Atmospheres 2 vs Sampledex Effect Shift
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Atmospheres 2
Transform your audio with unique reverb spaces generated from text descriptions. Explore imaginative sonic environments for your music, from frozen cathedrals to cloud gardens. This app works offline and can be used as a standalone effect or within compatible music production apps.
- Text-to-reverb generation
- Standalone app and AUv3 plugin
- Offline audio processing
- Random prompt generator
- Simple mix control knob
- Recalls settings in host projects
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A frozen cathedral beneath the ocean. A dark night in the city. A garden in the clouds. Atmospheres 2 turns your words into creative reverb spaces. Describe a place, a material or a feeling, then hear how it transforms your guitar, vocals, synths or any other audio. Let your imagination lead. Each prompt inspires a sonic interpretation, with room to explore spaces that could only exist in your music. MAKE A LITTLE MAGIC Type a prompt and create an atmosphere. Try something familiar, something surreal, or a combination of both. English prompts work best. LET RANDOM SURPRISE YOU Tap Random to generate a phrase and a new reverb space. Your Mix stays where you left it, so you can explore without changing your dry/wet balance. ONE KNOB, EASY TO EXPLORE Use the central Mix knob to blend your original sound with the atmosphere you've created. APP + AUv3 Use Atmospheres 2 as a standalone app for live audio input, or load its AUv3 effect in a compatible music app. Your generated sound and Mix are recalled with your host project, including when you copy the plugin to another track. The standalone app remembers your last sound. ENTIRELY OFFLINE Prompt generation and audio processing run locally on your device. No internet connection or account is required. BORN FROM DEEP WATERS 2 Built on the reverb engine behind Deep Waters 2, with water-inspired textures and a simple interface made for exploring. Atmospheres 2 is an audio effect: it processes incoming audio. For standalone live monitoring, use headphones or an audio interface. AUv3 use requires a compatible host app. For iPhone and iPad. Requires iOS/iPadOS 16 or later.
Sampledex Effect Shift
This app offers a versatile audio effects suite with 50 distinct effects, seven macro controls, and a seven-band EQ. Shape sounds with various parameters, explore factory presets, and integrate into your music workflow via AUv3 extension or live input processing.
- 50 effect choices
- Seven hands-on macro controls
- Seven-band Bender EQ
- 51 factory presets
- AUv3 audio effect extension
- Live input processing
- EQ A/B comparison
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Give your sound a new direction. Sampledex Effect Shift brings 50 effect choices, seven hands-on macro controls and the seven-band Bender EQ to iPhone and iPad. Add drive to a drum loop, movement to a synth or space around a melody, then shape the result to fit your track. FIND A STARTING POINT Choose from 51 factory presets: Default plus a starting sound for each of the 50 effects. A factory preset recalls a complete sound. Use the separate effect menu when you want to change the algorithm while keeping your other settings. CHOOSE YOUR CHARACTER Explore drive, digital textures, filters, chorus, flanging, phasing, tremolo, ring modulation, delay and reverb. Start with an effect, then turn Amount, Tone, Time, Mix, Dimension, Sparkle and Output to make it your own. SHAPE IT WITH BENDER EQ Follow seven colored band curves and their numbered handles. Select a band to adjust frequency, gain and Q directly. Use Fine for smaller graph movements, or lock dragging to frequency or gain. High-pass, low-pass and Prism controls give you more ways to shape the response. COMPARE AND KEEP YOUR IDEAS Use EQ A/B to compare two settings and copy a favorite into the other slot. Save the full sound as a preset and import or export preset documents when moving between your workflows. Each instance keeps its own sound in your host's project state. BUILT FOR TOUCH Move between Effects, Bender EQ and Advanced pages. Scroll to reach every control, enter a precise value or turn a textured macro knob. Switch Light or Dark directly from the touch header, or use the theme menu in Advanced. Your theme and settings return when the instance is restored. BRING IT INTO YOUR MUSIC WORKFLOW The included AUv3 audio effect extension loads in compatible hosts. The containing app also offers live input processing: connect headphones or an audio interface, then enable live input. Microphone permission is requested when you enable input. Your host manages audio when you use the extension. GO FURTHER Explore HoloRune character, spatial modes, EQ routing, parallel mix and Mid/Side levels in Advanced. Sidechain ducking requires a compatible host and a routed sidechain source.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: Atmospheres 2 at 6 against Sampledex Effect Shift's 2. On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Sampledex Effect Shift holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 2 respectively.
| Parameter | Atmospheres 2 | Sampledex Effect Shift |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (6 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 6 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 126 MB | 13 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Benjamin D'urso | Robert Clemons |
In-app purchases
Atmospheres 2
No in-app purchases
Sampledex Effect Shift
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Atmospheres 2 free?
Is Sampledex Effect Shift free?
Which has better reviews, Atmospheres 2 or Sampledex Effect Shift?
Do Atmospheres 2 or Sampledex Effect Shift have ads?
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