Comparison
Reel vs Fields
AudioThing's iOS field-recording and sound-library app for capturing, tagging and editing sounds.
Visit the Fields site ↗The short answer
Reel and Fields both turn your iPhone into a recorder, but they are made for different jobs. Fields is a single-track field recorder and sound library. You capture a sound, tag it with a location, a photo or a note, then clean it up with a deep editing toolkit and a pre-roll buffer that reaches back up to 20 seconds. Reel is a 4-track recorder for layering musical ideas, with overdub, looping and a tape-style jog wheel. If you collect ambiences and found sounds to file away, Fields is built for exactly that. If you want to stack takes into a song, Reel is the multitracker.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Reel | Fields |
|---|---|---|
| Simultaneous tracks | 4 | 1 |
| Bit depth | 32-bit float | 24-bit |
| Max sample rate | 96kHz | 48kHz |
| Overdub | ||
| Punch-in recording | ||
| Looping | ||
| Variable-speed playback | ||
| Tactile transport (jog wheel or scrub) | ||
| Built-in microphones | iPhone mic | Device mic |
| XLR inputs with phantom power | ||
| Records from a USB audio interface | ||
| Works as a USB audio interface | ||
| Runs standalone, no phone or computer | ||
| Price | One-time purchase, no subscription | $7.99 intro, $9.99 |
| Platform | iOS 18+ | iOS, iPadOS |
Every value is researched per product against manufacturer sources and may change over time. Verify current details with each maker.
Where Reel wins
- +4 tracks with overdub and looping, versus a single-track capture
- +Jog-wheel scrubbing and tape transport
- +Records USB hardware instruments and grooveboxes like the SP-404 MK2
- +Variable-speed tape playback for a hardware feel
Where Fields wins
- +Purpose-built sound-library workflow with location, map, photos and notes
- +Deep editing tools: normalize, noise reduction, filter, trim silence, fades
- +A pre-roll buffer of up to 20 seconds so you never miss the start of a sound
- +Lower price
Frequently asked questions
Does Fields record multiple tracks?
Fields is a single-track field recorder focused on capturing and organizing individual sounds. Reel records 4 tracks with overdub, so you can layer parts into a song.
Is Reel or Fields better for field recording?
Fields is purpose-built for collecting and tagging sounds into a library with rich metadata and editing. Reel is better when you want to layer musical ideas with multitrack overdubbing and a tape-style workflow.
Try Reel on your iPhone
A portable 4-track recorder with 32-bit float audio and a hardware-inspired workflow.
Download on the App Store