ZX Plectrum vs SimplEQ
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ZX Plectrum
Transform your iPhone or iPad into a musical instrument by recreating the iconic loading sounds of the ZX Spectrum. Customize phase and pitch to generate unique audio and visuals, and integrate with AUv3 hosts for advanced music production.
- ZX Spectrum loading sound recreation
- Adjustable phase and pitch
- Visual customization
- AUv3 plugin support
- Live performance integration
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Play the ZX Spectrum loading sounds as a musical instrument on your iPhone or iPad! Relive the crisp sounds of your youth! Change the loading sounds (and visuals) phase and pitch to make some weird, wonderful and familiar sounds! Plugin to your favourite AUv3 host and make unique music unlike anything else. BeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeBOP!! "As seen on TV" on Dara O Briain's Go 8 Bit Used by multi-Platinum band Placebo in their live envents. "ZX Plectrum lets you make music Spectrum style on your iPhone" pocket-lint.com "Utterly pointless but also utterly engaging" bamm.tv "For Nostlagia lovers of a very specific demographic this will sound like heaven" calmdowntom.com "The Greatest iPad App of ALL TIME" conoroneill.net
SimplEQ
This audio effect plugin offers a streamlined approach to sound sculpting, perfect for quick adjustments without overwhelming complexity. It provides broad tonal shaping capabilities with interactive frequency bands, ideal for fast mixing and mastering tasks.
- Standalone or AUv3 compatible
- Simple, broad EQ adjustments
- Interactive, overlapping frequency bands
- +/-6dB cut/boost per band
- Adjustable output gain trim
- CPU-friendly design
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SimplEQ Processor Plugin (AUv3) SimplEQ is an audio effect plugin that can run standalone, or in any AU compatible host application such as Logic Pro or GarageBand. To configure audio settings in standalone mode, tap the Settings button. Please note that the input will be muted by default to avoid nasty feedback! Overview SimplEQ is a very simple EQ - the clue is in the title! For those times when you don't need "surgical precision" and seemingly endless parameter options to tweak, SimplEQ might be just the thing for "broader brushstroke" EQ tweaks. SimplEQ is also very kind to your CPU. The frequency bands have been tuned so that they overlap and interact slightly, giving a surprisingly flexible range of tonal sculpting. Whether you're doing a quick rock mix master, or simply want to warm-up or add presence to a track, SimplEQ might get you there - fast and simple! For a super-simple lightweight "mastering suite" you could partner SimplEQ with the LevLr2 dynamics processor. Controls Active - Toggles the EQ On or Off. You can use this control to A/B your settings with the original signal and this will fade gradually between the two with no distracting pops or clicks! Each of the frequency bands can be cut or boosted by +/-6dB and because they overlap, they are very interactive, so use your ears, and dial-in to taste! Sub - Adjusts extremely low frequencies centred around 50Hz. Bass - Adjusts low frequencies centred around 100Hz. Lo Mid - Adjusts low midrange frequencies centred around 250Hz. Hi Mid - Adjusts high midrange frequencies centred around 1KHz. Treble - Adjusts high frequencies centred around 5KHz. Presence - Adjusts very high frequencies centred around 10KHz. Out - Applies a final stage gain trim to the output at the very end of the internal signal chain, between -24dB and +6dB. For more info and support please visit: www.waverley-instruments.com/robjackson
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: SimplEQ at 5.0 against ZX Plectrum's 3.8. SimplEQ also leads on price ($0.99 vs $3.99) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months). ZX Plectrum's advantage is ratings volume (4 vs 1). On ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
ZX Plectrum costs $3.99 and SimplEQ $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
SimplEQ holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 1 respectively.
ZX Plectrum ships an update every 4 months, SimplEQ every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ZX Plectrum | SimplEQ |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 | $0.99 — better |
| Rating | 3.8 (4 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 76.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 8 MB | 13 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Dave Sapien Ltd. | Rob Jackson |
Customer experience
ZX Plectrum
SimplEQ
In-app purchases
ZX Plectrum
No in-app purchases
SimplEQ
No in-app purchases









