must have app for convenience and value for anyone in Pro Audio or the audio hobbyist. Updates are timely and when there is a problem, they are quick to correct. Truly amazing the versatility this product offers on an iOS device. 10 years ago these features required a dedicated PC and $$thousands.

The well thought out products included in the offerings from Studio Six are extremely helpful and capable.

Very useful, well engineered and designed. Superb value.

The latest update s****** up the dB scale on the analog SPL. Reading 10-15 dB too hot on iPhone and WAY too low on the iPad. Need to get this fixed ASAP! 5 stars before this...

Tried literally every other app and nothing else compares.

I've been using this app since 2010. Still using it almost daily. It's awesome when it works, but it tends to have unexpected bugs and can crash from time to time. But SSD is awesome about support and fixes bugs and responds to bug reports very quickly.

Awesome tool best app ever a must have for any sound engineer.

The best application for sound treatment and analysis for iOS. Professional grade. Better than the competition by far. Easy to use. Excellent price for the bundle.

Works great, nothing else even comes close. Worth every penny.

Great

This is an incredibly handy suite of software, well put together, great attention to technical detail, and can solve all kinds of problems from adjusting the tone of PA systems to finding feedback and judging acoustics. The tone generator has almost everything you can imagine short of an impulse tick…and that’s included in the Delay Finder section. Even the included “Radio Shack” SPL meter is right on the money. Clearly, these guys know what they’re doing. I used to work with Audio Precision System One test sets, Audio Control RTAs, and Sound Technology testers, and if you had told me you could get this much power for this money and fit it in your pocket, I would have thought you were dreaming. Particularly nice they can bypass the high-pass filter in an iPhone 4S and adjust gain…too bad Apple isn’t letting them do that in the 6S, apparently.

The dials on my sound generator are wayyy out of line with the new OS11. I’m running an iPhone 7Plus and had absolutely no issues with the app until the “new and improved” OS came about. Why are people always fixing things that AIN’T BROKEN???😡

I’ve been using this suite of tools for five years. The app Always works, always does what I need and it is FAR less expensive than many other options. When I visit client sites it is so nice to grab samples and save as photos for later inclusion in reports. I do wish that there was a way — but I understand I can’t do it easily — to use a calibrated external microphone. However, at this price point that’s a big request. I highly recommend this group of apps for any user skills from beginner curiosity up to experienced audio engineers.

The price of the individual modules seems way too high, especially for what else is available in the App Store. On top of that, the SPL meter still doesn’t display properly in iOS 11.

Best audio test app on the store

AudioTools provides hobbyists and professionals alike with a powerful suite of audio analysis capabilities. These tools cover most aspects of frequency, impulse, listener and SPL analysis. The authors do a great job releasing frequent new features and updates. Many tools are in-app purchases and these are, for the most part, reasonably priced. Also, the company offers iOS calibrated mics and preamps turning your device into a truly professional rig. Even using the internal mic on the phone can give a quick read on an environment such as recognizing a too loud sports venue. SPL can be calibrated using the right external tools. Displays on the iPad are spectacular.

The finest collection of iOS precision audio measurement tools around. Everything an engineer needs for production, broadcast and studio equipment optimization. AudioTools is used daily here. -Bill Johnson, Johnson Audio Works

THE acoustics software tool for iOS.

This app along with the iAudio interface offers tens of thousands of dollars worth of testing and measuring ability in one small package. The impedance meter alone is worth the purchase price.

I bought this app because a friend recommended it, I bought it and tried it, it worked for ten minutes then it froze and it never came back, I shut off my iPhone and powered it back up it still didn't work.

Started using smaart tools with the dual view as a lightweight alternative to using my full smaart rig. Very happy with the results and accuracy

New features and quality improvements come regularly.

I like to build speakers DIY and I use this along with an extension cable and TRRS measurement mic attached to a thin pole to take measurements of my systems. Pink noise through the speaker, and the FFT module with a long decay time, or average mode, allows decent accuracy magnitude response measurements. FFT won't get you the phase response, but the Smaart tools module probably will.

Have used the app in previous versions but this one won't load up.

Great set of tools for audio! Highly recommend these.

Great app with excellent and fast customer service

Don't get this app, it's a waste of money. Most of the content you still have to pay to get and the stuff that you do have access to is terrible to navigate through. This app seems like a 5 year old developed it, definitely not anyone with experience in the audio industry. Smh. COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY

I use this app for live sound, well done and easily worth the cost.

I purchased v2.0 several years ago, and I've added modules as I need. (I've had years of amateur work in sound, and have no association w/ the developer: this is a Real Review of a remarkable, stable App.) This suite of sound measurement tools works very well, and replaces 2 cubic feet of gear that would cost about 10 times as much. You have to adapt to the tiny size of the control knobs if you use an iPhone rather than an iPad, but it's top notch. The limitation is if you have to do sound measurements for a legal procedure that requires calibration: talk to the developer: Andrew Smith is really helpful.) AudioTools is reasonably priced for the basic unit, but the in-app purchase add-ons can quickly add up quickly over $100 (still much less expensive than any normal pro tools). With that stated upfront, it's best to buy the basic kit for $19.99, and add tools as needed. Audiotools is a remarkably well-designed pro-grade set of audio tools. So far, (first on an iPhone 3G, a 5S, and now with a 7+, with the latest version of iOS 10.xx), it's reliable with repeatable readings, and has never crashed or frozen. It is adjusted for the frequency response of the internal mic, and a calibrated external mic is available, at a fair price (about $200, I think). If that sounds like a lot of money, look up high quality sound level meters So, if you need and/or can use this variety of tools (with frequent improvements), go for it. If you just need a good SPL meter, Studio Six Digital sells a stand-alone analog or digital meter that are nice (included in the full set, so don't buy lots of the separate tools if you think you will want the $19.99 set). The RTA (Real Time Analyzer) tool is a graph of SPL levels in each frequency band. Yes, it costs more than 99 cents, but it's a lot better and less expensive than any cheap apps I've used. I used the RTA yesterday to measure the noise frequencies from a new refrigerator, to design sound absorption. We are talking Cool AND Useful, (impresses friends and professionals, and lets you track down and correct those funny sounds from the music system, fridge, car, furnace, ducts, AC unit, etc. that make you crazy). This is the Real Deal, and inexpensive enough to design home or professional sound systems and sound absorption/ correction. This is really useful, if you are anyway into sound production or sound control, at any level of need, from a home owner looking to quiet a fridge or set up a music listening room, to any level of professional sound abatement or studio work. Separate pro devices may be a little easier to use (bigger knobs, etc.), but this group of tools is ALWAYS WITH YOU, as long as you carry your phone. If you discover you need the calibrated microphone, you can always do initial measurements with just your phone, to gauge the extent of the job, then go back for the mic.

I just wanted to give my quick review..... features and functions and capabilities of the app are top notch. I don’t think there is anything that even comes close.... at least not that i have ever saw. My favorite thing is how often the app is updated and new modes, features, tests, and constant refinement happens. It obvious they care about the app and strive to be the best.... to me that means a lot!

I only use a small percentage of the app but it is great to have all of this in one place. Plan on getting then calibrated USB mic. Only current nit — don’t use the screen capture on IOS 11.0.2. If you need that try before you really need it or use the Apple supplied screen capture. On my device you loose most of the third octave bars and it totally clips the top of the graph. Hopefully when I upgrade to IOS 11.2 this will fix itself. If not, how the developers can research.

Have been using this app for years. Sooo convenient to make in app purchases as my knowledge and experience improves

Light years above any other app. The most complete app based audio tool suite in existence. Worth every penny and a lot more.

Basics tools included the rest are expensive and not included. Disappointed for what I paid.

Hello, I’m a music major at Berklee College of Music. I use this app extensively for one of my courses. It really delivers. I would like to thank the developers for the great app. Thanks, DM

I have been using SMAART Live for years on my PC to do live sound. This is so much cheaper and works just as well for a really good RTA. I have the transfer function add on as well. It's very affordable for use by any working audio engineer. I have advised many touring pros to get this. I have now purchased 2 iAudiodevice2 for Smaart and Transfer Function and and I love them. I used to use the Shure mic Pre with a USB hub for power and it worked great too.

Leatherman? check. Flashlights? check. Sharpies? check. Gaff?check. AudioTools? check. Never leave home without it!

I’ve used this app for years now and have not rated it but it has always been up in the 4-5 star range. Great updates and quick to fix any bugs. I thought I bought the SPL pro once but it never transferred to my newer devices. I could be wrong it was quite a while ago, but everything else has always transferred with all my new devices. I found that there is an option to restore purchases but I did have to click the SPL pro button first for the choice to restore to come up. Andrew did respond but I had already figured it out. Thanks for your help and quick response.

I bought this kit and the Smaart plugin. The peak light on the 'analog' SPL meter doesnt light up on peaks, maybe the incandescent burned out, after all, its 50 years old. haha Please light peaks dull orange-yellow in an update. Hands down the best audio measurement app for iOS. Smith relentlessly expands development to improve features and support new hardware and OS.

Pretty obviously designed by an engineer that has no user interface designer friends. I am not an audio expert, and the interface sure doesn’t help me understand the importance of what each k*** and button does. Some target values for different situations or examples of good and bad graphs and why, to use as a benchmark would go a long way for a rookie. I don’t blame the developer for my lack of knowledge, but at the same time, intuitiveness is a big part of the apps useability. As far as actual performance and features, its great.