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Post by sirthought on Dec 10, 2021 1:22:47 GMT -6
FYI There's already a thread on this. The latency would likely be about the same as most contemporary interfaces, but we'll just have to see how it's testing. I doubt you'd have to change how you mix, just how you track, plugins wise.
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Post by Vincent R. on Dec 10, 2021 8:46:47 GMT -6
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Post by Martin John Butler on Dec 10, 2021 8:47:08 GMT -6
ahh.. thanks Vincent, thanks sir thought, when I looked I isn't see any other threads, I'll check that out :-)
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2022 12:29:50 GMT -6
I thought I'd do a quick update here because it's no longer a "leak", so my Heritage rack will arrive on Friday and I'll finally get the chance to start hooking everything up this weekend. Searched the other site and there's been a few RMA's but nothing severe, a couple of interesting points are someone is using two via Mac aggregation without issue. There is a clock drift function for aggregate's but I wasn't sure how much I'd trust it, anyway I might take the risk and get a second one next month if I like it?!
Then all of the limitations become utterly irrelevant, it's now a 24 track mixer (or 12 mono w/ 6 stereo's) with enough I/O flow for anything I could possible need or want. Also some good news on converters, someone had an Apogee Symphony MK1 and they're currently enjoying the Big Six. I'm not utterly surprised, even the converters in my old A&H Zed-R16 were pretty good and most modern converters are absolutely fine.
Looking forward to it, will update shortly.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2022 10:32:46 GMT -6
SSL Big Six First Impressions
Okay here it is.. Before we go through the bad, mediocre and the great points of the SSL Big Six be warned I don't pull punches when reviewing. If you're not interested in a direct, anti-sugar coated assessment then move on.
The Bad:
When it comes to subjective "build quality" I've never been overly struck by SSL's offerings. The XL-Desk I glanced upon felt cheap and the SSL Big Six is no exception, complete with no resistance inaccurate faders that couldn't be cheaper plastic if they'd tried. Ultimately I suppose only time will answer the question of durability. That being said SSL seems to have put money in where it really matters, the power supply for example is weighty, well built and from a fringe view looks more than decent enough.
Okay next, the pre-amps.. They sound good, not offensive in any way and they'll certainly do the job well... Unless you have a 7B that is, they crap out at the last 10dB and imbue a lot of noise, so does the makeup gain on the master bus compressor annoyingly.
The next section is EQ and let me just say it.. A three band sweepable would have been far more practical. I was able to dial out nasty frequencies from my MD441-U and give it a bit of air so as a tracking EQ it's fine, as a mixing EQ? I don't get it, fact of the matter is you're going to do all the surgical stuff ITB and then you might as well just finish off the job. They sound pretty good but so do quite a few plugins.. I'm sure there's a reason for it SSL but I'm not "in" on the thought processes behind this one.
Finally the last point to note is latency, a 7ms RTT at 32 samples (44.1Khz) isn't great by most interface standards. However the Big Six is class compliant which helps if SSL ever decides to drop the product or can't keep up with Apple throwing out updates every week.. Yes, there are Windows drivers in case one was wondering.
The Mediocre(ish):
As a primer for this section any part described here isn't necessarily or universally "mediocre" in a typical sense, it's just not the best features of the Big Six. To begin let's talk conversion, the prime concern of the one and only MJB. In short I have no issues with it, reminds me very much of the Apogee Duet 2 which may I say cost $500.00 for a 2 in - 2 out. It's articulate, well balanced (if not a bit bright) and does what you'd expect of a converter I.E it doesn't get in the way. Will it go toe to toe with a $3K mega interface? No, but IMO it sounds quite a bit better than my previous Apollo X6.
Next up is the channel comps and despite the initial disclaimer they are actually quite mediocre. Said comps sounded a bit bright and pinchy on my voice, also whilst passing through a few drum stems they seemed to get a bit confused and / or withdrawn. Whilst the channel compressors didn't pump or cause any major issues per se for me at least they don't exceed your average low end VCA or FET compressor. Useable for sure but not exactly impressive..
Just to note it's a very clean board, probably one of the most unfettered sub $10K mixers I've come across thus far. Great, if you like that sort of thing.. Next I'll cover the headphone amps.. What's odd is many reviews extol the virtues of said amps but I struggled to get enough gain whilst tracking vocals with my Beyer's, they're not exactly signal resistant and I expected to be able to drive the amps harder. I'll follow up with this later because I need to find my gold jack converter for the ATH-70X's which are 250ohms and require a lot of gain, something my MOTU 1248 was unable to do. Apart from that they sound great, no issues there..
Finally cue's and aux's. Yes I know one could categorise this as a personal want and price is a factor but it makes mixing with outboard a bit difficult, you essentially have to remove the cue's from their intended purposes to run something like a verb through it. Want to parallel mix through the master bus comp? Well SSL added the feature to do that BUT you lose your other cue. Now some have suggested stereo channel inserts to get around this issue but the problem with that approach is you need HW with a wet / dry function to parallel mix, the board itself really should have had a couple of additional aux channels with inserts or an extra cue / FX return. You can't have a verb, delay and comp in parallel with this AFAIK. You'd blend it ITB then send it to a stereo channel. I'd love to be wrong about this so please feel free to correct me..
The Great:
That buss compressor, smooth as silk and a "betterizer" on everything that passes through it. I skipped the channel comps and just used this instead.. But Shadow it doesn't have adjustable this / that / the other.. And? The LA-2A only has two knobs and still sounds awesome.. I never thought this master bus compressor would be a highlight or go up against costlier alternatives but it rocks, seriously.
That -4.5dB pan law with no centre image collapse. My word does this thing sound "wide", if that statement is panicking anyone once your material is recorded the same effect will be applied hence it's not an issue (or not if you decide against panning wide). The separation due to its well balanced setup is quite stunning however it really shined on 70's and 80's music, I've never heard Fleetwood Mac sound so epic. A lot of modern material didn't fair so graciously, some did but there's definitely a type of audio production this SSL favours.
That clarity. Whilst I stuck the converters into the mediocre category the overall image presentation is interesting to say the least, I'm not sure if it's the pan law, converters, the board itself or just a mixture of everything but you get a pretty crystal clear representation of the instrument spectrum and issues flag with ease. For example I heard a lot of noise on The Script's Break Even and I had to stop for a minute and make sure the SSL wasn't having an issue. On one of the Eagles tracks I noticed how trashy some of the cymbals are etc.. You need one just to experience it.
Those channel inserts. In a studio setting, why oh why would you ever buy a mixer without inserts? This is truly a proper hybrid centrepiece capable of some pretty advanced routing and integrating HW is easy. There are limitations for sure but unless one's a millionaire there's plenty of integration points to bankrupt yourself with choice pieces of high end HW.
Those I/O and features.. HPF / DI / Line / Phase / fully balanced connectivity / monitor section, stereo to mono etc. (too many to list).. What more do you want?
Summary:
The Big Six has its flaws and I can understand why some will avoid it but IMV it's a very high quality $3K mixer. That price in line with "high quality" has never been synonymous with each other in my experience. If you're dipping toes into the hybrid world, need a routing platform for a select amount of outboard or just want a great sounding interface with faders I can highly recommend the Big Six at this juncture.
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Post by Martin John Butler on Feb 3, 2022 11:13:23 GMT -6
Thanks so much for taking the time to post such an insightful and thorough review Shadow. Basically, I won't rush to get one now.
That doesn't mean I might never get one, but it's smarter for me to see where I land once I relocate before worrying too much about changing things that work just fine for now.
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Post by mattbroiler on Feb 3, 2022 11:32:51 GMT -6
I would add that the original SSL (little) Six mixer is a great option if you want something very compact with most of the same features but less channels and without the usb recording capability. the little Six has db25 connections for balanced inserts and additional I/O which I find preferable (it's necessary with the small form factor).
Agree that the lack of three band eq with sweepable mid is a bummer but functionally it's great and I love the small size. Still trying to grasp all of the routing capabilities so I can utilize things better.
Another minor pet peeve - the knobs are close enough together that one finds ones fingers bumping against adjacent knobs when twisting the pan knob. It's a small thing but I really like pan knobs and sends to have some space around them.
there are quite a few used ones for sale right now with some people no doubt wanting to upgrade to the new version
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2022 11:33:12 GMT -6
Thanks so much for taking the time to post such an insightful and thorough review Shadow. Basically, I won't rush to get one now. That doesn't mean I might never get one, but it's smarter for me to see where I land once I relocate before worrying too much about changing things that work just fine for now. Just out of curiosity any specific reason? |
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Post by gravesnumber9 on Feb 3, 2022 12:04:15 GMT -6
Great review! Great insights.
On the hybrid aspect, seems like you're saying that the inclusion of inserts outweighs the needed workarounds on the aux's?
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Post by Martin John Butler on Feb 3, 2022 12:49:34 GMT -6
Just out of curiosity any specific reason? Post my recent divorce and covid income loss, I'm in no rush to spend money right now. Partly because the quote I got from a mover was $6,000. Ugh... Once I see where I'll land and if there's any spendable cash left, I'll make gear adjustments then. My main issue with the Apollo system is the conversion, it's just honky in comparison to some of the higher end converters. If only there was a great A/D-D/A converter under 1k I'd probably jump on it. The Dangerous Music 2 Bus+ might be just what I need, if only it wasn't so pricey. Lately I've been mixing for other artists and doing an occasional vocal or guitar session. In my imagination, I see myself having a room of my own to work in that would allow me to track a 4-6 people group live. So I'd need around 24 inputs on a board I guess. Thing is, that's not happening right now. So what I miss is a big console sound, and the Dangerous 2 Bus+ came the closest to the sound I want, so far. |
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Post by wiz on Feb 3, 2022 19:26:25 GMT -6
Just out of curiosity any specific reason? Post my recent divorce and covid income loss, I'm in no rush to spend money right now. Partly because the quote I got from a mover was $6,000. Ugh... Once I see where I'll land and if there's any spendable cash left, I'll make gear adjustments then. My main issue with the Apollo system is the conversion, it's just honky in comparison to some of the higher end converters. If only there was a great A/D-D/A converter under 1k I'd probably jump on it. The Dangerous Music 2 Bus+ might be just what I need, if only it wasn't so pricey. Lately I've been mixing for other artists and doing an occasional vocal or guitar session. In my imagination, I see myself having a room of my own to work in that would allow me to track a 4-6 people group live. So I'd need around 24 inputs on a board I guess. Thing is, that's not happening right now. So what I miss is a big console sound, and the Dangerous 2 Bus+ came the closest to the sound I want, so far. Do you hear the honk in my music? Not a defensive question, just really really curious... Say in this? Tell Me If This Has The Sound You Don't Like In Itcheers Wiz |
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Post by Martin John Butler on Feb 3, 2022 19:42:34 GMT -6
Peter, perhaps "honk" was a bit overstated. I probably got that from reading too many critiques of mics mentioning a Neumann "honk". If Neuman's are "honky", you can give me that honk all day long, thank you very much  . I've heard the same mixes done on an Apollo and then a couple of other interfaces with high end D/A converters, like the Symphony and Lynx Aurora, and when compared, the Apollo mixes seem smaller, lighter, and less transparent. The Lynx sounds big, as does the Symphony. There's more muscle in the low end, it's tighter and bigger, more finished. The highs also sound more finished, a bit smoother, like tape. They remind me more of a big console sound than the Apollo. There's something slightly plain about Apollo's. I don't know why they avoid just getting serious about converters. They're of course selling to a price point, but I think they'd sell even more if it sounded as good as the interfaces I mentioned. Don't get me wrong, the Apollo's have served me well for ten years now. Never failed, quick plug installations, and a great intuitive interface with the Console feature. I've done some serious pro work with them. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2022 21:02:56 GMT -6
Great review! Great insights. On the hybrid aspect, seems like you're saying that the inclusion of inserts outweighs the needed workarounds on the aux's? Sort of? The issue is the cue mixes become redundant because in a HW scenario you'll use them as "pseudo aux's". That being said if you're tracking a band two cue's aren't going to be enough and you could just use an inline headphone amp from the master outs (or master inserts, B outputs etc.) so it's not a big issue. In a self mixing / recording setup it doesn't matter at all because you won't be using a cue mix. It gets a bit puzzling when in terms of workflow though, the cue or (FX) sends are essentially wet / dry functions on a rotary. I've inserted a Vari-Mu and Lexicon verb into the signal paths which can be blended to taste, it also functions as a parallel mixing channel. So you can just use the channel inserts to crush stuff if need be, not the way I'd usually do things. In an ITB or console mix I'd just send specific tracks to various aux's, apply effects as necessary and blend. You can do it the same way with the SSL Big Six but you'd have to use plugins on a send to a stereo bus for example. It is a hybrid solution and you won't escape plugins entirely but that's not a major issue, a bit of EQ and / or delay is all you really need if the intent is to remain mainly in the analogue domain. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2022 21:54:00 GMT -6
Just out of curiosity any specific reason? Post my recent divorce and covid income loss, I'm in no rush to spend money right now. Partly because the quote I got from a mover was $6,000. Ugh... So what I miss is a big console sound, and the Dangerous 2 Bus+ came the closest to the sound I want, so far. I hope things get sorted soon Martin. Anyway I had to run off and re-think what I was trying to say on this subject, it got a bit wax poetic in a way it wasn't meant to. My conclusion is I think SSL have a knack of skimping in the right places. Let's just put it this way, I got rid of an A&H Zed-R16 and Mackie 1640i (travelled 300 miles to pick that up) simply because in terms of sound they added nothing over a low / mid ranged interface. I wasn't tracking live bands at the time so I had no real use for it.. At its core the Big Six can do the standard SSL console ultra wide yet stable, high bandwidth, clean yet not sterile thing and the converters don't get in the way of that. Yes most of the board is a compromise but as a routing matrix with a core LFAC sorta sound it's awesome and that's exactly what I wanted.. Said aforementioned sound is very personal though, the whole ultra wide aka Fleetwood Mac or Eagles thing has been described by my modern engineering friends as "weird sounding".. Personally I love it. Sure, no SSL is a Neve board but there's plenty of colour / saturation options out there (RND 542, SSL Fusion, Bettermaker ML, vibe comps etc.). The most impressive part of the Big Six has to be its piecemeal hybrid design, it's actually well thought out which is rare. Don't like the EQ's? Replace them with plugs or HW, don't like the comps? Same, Pre's? No issue.. Want to throw a mastering chain in there? It's all good. You can really chase the unicorn if desired or not, it's up to you. Despite its flaws I'm very impressed, if it offered nothing over a standard interface I'd have gotten rid already. Edit: Oh and one other pro I keep forgetting to mention, I have a 2019 MBP with the 4 annoying Thunderbolt ports. Because it's USB-C I can use it without a damn dongle.. |
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Post by mrholmes on Feb 7, 2022 17:47:28 GMT -6
Just out of curiosity any specific reason? So what I miss is a big console sound, and the Dangerous 2 Bus+ came the closest to the sound I want, so far.
I thought it has been proven in many blind AB's that people fall flat on the pavement trying to tell the difference between the console mix and the console simulation comparison file. With my mentor we checked out the Slate SSL sims vs, his SSL console and we both had to say that it was very similar in depth and dimension with a slight different attitude in the transient and phase department. Nothing tragic. There are no excuses anymore, except someone needs to learn how to cook.
I still can learn a lot from my mentor. His ITB works are no different from his OTB - he just knows how to get it done. He states himself that he is keeping all the fancy OTB tools because he likes to work this way. Sound is no longer an argument for him, to work OTB.
Blessed times to create big sound at home.
Just my 2 cents.
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Post by ericn on Feb 7, 2022 18:29:17 GMT -6
So what I miss is a big console sound, and the Dangerous 2 Bus+ came the closest to the sound I want, so far.
I thought it has been proven in many blind AB's that people fall flat on the pavement trying to tell the difference between the console mix and the console simulation comparison file. With my mentor we checked out the Slate SSL sims vs, his SSL console and we both had to say that it was very similar in depth and dimension with a slight different attitude in the transient and phase department. Nothing tragic. There are no excuses anymore, except someone needs to learn how to cook.
I still can learn a lot from my mentor. His ITB works are no different from his OTB - he just knows how to get it done. He states himself that he is keeping all the fancy OTB tools because he likes to work this way. Sound is no longer an argument for him, to work OTB.
Blessed times to create big sound at home.
Just my 2 cents.
A lot of it isn’t about how they sound but how we like to work, personally I do better OTB but then I have mixed ITB for far less time. |
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Post by mrholmes on Feb 7, 2022 19:34:41 GMT -6
I thought it has been proven in many blind AB's that people fall flat on the pavement trying to tell the difference between the console mix and the console simulation comparison file. With my mentor we checked out the Slate SSL sims vs, his SSL console and we both had to say that it was very similar in depth and dimension with a slight different attitude in the transient and phase department. Nothing tragic. There are no excuses anymore, except someone needs to learn how to cook.
I still can learn a lot from my mentor. His ITB works are no different from his OTB - he just knows how to get it done. He states himself that he is keeping all the fancy OTB tools because he likes to work this way. Sound is no longer an argument for him, to work OTB.
Blessed times to create big sound at home.
Just my 2 cents.
A lot of it isn’t about how they sound but how we like to work, personally I do better OTB but then I have mixed ITB for far less time. I think we are on the same page here. Find your own work flow … I am still happy with my setup. And I still don’t change tools every week. I stick with my favorite plug ins like with hardware. I get used to them, this makes huge difference in making decisions to go forward…. |
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Post by Martin John Butler on Feb 7, 2022 19:41:52 GMT -6
mrholmes, plainly said, blind A-B's are inherently flawed. I'm not saying some of the console sims aren't very similar, but I haven't heard any plug-in actually do what the original hardware does. If they did, I'd be thrilled. Who wouldn't want an LA2A for $200, or a Pultec, or... you name it.
So many comments, (not singling you out) often act like there's a bias against plug-ins, but I promise you, if they really sounded exactly like the thing they're emulating a lot less people would be searching out these vintage pieces.
Often, it takes time, days, weeks, even months to truly know what's missing or not quite right in any audio product, including plug-ins. But once you begin to notice something you don't like, that's all you hear when using it.
Don't get me wrong, so much of what I do and make money from involves working ITB, so I'm not a digital hater at all. Recall alone makes it all worthwhile. But if I could afford the hardware I want, like a Bricasti, CL1B, Pultec, and Dangerous Music's 2 Bus +, I could get a lot closer to the sound I prefer. Wanting that doesn't make my ITB mixes suck, but I've always been more pleased when I have the chance to work hybrid with some serious hardware.
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Post by Bat Lanyard on Feb 7, 2022 19:49:30 GMT -6
Post my recent divorce and covid income loss, I'm in no rush to spend money right now. Partly because the quote I got from a mover was $6,000. Ugh... So what I miss is a big console sound, and the Dangerous 2 Bus+ came the closest to the sound I want, so far. My conclusion is I think SSL have a knack of skimping in the right places. Totally agree with this. If you accept it for what it is and get along, then great tools. Fusion, I think completely made in China? Does some really good things. |
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Post by bricejchandler on Feb 8, 2022 2:09:29 GMT -6
So what I miss is a big console sound, and the Dangerous 2 Bus+ came the closest to the sound I want, so far.
I thought it has been proven in many blind AB's that people fall flat on the pavement trying to tell the difference between the console mix and the console simulation comparison file. With my mentor we checked out the Slate SSL sims vs, his SSL console and we both had to say that it was very similar in depth and dimension with a slight different attitude in the transient and phase department. Nothing tragic. There are no excuses anymore, except someone needs to learn how to cook.
I still can learn a lot from my mentor. His ITB works are no different from his OTB - he just knows how to get it done. He states himself that he is keeping all the fancy OTB tools because he likes to work this way. Sound is no longer an argument for him, to work OTB.
Blessed times to create big sound at home.
Just my 2 cents.
I agree that it's very much possible to get some good sounding mixes ITB but saying that there is an equivalence in sound is just not true. I'm not sure what comparisons you're talking about but the ones I've heard by Universal Audio, or the CLA one, the ITB was pretty easy to pick out and just didn't sound anywhere near as good as the analog stuff. In a blind A/B on one source, I can be fooled by a plug in, I'll admit because I have, but I've never been fooled by a full mix where one is ITB and the other fully OTB. I've done it myself at the studio, trying to volume match everything as closely as possible, using Uad and Pluginalliance in place of the SSL 4K, pultecs, 1176s and Fairchild and the ITB came out sounding like a great sounding demo and the OTB just sounds like an album right away. The slight differences on one track build up pretty fast when you're working on a 48 track mix. This is working mostly with rock and folk stuff. I think that some genres, modern electronic music and pop for example actually can sound better ITB because the transients aren't rounded off quite so much. |
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Post by bricejchandler on Feb 8, 2022 2:27:15 GMT -6
Sorry, I'm skipping the whole tired ITB vs. OTB thing. Final review:Most of my orders are now "fixed" meaning everything but a second SSL and Faderport has been ordered, paid for and completed. I sent some stuff back (things I didn't need) and I'm sort of finalising everything. However there's still a 30 day return policy in effect and I think the SSL is going back. The issue isn't that the SSL Six is a bad product because if you NEED a mixer for whatever reason it's pretty damn good in comparison to some other cheap all-in-one's. It's just that ye old conundrum I've been bleating on about for who knows how long... Nowadays mixers get trounced by mid level interfaces, let me explain why.. So, I hate MOTU's cuemix and up until recently I've actively avoided it like the plague. However there's a reason for its complexity, in short the SSL doesn't have enough cue's or "FX returns" and the HW insert methodology is a bit limiting in a parallel mix setup. It turns out the MOTU can insert no less than 28 pieces of HW (mono) or 14 stereo channels via aux busses and you can parallel mix every single piece.. That's a zero latency DSP cue mixer that essentially decouples the analog section, in essence you can just use it as an extremely flexible standalone mixer if you wanted to. So okay the SSL is worse than the MOTU as a hardware routing matrix. Is it better at conversion? Nope, are the faders accurate or do they have recall? Nope, is the EQ at least better or more useful than a top tier plugin? Ummmm nope.. Does it have better latency than a thunderbolt interface? Guess the answer. It's over double the price of an MOTU 16A and can't really compete in any sort of way. Okay maybe we want to talk about analog summing, well if you can insert HW then your options aren't exactly limited. My BM mastering limiter contains a 2 channel summer and the tube boost function on the Gainlabs EQ can add more saturation than most desks could or would. I sold my Apollo X6 but I'm really glad that I kept my MOTU and Symphony MK1 about, again if you really do need an all-in-one mixer with a great bus comp and some handy stuff then I can't think of anything better. If you don't however..... Interesting, though ultimately not super surprising, The SSL is just very limited which is why I really see it more as a podcast mixer. When you're used to routing ITB or an a large console, a small mixer is very hard to work around and if you end up having to completely change your workflow to accommodate a piece of gear, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense, particularly if said piece of gear is not a sonic game changer, and it's pretty apparent from what you're saying that the SSL is not. I've found that , in my case, hardware inserts is really the best solution. Particularly since there are a lot of plugins I love and it's great to be able to put them before and after hardware. It's really the best of both worlds. It's good that you're realizing very early on and don't get stuck with stuff you don't use. |
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Post by gravesnumber9 on Feb 8, 2022 2:29:39 GMT -6
Sorry, I'm skipping the whole tired ITB vs. OTB thing. Final review:Most of my orders are now "fixed" meaning everything but a second SSL and Faderport has been ordered, paid for and completed. I sent some stuff back (things I didn't need) and I'm sort of finalising everything. However there's still a 30 day return policy in effect and I think the SSL is going back. The issue isn't that the SSL Six is a bad product because if you NEED a mixer for whatever reason it's pretty damn good in comparison to some other cheap all-in-one's. It's just that ye old conundrum I've been bleating on about for who knows how long... Nowadays mixers get trounced by mid level interfaces, let me explain why.. So, I hate MOTU's cuemix and up until recently I've actively avoided it like the plague. However there's a reason for its complexity, in short the SSL doesn't have enough cue's or "FX returns" and the HW insert methodology is a bit limiting in a parallel mix setup. It turns out the MOTU can insert no less than 28 pieces of HW (mono) or 14 stereo channels via aux busses and you can parallel mix every single piece.. That's a zero latency DSP cue mixer that essentially decouples the analog section, in essence you can just use it as an extremely flexible standalone mixer if you wanted to. So okay the SSL is worse than the MOTU as a hardware routing matrix. Is it better at conversion? Nope, are the faders accurate or do they have recall? Nope, is the EQ at least better or more useful than a top tier plugin? Ummmm nope.. Does it have better latency than a thunderbolt interface? Guess the answer. It's over double the price of an MOTU 16A and can't really compete in any sort of way. Okay maybe we want to talk about analog summing, well if you can insert HW then your options aren't exactly limited. My BM mastering limiter contains a 2 channel summer and the tube boost function on the Gainlabs EQ can add more saturation than most desks could or would. I sold my Apollo X6 but I'm really glad that I kept my MOTU and Symphony MK1 about, again if you really do need an all-in-one mixer with a great bus comp and some handy stuff then I can't think of anything better. If you don't however..... Now you're really pushing my buttons. Every few weeks or so I think about scrapping all my Apollo stuff except for a satellite and getting a couple MOTO 16A's instead. I gotta tell you... I saw this coming! |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2022 3:02:39 GMT -6
Interesting, though ultimately not super surprising, The SSL is just very limited which is why I really see it more as a podcast mixer. When you're used to routing ITB or an a large console, a small mixer is very hard to work around and if you end up having to completely change your workflow to accommodate a piece of gear, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense, particularly if said piece of gear is not a sonic game changer, and it's pretty apparent from what you're saying that the SSL is not. I've found that , in my case, hardware inserts is really the best solution. Particularly since there are a lot of plugins I love and it's great to be able to put them before and after hardware. It's really the best of both worlds. It's good that you're realizing very early on and don't get stuck with stuff you don't use. With the MOTU you don't have to insert hardware at a DAW level which is what pretty much sealed the SSL's fate. It's possible just to use your DAW like a tape deck which is what I wanted. Again it's not like there's anything particularly wrong with the SSL, it just shows how good the MOTU is. If it ain't broke don't fix it an all that I guess.. I think I got a bit ahead of myself during this project. |
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Post by bricejchandler on Feb 8, 2022 4:00:51 GMT -6
Interesting, though ultimately not super surprising, The SSL is just very limited which is why I really see it more as a podcast mixer. When you're used to routing ITB or an a large console, a small mixer is very hard to work around and if you end up having to completely change your workflow to accommodate a piece of gear, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense, particularly if said piece of gear is not a sonic game changer, and it's pretty apparent from what you're saying that the SSL is not. I've found that , in my case, hardware inserts is really the best solution. Particularly since there are a lot of plugins I love and it's great to be able to put them before and after hardware. It's really the best of both worlds. It's good that you're realizing very early on and don't get stuck with stuff you don't use. With the MOTU you don't have to insert hardware at a DAW level which is what pretty much sealed the SSL's fate. It's possible just to use your DAW like a tape deck which is what I wanted. Again it's not like there's anything particularly wrong with the SSL, it just shows how good the MOTU is. If it ain't broke don't fix it an all that I guess.. I think I got a bit ahead of myself during this project. I have a feeling your setup'll change a little bit when you start really working on new projects and you'll be able to streamline the whole process even more! |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2022 4:29:26 GMT -6
Now you're really pushing my buttons. Every few weeks or so I think about scrapping all my Apollo stuff except for a satellite and getting a couple MOTO 16A's instead. I gotta tell you... I saw this coming! There's a few things that just stick with you, I bought the MOTU back in what 2014 / 15? Since then I've had an Apogee Symphony, Lynx Aurora, RME UFX 2 and now an SSL Big Six. For some reason I could never bring myself around to giving it back or selling it.. Stuff like that speaks volumes, it's the equipment that stands the test of time which proves something. Also I must say throughout this entire process it's the Beyerdynamic DT 700 Pro X's that have impressed me the most. I've got a few pieces of cool HW for sure but those can's won't ever be going anywhere. |
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