ProAudio Review - May 2008 - (Page 30) POST | REVIEW by Alex Oana Fawcett (N*E*R*D, Spymob, Lee-Hom Wang) wondered aloud why no one had yet offered SSL processors in plug-in form. In 2004, Digidesign aped the SSL stereo bus comp with its visually similar “Impact” plug-in (“Fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can’t get fooled again.” — G.W. Bush). The real impact came at NAMM in January 2006 where Waves announced its SSL 4000 Collection. The announcement went beyond buzz; the Waves SSL Collection hit the market less like a piece of software and more like an answer to a collective prayer. To this date, Waves plug-in offerings had been widely respected, pioneering examples of the clean, modern, utilitarian ilk: the epitome of the early sound of the DAW movement. Surprising then, Waves would be the one to crack the vintage code of such a notoriously analog character, yet at the same time reassuring, because of Waves’ reputation, of precision and excellence. Waves is part of a groundswell of plug-in companies offering authentic recreations of timetested analog favorites. We — the endusers — are lucky that a company as trustworthy as Waves jumped on this trend. The question flying over emails, instant messages, message boards, and cellphones was this: “Did they do it? Did Waves manage to clone SSL DNA?” Because there would be giant implications if they did; the post-DAW hit on sales of analog multitracks was shocking enough: would a perfect digital copy of one of analog’s poster children spell certain doom for analog equipment as we know it? | FEATURES The two vital elements of SSL 4000 console alchemy are the channel strip — which includes dynamics and E or G series equalizers — and the stereo bus compressor. For its collection, Waves has represented the above with the E-Channel, the G-Equalizer, and the G-Master Buss Compressor. [And could someone please put in print, once and for all, how to properly spell “bus” when referring to a console? OK, I will. It’s ‘b-u-s.’ — Alex.] The E-Channel is the most powerful and feature-filled part of the package, whose components include HP+LPF, EQ, comp, and gate. The steep high and low pass filters can be in the audio chain or used in the side chain of the compressor or gate. The compressor is WAVES continues on page 32 ➤ Waves SSL 4000 Collection The most important sound ever is now available as a plug-in. To begin this review, please make the connections between the following years and landmarks in time: 1984 — During the last chorus of “Almost Paradise,” 14-year-old gets up courage to lower his hands to partner’s hips before end of junior high dance 1988 — Peter Gabriel scores Scorsese’s controversial take on life of Jesus. Thousands give/receive massages to same otherworldly soundtrack 1999 — Cher’s “Believe” wins pop Grammy 2006 — In Los Angeles hillside home studio, analog-weaned engineer enjoys DAW EQing for the first time APPLICATIONS Studio, project studio KEY FEATURES Developed under license from Solid State Logic; up to 24-bit, 96 kHz resolution; mono and stereo components; supports TDM, RTAS, Audio Suite, VST, AU; PC and Mac compatible PRICE $1,000 list CONTACT Waves | ☎ 865-909-9200 ➲ www.waves.com The layman would say music is the common denominator. The engineer knows it’s the SSL 4000, the recording console that has channeled more emotional juice than perhaps any other in history. As the de facto popular mixing standard since its introduction in 1977, the SSL 4000 has trained generations of listeners and engineers what a record should sound like. It is a sound so important and a tool so effective that I entertained buying a used SSL 4k console for $60,000 until I realized I’d need also to hire a full-time assistant and a part-time tech to keep it running. Today, Waves has endeavored to channel these 30 years of collective emotion into a more manageable 256MB of data. Waves they have made. Nine years ago, around the time he started mixing his own projects in Pro Tools LE and just after Tom Lord Alge — one of the most notorious SSL 4000 devotees — had mixed seven songs to my three on Spymob’s Epic Records debut, my drummer friend Eric 30 | ProAudio Review | May 2008 www.proaudioreview.com http://www.waves.com http://www.proaudioreview.com
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