Waves SSL 4000 issues

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Ok after reading alot of opinions on web and here i decide to give it a try so i did demoed Waves SSL (ilok without problems for now) etc.etc. I tested SSL E-Channel prety hard and The SSL G-Equalizer a little. For compressor i dont have time yet. And for now everything is going fine but however i have a few issues. Maybe this is some kind of demo limitation so i will ask here and maybe someone can put light on this.

Generate some pink noise in your audio editor. Few seconds will be enough. Let it play. Put your E-Channel on master and turn your frequency analizer in a way you can watch what you will do with frequencies when you turn knobs on E-Channel.

On E-Channel do next. In HMF range put freq. knob to 3khz. Put your Q to 3.5. Now boost your frequencies up to +15(remember to lower volume on speakers :hihi:). You will se that frequencies are rised but what is driving me nut is that highest peak is not at 3khz like it should. It's for pretty decent among of frequencies higher. At 3,5 almost 3,6. Go and sweep that frequency range to 2.khz. You will find that highet peak is at 2,4 or 2,5. So is this part of that SSL eq character? Same thing is happening with SSL G-Equalizer :? I can hardly believe that this is part of that SSL sound. Though i can't match that EQ curves with other EQs(sonalksis and glisseq). Those from waves are full of character i must admitt and sound is next to outstanding(especialy at g-series) but if i want some repair at well known frequencies then i want it there not so distant like this is case. For example take glisseq demo from www.voxengo.com Do same with that eq with dyn.option 0. You will see raising peak at exactly 3khz. No far left or right :cry:

So is this demo limitation? Or this is part of SSL character? Or i am doing something wrong :oops:

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The problem is, a lot of you guys who have no experience with analogue hardware, fail to realise that the labelling on the hardware is not at all precise!. So, naturally, if they modelled the hardware as closely as possible then of course the knobs should replicate the sound at that very position on the hardware (which has inprecise labelling).

So, my guess is that it mimics the hardware behaviour. We never did measure the SSL 4000 desk and how it's filter frequencies are at certain knob positions but I'm pretty sure they are quite a bit off when compared with the labelling.

Cheers!
bManic
"Wisdom is wisdom, regardless of the idiot who said it." -an idiot

"They don't ban hate speech; they ban speech they hate." -an oracle

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bmanic wrote:The problem is, a lot of you guys who have no experience with analogue hardware, fail to realise that the labelling on the hardware is not at all precise!. So, naturally, if they modelled the hardware as closely as possible then of course the knobs should replicate the sound at that very position on the hardware (which has inprecise labelling).

So, my guess is that it mimics the hardware behaviour. We never did measure the SSL 4000 desk and how it's filter frequencies are at certain knob positions but I'm pretty sure they are quite a bit off when compared with the labelling.

Cheers!
bManic
Well it's making some sense. So after all it is part of character. But then again sonalksis eq is based on analogue concept but it does not have labelling issue. And does have specific and good sound too. Then Air EQ . Glisseq is analogue like eq too. All in all it turned to be SSL character :lol:

However i did found that i can not mimic SSL curves with other eq listed(more or less) and SSL 4000 is realy worth.

Now i am wondering how is duende sounding (though it's based on different model) but i can't demo this :hihi:

edit - to bmanic: wow...congrats for your new star. In great hope for great future life :wink:

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WHO CARES? USE YOUR EARS!

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Right, EQ's are generally used for tweaking music, not pink noise ;)

If this SSL EQ was marketed as an ultra precise, ultra transparent eq then yes, I can understand the concern. But this is a 'colourful' eq from the ground up, so analysis is irrelivant, its how it sounds to your ears :)

On a side note, my god i'm posting here a lot lately, its like i'm making up for hardly visiting KVR the past year. :lol:

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kmonkey wrote: Well it's making some sense. So after all it is part of character. But then again sonalksis eq is based on analogue concept but it does not have labelling issue. And does have specific and good sound too. Then Air EQ . Glisseq is analogue like eq too. All in all it turned to be SSL character
You don't seem to get it. The SSL is real physical hardware. There is NO real hardware of the Sonalksis EQ, none of the AirEQ and certainly not any of GlissEQ.

When you make a 1 to 1 emulation of hardware, then you also consider exactly how the hardware behaves with it's knobs in certain positions, NOT what the labelling says.

Take the Millenia NSEQ-2 for example, every band's gain labelling is wrong, it is not precise at all. Also, while tweaking the Q value the gain changes with it as well.

Hmm.. this makes me wonder if there is a whole generation of people who simply do not understand the non-importance of labels/precise frequency or gain information. Graphics and any visual information makes for a big distraction. This is maybe one of the reasons why the old way of mixing, on a console, without any distracting computer monitors around, is still so popular with experienced people. Try it some time, turn off your computer monitor while playing a softsynth or tweaking some compressor or EQ with knobs. I guarantee you that a bigger part of your brains processing capacity will be reallocated to the hearing. :)

Cheers!
bManic
"Wisdom is wisdom, regardless of the idiot who said it." -an idiot

"They don't ban hate speech; they ban speech they hate." -an oracle

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bmanic wrote:This is maybe one of the reasons why the old way of mixing, on a console, without any distracting computer monitors around, is still so popular with experienced people. Try it some time, turn off your computer monitor while playing a softsynth or tweaking some compressor or EQ with knobs. I guarantee you that a bigger part of your brains processing capacity will be reallocated to the hearing.
I absolutely agree, 100%!!! 8)
Minimal talk, maximum music!

www.myspace.com/amerikanalienz

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bmanic wrote:Try it some time, turn off your computer monitor while playing a softsynth or tweaking some compressor or EQ with knobs. I guarantee you that a bigger part of your brains processing capacity will be reallocated to the hearing. :)
That's strictly for noobs.

When it comes to mixing-time, us pros turn off the speakers and mix by sight.

8)

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mammath wrote:
bmanic wrote:This is maybe one of the reasons why the old way of mixing, on a console, without any distracting computer monitors around, is still so popular with experienced people. Try it some time, turn off your computer monitor while playing a softsynth or tweaking some compressor or EQ with knobs. I guarantee you that a bigger part of your brains processing capacity will be reallocated to the hearing.
I absolutely agree, 100%!!! 8)
Me too. Monitor Distraction Syndrome...
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championrabbit wrote:
bmanic wrote:Try it some time, turn off your computer monitor while playing a softsynth or tweaking some compressor or EQ with knobs. I guarantee you that a bigger part of your brains processing capacity will be reallocated to the hearing. :)
That's strictly for noobs.

When it comes to mixing-time, us pros turn off the speakers and mix by sight.

8)
ppfft - that's the lame way to do it . I turn of everything and mix by touch alone.

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Mix?? Us REAL pros record using 2-track... 8)

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championrabbit wrote:When it comes to mixing-time, us pros turn off the speakers and mix by sight. 8)
snooky wrote:ppfft - that's the lame way to do it . I turn off everything and mix by touch alone.
TonyC wrote:Mix?? Us REAL pros record using 2-track... 8)
Funny stuff guys! 8)
Minimal talk, maximum music!

www.myspace.com/amerikanalienz

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