MathSynth is a free iOS synth that turns mathematical equations into instruments

What if your next synth patch started with an equation? That’s the idea behind MathSynth, a new iOS app that turns mathematical functions into musical instruments.

Rather than treating maths and music as two separate worlds, MathSynth puts the two together in a single creative playground. Users can write mathematical equations, turn them into waveforms in real time and then use those results as sounds you can actually play.

The idea is to explore the relationship between mathematics and sound, but MathSynth isn’t just a glorified graphing calculator with a synth attached. It’s designed as a “creative hub” for learning and making music, experimenting with synthesis, and sharing what you come up with.

Once you’ve generated a waveform, you can sculpt it into a playable sound and bring it to life using MathSynth’s integrated MIDI synthesizer. The app also supports “virtually unlimited polyphony”, allowing you to take those mathematical creations beyond one-note experiments and build something more substantial with them.

And once you’ve made something suitably weird, you can save and publish it for others to hear. Users can also browse and download sounds created by other MathSynth users.

There’s an educational side to the app too. MathSynth includes a series of interactive lessons hosted by a virtual teacher named Kai, which use sound to make mathematical concepts easier to understand. Quizzes are also built into the lessons, giving users a way to test what they’ve picked up along the way.

MathSynth is currently available in Beta v1.2 for iOS through Apple’s TestFlight. The core experience is free, while beta testers can use the code BETATESTER to unlock three months of Premium access.

There’s also a little incentive to get experimental: publish 10 original sounds during the beta and you’ll qualify for an exclusive Founding Member reward when MathSynth officially launches.

Learn more at MathSynth.

Crystal Koe is a Singapore-based writer covering music and gear news for Guitar.com and MusicTech.com since 2021. A former choir kid with an unhealthy karaoke habit, she once ran an online store peddling earphones to strangers on the internet. Her music taste runs wide — from punk and pop-rock to cool jazz and creepy film scores — and she thinks everyone should listen to Kill The Poor by Dead Kennedys at least once before they die.