Do I Really Need the SSL 4000 Plug-In?

L

LarBear

New member
I admit I have fallen victim to all of the YouTube videos where someone slaps an SSL 4000 plug-in on just about anything. I just gotta have it but found it too, too expensive. As an alternative I acquired the British Channel from T-Racks. I also own a bunch of other plugins that could possibly compete with the channel strip if placed in the right chain.

Has anyone combined plugins to recreate that SSL sound? Does anyone use the British Channel?

I'm going to demo the Waves SSL 4000 this week. But I'm also anxious to learn what others have experienced with the Waves SSL 4000, British Channel, or another channel strip they feel is comparable.
 
That would depend on what other options you have. Is there something you are missing that makes you think you need to spend the money on the plugin?

I do not own the SSL 4000, but that does not mean it wouldn't be a good thing. Keep in mind, many of these 'boutique' plugs are just a selling point for combination of things you can do with others that you already have. Granted, there are some emulations that any particular plug can give easily, but that does not mean it is suddenly the greatest thing since VST's were created.

I am curious, what leads you to have interest in the plugin to begin with? Are your recordings lacking something that you feel needs an emulation of something that was considered awesome years ago? I personally would look deeper into your recording environment before looking for effects to make things sound better. It only works if the recorded signal is good.

Just my honest opinion...
 
I guess what I'm shooting for is something that would give me a classic seventies sound. 99% of my projects are live recordings of classic rock bands. I collect plugins like Imelda Marcos collected shoes. I have way more than I need, I know that. What I've been using lately is the Waves NLS Non-Linear Summer followed by Kramer Tape then Waves Puig-Tech, then the Atomic Glue. Still not the sound I hear on my reference tracks. My recording gear is decent for the application. I use a Zoom R16 with pro-level mics from Audix, Shure, and Sennheiser.
 
LarBear said:
I guess what I'm shooting for is something that would give me a classic seventies sound. 99% of my projects are live recordings of classic rock bands. I collect plugins like Imelda Marcos collected shoes. I have way more than I need, I know that. What I've been using lately is the Waves NLS Non-Linear Summer followed by Kramer Tape then Waves Puig-Tech, then the Atomic Glue. Still not the sound I hear on my reference tracks. My recording gear is decent for the application. I use a Zoom R16 with pro-level mics from Audix, Shure, and Sennheiser.
Click to expand...

You do realize that what gives you the classic 70's sound is gear that is less precise than what we have available now right? What makes that sound is the quality of the performance and the particular room it was recorded in. No plug in is going to fake that sound. Use the instruments that were used then, and start 'stopping' trying so hard is my opinion.

Crappy mics and great recording techniques with a great performance trump any plugin that claims to get any particular sound. Just get the tone of the instrument, and more importantly, the performance down and you will find what you are looking for. It is not a modern plugin that will make things sound classic or old. It is the using of the hardware available then to it's fullest extent (maybe) that gives it it's particular sound. Use 70's gear to get 70's sound. An emulation of tape saturation may help you, but it seems you are missing what makes that sound to begin with.

Not trying to be a dick. This is just my opinion on what seems obvious to me.

Welcome to the forum LarBear! Please don't take my response as attitude. It is just what I have learned and my opinion. :)
 
I think Jimmys69 nailed it. Years ago I went to a Moody Blues concert. I was skeptical. So many classic bands touring today have lost their sound, primarily due to the upgrades in technology and sound reinforcement. This concert was the exception. Upon closer examination, the difference was the gear on stage. All vintage. I'm running the SSL 4000 demo now and can't really tell the difference from the British Channel from T-Racks. I also got the Alloy2 demo and am impressed with it's simplicity.

Thanks all for the input. I think I may have saved myself around $400.
 
The ssl 4000 is a console from the 80's-90's, not the 70's. If you are going to 70's emulation plugins, api, neve, Harrison come to mind. Plus the use of 1176 and la2a compressors.

It also helps if the bands you are recording are actually using the sort of equipment that sounds like the stuff did in the 70's. A guitar with emg pickups into a solid state Crate amp isn't going to get it done no matter what plugins you throw at it.
 
People have often tell me that my recordings sound like classic rock stuff from the 70's. I don't make an active attempt to emulate that sound, my only goal is to make a cool sound recording. As that is the style of music I listen to and prefer from a sonic standpoint, it makes sense I sub-consciously do things to get that sound.

And you know what gear I have? Prosumer level stuff no older than 8-10 years old. No vintage hardware, no nothing. I *do* have a few UAD plugs that emulate old hardware, but I don't think that does much. I got those because I liked the sound, not because it was "old" and "classic." I get that old sound because of arrangements, tone, and mixing technique (wide stereo, lots of mids, etc.). That's how you get there.
 
Jay, excellent point. I tried Harrison Mix Bus. Loved the sound but it's not ready for Windows and kept crashing so it's been reduced to an icon on my screen. Today I chained the NLS using the Neve emulation to an 1176 and the EQ from Eareckon ANALOG87. As a stand-alone channel strip the the Eareckon is currently in demo mode and at just $53 stands up fairly well to the SSL 4000. I also dialed in the British Channel to match the settings on the Snare Drum preset on the SSL. I admit the SSL sounds slightly better, but I think it's close enough I can tweak the British Channel and would not be able to tell them apart once placed in the mix.
 
I have both the waves and the uad ssl channel strips. They both sound different, but have the same flavor. To a certain extent, it doesn't really matter which one you would use, they will both get you the same place in the mix.
 
Larbear,

I don't want to derail this thread, but what is it about Harrison Mixbus that you have trouble with? I've been using it for some time and have never had a crash with Windows 7.

Just curious,
 
Joel, I'm also using Windows 7 and I still use the Harrison Mixbus on occasion to mix my own band's rehearsals. I love the sound and the idea of mixing on a "true" console without all of the plugins. For the other bands I'm recording, Mixbus just wouldn't work primarily due to the incompatibility with my Waves plugins. The shell just wouldn't load, even after countless e-mail exchanges about work-arounds with their people. I got Waves involved and they stated that Harrison is one of the few DAWS their plugins have issues with and therefore do not support. In addition, other non-wave plugins that did run often caused the software to crash. Lastly, I don't think there is a way to export to MP3. Not an issue if you're mastering, but for rehearsals I needed to upload MP3's for the guys ASAP. Harrison is a great product and really shouldn't require plugins. With the exception of delay and reverb, just about everything you need is there. But in the end I switched to Studio-One and have been very pleased.
 
I haven't dug into the channel strip or EQ but I'm really digging the buss compressor. It's quite punchy in comparison to the V-Comp (Neve based) which is in the Classic collection along the SSL and API stuff.
 
Hi. had you tried to use a summing mixer? I mean, a real analog summing. It gives the depht the DAW doesn't give. And also try the T-Racks Neve 1073 or 1081. This two plugins are veeeeeery good. I almost only use the 1081. Combined it with a passive analog summing is a keller set to mix ;)
 
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