Overview

The perfect tool for modern dynamics processing
In addition to delivering great-sounding standard compression, the elysia mpressor provides advanced creative functions for producing fat and freaky sounds with punch, beautiful coloration, and even extreme processing effects.

Unleash your creativity with astonishingly unique compression modes
The original concept behind the hardware mpressor was to create a more affordable version of elysia’s flagship model, the alpha compressor. But fans of the brand encouraged elysia’s designers to go for something different and even more creative: a box capable of producing compression effects that no other compressor could achieve—not even the coveted elysia alpha. The result was the mpressor, a uniquely creative dynamics tool.

From clean to colorful with control unlike any other compressor
Each linkable channel of the mpressor offers a switchable Auto-Fast function that allows for extremely fast yet distortion-free compression without any artifacts. Meanwhile, the Anti-Log circuit generates powerful compression effects such as pumping and breathing for extreme compression effects. With its true feed forward design, the mpressor even allows for negative ratios, which can deliver extreme over-compression effects.

Novel features for novel sounds
Equally at home compressing individual tracks and busses, the mpressor allows you to sculpt sounds that would be impossible with practically any other tool. First, dial in an extreme setting, and then use the plugin’s novel Gain Reduction Limiter to choose the maximum amount of Gain Reduction allowed to reel in the effect and make it much more consistent. The included Niveau Filters can easily shift the character of a track from subtle to striking with the option of continuous frequency shifting.

The mpressor is a compressor you have to hear to believe
Using advanced circuit modeling techniques, Brainworx faithfully emulated the all analog, all discrete circuit design of the hardware mpressor, right down to the single transistor signal processing and permanent class-A mode design. A lot of compressors sound good only when used sparingly, failing to deliver pleasing results with extreme settings. But the mpressor’s focused, high-end sound maintains the character of the original audio, even when using the most extreme settings. While the mpressor works great on many sources, it is particularly loved by engineers for its ability to deliver punchy drum sounds.

Features

  • True Emulation: The compression behavior and the sound character of the hardware version have been faithfully recreated to deliver all the mojo of the analog model.
  • Extreme yet Tight: A lot of compressors sound good only when used sparingly, and fail to deliver pleasing results at extreme settings. The mpressor’s focused, high-end class-A sound maintains the character of the original audio, even when the most extreme settings are used.
  • Killer on Drums: While the mpressor works great on many sources, it is particularly loved by engineers for its ability to deliver punchy drum sounds
  • Gain Reduction Limiter: Rather than limiting audio in the signal path like traditional limiters, the mpressor’s unique limiter restricts the virtual control voltage of the plugin itself, not the audio signal. This allows users to place a cap on the total dBs of gain reduction regardless of how far the input signal is over the set threshold.
  • Negative Ratios: The characteristic compression curve bends and goes back down! This makes available heavy pumping effects, backward sound effects, and other unique and useful compression effects no other compressor can achieve.
  • Audio Filter: The mpressor features an easy to use, very flexible niveau filter, which works on the proportions between high and low frequencies. The principle behind the niveau is quite similar to a pair of scales: Dependent on the gain setting around a variable center frequency, the high frequencies are boosted whereas the low frequencies are attenuated (or vice versa).
  • Oversampling: In order to achieve the best results on lower sample rates, the mpressor plugin uses an increased internal resolution at 44.1 and 48 kHz.
  • Mouse Wheel Support: The controllers of the mpressor can be moved with the mouse wheel.

Audio Examples

Industry Reviews

  • Ethan Mates

    Ethan Mates

    Engineer (Linkin Park, Red Hot Chili Peppers, J-Lo, Tupac, Tom Petty)

    This plug RULES on drums. Period. So much fun.

  • James Wiltshire

    James Wiltshire

    Producer (Freemasons, F9 Audio)

    Stops 'lazy comp’ settings dead in their tracks and makes you sit up and take notice again. An incredibly inspiring compresser with all the nuances you’d expect from this pairing.

  • Tony Vincent

    Tony Vincent

    Artist/Producer (Queen’s We Will Rock You, Green Day’s American Idiot, The Voice)

    Blown away by how this compressor can compress. (And I’m a compressor addict!) I can have this compressor act beautifully with a vocal track or absolutely smash — and color — a drum buss.

  • Benjamin Rice

    Benjamin Rice

    Engineer/Vocal Producer (Selena Gomez, Britney Spears, Lady Gaga)

    It's very important to me when working on vocals to have several different options, styles and flavors of compression to achieve various techniques, and the mpressor is truly a special tool that I… Read More

  • Steve Mac

    Steve Mac

    Songwriter/Producer (Rhythm Masters/Bunker Recording Studios)

    Seriously good compressor on the master channel. I use this for sorting out my mid/sides. It really controls my sides and keeps all the reverbs in place. Amazing plugin!

View All Industry Reviews

Customer Reviews

  • Mpressor....

    ★★★★★
    by Trevor Gordon Official
    My favorite compressor, especially for drums/percussions.

  • A good choice

    ★★★★★
    by Enrique
    I'm new to audio and I never tried analog gear. In my opinion, this far exceeds what comes by default in DAWs.

  • Awesome work unicorn

    ★★★★★
    by Ay Ay Ron
    I have not found source material that doesn't sound better through this compressor. It is all but transparent when needed and aggressive when you want it to be. It's a workhorse and it's magical.

  • Unique

    ★★★★☆
    by Billabong x
    5.5 stars for its uniqueness and quality
    1 star off for:
    - gain knob not reaching down far enough
    - very small font and non-resizable GUI
    - lack of parallel comp featureRead More

  • A classic

    ★★★★★
    by janomix
    Very good elysia emulation.
View All Customer Reviews

Specifications

Supported Plugin Formats
AAX DSP, AAX Native, AU, AAX AudioSuite, VST2, VST3

Supported Operating Systems
macOS 15 down to macOS 12
Windows 11 down to Windows 10

Mac
Intel, or Apple Silicon

PC
x64-compatible CPU

System Requirements
Display resolution: 1440 × 900px or 1280 × 960px or higher
Memory: 2 GB RAM

Downloads

With the Installation Manager you can select, download & install all the Plugin Alliance products. Select any and all formats you need for your system! Mac & PC.

mpressor Installers

Installation Manager

Manuals

ChangeLog

mpressor

elysia mpressor - Changelog

Version 1.15.1 (Oct 9, 2023)
- General: fixed CPU spikes on Mac OS
- Fixed compatibility issues with old sessions using VST3 plugin version 1.14 and lower

Version 1.15.0 (Aug 15, 2023)
- General: added native Apple Silicon compatibility for AAX
- General: added macOS Ventura support
- General: improved plugin loading time in the DAW
- General: fixed issue causing Logic to crash when closing the plugin UI
- General: improved font drawing behavior

Version 1.14 (Mar 15, 2022)
- General: added native Apple Silicon compatibility for VST3, VST2 and AU
- General: added macOS Monterey support
- General: added Windows 11 and Windows 10 21H1 support
- General: discontinued Windows 7 support
- General: discontinued macOS 10.9 and 10.11 support
- General: fixed metering behavior in block sizes of 2048 samples and higher

Version 1.13 (Mar 22, 2021)
- General: Compatibility with Logic on Apple Silicon devices via the Rosetta-2 layer
- General: Fixed possible artefacts when freezing or bouncing tracks in Pro Tools
- General: Fixed automation highlighting disappearing in Studio One
- General: Improved license dialog visibility in dark mode

Version 1.12 (May 27, 2020)
- General: Qualified for use with the Windows 10 May 2020 Update
- General: VST3: Fixed potential hangs in a DAW upon loading
- General: Fixed logical issues in undo / redo behavior
- General: Fixed UI resizing issues in Ableton Live on Windows
- General: Fixed audio processing initialization issues on amp and delay products

Version 1.11 (Nov 06, 2019)
- General: Qualified for use with macOS 10.15 Catalina
- General: Qualified for use with Windows 10 November 2019 Update
- General: Fixed plugin validation in Logic under macOS Catalina
- General: Fixed preset name restore in Logic when reopening a session
- General: Fixed opening authorization dialog triggering automation
- General: Improved instantiation times for plugins
- General: Improved license functionality and branding for subscription
- General: Removed 32-bit support on macOS and Windows

Version 1.10 (Jul 10, 2019)
- General: macOS 10.14.5 Update compatibility
- General: Windows 10 1903 Update compatibility
- General: Fixed activation issue in Windows hosts set to non-English language (e.g. Cakewalk)
- General: AU: Fixed issue with increased CPU and memory on reopening UI
- General: VST3: Fixed issue with adapting to host knob mode, and now prioritizing linear
- General: VST3: Fixed issue with VST3 preset permissions
- General: VST3: Improved synchronization between parameter states and some UI functions, e.g. toolbar reset


Version 1.9 (Nov 16, 2018)
- General: macOS Mojave compatibility
- General: Windows October 2018 update compatibility
- General: adding Windows High DPI support for VST2/3 plugins
- General: Fixed potential crashes in Cubase and other VST2 / VST3 DAWs
- General: Fixed potential CPU spikes and audio dropouts
- General: Fixed rendering in Pro Tools on the start of a session
- General: Fixed missing presets in Wavelab and other VST3 DAWs
- General: Improving keyboard control, fixing issues with catched keys preventing it from passing through to DAW
- General: Fixed parallel use of host sessions (e.g. with Live)

Version 1.8 (May 24, 2018)
- General: Microsoft Windows Redstone 4 compatibility
- General: Added computer keyboard control for plugin parameters
- General: Fixed Mouse scroll wheel not working in Windows 8
- General: Fixed an issue where plugins will not validate or load after a certain amount of plugins have been loaded (Windows)
- General: Fixed visual GUI freezes when adjusting DAW parameters, meters, analyzers (Mac)
- General: Fixed possible issue with Pick Pack licenses
- General: Small licenser stability fix

Version 1.7 (Oct 23, 2017)
- General: Mac OS High Sierra compatibility
- General: Fixed possible crash on online activation (Mac OS High Sierra)
- General: Fixed Logic Pro X not validating AU plugins (Mac OS High Sierra)
- General: Fixed CPU spikes and crashes with Cubase (Windows)
- General: Fixed bug that could lead to "AAE -6 error" in ProTools (Windows)
- General: Fixed crash with FL Studio
- General: Fixed crash when cross-opening plugins in various hosts
- General: Fixed crash when using mixdown in Audition
- General: Fixed crash in Final Cut Pro
- General: Fixed delayed parameter handling and crackling issues in Cubase with VST3
- General: Fixed bug where plugin settings were not saved in Harrison Mixbus
- General: Fixed bug that led to AAE error -9317 in ProTools when instantiating plugin
- General: Fixed bug where plugins did not render properly when "x ray" option is enabled in Sonar
- General: Modifications to factory presets were lost when reopening session
- General: Fixed mouse wheel behaviour with second monitor setup (Windows)
- Some plugins: Value labels do not appear every time when clicking on parameter in UI
- General: Faster instantiation time for plugins (Windows)
- General: Adding support for automation highlighting in Presonus StudioOne
- Fixed bug that caused Waves LV1 Mixer to hang

Version 1.6.1 (Dec 20, 2016)
- General: Mac OS Sierra compatibility
- General: Fixed automation issues in AU and AAX
- General: Fixed license dialog use of special characters
- General: Improved AU preset support
- General: Performance improvements

Version 1.6 (Apr 1, 2016)
- Added SoundGrid support
- General: Major UI codebase update
- General: Fixed possible crash when authorizing plugin
- General: Added gain reduction meter support for StudioOne 3
- General: Installers show version info in Windows "Programs And Features"
- Added EUCON pagetables

Version 1.5.4 (Jan 18, 2016)
- General codebase update
- Removing RTAS/TDM/VENUE 32-bit format support

Version 1.5.3 (Jul 18, 2015)
- General codebase update

Version 1.5.2 (Jun 22, 2015)
- General codebase update

Version 1.5.1 (May 27, 2015)
- Fixed wrong installation path for 32-bit Win VST plugin version

Version 1.5 (Apr 14, 2015)
- Added AAX DSP format
- Fixed wrong parameter value display
- Fixed parameter order in the generic view to comply with the GUI (422)
- Fixed gain reduction meter inaccuracies

Version 1.4 (Nov 18, 2013)
- Licenser update (V3): Fixes and new features
- Prevent wrong mouse wheel behavior in 32-bit hosts on 64-bit Windows (Windows bug) (87, 95, 156)
- Fixed keyboard events after text input in Pro Tools Windows (325)
- Fixed parameter value display in VST3 (330)
- Fixed toolbar triggering automation (335)
- Fixed window size issues (279, 327)
- Fixed possible preset issues in Pro Tools 11 (312)
- Fixed AAX Audiosuite latency compensation (311)

Version 1.3.1 (Jun 28, 2013)
- fixed installer for 32-bit Windows

Version 1.3 (Jun 21, 2013)
- added support for Pro Tools 11
- licenser update: fixes and new features
- fixed automation with VST3 offline processing

Version 1.2 (Apr 05, 2013)
- otimized performance
- fixed issues with possible high CPU load
- fixed Avid related issue in Pro Tools 10 that could lead to sporadic crashes
- fixed issue that could lead to values jumping in Ableton Live

Version 1.1.4 (Feb 25, 2013)
- licenser: improved Pro Tools activation

Version 1.1.3 (Oct 31, 2012)
- fixed potential TDM automation issue under Mac OS
- licenser: minor fixes
- licenser: fixed activation issue under Mac OS 10.5 / Pro Tools 8
- licenser: fixed potential crash in online activation under Mac OS
- licenser: fixed issues with USB stick activation
- licenser: fixed file handling with offline activation

Version 1.1.2 (Jun 22, 2012)
- Licenser update: added toolbar and USB activation
- Fixed response issues in AU format
- change company string to Plugin Alliance

Version 1.1.1 (Jan 28, 2012)
- Resolved DAE/AAX AudioSuite incompatibility
- Fixed audio problems with certain licenses

Version 1.1 (Jan 2, 2012)
- Improved mouse tracking in circular mode
- Added presets
- Added German manual
- Added AAX Native
- Added 64-bit support
- Added Plugin Alliance Licenser

Version 1.0.4
- VST/VST3: Fixed UI issues in WaveLab 7
- Added parameter display

Version 1.0.3
- VST3/AU: support multichannel configurations
- VST3: support Presonus extensions
- TDM: improved parameter smoothing
- Correct Niveau Filter center frequency at lower samplerates
- Switchable noise floor

Version 1.0.2
- RTAS/TDM: fixed control mappings for ICON center section
- VST3/AU: support silence flags
- VST3: fixed preset loading
- VST3: fixed hanging host meters on Windows
- Decorrelated noise floor
- Added TDM version

Version 1.0.1
- AudioSuite: added latency compensation
- RTAS: added control highlighting
- AU: fixed sidechaining problem in Digital Performer
- Added VST3 version of the plug-in

Version 1.0
- Initial release