Comparison
Reel vs TAPE 16
EMR Music Group's tape-style desktop DAW with a commit-first, no-undo workflow.
Visit the TAPE 16 site ↗The short answer
Reel and TAPE 16 share a commit-first tape philosophy, but they are built for different moments. TAPE 16 is a 16-track desktop DAW with VST plug-ins and a big screen, the place you sit down and produce a track properly. Like every DAW it is software you drive with a mouse, tied to a computer. Reel is a different kind of thing and here is the honest, biased part because we make it: it has a disc you spin with your thumb and we built it around that disc because it makes you want to pick it up and record. It feels like a tool in your hand, not a window on a screen. It is also the recorder in your pocket, so it commits an idea the second it arrives wherever you are, capturing clean 32-bit float from USB gear straight into the phone. The handoff is tighter than it was, too. A multi-track share comes out as stems with the mix, the saved pitch and the loop region already printed in and muted tracks skipped, so what lands on the computer is what you heard on the phone. Reel also sends and follows MIDI clock, with Ableton Link in beta, so the pocket recorder and the desktop session can run on one grid rather than two. TAPE 16 is where a track gets produced. Reel is where it gets caught, by feel, before it is gone. Nothing gets produced that was never captured.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Reel | TAPE 16 |
|---|---|---|
| Simultaneous tracks | 4 (stereo, 8 ch) | 16 |
| Bit depth | 32-bit float | 16/24-bit |
| Max sample rate | 96kHz | Not stated |
| Overdub | ||
| Punch-in recording | ||
| Looped playback | ||
| Variable-speed playback | ||
| Tactile transport (jog wheel or scrub) | ||
| Built-in microphones | iPhone 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 | $14.99 one-time | $29 one-time |
| Platform | iOS 18+ | Mac, Windows, Linux |
Every value is researched per product against manufacturer sources and may change over time. Verify current details with each maker.
Where Reel wins
- +Records anywhere the idea strikes, with no computer to boot up or session to build
- +A spinning disc you play by hand with haptics, not a mouse on a screen
- +Clean 32-bit float capture straight from USB instruments, grooveboxes and interfaces
- +Always in your pocket, so ideas get caught the moment they arrive
Where TAPE 16 wins
- +16 tracks, four times a pocket recorder's count
- +Hosts VST plug-ins and prints MIDI instruments to audio
- +A full computer screen for arranging and producing
Frequently asked questions
Is there an iPhone alternative to TAPE 16?
TAPE 16 is a desktop DAW, so the honest answer is that nothing on a phone matches sitting at a computer with sixteen tracks and plug-ins. Reel is the pocket version of the same commit-first philosophy: four tracks, tape-style transport, clean 32-bit float capture, and it is with you when the idea arrives rather than waiting at a desk.
Does TAPE 16 work on iPhone?
TAPE 16 is a desktop DAW, not an iPhone app. If you want a tape-style recorder that runs natively on iPhone, Reel is built for that.
Should I use Reel or TAPE 16?
Use Reel to capture ideas on your iPhone in clean 32-bit float wherever you are. Use TAPE 16 on a computer when you want more tracks, VST plug-ins and room to produce. Both share a commit-first, no-undo philosophy, so they pair well as a capture-then-produce 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