Detune puts two oscillators and a filter under a lesson, then asks you to hear what your changes did. This iPhone app teaches synthesizer sound design and music theory through short exercises on its own working synth engine.
Start with a waveform, listen to the example, and move the supplied control. An attack-and-release lesson pairs two knobs with a keyboard, so the start and tail of a note become something to compare. Challenges ask you to match a target patch or choose the brighter sound. Later, a checkpoint asks you to build a patch from scratch and keep it. The syllabus progresses through effects and modulation, while a separate theory path covers chords, scales, and rhythm by ear.
I like the direct connection between an explanation and a sound you can change. The launch announcement says lessons and the practice mode share the same engine, so an exercise uses controls that remain available for experimentation. The daily patch then supplies another small problem, such as finding the right filter cutoff.
Access is the catch. September App Store reviewers praised the short lessons and hands-on ear training, but an October reviewer found too little practice available before the paywall. That's a useful distinction between liking the teaching idea and being satisfied with the initial lesson access.
Detune interests me as a starting point for someone who keeps browsing synth presets without understanding why they sound different. Matching a patch gives that curiosity a concrete task.
