Waves ssl channel manual

Take a detailed comparative look at these two legendary channel strip processors. Find out how channel strip plugins speed up your mixing workflow while adding the pleasing coloration of analog consoles within your DAW — and how they have adapted into the digital age with more flexibility than ever before.

Read More. It gives me the vintage E curve, with the saturation that makes it so musical. I use it even though I have an original SSL console — every instance of the plugin is identical, so stereo pairs stay matched, and I often use one plugin instance on every channel. It remains a staple for me because of its accurate reproduction of the console I grew up on.

It is my go-to plugin for drums, bass, keys and vocals. They are my go-to EQs. I love the crispiness of the hi-shelf too. Miles Walker Producer, Mixing Engineer. The overall EQ is more transparent, which is what I like to have when carving corrective issues out of a vocal, or even brightening it up on the high-end shelf.

Also, the filters sound really good and can help carve out some mud without a lot of phase shift on the vocal. Try my kick and snare presets for getting that tight punch and clarity; my acoustic guitar preset for warmth; and my electric guitar presets to help the guitars feel raw but focused. Waves killed it with this one. Waves continues to raise the bar.

The Brown Knob option is incredible — makes your low-end super warm and punchy. Each has totally different musical characteristics, and the ability to switch back and forth between them really strikes a creative nerve. Another signature element to mixing on an SSL is how you can play with the stereo spectrum. And the Dynamics section does not disappoint, whether you need to completely SPANK something or use a subtle amount of compression. Try the presets I've created for guitars, bass and synths as helpful starting points.

You should have seen my face when I first starting playing around with the EV2 — this one really made me smile. From the sonic representation to features like the ability to move between the Black and Brown EQs, this plugin is a dream come true. SSL EV2 brings me back to that same sound, and my presets reflect what I like to do with the original console. My presets are meant to be used as starting points: they represent my methodology of adding articulation on top and warmth on the bottom; clearing up muddiness in the middle; then using the channel dynamics to compress, adding punch and level control, and gating to reduce unnecessary noise.

My acoustic presets will give just about any string instrument that SSL shine that I love. This plugin takes the SSL sound to an all-new level. From the gorgeous saturation to the difference in 'focus' between the Brown and Black EQ options, this completely covers all the bases. My Speaker Phone Vocal preset is a quick way to make your vocals pop on any device. I love using this effect on rap vocal adlibs for a balanced contrast to the lead vocal.

The next comparison combines major boosts and cuts. Figure 3: Settings for the second Brown vs. Figure 4: Top, Brown EQ. Again, the difference in midrange behavior stands out. Figure 5: Harmonic distortion for various mic pre gain settings. The top image shows the mic pre at 0. The middle image shows the mic pre turned up to The bottom view turns the mic pre up to Now the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th harmonics are becoming more prominent around dB , and many additional harmonics are being generated.

The unprocessed version has 0 pre gain, the processed version has a setting of Sidechaining—which allows one signal to control the dynamic response of a different signal—was a common feature with hardware.

Fortunately, sidechaining is now common in software as well as hardware. Controlling dynamics has both utilitarian and creative applications. However, sidechaining also unleashes creative options.

This can also give pads rhythmic qualities. Gating also lends itself to sidechaining. Triggering pads or other sustained sounds with drums can lock tones to rhythms, but the SSL EV2 can also route the sidechain signal through EQ. So, with a drum sidechain signal you could use EQ to zero in on just the snare, the kick, or for that matter, a clave to do the triggering. Guitar upstrokes can trigger sustained organ sounds…you get the idea.

Although those aspects remain the same, the changes are significant and there are plenty of tangible differences: a more open and richer sound, a choice of two very different EQs, nuanced mic pre saturation and sidechain options.

He has played on, produced, or mastered over 20 major label recordings and hundreds of tracks, authored 45 books, toured extensively during the 60s, played Carnegie Hall, worked as a studio musician in the 70s, written over a thousand articles, lectured on technology and the arts in 10 countries, 38 U. Want to get more tips straight to your inbox?