The fast attack switch (1ms) on the compressor (one of my favourite switches on an SSL console), in particular, does a great job of emulating that bombastic SSL sound, which crushes the life out of any transients that dare to pass through. I was especially impressed when I switched in the compressor and expander/gate to discover a whole world of plug-in ‘attitude’ that’s so often lacking in the digital domain – my eyes widened as I tweaked a pair of drum room mics, transforming the slightly timid drumming on offer into a battering ram. The EQ’s tone, look and functionality were all instantly recognisable, and unlike so many plug-ins I’ve used, I was immediately at home with the interface. I’ve mixed quite a few albums on various SSLs over the years (and I owned one for a while there too) and I’d have to say that when I first encountered the Waves SSL E-Channel strip I was quite taken aback. Well, right off the bat, anyone who hasn’t heard the new Waves native SSL 4000 Collection will be asking this same question (as I did): ‘Do these plug-ins sound anything like a real SSL circuit or do they just have a pretty SSL interface?’ Certainly from a sonic (and aesthetic) point of view, the new Waves SSL plug-ins sound pretty remarkable to my ears. The question is, can the same be said of the new Waves SSL 4000 plug-ins that aspire to break this same sound barrier?
They’re in some ways like an F111 aircraft: savage, awe inspiring, complex and deadly in the wrong hands.
These plug-ins are vastly cheaper, lighter and easier to look after than the real deal, and they don’t shoot your quarterly power bill into the four-figure stratosphere either! (If you’ve ever been one to stare at a meter box and see the disk with the little black mark on it spinning round and round, check it out the next time you’re in a building housing an SSL console it’s a blur!) THE SSL ‘SOUND’Īn SSL console can be brutal, radical, super sweet or crunchy, depending on your intentions, and, by and large, an E-, G-, J- (I’ve never used a J) or K-series console can take your sounds wherever they need to go with little fuss. Of course, anyone concerned with the production of quality audio recordings knows this, but unfortunately, only a very small percentage of us ever learn it from first-hand experience – even though we’d all like to.Īssuming then you don’t have a dedicated control room, a large crane, several hundred thousand dollars (give or take half a mil’) and your own service department, with which to invest in an old (or new) SSL console – or alternatively, a hefty recording budget to hire a studio that does – you might be considering (along with the rest of the plug-in fraternity) some of the new-generation ‘SSL channels’ hitting the market. SSLs are generally fantastic to work on, have functionality up the wazoo and are undeniably one of the kings of the analogue domain.
And while they may not offer every sonic flavour known to man (and what board in history ever has?), the ‘sound’ of a large-format SSL console is unmistakeable, and ubiquitous. Come to think of it, SSLs have never been short of anything much. One thing SSL consoles have never been short of over the years is comprehensive individual channel EQ and dynamics. The ground swell of interest in SSL plug-in emulations is growing fast, and the 4000 Collection is proving to be one of the biggest waves in the set.
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