Solid State Logic MPC Spectral Compressor And X-Echo

What SSL X-Echo + Harrison MPC Spectral Compressor Are For

This plugin duo is designed for modern production and mixing when you want to both create space (delay, stereo width, ambiance) and control dynamics (frequency control, resonance reduction, and taming aggressive areas). X-Echo targets producers seeking a "musical" tape-style delay to enrich vocals, guitars, synths, or percussion, while the Harrison MPC Spectral Compressor provides frequency-oriented compression ideal for keeping a mix clear, balanced, and clean.

Main Features

SSL X-Echo: a creative, readable, and lively tape delay

At the heart of X-Echo, the visualizer captures up to four seconds of the input signal to display how waveforms overlap. This is particularly effective on transient material (toms, snare, percussion), as you immediately see the interaction between the original signal and its repeats. To feed the visualizer, place your DAW's playhead on the desired area and start playback.

X-Echo offers up to four playback heads that you can switch in the signal path, with intervals inspired by a tape machine: 3/4, 1/2, and 1/4 relative to the main head. This architecture allows you to go from a simple slapback to complex rhythms while maintaining an organic "tape echo" feel.

Color, movement, and spatial control

To shape the tone, you have comprehensive sound design parameters: Wow and Flutter to simulate mechanical variations, Saturation for soft distortion and clipping with an analog character, and a single-button de-esser to tame sibilance often emphasized by tape-style delays. The ping-pong mode immediately adds width and depth to your repeats.

The Feedback control adjusts the number of repeats and can exceed 100% to trigger auto-oscillation, ideal for risers, experimental textures, or transition effects. The Freeze (loop content hold) and Kill (cuts input and lets the tail fade) functions offer a performance-oriented approach, perfect for arrangement and automation.

An integrated reverb designed to blend into the mix

X-Echo includes a unique reverb design controlled via a single Diffusion parameter, allowing the delay to blend into different room types and sizes. To place repeats "behind" the source without muddying the low end, a simplified equalizer helps balance bass and treble, while a mid-processor opens the image from mono to stereo, up to a super wide mode, enabling precise placement of the delay within your soundstage.

Timing modes: from free to perfectly tempo-locked

Several timing modes are available: direct delay time adjustment of the initial tape head via the visualizer or the tape speed knob, Snap mode to quickly latch divisions (eighth note, dotted eighth, etc.), and sync to automatically follow your DAW's BPM.

Harrison MPC Spectral Compressor: frequency-oriented compression and visual control

The Harrison MPC Spectral Compressor offers fine and clear dynamic control with a Threshold control (range -60 to 0 dB) to precisely determine when compression engages. The Frequency Range section allows focusing the processing on a targeted zone (Low, Mid, High, or Full Range) to correct more musically and transparently depending on the issue.

The feel and intensity of the processing are adjusted via depth controls, including the Knee (from 1 to 30) to switch from a hard knee, aggressive compression to a softer, more gradual action. Finally, the Output Trim (range -10 dB to +10 dB) facilitates gain compensation and level matching within a mixing chain.

A gain reduction graph clearly displays the compression impact across the spectrum: the reduction curve (red) shows the amount of gain reduced per frequency, while the input curve (orange-yellow) visualizes the incoming signal level. The result: faster adjustments and more confident decisions, especially in mixing and pre-mastering.

Technical specifications

Type

Full software

Downloadable

Yes

SSL X-Echo	delay inspired by early hardware units	Windows Processor	Intel Core 2 (or comparable) clocked at 2.4 GHz or higher
Mac Operating Systems	macOS Catalina (10.15), Big Sur (11), Monterey (12)	Mac	AU, VST2, VST3, AAX Native
Windows Operating Systems	Windows 10 (64-bit), Windows 11 (64-bit)	Windows	VST2 (64-bit), VST3 (64-bit), AAX Native (64-bit)
Mac Processor	M1/ARM or Intel Dual Core clocked at 2.4 GHz or higher