AudioMedia - June 2008 - (Page 44)

SSL DUENDE DSP POWERED PLUG INS It says SSL on the box, but it’s not the size of an airstrip – RICHARD WENTK pretends to be Trevor Horn in a half rack unit. SL may be the name that launched a thousand hit singles, tracked and mixed on desks the size of battle ships, but modern markets need smaller products, and the Duende range is an attempt to package the SSL magic into a smaller and more affordable form factor. The core of Duende is a board full of DSP chips. This is packaged in three different formats – a -inch U rack-mounting box called Classic, a half-rack sized Mini, and a PCI-E card which slots into a PC or Mac. Classic is the original version, for use in studios of all sizes. Connection with the host is by way of a couple of Firewire connectors – it’s possible to chain any combination of two Classics and/or Minis, as long as the Firewire link isn’t trying to do anything else at the same time. The PCI-E version uses the internal bus of your Mac or PC, and doesn’t offer or need any external connections. Visually the design is reassuringly solid throughout. There’s nothing unprofessional or cheap about the finish, and a Classic will look at home in a rack in any studio or facility. The Mini has a similar build quality, but is small enough to be portable. Remote bus power is available. This will work with a desktop computer, more or less, but might give a typical laptop battery a nervous breakdown. Both the Classic and PCI-E versions offer up to VST and RTAS DSP slots, while the Mini offers . Plug-ins are available in both mono and stereo versions, and the stereo versions use two slots – so a Mini can process up to eight stereo mix channels. It’s possible to expand the Mini to slots with an unlock code bought from SSL. This might seem unusual – it’s like buying a console and finding half the channels have been padlocked – but it makes sense in the context of a semi-software product, and is simpler than trying to open the box to fit another circuit board. The upgrade process is smooth and simple – control click on the Duende logo, and copy in the upgrade code. Buyers have to register on the SSL site first – not a painful chore, but not something you’ll want to do in the S middle of a session. The Mini is supplied with just the Channel Strip plugin, while the Classic and PCI-E versions add the Bus Compressor. The other available plug-ins – X-EQ, X-Comp and Drum Strip – are all optional. Ten hour trial versions are included. The timer only runs while audio is being processed, and after your ten hours you’ll have to visit the SSL online store. THE REVIEWER RICHARD WENTK is the owner of Skydancer Media, a digital production company providing sound, image, design and consultancy services to various clients in London and the West Country. The Channel Strip plug-in is a software version of SSL's XL K channel strip – or alternatively, it’s also a simplified version of SSL’s SuperAnalogue and E-Signature hardware processors. It includes switchable E and G series three band EQ, lo-pass and hi-pass filters, a compressor, and gate/expander with a sidechain option. Old timers will find the layout familiar, but newcomers may be confused by some eccentric features, including a couple of knobs which work back to front; if you’re not an existing SSL user, you may be wondering if usability has been sacrificed to tradition. More positively, this is a very powerful and creative processor, perfect for removing splash and rumble from a mix, and also for tightening up the sound. The sound has some of the traditional SSL crunch and grain without exaggerating it for effect. So this isn’t so much an SSL-mix-in-a-box tool, as a good open-ended processor with some interesting colouration. Newcomers will find that SSL’s online support is very good, with tutorials, FAQs, and a guided tour. Everything should start to make sense after an hour or two, but it may take longer to understand how to combine all of the elements creatively. The Bus Compressor is a virtual copy of the XL K-series output bus compressor, but multiple instances can also be patched into individual channels (try that with a series). Even with the settings in neutral the Bus Compressor has a near-magical ability to add life and interest to a mix. With only four and a half settings to work with it’s a less powerful tool than the X-Comp or channel strip compressors. But almost > Plugged I n 44 AUDIO MEDIA JUNE 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of AudioMedia - June 2008

AudioMedia - June 2008 Contents Recording Post Broadcast AES Review What's Up UK? Geofocus: Australia For the Record Special Report: Videosonics Newstalk: DPA New Microphones Novation SL Compact Allen & Heath IDR-8 Eastwest Quantum Leap SD2 & Goliath Final Cut: Indiana Jones Merging ADR Module Koolworld SSL Duende Good Product Sampler: Microphones Video Guide AMSR Meyer Sound The Blue Planet Live! Royer Labs Mics R-121 & R-122

AudioMedia - June 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.