Waves SSLCHANNEL User Manual

Waves SSL 4000 Collection

SSL 4000 E-Channel

1. Introduction

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 Series G

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consoles. Now, those who “mix in the box” can achieve the sound they thought they’d lost
when they moved to the digital world.

The SL4000 console was the first mixing desk to incorporate dynamics processing into
every channel, as well as a master bus compressor in the console’s center section. The
ability to 'patch' into the SL4000's master bus compressor and to control its sidechain from
an internal sub-mix allowed sound engineers to discover unique, history-making
applications of this console technology. Whether used to record instruments such as
piano and drums or for final mixing, these innovative console sections - master bus
compressor, EQ and dynamics - opened up a new world of opportunities. For years,
workstation users have sought this unusual flexibility and signature sound. But
conventional dynamics and EQ plug-ins couldn’t produce the unique SSL color.

The Waves SSL 4000 Collection is the result of a partnership between Waves Audio and
Solid State Logic. These processors faithfully recreate the same EQ and dynamics
characteristics which made legendary the SL4000 consoles. Plus, the interface accurately
reflects the classic SSL console. Couple all of this with state-of-the art Waves software
and you suddenly find yourself working with the same tools that have provided countless
hit mixes for the world's best audio engineers.

The Waves SSL 4000 Collection consists of three separate sections:

• The SSL E-Channel

• The SSL 4000 G-Master Bus Compressor

• The SSL G-Equalizer

2. Description of the SSL 4000 E-Channel plug-in

SSL E-Channel

The Waves SSL E-Channel is modeled after the SL4000 E Series console, combining the
dynamics section of the SL4000 channel strip with the “Black Knob” 242 EQ. The only
obvious change from the hardware original is that the EQ and Dynamics sections are side­by-side rather than inline, to better conform to computer screens.

Dynamics Section

The dynamics section consists of a soft-knee compressor/limiter and an expander/gate.
Dynamics can be switched to pre-equalizer (default) or post-equalizer (CH OUT.)

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Although the same gain change circuitry is used for both the compressor/limiter and the
expander/gate, two dedicated level indicators illustrate activity for each device. Automatic
gain make-up, calculated from the Ratio and Threshold settings, is applied by the
compressor to maintain a steady output level. The default compressor attack time is
program sensitive, responding to the audio material’s wavefront.

The dynamics section’s threshold circuitry uses variable hysteresis, which allows the
signal to decay below its opening level. (Hysteresis is the lag between making a change
in input, such as increasing or decreasing power, and the response or effect of that
change. Thus, the threshold’s variable hysteresis circuitry allows for program-dependent
dynamic processing.)

Equalizer Section

The equalizer is a four-band device which can be routed to the processor’s output or to
the dynamics section’s sidechain. Q can be adjusted in the LMF and HMF ranges. At the
top of the section is the High Pass (18 dB/octave) filter and the Low Pass (12 dB/octave)
filter. Normally, low pass and high pass filters follow the same path as the entire EQ
section. However, when SPLIT is selected, the low pass and high pass filters are placed
before the dynamics processors in the chain. The equalizer can be switched into the
dynamics sidechain to afford simple de-essing and other frequency-controlled dynamics
processing by selecting DYN S-C at the foot of the section. LF and HF shelves can be
reshaped to bell curves by pressing BELL. The Q of the LF and HF bells are calculated
based on frequency settings and are not user-definable.

SSL E-Channel Latency

The channel strip has a latency of one sample.

Routing in SSL E-Channel