SSL fusion

The Lounge Other Gear
#41

LTL Silver Bullet gets pretty rave reviews all round… And is in a similar price range to SSL Fusion iirc. That might suit what you’re looking for.

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#42

@Prints has or had one of those, if I recall.

#43

I have a Fusion in my rack, love it for mixing and mastering, but will hopefully be adding a Silver Bullet as my final piece in said rack sometime next year.

I wouldn’t get the Fusion as my only outboard processor, because it doesn’t handle normal duties, it’s a nice tool box though. I typically have a Kush Electra and Tweakerz in the Fusion’s inserts. This let’s me drive it harder for the high end compression as well as “push and pull” the EQ’s into eachother. I then have the Fusion inserted into main insert of the SiX.

As far as what it does to individual synths…all I can say is that it made my System-8’s JX3P plugout sound much closer to my original. Made my TR-06 and TB-03 also sound closer to my original and RE-303. In the end it actually helped me decide to sell my emulations because they couldn’t all get tracked through the Fusion lol

Like the Electra, the Fusion is easy to use in that it’s not difficult to hear when you are making the source better.

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#44

Anything that has a switch that says Mojo, has my vote :sunglasses:

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#45

Yes. I highly recommend the Silver Bullet if it is in your budget. It is full of magical mojo.

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#46

You know, this one might be just what I’m looking for.

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#47

Unless you are a werewolf.

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#48

First, I was like, “Huh?” But I’m not that clever so I was okay with that.

Then I went, “Hooo-kay …” :smiley:

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#49

That old Stephen King novella, and the movie that went with it. First werewolf movie I ever saw, I think. Still my favourite. Probably because it was my first. I’ve heard it didn’t age well.

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#50

Aged just about as well as Gary Busey

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#51

If you’re really looking at stuff in the range of the Fusion or Silver Bullet, what about something like the Tegeler Magnetissmus or Creme, or Elysia Karacter? I was really tempted when the Elysia Qubes were on sale a month ago. Cooler heads prevailed though.

Bad Gary Busey Joke

Gary Busey says: “F-U-S-I-O-N, Fix Ur Sorry mIx Old maN!” (those acronyms he does are harder than I thought)

#52

Elysia Karacter is cool… But then I heard the Overstayer Modular Channel and decided that one day, one day, I must and shall own one of those. Meantime, itb!

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#53

LTL Silver Bullet owner here too (with a Tegeler Creme too). Will take it to my grave, but I’d also suggest other options depending on what you’re looking for. The LTL SB is great box, but it’s that nice finishing mojo with a BAX style EQ. At least how I use it’s very polite… subtle, but take it away and you know it’s gone. It’s that last 5-10% in a finishing sense.

If you’re looking for something with a little more attitude and compressor thrown in, then take a look at the Overstayer Modular Channel. I’m still kicking around the idea of getting one. In my use case (a lot of mastering) it might get a bit heavy handed, but that depends on the state of the track when it comes in. Definitely a color/attitude box that could be used on individual parts. I’d think twice about using it on full mix whereas the LTL SB I can and do put it on essentially everything to varying degrees.

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#54

These are literally the two pieces of outboard that I would love to have :see_no_evil:

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#55

Yeah, I just looked up and saw you suggested the Overstayer as well. :laughing:

It never ends though… one box leads to another. There’s 5-6 pieces of outboard that I want for my full mastering chain and I keep saying it’d end there, but that’s BS (at least in my case). As long as the bills are paid and everything is taken care of there’s worse habits to have I guess. :rofl:

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#56

Tell me about it. I have a friend with a Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor and API 2500. He’s looking to buy two more compressors for his mastering chain. The thing is I’ve heard his music and the music he masters. It’s very good and straight to the point. I try to convince him that he’s spending another 10k just for a 1% improvement in his productions. He’s done with the setup and now it’s just output, but I guess it’s that internal feeling of « can this sound better »?

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#57

I already feel like in 2021 that hardware is just chasing the last 2-5% if at very most 10% depending on mix that I get. I could really do it all ITB and get excellent results and people who are way more talented than I am do it all day long with outstanding results. I just like turning physical knobs and seeing real meters moving. It just makes me happy and brings more joy to something that already already love. That’s the deal.

I’m loving things like the new PA Black Box Analog Design HG-2MS plugin and there’s so many ITB EQ’s and processors I’d never want to go without. At this point, it’s just about choice and preference – we’re blessed with both in spades. I like the gear, the sound it brings and some of the forced limitations it brings whereas I definitely get overwhelmed with endless plugin options. It’s a luxury I’m thankfully able to indulge myself with albeit slowly over time (which is OK).

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#58

Oh yeah… And a Shadow Hills… Damn!!

I used the PA Shadow Hills red plugin again today though, and it really does add a lovely bit of 3D-ness to a mixbus. I feel like the hardware would be like that but even moreso!

A pair of API 550a would be nice too… Urgh. If only there were a spare 10k lying around.

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#59

Also if you want to hear what outboard does to your setup check out the demos on F9 Audio on their recent drum library. There’s fusion and overstayer modular channel used in the demos. He just doesn’t label it on the tracks. I have this library and it sounds good.

Now if I had a Fusion I’m sure i can get some demos and nice color out if it.

  1. Vintage drive that’s inspired by the 4000E desk. I’m sure it won’t suck out the low end if done wisely.

  2. Violet EQ. If you ran this EQ at subtle gain settings you can definitely get good tracking sessions with your synths and drum machines. Remember they just released a 500 series module for this and it’s 1200US. So if you wanted a chassis and this module you are already in at 1700US.

  3. The HF compressor. I’m sure it’s locked at something like 2:1, but doing light gain reduction at 1-2 dB can do some nice HF roll off.

  4. LMC for more smoothing compression.

  5. Stereo Width control. You can add light width to your tracking. I would use this at the end of mixing/mastering for touching up the song.

  6. The custom SSL transformer for saturating and just adding weight to your tracks. This will enhance your sound too.

6 processors for 2500US isn’t too bad. But yes the demos out there people are not pushing this 2U rack processor. Most people play safe with it. I’ve seen this go on sale yearly from SSL for 2000US. Knowing what the violet EQ costs plus 500 chassis at 2000 I wouldn’t mind getting one.

On a real tracking day I could actually use 5/6 of these to give a little sheen and color to what I want to record.

Yes I complicated things with this write up. =)

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#60

I think one of the problems with gear like this and at this price level are that those people often have more gear at the same level. And use all of it for different things. I could spring for one of these high end boxes, but that would make it so hard to choose wich one. I wold of course run everything through it all the time. hehe.

The high end studio guys seem to have a $3000 piece of gear they bring out tree times a year, and are fine with it. Because it is needed in those cases.

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