Last month’s column (FRONT of HOUSE, Aug. 2013, page 30) presented an operational overview of the Solid State Logic Live console from a mixing engineer’s perspective. This entry will focus more closely on individual channel operations and onboard processors. But before I dive into those areas, I need to discuss a critical organizational number — 192. As explained by SSL product specialist Fernando Guzman, 192 is the total number of mono audio “paths” the SSL Live processing system is able to support when operating at 96K.
Down the Path
An audio path is defined as an input channel, an auxiliary send, a stem group or a master bus. All of these channel types can be formatted at mono, stereo or LCR. A mono input or master output requires one path; a stereo input or master output uses two paths. A LCR master output requires three paths. A mono stem requires one path; a stereo stem requires two. The matrix outputs, however, are independent of the path count as they are created from a separate block of processing paths.
The paths are further broken down into two significant numbers — 144 and 48. The SSL Live system can support 144 mono full processing paths and 48 dry mono processing paths at 96K. A full processing path (input, aux, stem or master) accesses all blocks in the audio chain including the high pass filter, delay, all pass, compressor, gate, EQ, insert A and B and the fader. A dry audio path accesses only the two insert points and the fader. The particular console system that best suits the user may be configured in any form within these numerical limits.
In reality, even the huge, 108-input Paul Simon Born at the Right Time tour that I mixed in 1990-92 would be easily accommodated by this system using mainly full processing inputs, auxes, stems and masters. Monitor engineers who are using a large number of stereo and mono outputs for IEMs and wedges, and who are mixing a dense combination of live inputs, tracks and effects returns may actually need to work up a chart. In any case, keep in mind that dry paths do access both insert points, making additional processing readily available from either the internal effects rack or from external processing.
A particularly powerful feature of the full processing paths is the ability to reorganize the blocks in the audio chain (filter, delay, all pass, compressor, gate, EQ, insert A and B) in any order by simply selecting and dragging the block’s icon on the touch screen. The user selects an individual path and then calls up the screen containing the horizontal band that displays the order of the processing blocks. One then unlocks the blocks to be repositioned and drags each to its desired location in the chain. If you want the gate right after the mic pre — but the compressor after the high pass filter on just the snare bottom mic — no problem.
Back to the Mix
Okay… let’s get back to mixing on the SSL Live. The audio source material we used was derived from a Pro Tools multi-track recording I had made a couple of years ago that was being played back through the SSL Live Recorder system. This particular band featured two drummers, but the mics used for each individual drum type were identical on each kit. It was my intention to work through one kit and then copy and paste EQ, gate and compressor settings to the second kit.
I started out by simply listening to the console’s response to the input level of the kick drum. I set the input, VCA master and Master bus faders to zero positions and used a pair of matrix outputs to drive the Meyer monitors at a comfortable level. Every console has different sonic characteristics within its gain structure, so Fernando and I watched the level of the input fader’s 14-segment ladder as we raised and lowered the input trim control. It didn’t take long to determine a reading on the input level meter that produced the best combination of pop, punch and power from input to output for a robust, fast transient percussive sound.
We next jumped into EQ’ing the kick drum and then easily saving those settings in the equalizer library. I also switched in the onboard compressor to the kick, dialed up trusted ratio, attack and release settings and adjusted the threshold, knee and makeup gain for optimum performance. These settings were then saved in the compressor library. I repeated this process for the snare top and snare bottom (polarity inverted, please) mics. In my world, the snare bottom mic requires both a gate and a compressor. I navigated through the easily adjustable gate parameters and saved what I liked into each function’s library.
I wanted to hear a little wetness on the snare so we called up the onboard reverb toolkit and placed it in the virtual effects rack. After assigning send and return paths, we selected a plate from the available SSL X-Reverb type algorithms. Each reverb algorithm is operated from a single page; that presents the user with precise and easily comprehensible control functions. I was able to rapidly create a complex, dense harmonic enhancement to the snare that also imparted just the right amount of shimmer and tail to the sounds the mics had originally captured.
Touch and Feel
At this point, should explain how the process of completing these tasks evolved. As is the case with most engineers, my first impulse is to reach for knobs to control the parameters of each individual function. The SSL provides two ways of accessing the appropriate knobs. Directly below the large 19-inch screen are 12 knobs assigned to the corresponding parameters for the utility displayed on the screen. The SSL Live also includes a smaller, secondary touch screen (pictured right) within the Channel Control Tile area of the console to the right of the large screen. Surrounding this screen are banks of knobs that allow access to the parameters of the separately selected function.
When I first used the EQ on the kick drum, I used the smaller screen and its associated controls, because the familiar groups of three knobs (gain, frequency and Q) for each of the four bands were clearly arrayed. But it only took moments to migrate to the larger touch screen and literally start fingerpainting with audio. Using the finger gestures added a naturalness and flow to the process that surpasses knobs (pictured right). The longer I worked on the SSL Live, the more I abandoned knobs in favor of finger gestures. However, having a second function displayed on the smaller screen considerably speeds up the overall work routine. It was helpful to have a channel’s compressor/gate displayed on the small screen while the EQ occupied the large screen (or vice versa), because changes to one function will often precipitate adjustments to the other.
Heart and Soul
If the heart of any console is the sound of the mic preamps and the summing amplifiers, then the soul is the resulting output from the channel equalizer and dynamics. The equalizer on the SSL Live possesses all the pleasing sonic characteristics of its studio predecessors and employs similar operational parameters. In addition to hi-pass and lo-pass filters, the LF and HF bands are peak/shelf switchable. The user can also choose Constant-Q mode or Legacy mode for each of the four parametric bands. The Legacy mode mimics the behavior of classic British console EQ by narrowing or widening the Q as the amount of boost/cut is varied. To get the most out of drums, I favored using Legacy filters and bell mode on the LF and HF bands and Constant-Q for the lo-mid and hi-mid bands. This combination seemed to produce results that were the best of both worlds.
The channel compressor is equally versatile and very impressive in its overall performance. Compression threshold, ratio, attack, release, knee and makeup gain appear both as buttons on the large touch screen as well as clearly labeled knobs on adjacent to either screen. In addition to the functional controls, the compressor page has access buttons to external key and key listen. The compressor’s response may also be switched to Peak Mode. A fourth onscreen button enables an incredibly rich Tube emulation. I found it very easy to tighten up the kick with the available compressor adjustments and it fattened up beautifully by punching in the Tube emulation.
Changing parameters by touching, dragging and pinching creates an instantaneous organic connection to the console. There is an immediacy of response and intimacy of interaction that knobs and keyboards cannot mimic. Live engineers have enjoyed this capability with system control software and tablet computers but the SSL Live now brings this experience to the individual input level.
There are so many ways in which this SSL Live console platform intrigues me both technically and artistically. I am hoping to soon have the opportunity of road testing this revolutionary console system during a multiple day rehearsal period with a live band. That experience will definitely yield many more details on which to report. Stay tuned!
