While the stock plugins bundled with today’s DAWs are excellent for mixing, mastering, and the bread‑and‑butter of production, tools like Soundghost’s Ekko push in a different direction: they add inspiration, movement, and a sense of discovery to what users create on their tracks. This is where plugins like Ekko really earn their place—less about utility, more about expanding ideas and unlocking new musical possibilities.
There’s a (virtually) tactile immediacy to Ekko that’s instantly rewarding. From the moment I loaded it in a project, I found myself coaxing unpredictable, characterful echoes from the plugin’s Scramble control—a simple slider, but one that produces generative, fractured textures reminiscent of SoundGhost’s Jumble sampler. If you’ve read our coverage of Jumble, you’ll know the brand’s commitment to pushing ambient music production into new generative territory.
Ekko builds on these ideas with a cassette-delay core that stays musical, even as things get gloriously broken. Scramble let me shift the delay buffer playhead out of the linear grid, so echoes suddenly bloom or skip across the mix—ideal for ambient washes, moody electronica, and subtle sound design. Add in the fade function to smooth those transitions, and the result is always musical, never random for randomness’ sake.
Ping-Pong and Freeze
Ping-pong with “weighting” means I can send the first reflection as wide or subtle as I want, helping create movement or anchor things in the stereo field. Wow, flutter, and gentle saturation are on offer, just for the repeats—dry signal stays clean, so you’re free to dial in any flavor of tape imperfection you like. With up to a minute of delay time, Ekko is versatile enough for classic repeats, ambient tails, and performative glitches.
Buffer freeze and flip controls open up further experimental possibilities. I found myself using these for on-the-fly transitions, creative breakdowns, and sputtering effects that were a joy to automate and tweak. The interface keeps things accessible, encouraging quick experimentation without menu-diving.
SoundGhost, Plugins & Cassette Label
SoundGhost maintain a consistent aesthetic across both their creative plugins and music label. The latter is a cassette-only affair (read our feature on it here), giving genuine analog context to their plugin lineup.
Who’s It For?
If you’re making ambient, experimental, or electronic music, Ekko quickly becomes addictive. It rewards those who seek chance and imperfection alongside clarity—great for subtle stereo enhancement, wild rhythmic glitches, and evolving echo trails that feel more performed than programmed.
Availability and Pricing
Ekko is available now for £29 at SoundGhost. The official product page has tech specs, video walkthrough, and demo info.
The plugin feels like an inspired follow-up in SoundGhost’s philosophy—bridging the gap between generative, unpredictable yet musical sound and workflow-focused design. If you’ve used their previous releases and appreciate the cassette aesthetic, Ekko will be a natural fit.
