On the left are the four-band EQ, plus highpass and lowpass filters. The E-Channel lays out the original console strip in two sections, side-by-side.

Since then, many others have also set out to duplicate the analog magic of the 4000, but these Waves plug-ins remain one of the most respected, and most popular, bundles, for lovers of the classic SSL sound.įig 3 The Waves SSL 4000 E-Channel & G-Channel. Quite a while back, Waves introduced a set of plug-ins emulating the SSL 4000, including complete E and G-series channel strips, a separate G-series EQ, and the G-Master Buss compressor. And for many people, the jewel-in-the-crown of the 4000 series was its G-Master Buss Compressor, a final compressor strapped across the main outs, that achieved an almost legendary reputation for being able to magically “glue” all the elements of mix together, making it more cohesive. The ready availability of compression undoubtedly led to its much wider, and more aggressive, use in mixing, a trend that still continues today. The other component of the original SSL 4000 channel strip was its dynamics section, which included a noise gate and compressor on every channel-a first for consoles in that era. That said, I hear people describe the differences in contradictory ways-it really does depend heavily on exactly what kind of EQ tweaks you're dialing up, but there's no doubt that either gets the job done! However, with the broad range of adjustment available, you can get pretty much any sound you want with either, it's just that the different versions tend to push you more in one direction than the other-the E-series toward more presence and edge, and the G-series toward more gentle tonal shifts. The G-series EQ introduced a proportional-Q design, which meant that, with the same settings as the E-series EQ, it would sound noticeably different-you get different curves, for what many feel is a smoother sound, at typical EQ settings. The 4000 channel strip EQ-both the E and G versions-has its own “character” (as distinct from EQs in SSL's competitors, like Neve and API), perhaps a little more aggressive, some would say a little more “rock & roll”.

The SSL 4000 came in two versions-the original 4000E, which established itself as the de-facto studio standard, and the later 4000G, updated with additional routing options, somewhat cleaner circuitry for greater transparency, and slightly different EQ characteristics.

Waves ssl 4000 review