# Virtual ANS 3

> Music

Canonical page: [https://chrome-stats.com/d/id1465860248](https://chrome-stats.com/d/id1465860248)

## Overview

- **ID:** `id1465860248`
- **Platform:** Apple
- **Type:** Apple app
- **Status:** Available
- **Publisher:** Alexander Zolotov
- **Category:** Music
- **Rating:** 4.80 / 5 (57 ratings)
- **Version:** 3.0.4
- **Last updated:** 2025-10-03
- **First published:** 2019-06-03
- **Size:** 31 MB
- **Data as of:** 2026-09-20
- **Store listing:** [Apple App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/virtual-ans-3/id1465860248)
- **Website:** [https://warmplace.ru/soft/ans](https://warmplace.ru/soft/ans)
- **Privacy policy:** [https://warmplace.ru/soft/privacy.htm](https://warmplace.ru/soft/privacy.htm)

## Description

Graphics editor for drawing music and sound. Software simulator of the unique Russian synthesizer ANS.
+AU

Virtual ANS is a software simulator of the unique Russian synthesizer ANS - photoelectronic musical instrument created by Evgeny Murzin from 1938 to 1958. The ANS made it possible to draw music in the form of a spectrogram (sonogram), without live instruments and performers. It was used by Stanislav Kreichi, Alfred Schnittke, Edward Artemiev and other Soviet composers in their experimental works. You can also hear the sound of the ANS in Andrei Tarkovsky's movies Solaris, The Mirror, Stalker.

The simulator extends the capabilities of the original instrument. Now it's a full-featured graphics editor where you can convert sound into an image, load and play pictures, draw microtonal/spectral music and create some unusual deep atmospheric sounds. This app is for everyone who loves experiments and is looking for something new. 

Key features:
 * unlimited number of pure tone generators;
 * powerful sonogram editor - you can draw the spectrum and play it at the same time;
 * any sound (from a WAV file or a Microphone/Line-in) can be converted to image (sonogram) and vice versa;
 * support for MIDI devices;
 * polyphonic synth mode with MIDI mapping;
 * supported file formats: WAV (only uncompressed PCM), PNG, JPEG, GIF;
 * Audio Unit Extension (AUv3), Audiobus;
 * many new features compared to version 2.3; see the full list: https://warmplace.ru/soft/ans/changelog.txt

Homepage, user manual and versions for other systems:
https://warmplace.ru/soft/ans

## Rankings

- #164,619 — Overall

## Review summary

Virtual ANS 3 is praised for its innovative image-based sound design, enabling experimental textures and atmospheric soundscapes. It shines as a hands-on tool for live performance (video layering and looping) and benefits from a high-res interface and rich drawing tools. However, it faces recurring UI/UX frictions on iOS, a learning curve with updates, and debate over paid upgrades.

### Pros

- Innovative image/pixel-based sound generation enabling spectral/microtonal textures.
- Strong suitability for experimental soundscapes and atmospheric textures.
- Fun, hands-on performance tool with video layering and live-loop capabilities.
- Regular updates and a higher-resolution interface improve usability and visuals.
- Rich set of drawing tools (brushes, gradients) that enhance creative workflows.

### Cons

- UI/UX on iOS can be fiddly: controls are small and windows can be hard to close, with cramped viewing areas like the sonogram.
- Learning curve and changes between updates can make upgrades feel non‑drop‑in.
- Paid upgrades are controversial, with some users feeling they pay again for a product.

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Source: [Chrome-Stats](https://chrome-stats.com/d/id1465860248)