- Uad Ssl 4000 G Bus Compressor
- Ssl G Bus Compressor Uad Vs Waves
- G Master Bus Compressor
- Ssl G Bus Compressor Plugin
- Ssl G Bus Compressor 500
Watch how to glue your tracks while keeping their original dynamics, by using the SSL G-Master Buss Compressor plugin early in the mastering process.
6 – SSL G-Series Bus Compressor
- SSL 4000 G Bus Compressor. This is a must have! It just works, easy to use, brings your mixes into focus in just the right way. Except from limited bandwith (problematic at higher samplerates - quite useless as master compressor) a real workhorse.
- The SSL 4000 G Series bus compressor has been copied, emulated, reworked, and rehashed by both hardware and software manufacturers for years now. It seems every plug-in developer has their own take on the stereo compressor, and I’d bet most readers have at least one in their library.
- G Series Compressor This is the 1U rack mounting version of the SSL G Series console master bus compressor. It utilises the classic SSL G Series centre compressor design elements within a SuperAnalogue design topology. This brings the dual benefits of spectacular audio performance with a universally acclaimed compressor characteristic.
The G-Series Bus Compressor is a VCA-based stereo unit from the UK’s Oxfordshire-based Solid State Logic, derived from the circuits found in their legendary 4000 G-series console. The SSL excels at one thing only: stylish-as-hell bus compression, either on sub-mixes or the master bus itself.
For ‘glue’ purposes, it reigns pretty much supreme: a holy grail compressor that does both transparency and glue with panache: making a mix louder and punchier while imparting an expensive, modern-sounding cohesiveness that has probably shaped the sound of more hit records than any other over the past three decades. For many producers – in just about every genre – the SSL is such a no-brainer that it sits on the mix bus for every single mix. It has a unique ability to make a good mix sound like a finished track.
As far as settings go, there aren’t many to tweak. Just change the attack and release settings so that the compressor is responding to the tempo and feel of the track (if in doubt, keep attack fast and park it in auto release mode). For ratio, choose 2:1 for master transparency, 4:1 for slightly more obvious colour and 10:1 for a tougher, more characterful bus sound.
Uad Ssl 4000 G Bus Compressor
The G-Series Bus Compressor has a host of plugin emulations, some of them officially sanctioned, including one by Universal Audio, one by Waves and SSL’s own version. However, our favourite SSL-inspired plugin is Cytomic’s The Glue – look out for a new version of it in Ableton Live 9.
The GSSL is a clone of the stereo buss compressor found in SSL4000-series desks. Because of it’s affordability and relatively low difficulty, the GSSL has become a very popular project with many PCBs and mods available.
Images courtesy of Gyraf Audio and FiveFish Studios
Notable Features:
- Designed for DBX202x or THAT2180/2181 VCAs
- Uses all modern easily sourceable components
- Ratio, attack, and release pots
Possible Modifications:
- Turbo Mod
- Changes the sidechain from summed (mono) to stereo. This makes the GSSL behave more like the original SSL.
- CRC Filter Mod
- Fixes power hum problems inherent in the original GSSL design.
- VU Meter Mod
- Usually GSSL builders use a peak meter. The VU meter makes the “feel” of the compressor closer to, say, the 1176.
- Super Sidechain
- Adds adjustable 60, 90, 130 & 200hz high-pass filters, Tilt-Medium and Tilt-Loud sidechain eq curves, and the option for an external sidechain input.
- Crush’n’Blend
- Adds wet/dry mix control
Price:
- 25€ for PCB from PCB Grinder
- 25€ for GSSL + super sidechain PCBs from PCB Grinder
Modifications:
- $9.95 for Turbo PCB from Expat Audio
- $30 for Turbo kit from DIY Parts Supply
- 12€ for Super Sidechain PCB from Gustav
- $9.95 for VU Meter PCB from Expat Audio
- $6.95 for CRC PCB from Expat Audio
- $16 for CRC kit from DIY Parts Supply
Ssl G Bus Compressor Uad Vs Waves
More information:
G Master Bus Compressor
Ssl G Bus Compressor Plugin
- www.gyraf.dk.
- A blog about building a GSSL.
- Five Fish’s GSSL build blog with sound clips.
Ssl G Bus Compressor 500