Comparison

Deck Lite vs Sampledex Effect Shift

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Deck Lite

This app provides a streamlined interface for loading and playing AUv3 audio plugins on iOS devices. It features a card-based browser for easy plugin selection and adaptable controls for different screen sizes and orientations.

Highlights
  • AUv3 plugin hosting
  • Card browser for plugins
  • Adaptable interface for screen size
  • Keyboard and controller support
  • MIDI controller integration
  • Live audio processing
Features
Read full description

Your plugins. A place to play. Deck Lite opens one audio plugin at a time, with a card browser that makes your collection easy to explore. Pick a card and the plugin opens, ready for you to play. ROOM FOR YOUR PLUGIN Keep the plugin interface and its parameters together on a wide screen, or switch between them on iPhone. Enlarge the editor when you want more room. The controls adapt as you rotate your device. PLAY YOUR WAY Turn parameters on screen, navigate with a keyboard or compatible game controller, or use a MIDI controller. A connected Novation Launch Control 3 provides automatic parameter mapping and card selection in DAW Control mode. Other MIDI controllers can use Deck Lite's fixed command map. MADE FOR PLAYING Connect your instrument through a compatible audio interface, choose your plugin and enable LIVE. On iPhone and iPad, Deck Lite starts muted so you can get your audio route ready first. Effects process your incoming sound; instrument plugins receive MIDI notes. Deck Lite is free, with no subscriptions or in-app purchases. Use Deck Lite on iPhone and iPad with AUv3 plugins installed through compatible music apps. Plugin interfaces and features depend on their developer. Plugins pictured in store images are separate Untamed Audio products. Use headphones or a suitable monitored audio route when playing through a microphone or instrument input.

About

Sampledex Effect Shift

Features
Read full description

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

Deck Lite1 screens
Sampledex Effect Shift4 screens

Verdict

The call

Deck Lite and Sampledex Effect Shift are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Deck Lite versus Sampledex Effect Shift: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDeck LiteSampledex Effect Shift
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJoshua RideoutRobert Clemons

In-app purchases

None

Deck Lite

No in-app purchases

None

Sampledex Effect Shift

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Deck Lite free?
Deck Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Sampledex Effect Shift free?
Sampledex Effect Shift is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Deck Lite or Sampledex Effect Shift have ads?
Neither Deck Lite nor Sampledex Effect Shift shows ads.

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