This entry is the final installment in the series of Waves plug-in reviews that have chronicled software solutions I’ve implemented over the past 18 months while on tour with James Taylor and Joe Walsh. I begin working with Shania Twain this fall, and prior to opening night at Caesars Palace Las Vegas in December 2012, we will be logging many days of rehearsal. This extended period will allow me the time to audition additional plug-ins as we encounter new audio challenges that may be presented by this production.
The Final Step
It’s only fitting, therefore, that the article completing this series is about the plug-in that completes the audio pathway on my Avid VENUE console. The signal processing piece most recently added to my virtual equipment rack is the Waves SSL G-Master Buss Compressor. While in Europe earlier this year with James Taylor, I dropped a stereo unit across the left/right output buss.
Waves has such a deep catalog that it has taken me quite a few months to work my way through to this particular plug-in. I had so many specific needs to fill before considering overall treatment of the final output. I was initially encouraged to give this plug-in a trial listen after reading the introductory paragraph in the user guide:
“The unique sound of Solid State Logic’s 4000 Series analogue mixing consoles is sought after worldwide. Engineers of pop and rock music, broadcast transmissions and television post-production value the SSL 4000’s flexible dynamics chain as much as the trademark SSL ‘punchy’ sound. Waves and SSL engineers have worked together for over a year to recreate the sound characteristics of the classic SSL 4000 Series E and G Series consoles. Now, those who ‘mix in the box’ can achieve the sound they thought they’d lost when they moved to the digital world.”
A Magic Pill?
At first glance, the last sentence seems to an incredibly ambitious description of the power of this plug-in series. It seems to imply that this line of software introduces a magic pill for the engineer who is looking to recreate the best parts of the analog world while using a digital console. I was justifiably skeptical, but I was also extremely curious about the accuracy of this particular emulation.
Waves has provided so many excellent software emulations of analog gear that I was encouraged to move forward with an open mind. Each Waves plug-in that I have employed for use on specific inputs has, without question, raised the audio quality of my live mixes. While I had previously tried out several other products as mix buss compressors, I was never truly satisfied with the results, and I hadn’t stayed with any one plug-in very long.
It’s apparent to everyone who has been reading this column that I use a large number of plug-ins in my live shows. An important feature of the Avid VENUE console system that provides me with the confidence to employ so many virtual inserts is the latency compensation in the summing networks. The D-Show guide describes the choices within this option:
Off: No Delay Compensation is applied.
Mix Only: VENUE automatically compensates for delays incurred by the use of Groups routed to the Mains busses.
Mix and Inserts: VENUE automatically compensates for delays incurred by the use of plug-ins as well as those incurred by the use of Groups routed to the Mains busses.
This latency compensation feature has been invaluable for shows in which multiple plug-ins are used on individual inputs, or when toms are routed through an additional compressed stereo group to add punch.
The reason I bring this up is that I am not only pleased with the musical output we have been producing, I am also confident that the signal output from the stereo buss is integrated and aligned. While I was already very satisfied with the results we were achieving in our European shows, I am always open to the possibility of improvement.
Plugging In the Plug-In
When I clicked on the SSL G-Master Buss Compressor, it was an ear-opening event. This plug-in is truly a black box effect. It’s difficult to quantitatively describe exactly what I was hearing with the mix going through this software. Amorphously speaking, the audio was just “better.” Even with the threshold dialed out to +15 dB and the minimum of 2:1 compression selected, the positive improvement imparted into the music was markedly apparent. For this purpose, I ended up selecting the 2:1 Ratio, a threshold setting of +12, a 3 ms attack and auto release.
More specifically, what I heard was better definition in the stereo imaging, more warmth in the musical spectrum and a general increase in the cohesiveness and connectivity among the individual components within the mix. In short, this plug-in really does embody many of the attributes that made the 4000 series SSL desks the standard of the industry in the halcyon days of analog mixing.
While one cannot expect an exact reproduction of the original, the Waves SSL G-Master Buss Compressor possesses so much of the character of the 4000 series electronics that its performance easily justifies the claims made in the user guide.
This plug-in will now become an essential tool in the ongoing process of un-sterilizing digital audio and reintroducing the musicality that may have been altered somewhere in the conversion from the transducer input to the processor output. In addition to the stereo compressor plug-in, I am now using single channel versions on the mono output and the group output that feeds the subwoofers.
Tech Specs: SSL G-Master Buss Compressor
• Up to 24-bit, 96 kHz resolution
• Mono and stereo operation
• Supports TDM, RTAS, Audio Suite, VST and AU
• PC and Mac compatible
• Offered as part of Waves’ Studio Classics and SSL 4000 Collection bundles.
More details at: waves.com
