Mixing on a (virtual) Legend

Ever since I was a kid I loved looking at the liner notes and pictures that came with records and cds. I'd sit for hours looking at the pictures and reading the credits while listening to the record over and over again. I especially loved seeing pictures of how the record was made. Artists and engineers huddled around technology in a creative mess crafting the perfect sound. These huge recording desks with hundreds of knobs and sliders always sparked my imagination. 

In 2007 when we were finishing up production on our 5th Figureheads studio album I proposed mixing it "out of the box" meaning outside of a digital computer environment. The sounds, samples and textures just screamed "Mix me on a Legend!" And I've always wanted to get behind a giant desk and have a go at it!

Scott Radke, a friend and producer I've worked closely with since the late 1990s, suggested we mix the album in Minneapolis at a recording school called IPR. One of the instructors there was an old friend and generously offered the room to mix in over the schools interim break. 

My heart skipped a beat when we walked into that room and stood before the legendary SSL 4000 G series console. So many records we have all heard and loved we're mixed on an SSL desk. The first SSL consoles were introduced in the mid-1970s. Though only a handful of the the early models were made, they made their mark on the recording industry. And this particular SSL had come from the House of Blues studio in Nashville where they have recorded artists such as De La Soul, Alice Cooper, Willie Nelson, and Emmylou Harris just to name a few. The thought crossed my mind that our album wasn't worthy of it. 

After we loaded the sessions onto the studio computer I remember just slowly bringing up faders to see if we had signal. The instruments that I was so familiar with from spending months creating sounded.....like a record. Like a real record. We hadn't touched an eq or compressor or anything. It just sounded expensive, rich, sharp. I can't really fully describe it. Just sounded like what I'd been trying to achieve ever since I got my 1st 4 track tape recorder in 7th grade. It sounded like the records I had spend so many years of my life listening to over and over again. And we hadn't even started mixing yet!

The equalizers on each of the SSL channels were so snappy and sharp. Just tiny adjustments were needed. I wasn't used to working with such precision. Each channel had its own dedicated compressor! What! 48 compressors to work with! And the magical glue that held it all together was the G series bus compressor at the end of the chain making it feel smooth, even and rich. I don't think I'll be able to go back to mixing inside a computer was what I kept saying to myself. 

I've been chasing that sound ever since. At this point I can't afford a SSL 4000 G series console nor would it be practical to do so. But I think back to that experience 10 years ago as a guide to what my mixes can sound like. I've tried every computer emulation plugin of the SSL and even considered getting hardware SSL modules like the X rack or the 500 series modules to build small system but even this seems like a stretch. 

It wasn't until last year when Universal Audio released its SSL 4000 channel strip audio plugin that I became hopeful that computer processing could emulate the sound of this Legend. They also re-released a new updated version of the G series bus compressor. That lovely compressor that glued the whole mix together. 

By the way this isn't a commercial for UA in any way and I'm not endorsed by them. 

Universal Audio had made a SSL strip in the past but when I had a chance to demo the new channel strip I was caught off guard. The EQ and compressor sounded spot on and not just that, the signal just sounded better running thru the plugin. Just like the experience I had in the studio before touching any of the knobs or dials. 

It's always hard to tell until you put it to the test in a mix. Luckily I was just about to start mixing a few songs for a singer songwriter here in Milwaukee named Alycia Betz so I put the new SSL plugins to the test. 

Almost immediately I noticed that her vocals were cutting thru the mix perfectly. No harsh mids and highs that you sometimes find in other plugins. They just sounded right....like a record. Running all the vocal tracks thru the G series bus compressor just sealed the deal for me. It was so smooth and tight and present. It almost seemed too easy that I thought maybe my ears were playing tricks on me. But Alycia loved the mix and we didn't change a thing for the final master. 

The final missing piece of the puzzle for me was the tactile interface problem. It can be uninspiring to click your mouse on a virtual knob and adjust it. You really just want to reach out and grab the controls with your fingers. I had been reading about a new multi touch screen developed specifically for digital audio professionals made by Slate Digital called the Raven. A friend of mine, Alex Oana, the lead developer and creator of the Raven, invited me and Scott to Vintage King in LA to take it for a spin. I immediately saw the potential for the Raven in my studio. The ability to reach out and grab the faders and knobs was so refreshing having spent years moving a mouse around. I often times joke with my wife that I make money by just moving a mouse around and clicking in the correct spots in the right order. 

So this year I pulled the trigger and got a Raven. This coupled with the Universal Audio emulations of the classic SSL have brought me the closest I've been to my weekend in the studio with Scott 10 years ago in Minneapolis and I couldn't be happier with the results. 

* the photos taken at IPR on the SSL were shot by Dain Ingebretson