Recording - November 2010 - 42

SSL X-Rack and X-Desk

tracked on non-SSL gear, so I had never heard these preamps. Again, I favored the 9k pre for its firm clean sound, especially on acoustic instruments; however, I really liked driving the VHD pre for male rock vocals, snare drum and electric guitar. And then there was the G Series buss compressor. After owning and demoing a fair number of 2-buss compressors over the years, I had just about abandoned the idea of a buss comp. All I can say is, this one is the real deal! Just pushing it into about 2 dB of grab makes it the mix glue! The X-Desk Unlike what we are used to expecting in small-format consoles, the X-Desk has no pres, no eq, and only 8 mono faders. It also has no DAW control, recall or automation. At first its battleship-gray body looks like a cross between old an utility mixer from the basement of the BBC and a euro-style Asian, import model. I can tell you’re excited... but wait, the XDesk is a deceptive little box! First off, it is built the way it looks— like a battleship with an all-metal enclosure, and like all SSL products it is built in the UK. To appreciate this mixer, you need to lay hands on it. The knobs are firm and smooth. The faders glide like butter yet stay put where you leave them, and the spring-loaded backlit buttons feel fantastic. Every LED is bright and precise and looks really classy in a mood-lit control room. But what does it do? Think of it less as a mixer and more as the center hub of your studio. Out of the box it is a monitor controller with simple but efficient DAW monitoring, talkback and dual speaker switching. Also with no other additions, it is a 16–22 channel analog summing mixer. But of course that’s just the beginning. X-Desk anatomy The X-Desk features 8 basic channel strips complete with full-throw faders, panning, cut (mute), solo, channel inserts, 2 mono effects sends and direct channel outputs that can be pre- or postfader. Each channel also includes a second set of selectable inputs with their own level and pan control for playback monitoring and/or selectable along side the 8-input channels for the 16 full channels of summing. All connections on the X-Desk, with the exception of the two pairs of XLR monitor outs, are again DB-25 connections, of which there are 10. That’s a lot of I/O choice!
42
RECORDING NOVEMBER 2010

At the console’s “center” section you have full-stage, adjustable stereo LED monitoring, various routing and level controls for your main and cue mixes, headphone output, built-in talkback microphone, a master-buss insert, dual stereo effects returns and even a mini jack for direct connection of an iPod. Note the insert and stereo returns can increase your input/summing count to 22 channels. So with all this I/O choice, it quickly moves beyond being a summing mixer and glorified monitor controller. It can also be a simple 8-channel tracking mixer with some added preamps, or a full-blown mini 8-channel SSL sidecar when connected to a collection of wellstocked X-Racks.

you readers, since I have been doing hybrid out-of-the-box mixing for years— were still fun, having the tactile feel of real faders, and I finally got to dip my toe into the whole analog summing debate. I would love to tell you that the X-desk sounded great, but in fact, it had no “sound” of its own. It is über-clean, and thus really allows your own gear and mixes to shine through. Yes, there was some added air and openness to the summed mixes when compared to those in the box, especially when I pushed the channel LEDs gently into the red, but it was not a question of one over the other, they were just different. What makes this board so useful is the fact that it can be easily tailored to your workflow, like the X-Rack, and even reconfigured on the fly for a whole new set of tasks; build quality and sound quality will never be an issue. If I had any dislikes it would be the talkback mic. For a desk where everything else is so pristine, the talkback mic sounds

The one accessory for setup I would recommend is a good flexible patch bay, especially one that also uses DB-25 connections. I use a 192-point AudioLot Mixbay (www.audiolot.com) in my studio and can highly recommend it. You should also be aware that in true XLogic style, SSL has just released its own 32-point (16x16) remote-controlled digital switching D-Sub-based patch bay called the XPatch. Either way, a good patch bay option will benefit the X-desk greatly. X-Desk in use Of course I used the X-Desk with the XRack as well as with my own collection of pres and processors, and this is where the board comes alive. Tracking with a latencyfree monitor mix and patched-in reverb was a snap. Mixdown chores—while not as revelatory for me as they might be for some of

like a bad speaker at a fast-food drivethrough... strange, but not a showstopper. Final thoughts We finally get SSL for the project studio, and as you can see below, many of the prices, especially those of the X-Rack modules, are well in line if not slightly less than the competition. Bottom line, it’s the sound, the quality and heritage of Solid State Logic in affordable and manageable bite-size proportions. Prices: X-Rack, $999; Mynx, $499; XRack modules, $869 each (G-Series Compressor, $2259); Blank X-Rack Panel, $30; X-Desk, $2899; X-Patch, $1199 More from: Solid State Logic, www.solidstatelogic.com.


http://www.audiolot.com http://www.solidstatelogic.com

Recording - November 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - November 2010

Recording - November 2010
Contents
Fade In
Talkback
Fast Forward
A Studio Journey With Larry Carlton
Akai MPK Series USB/MIDI Keyboard Controllers
The Keys To The Studio
Telefunken Elektroakustik AR-51 Tube Microphone
Novation SL MkII USB Controllers
ADAM Audio A3X Active Monitors
DAW Details
Waves Tony Maserati Artist Signature Collection
Solid State Logic XLOGIC Superanalogue X-Rack and X-Desk
Roland GAIA SH-01 Synthesizer
Recording’s Keyboard Column
It’s Your Music—Know Your Rights. Chapter 8: Digital Distribution
Korg microSTATION
Readers’ Tapes
Recording’s Showcase of Sounds
Advertiser Index
Fade Out
Recording - November 2010 - Recording - November 2010
Recording - November 2010 - Cover2
Recording - November 2010 - 1
Recording - November 2010 - Fade In
Recording - November 2010 - 3
Recording - November 2010 - Contents
Recording - November 2010 - 5
Recording - November 2010 - Talkback
Recording - November 2010 - 7
Recording - November 2010 - Fast Forward
Recording - November 2010 - 9
Recording - November 2010 - 10
Recording - November 2010 - 11
Recording - November 2010 - A Studio Journey With Larry Carlton
Recording - November 2010 - 13
Recording - November 2010 - 14
Recording - November 2010 - 15
Recording - November 2010 - 16
Recording - November 2010 - 17
Recording - November 2010 - Akai MPK Series USB/MIDI Keyboard Controllers
Recording - November 2010 - 19
Recording - November 2010 - The Keys To The Studio
Recording - November 2010 - 21
Recording - November 2010 - 22
Recording - November 2010 - 23
Recording - November 2010 - 24
Recording - November 2010 - 25
Recording - November 2010 - Telefunken Elektroakustik AR-51 Tube Microphone
Recording - November 2010 - 27
Recording - November 2010 - 28
Recording - November 2010 - 29
Recording - November 2010 - Novation SL MkII USB Controllers
Recording - November 2010 - 31
Recording - November 2010 - 32
Recording - November 2010 - 33
Recording - November 2010 - ADAM Audio A3X Active Monitors
Recording - November 2010 - 35
Recording - November 2010 - DAW Details
Recording - November 2010 - 37
Recording - November 2010 - Waves Tony Maserati Artist Signature Collection
Recording - November 2010 - 39
Recording - November 2010 - Solid State Logic XLOGIC Superanalogue X-Rack and X-Desk
Recording - November 2010 - 41
Recording - November 2010 - 42
Recording - November 2010 - 43
Recording - November 2010 - Roland GAIA SH-01 Synthesizer
Recording - November 2010 - 45
Recording - November 2010 - 46
Recording - November 2010 - 47
Recording - November 2010 - Recording’s Keyboard Column
Recording - November 2010 - 49
Recording - November 2010 - 50
Recording - November 2010 - 51
Recording - November 2010 - 52
Recording - November 2010 - 53
Recording - November 2010 - 54
Recording - November 2010 - 55
Recording - November 2010 - It’s Your Music—Know Your Rights. Chapter 8: Digital Distribution
Recording - November 2010 - 57
Recording - November 2010 - Korg microSTATION
Recording - November 2010 - 59
Recording - November 2010 - Readers’ Tapes
Recording - November 2010 - 61
Recording - November 2010 - Recording’s Showcase of Sounds
Recording - November 2010 - 63
Recording - November 2010 - 64
Recording - November 2010 - Advertiser Index
Recording - November 2010 - 66
Recording - November 2010 - 67
Recording - November 2010 - 68
Recording - November 2010 - 69
Recording - November 2010 - 70
Recording - November 2010 - 71
Recording - November 2010 - Fade Out
Recording - November 2010 - Cover3
Recording - November 2010 - Cover4
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