A DIY SSL console.

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Rocinante

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Jan 17, 2014
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Years back on one of the SSL forums, a dude had built an SSL console in an attic space using a variety of cards and even Behringer midi faders. Does anyone know where that thread is? I believe it was a 6k. It was an incredible build.
 
Haha, well... thank you for your kind words!

In all honesty, I have learned very, very much from doing this project, but in hindsight, It'd have been much wiser to spend all the time and money in building 19" or 500/51x units.

In the last 5 or 6 years I spent my spare time in making music again, the DIY projects came to a halt (or almost). The main reason why I'm visiting this beautifu; forum only occasionally nowadays..... I haven't got the time and money anymore to be building stuff anymore.

Last year I sold most of the 5k cassettes, and I purchased an SSL Six to replace the stemsumming, and I use 2 of the 5k stereochannels along with it. (521 line amps and 522 EQ's). There are some other pieces left that I still use (the 5k Buscompressor, or actually the Gyraf scompressor modified SL552 summingamp, and a few other modules), but most of it is gone, and I work more and more ITB. Yes.... heresy!!!! I still feel some of the outboard cannot be replaced with plugins, and analog summing is still superior to my ears, but working ITB brings many benefits. Recallability, space, lots of money saved, and so on, hahaha.
Although I still have the desire to build something wicked for a stereo drumbus. But not now. Maybe I'll start doing that in a couple of years....

By the way.......
regarding the SSL Six : I was quite sceptical, but....
I must admit the SSL SIX is really great. Especially as a summing box. And yes, it really has the SSL sound. Even the internal buscompressor has the real deal sound, only fewer controls. The knobs and faders feel very solid, the SNR is insane.
I haven't really A/B compared the micpreamps with the Total Audio Control preamps that I have, but I'm sure they are excellent too. The channel eq's and comps are sounding nice too. Probably a bit too basic, but, i didn't buy the Six for these: i bought the Six purely for the summingstuff. They pre's, eq's and compressors are a nice bonus though. Especially the masterbuscomp, it is great.
Actually, the only downside to me, is that the masterinsert is always pre-masterbuscompressor. In case I'd like to use eq's or exciters or midside stuff or whatever, I prefer to use that post compression. (my personal rule of thumb : corrective EQ pre compressor - colouring EQ post compressor).

But that's just really the only downside of the Six. Everything else is great, or can be fixed with a workaround.

I have thought a couple of days about the proper connectivity of the Six to my other equipment, and I have designed and made a patchpanelsetup with everything I want pre-normalled. So, i can use it with a minimum of re-patching, the right outboard is already connected in the insertpaths of the channels. I'll probably make a video of that stuff this year. "how to get the maximum out of an SSL Six" or something, hahaha!

Anyway, thank you !

:)
 
Actually, the only downside to me, is that the masterinsert is always pre-masterbuscompressor. In case I'd like to use eq's or exciters or midside stuff or whatever, I prefer to use that post compression. (my personal rule of thumb : corrective EQ pre compressor - colouring EQ post compressor).

But that's just really the only downside of the Six. Everything else is great, or can be fixed with a workaround.

Any problems in using an EQ unit, compressor, exciter , etc, after the console receiving the console output?

That would make that processing Post Bus compressor, EQ and Compressor units normally have an Output control so maybe NBD
 
Hi Whoops!!!

I'm using the studio monitor control section of the Six as well, so, yes, indeed, it's possible, but then I'd have to use a seperate monitorcontroller.

In my case, I can use an outboard buscompressor as well, instead of the built in buscompressor. I'm using the converted 552 for the drumbusduty, but I don't really like this type of compressor on the drumbus. So, I could use it on the mainbusinsert instead of the built-in buscompressor.

It's not a real problem to me, but considering all the other great and well thought-through options of the Six, this was the only thing I could come up as 'shortcoming'. And even so, it's not a big thing anyway. As this is really more like postprocessing, to be done by a mastering engineer. Leaving this option out is of course saving the user the possibility to ruin the endproduct, hahaha.

Not in my case though. I ruin the mix in every step possible!

:)
 

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