DefleMask vs Thorn

DefleMask is a chiptune music tracker for composing video-game music for older consoles and computers. It generates sound in real time from emulators and lists support for Genesis, SMS with FM Sound Unit, Game Boy, PCE, NES with VRC7 and FDS, C64, Arcade, Neo Geo, and MSX2. Pattern orders can be set independently for each channel, and editors cover FM, macros, wavetables, and sample instruments. The tracker supports real-time MIDI input recording and chord input, with exports to VGM, WAV, ROM, and videos with visualizations. PareidoLink rooms enable live multiplayer music collaboration. It runs on Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, and Linux; Touch Mode is intended for portable devices and touchscreen computers. A file can contain at most 144 samples across 12 banks. DefleMask costs $14.99, paid once, with free updates forever. DefleMask Legacy is a free 32-bit demo and is unsupported.

Thorn is a software synthesizer for modern electronic music production, available as a 64-bit plugin for Windows and macOS. Its three spectral oscillators shape harmonics and support FM, ring modulation, pulse-width modulation and hard sync. Sixteen-frame spectrum tables provide editable, morphable harmonic sources, while additive spectral synthesis, harmonic filtering and spectral effects form the sound engine. Two analog-modeled multimode filters and nine effects extend sound shaping. Modulation includes three ADSR envelopes, three LFOs and two multistage envelopes. A flexible 16-step arpeggiator outputs MIDI, and a grid-based Glitch sequencer supplies another sequencing method. Plugin Alliance lists more than 600 presets. Thorn runs in VST2, VST3, AU or AAX hosts and is not a standalone application. Listed operating-system support is Windows 10–11 and macOS 13–26, including Intel and Apple Silicon Macs. A 14-day trial is offered; earlier-license owners are quoted a $19 USD upgrade.