SAMPLEDIs Sampledex Effect Shift a Good Free Effects Plugin for iPhone and iPad?
Sampledex Effect Shift is a free AUv3 multi-effect for iPhone and iPad with 50 effects, seven macro knobs and a seven-band EQ. Here's what it does and who it's for.
Disclosure: The Author owns Sampledex (DBA) and separately owns and operates Sampled. Sampled is a separate business and is not a division, product, or subsidiary of Sampledex or its parent company.
Sampledex has released Effect Shift, a free multi-effect for iPhone and iPad, on the App Store (opens in a new tab). The Beat Community (opens in a new tab) covered the release on October 5, 2026.
What is Sampledex Effect Shift?
Effect Shift is an AUv3 audio effect, which means it loads as a plugin inside iOS music apps that support AUv3. It packs 50 effects into one plugin: drive, digital textures, filters, chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo, ring modulation, delay and reverb.
It's free, with no in-app price listed, and it needs iOS or iPadOS 15 or later.
What can you do with it?
- Start from a preset. There are 51 factory presets: a default plus one starting sound for each of the 50 effects.
- Shape it with seven macro knobs. Amount, Tone, Time, Mix, Dimension, Sparkle and Output.
- Swap the effect without losing your settings. A separate effect menu changes the algorithm while keeping your other knobs where they are.
- Save and share sounds. Save your own presets, and import or export preset files between projects.
Think drive on a drum loop, movement on a synth or space around a melody.
What is the Bender EQ?
Bender EQ is a seven-band EQ built into the plugin. Each band has its own colored curve and numbered handle, so you can see which band you're moving. You can set frequency, gain and Q exactly, use a Fine mode for small moves, or lock dragging to just frequency or gain. There are also high-pass, low-pass and "Prism" controls.
An A/B switch lets you compare two EQ settings and copy the one you like into the other slot. New to EQ? Start with our guide to what EQ is and how to use it.
Screenshot: Sampledex
What's on the Advanced page?
The Advanced page adds HoloRune character, spatial modes, EQ routing, parallel mix and Mid/Side levels. There's also sidechain ducking, which needs a host app that supports sidechain routing.
Can you use it without a host app?
Yes. The app itself can process live input. Plug in headphones or an audio interface, turn on live input, and the app asks for microphone permission. Inside a host app, the host handles the audio and each copy of the plugin saves its own settings with your project.
Who should download it?
If you make music on an iPhone or iPad and want one free plugin that covers drive, modulation, delay, reverb and EQ, it's an easy download. Pair it with the free Sampledex DAW for iPad, or see more free tools in our best free plugins guide.