New Toys: SSL 4K B Plug-in 

Solid State Logic's new 4K B plug-in is an emulation of the channel strip from the SL 4000 B-Series console that came out in 1976 and was famously used in London's Townhouse Studios for many big hit records and also later on at L.A.'s Record Plant Studios. Only six of them were ever manufactured.

The SSL B channel is precisely modeled down to the component level from the original schematics. Using this plug-in, I was instantly transported back to the early days of the first SSL console I ever used in a L.A. studio. Know that the 4K B channel is definitely a different animal; even its master fader models the dbx 202 "black can" VCA fader with both stereo width and panning controls.

You can add the color of a modeled Jensen JE-115K-E transformer mic pre-amp with up to 70dB of gain—add saturation but keep the level about the same. Always great for adding late in your mix process without upsetting your mix balances.

The 4000 B-series EQ came before the E-Series EQ and there is a routing matrix to change the default order of: EQ, Filters, and Dynamics.

In general, I found the B's EQ to sound like the console I remember: effective EQs that can "carve" smoothly or radically; just fantastic for "dialing in" mid-range instruments and fat sounding vocals and then easily pump up a set of drums!

The dynamics section is based on the SSL Bus Compressor with peak detection and a feedback VCA topology. It also features a unique De-Esser mode with "ds" positions for a Ratio of 10:1.

The 4K B plug-in also works within SSL's own 360° software mixer and is fully interactive with SSL's UC1 and UF8 control surfaces. The SSL 4K B channel strip plug-in is available through the SSL Complete subscription, or as part of the software bundle included with SSL's UC1 control surface. 

solidstatelogic.com/products/ssl-4k-b