History of Ecoplate

At HEAR360, we’re passionate about creating beautifully-designed audio products and platforms. Over the past few years, we’ve created an entire ProTools plugin-suite aimed at spatial audio. Our goal was to dramatically solve cumbersome workflows for audio engineers and sound professionals and make mixing spatial audio easy. 

While we’ve been specializing in spatial audio with the inception of VR and AR, we always found ourselves attracted to improving and designing custom plugins for music. After all, we got our start in the recording industry working with acts like Young the Giant, Booker T. Jones, Janet Jackson, Mary J Blige, and Keb Mo. While working with these artists, we’ve been able to study and use famous hardware like Fairchild compressors, and more niche tools like the Ecoplate.

Now, it’s our goal with the creation of The Department of Sound to create quality software plugins, modeled after some of the most incredible tools. At HEAR360, we want that same sense of wonder we felt while mixing tracks available to all who want to experience it. 

“As audio engineers first, our number one goal is to make tools that are unique for our community, informed by years of experience making records in the studio–tools that we want to use everyday on our own projects.” - Matt Marrin

With the onset of our dedicated plugin marketplace, we’re excited to announce that our first big project has been modelling our vintage plate reverb, Ecoplate. But what is Ecoplate and why is it such a significant, timeless piece of technology? Let’s take a look at some of the history behind the product. 

Manufactured by Programming Technologies in the 1980s, the Ecoplate is a series of three mechanical analog plate reverberator units designed by Jim Cunningham. Programming Technologies ultimately released three models, the Ecoplate I, Ecoplate II, and Ecoplate III. Each had their own sound and design, informed by one another but still completely unique. 

At a size of 4’ x 6’, the Ecoplate I features lush wide image, with a sweet high frequency response, using a sturdily-designed plate suspension system, a stainless steel alloy plate and a 3-pole filter in the driver amp. The resulting sound is strikingly musical. Our CTO Greg Morgenstein bought an Ecoplate I in 2009, and was immediately struck by its complexity and ability to create a smooth, bright, and open sounding analog decay. 

“I purchased an Ecoplate I after using an Ecoplate II at Red Star Studios in Silver Lake, CA. I was so enamored with the clarity of the Ecoplate II that I had to find one for myself. I instead found an Ecoplate I for sale and was blown away. I fell in love with the clean, hi-fi, and lush sound it produced.” - Greg Morgenstein

In 2016, seven years after Greg’s Ecoplate purchase, we started HEAR360 and ventured out into creating pro-audio plugins. We saw what was a legitimate need at the time for investing in and improving spatial audio workflows. During this time, we used our collective knowledge to build, test, and release a suite of plugins made available to anyone working in a surround sound or spatial mediums. 

As we worked more on creating improved spatial workflows, we saw the immediate value that plugins provided to our customers. We spent the next four years improving our plugin development methods, using our spare time to replicate whatever analog gear we could get our hands on.

Expensive, large, and very heavy, only large studios could accomdate Ecoplate. Even up against some tough competition – the EMT 140 – Ecoplate still managed to sound wider, brighter, and cleaner. Big musical acts flocked to large studios with Ecoplate to create timeless records. Now, with the increasing rise of home- and smaller-studio recording, plate reverbs just aren’t as common. We knew we had to make this technology available to everyone who wanted to feel that same rush we did in 2009.

That’s why we’ve decided to digitally model and release Ecoplate as a plugin available to anyone. With this release of the Ecoplate plugin, We added modern features including switchable input and output filters, an adjustable sync to tempo pre-delay, analogue modeled & digital meters. As a fascinating reverb with a rich history of use, we’re excited to be able to provide such a rare piece of studio gear to audiophiles everywhere.