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SSL Mixer V601 User Guide

1. n 01 OT ol ot ol ol n oja ojm 0 j 101 ol n Of se 10 510 gt 01 6 n nl sou Crrvrr m orre erra Meson ui Bacon n 901 OT ol ol ol ol see cren eru CtrrTOM CtrrTUN CUrrTGN n 01 oT oT ol ol ol o sre Pisce gt Ceras gt Ces Ces CREDITUM eras C0TITON EDT e ENT Em 2 2 ED e E E 3 E o Jj o 3 3 gt z 4 zu ol se ve j E 99 8 99 oo ls An zu LE a JE EX JE EX ro olrs wir o rs o3 ao G ao 5 k Ll ER A 14 El E 3 EH sm O 49 COTE z CITH Corre CITN gt COTE CU z e e yz t g 28 4ro ssu ge bla TS TE TS TSS Te Solid State Logic Oxford England Eo El SSL Mixer V6 SSL Console Magic in the box For Windows PC s Manual and Reference Guide V6 01 SSL Mixer V6 This is SSL Solid State Logic SOUND VISION Table of Contents Aeris PTT Tien EON 3 How touse CIS Ma dr A iia 3 Reddite CONVENIOS od edil 4 Safety and Installation CONSENSO Vi 4 A A IP MERERETUR ER ase os sca vee 5 Tademalk CE A RE 5 MC SUS nr omne ALI A O E LM MEL EC Md A DEDUCI ETE 5 2 5SL Mixer V6 System Requirement Siro 6 Compatible SS E AUGIO CAES aescned siecle cabos 6 Compatible Windows Versions amd Driver Protocols iio 6 3 The SSL Inside Co
2. Allows selection of different I O configurations and interleaving options at high sample rates such as SMUXed or non SMUXed Modes for ADAT TDIF MADI AES or different I O combinations for a Soundscape 32 Mixpander system MADI 64 96kHz In this submenu the MADI Frame Pattern is selected between 96k Legacy Pattern and 96k Frame Pattern The options determine how the 28 32 MADI Master Clock W S Clock Out gt VO mode b 64 96KHz i Sample Rate MADI 64 96KHz gt B js Unit 2 d 96KHz legacy pattern Vanspeed Unit 3 gt 96KHz frame pattern Time Code Format gt Channels are encoded inside one MADI Frame Master Clock W S Clock Out MADI This submenu selects the MADI CH Mode In the VO mode gt 64 96KHz gt beginning MADI had 56 CH at 44 1kHz and 48kHz Sample Rate MADIGA 96KHz I leaving some headroom in the data bandwidth to iN ea Vari Speed all Channels at a higher play speed Unt3 56ch 28ch higher Sample Rate o sino Later the 64 CH MADI Mode was introduced as an AES standard which is always using the full MADI data bandwidth hence doesn t allow a higher sample rate Both standards are equally popular depending on the variety of applications and industries you work in you may need to switch between these modes quite often At 88 2 kHz and 96 kHz a 56 CH MADI cable operates with 28Ch of audio while at 64 CH MADI 32 Channels of audio are transmi
3. The Automatic Delay Compensation can be EN activated or deactivated by clicking the ADC toggle which is located in the 1 BUS 1 2 U1 ff Bus 1 2 ut M BUS 1 2 U1 2 eus 1 2 u M bottom right corner of the Mixer window f Lead Vocal 1 Lead Vocal 2 Lead Vocal 1 Lead Vocal 2 Automatic Delay Compensation is active when the button is highlighted i ars Automatic Delay Automatic Delay Compensation toggle Compensation toggle ADC disabled ADC enabled Alternatively you can click the Automatic Delay Compensation toggle item in the Edit menu or use the Ctrl Alt D key command Align all Output elements with fader Align all Output elements with Fader In order to line up outputs that have isolated audio paths in Ria gies ean AO UN TENPU EUN the Mixer the Align all Output elements with fader option in the menu Settings Preferences Mixer If Automatic Delay Compensation is active can be used When this option is selected all output elements that have a fader are lined up Outputs elements without a fader can be used for signals that should not be lined up e g a send return loop to an external effects processor Align all Output elements except if followed by Input element se Align all Output elements with Fader Enabling the Align all Output elements except if followed by T Input element option under menu Settings Preferences Mixer If Automatic Delay Com
4. This example shows the menu for a stereo send in a mixer column running on a MX4 The streaming channels are automatically available to all MADI1 2 Ul MADI 73 74 U1 BUS 1 2 U1 STR1 2 audio programs For example MAR MADI75 76 Ul v BUS 3 4 UL STR 3 4 MADI5 6 U1 MADI77 78 U1 BUS 5 6 U1 STR 5 6 they can be used as inputs and outnuts in a MIDI Audio MATEU MADI79 80 U1 BUS 7 8 U1 STR 7 8 p MADI 9 10 U1 MADI 81 82 U1 BUS9 10U1 be STR9 10 edu UEG MADI 11 12 U1 MADI 83 84 U1 BUS 11 12 U1 STR 11 12 MADI 13 14 U1 MADI 85 86 U1 BUS 13 14 U1 STR 13 14 MADI 15 16 U1 MADI 87 88 U1 BUS 15 16 U1 STR 15 16 NOTE If the output s from several mixer columns are sent directly to an external output or group of outputs it is not possible to view the combined output signal in order to check for overload Therefore it is advisable instead to route the mixer column outputs to a bus and then to create an additional mixer column which has that bus as its input This mixer column should have a fader with peak meter for monitoring the combined signal and its output s can be routed to the required external output s This also provides a master fader for the combined signal Page 48 Understanding the Signal Path External Processing MADI Out 5 6 MADI Ins 5 6 Guitar Signal External FX RETURN Tracks 1 2 amp 3 4 mEG4 Band G EQ d Signal eoo EQ d Signal s Eu and FX Retu
5. e Input channel strips or input busses to the left of the mixer e Output channel strips or output busses to the right of the mixer e Audio channel strips in the centre section of the mixer lig ta ED ags i v E Input Section Centre Section Output Section e Input and output channel strips are created automatically when an input or output bus is created in the VST Connections window e They are assigned automatically and incrementally to the MX4 s inputs and outputs but can be reassigned manually if required e Audio channel strips are created automatically in the centre section of the mixer when audio tracks are created in the current Nuendo Project e These audio channel strips can receive signal from any input bus channel strip or from the audio track they were created for and transmit it to any output channel strip Input Channel Strips EZ e Click the VST connections button bottom left of the mixer to open the VST Connections k ee eee window Show YST Connections e In the VST connections window check that the Inputs tab is selected e Click the Add Bus button and use the resulting dialogue box to create input channel strips as required e To assign an existing Nuendo input bus to a different MX4 input click the name of the MX4 input in the Device Port column and select the required e e inp
6. New MIDI device Cancel Ed Remove button 3A Confirm the removing of the selected midi device 2 This action will disable all console interfaces that are connected with this midi device Clicking the Remove button when a device is selected opens a dialogue box where the removal of that device must be confirmed Click Yes to remove the device click e you sure you wish to remove the selected midi device No to aborts the operation JL Cooper CS 10 Akai Pbay RP1 etc Akai Pbay RP1 etc EM Properties button 3 4 Properties of midi device d Clicking the Properties button when a device is selected opens a dialogue box Devicename JL Cooper C5 10 which shows the properties of that device as it was defined upon creation MIDI Input Port Akai Pbay RPT etc MIDI Output Port Akai Pbay RP1 etc Right Click Menu Maias al Name Status Add ua Right Clicking the entry of a MIDI device opens a menu with the same functions as the Remove three buttons described above Properties Page 53 Setting Up Serial Com Controller Devices Serial Port Devices The Serial Devices section has three buttons Add Remove and Properties Nene FET The latter two appear greyed out if no Serial Com device is selected or present Cone ia Add button 24 Add serial device to serial devices list Clicking the Add button opens the dialogue to create a new Device Select any v7 available Serial Comport Device RS232 or R
7. _JLCRS 24 Channel MIX Mid mix Mid mix Mi mix Mixd mix LI Mb MIX __ MS Decode mix MS Encode mix Multiband Compressor mix L TC Dynamizer mix Rie name Mixer Files MIX Om cma Opening a Mixer special cases Loading a Mixer on the system where it was created is straightforward If you are attempting to load MlXes on a different SSL system containing different hardware or software configurations e g different number of hardware units or plug ins that are not available Whenever possible if the Mixer you are opening includes one or more mixer elements which are not available on the Mixer contains unknown elements These elements wil be temporarily replaced by dummy elements Page 75 The unknown mixer elements will be replaced by dummy mixer elements giving you a chance to locate and correct the problem s easily In the example below the Mixer was created on a system where the SSL Duende s VST X EQ and SSL Audio Toolbox Dynamics plug in were available The same Mixer was loaded onto a system where these plug ins are not available shows the missing plug ins as red dummy elements The same Mixer Original Mixer with Duende s VST X EQ and THp Qika SSL Audio Toolbox different system with DYNAMICS Dr both plug ins Dynamics plug ins replaced by dummy mixer elements If the Mixer you are opening contains columns which refer to SSL physical units i e hardwar
8. e The solo buttons of all soloed outputs turn red and the solo buttons of the silenced outputs display a red S on grey background Page 33 e Right clicking on an already active solo button deactivates it and also deactivates any other active solo button that has the Same fader and mute group assignment Solo buttons and the Ctrl key If the Ctrl key is held down while left clicking or right clicking an inactive solo button everything works as described previously except that any outputs that are already soloed remain soloed The Ctrl key has no effect when left clicking or right clicking an already active solo button Scribble Strips Double clicking on the Scribble Strips Column Name Field at the bottom of a mixer column opens the Column Name dialogue box This function cannot be accessed while in Mixer Edit mode Name Steinway Foreground Color a You can define Background Color e The Name of the Channel Apply colors to e The Label Text Colour Foreground Colour This column only All columns in fader group e The Label Colour Background Colour e The choice of colours can be applied to the current column only columns inside the same fader group or all Columns in the Mixer All columns The Colours are defined by standard Windows Colour Dialogues that open when you click on the colour pads for foreground or background colour Using colour coding for text and labels really helps to maintain
9. mEQ4 Band 2 Output SSL Channel Dynamics Stereo with Side Chain SSL Channel Dynamics Stereo with Side Chain 1 0 Structure Wu 9o 99 Correct configuration A mono mixer element SSL Console EQ Mono is connected to a mono to stereo mixer element Audio Toolbox Delay Mono Stereo DELAY LONG E It is important to take this into account when building a Mixer since the two configurations shown above would look the same within a mixer strip If you need to check the input output configuration of an existing mixer element click on it with the Info tool in Mixer Edit mode A window containing the relevant information will be displayed NOTE The principles outlined in the examples above using mono stereo and mono to stereo mixer elements also apply when dealing with mixer elements that have a higher number of inputs and outputs For example combining a 6 in 6 out input element and an 8 in 8 out output element within a mixer strip would result in an incorrect configuration because inputs 7 and 8 ofthe output element would be left unconnected Assignable inputs outputs Output Element assigned Same Output Element now The assignable inputs and outputs to Outputs MADI 1 8 assigned to Outputs MADI 9 16 connect mixer elements across mixer strips to the external inputs and 090000090 outputs of the MX4 or Mixpander or to the host PCvia the streams In our diagrams they are not numbered Instead they ar
10. Swap Inputs button Swap Outputs Swaps the output channels post MS matrix Swap Outputs button Toggle Mid On Off button Mid On Off button This button cuts the mid MS matrix input signal so that the effect of the MS matrix on the Side signal can be monitored easily Toggle Side On Off button Clicking this button cuts the side MS matrix input signal so that the effect of the MS matrix on the mid signal can be monitored easily MS Matrix On Off button Toggles MS decoding Matrix between on illuminated and off status If MS decoding is turned off the signals are still affected by the gain width and bass Shelving settings However the asymmetry and rotation parameters will have no effect on the output signals MS Matrix On Off button NOTE If the MS matrix is active both input signals are attenuated by 6 dB Then they are subtracted and summed extract the left and right output signals MS Graph The graph display provides a visual representation of the perceived sound field as defined and modified in real time by the parameter controls and contributes to the intuitive operation of the MS Decoder The direction and length of the M and S vectors dotted lines represent the orientation and gain of the mid signal and side signal microphone respectively The extent of the triangle solid lines in relation to the dB scale represents the overall gain the angle between the M and S vectors varies according to the asymmetry par
11. outputs buses and audio streams with an enormous amount of processing power All the units are controlled from the same instance of the SSL Mixer software and the different cards can be combined freely In short whatever your needs you can choose a SSL configuration to match them Studio friendly The SSL hardware is friendly to the rest of your studio too You can hook up your external effects units to the SSL Mixer using any number of pre post sends and insert additional mixer strips to mix the return signal Every element in the mixer is in fact a plug in that you can place exactly where required which means that you can record to disk through the EQs compressors or other effects If you already have a mixing console or you use the native EQs from your sequencer or audio software then use the power of the SSL hardware for the cool DSP effects rather than straightforward EQs and compressors It s all up to you and it means that you do not end up paying for processing power that you do not need as is the case with some PCI cards that offer an inflexible mixer with no possibility of running plug in DSP effects from third party developers All settings and the entire mixer configuration can be saved and loaded from a PC file so you never need to lose that perfect mix you were working on yesterday 4 SSL Mixer V6 Software Installation SSL Mixer V6 Software and Plug In Installation Overview Before you proceed installing any SSL Mixer V6 or
12. when you click this option Time Code Format Without executing Save Settings the SSL Mixer V6 will on next startup revert to the previous settings ageing t Some Parameters such as the current window size and screen position are saved as part of the mixer file Mix Window Unit Configurator Save Settings Options Menu Clicking on Options opens the Password window which lists all included or optional software plug ins dm an that are password protected and installed on the host computer Please note that the SSL Mixer itself must be enabled by entering the correct password for the installed hardware unit Each SSL hardware unit has a unique serial number inside the DSP Hardware Unique ID or UID Authorisation Passwords are also unique and will only enable modules on the individual hardware they were generated for Some options have multiple entries in the list however only one has to be filled with the right password which Password Option 532 Serial Mx4 Mixpander will then be automatically be copied to the other list 000000000000 Hyperprism Phaser 000003076705 t 000000000000 Hypesprism Ring Modulator 00000L 3D767D5 entries 000900000000 Hyperprism Sonic Decimator 00000L 3D767D5 000000000000 Version 2 xx Mixer DOOOO0L3D 767D5 000900000000 Version 2 xx Mixer Part B ODOD0L3D 767D5 The Mixer Password for a new SSL hardware unit can be 000000000000 Version 2xx Mixer Part C 00000130
13. 66 Delay The Delay plug in provides a 2 tap mono 2 tap mono to stereo or 2 tap stereo delay with selectable cross MH linking between left and right channels Each is available as a Long Medium or Short delay version longer possible delays need more DSP Memory therefore it is advisable to select the element type with the shortest delay time that suits your requirements e g at 44 1kHz XC Long up to 1088 4ms Medium up to 544 2ms Short up to 272 1ms x fex LDly AD FB Dip FBL l Clicking the cross or normal button for a stereo delay allow to cross couple the feedback portion of left and right delay outputs for panning delay effects In cross mode the feedback signal from the left delay as gogo sg d ud pea US line is fed into the input of the right delay line and vice o A versa TA iJ The stereo elements feature completely independent controls for the Left and Right Delay Lines 544 2 E 5442 50 0 Dither x The Dither element is for use when a lower bit resolution is required than the original i audio tracks or following mixing It provides the ability to extend the dynamic range Cae E unien Ea and include some of the low level detail of the audio signal that would otherwise be truncated and therefore lost It provides Rectangular and Triangular dithering with Noise shaping capability For instance when multiple 24 bit tracks are mixed to stereo and the result is re
14. 76705 000900000000 Audio Toolbox Chorus Flanger OO000L 3D 767D5 found on a sticker that is placed directly on the board or 000000000000 Audio Toolbox Dynamics 00000L3D 76705 A 000000000000 Audio Toolbox Delay 00000L3D 767D5 on th e p rod uct packagi ng an d resi stratio n Ca rd It can 3 In case MX4 Mixpander passwords are used prefix password with M also be obtained from our website if you have registered mM the unit Initially all the passwords are set to 000000000000 as shown above When entering a plug in password generated for an MX4 card or Mixpander a leading M needs to be entered If several cards are present in the system make sure that the cards serial number in the right column matches with your password entry To enter a password simply double click on the password text field When all the required passwords have been entered Click the Save button to store the settings Password Option 5532 Serial M gt x4 Mixpander 000000000000 Hyperpiism Phaser 00000L3D 76705 000000000000 Hyperpiism Ring Modulator 00000L3D767D5 000000000000 Hyperprism Sonic Decimator 00000L3D767D5 249079ACFA83 Version 2 xx Mixer O0000L3D767D5 000000000000 Version 2 xx Mixer Part B 00000L30767D5 000000000000 Version 2 xx Mixer Part C O0000L3D 767D5 000000000000 Audio Toolbox Chorus Flanger 00000L3D767D5 000000000000 Audio Toolbox Dynamics D0000L3D767D5 000000000000 Audio Toolbox ID elau 000
15. ADAT or TDIF 1 24 ANA 1 24 MADI 1 64 STR 1 64 BUS 1 64 User definable Area DSP powered plug ins building blocks VST plug ins etc PPM Pre Fader MX4 MADI 1 128 STR 1 128 BUS 1 64 Pan Balance Mixpander AES EBU ADAT or TDIF 1 24 ANA 1 24 MADI 1 64 STR 1 64 BUS 1 64 Output Assignment Mixer Views The SSL Mixer can be displayed in one of two modes full column size wide or small column size narrow Both options are available under the View menu or by pressing the X or Q key on the computer keyboard There is also an option to have the SSL Mixer window Always on top under the Settings Mixer menu At 1024X768 display resolution in full column size mode up to 11 mixer columns can be displayed across the screen In small column size mode this number is increased to 17 but less detail is visible In particular the solo group assignment boxes and fader and mute group assignment boxes are hidden in Small View mode Similarly less parameters are displayed for certain mixer elements in Small View mode However in most cases double clicking the name field of a mixer element will open a new dedicated window where all parameters can be viewed and edited and presets if applicable can be loaded or saved Double clicking a parameter field will open a dialog box where the value for that particular parameter can be edited with text input on the keybo
16. First Connecting should be activated NOTE The Hardware Controller you want to use with Console Manager must be connected and switched on before the Console Manager program is launched The program may not detect the device if it is switched on afterwards 5 Quickstart Tutorial Introduction Unlike simple Soundcards the MX4 doesn t only provide sophisticated Audio I O for your DAW Application to communicate to the outside world in large amounts but also puts the coolest invention since sliced bread right into the heart of your Studio An SSL Console in the box In order to use this Console as your main or secondary DAW Mixer the MX4 needs to become the communicator between your DAW Application and the SSL Mixer V6 Software Before we start to glue everything together please make sure you have Installed at least one MX4 SSL audio card in your PC and connected any required interface or external device Alpha Link iBox or a MADI mixing console Installed the SSL Device Drivers Installed the SSL Mixer software Connected a stereo sound source to the SSL hardware s audio inputs 1 2 Connected the SSL hardware s audio outputs 1 2 to a monitoring system You are now ready to use the SSL Mixer V6 together with your DAW application E AP WN Please follow each step carefully and if you need further assistance check the Table of Contents Here we go 1 Bootyour PC 2 Launch the SSL Mixer V6 3 Click Options menu to
17. Monitor Mix Eerma TITTEN O BUS 1 2 U1 6 SSL Mixer V6 The Reference Guide The SSL Mixer runs entirely on the DSP chips of the MX4 and Mixpander cards The Mixer structure and routing are user definable and offer unrivalled flexibility for the use of real time plug in effects EQs and processors VST plug ins running on the host CPU can also be inserted directly in the SSL Mixer environment It is easy to create and save Mixers and the entire configuration with all current parameter settings can be saved at any time for total recall The SSL Mixer also supports full automation It can generate and respond to MIDI automation data via the Console Manager program This data must be recorded to a third party application MIDI sequencer Each mixer strip can have any number of real time processes running e g EQ compressor reverb etc limited only by the available DSP power For example you can have up to 128 mixer strips and 64 internal buses can be configured to send signals to internal real time effects with 99 selectable fader groups and solo groups You can also use any MX4 outputs and inputs as sends returns to and from external effects units while mixing tracks from your sequencing application Loading and Saving a MIX By default the def mix Mixer is loaded on the first startup Do not overwrite this Mixer as it is a good starting point to create your own Mixers The last saved Mixer will be loaded on next start
18. U MAD 63 64 UC Bus 15 16 U2 BUS 47 48 Le TR 79 80 STR 111 112 AES 17 18 U2 MADI 1 2 U2 MADI 33 34 U2 BUS 17 18 U2 BUS 49 50 U2 TR 81 82 STR 113 114 AES 19 20 u2 MADI 3 4 U2 MADE 35 36 LO OS 19 20 U2 BUS 51 52 LR IR 115 116 AES 21 22 U2 MADI 5 6 112 MADI 37 38 UQ BUS 21 22 U BUS 53 54 LE STR 55 86 TR 117 118 AES 23 24 U2 MADI 7 8 U2 MADI 39 40 LE BUS 23 24 U2 BUS 55 56 U2 TR 87 STR 119 120 ANA 1 2 U2 MADI 9 10 U2 MADE 41 42 UG BUS 25 26 U2 BUS 57 58 LI TR 89 9 STR 121 122 ANA 3 4 U2 MADI 11 12 U2 MADI 43 44 U2 GS 27 28 U2 BUS 59 60 U2 TR 91 92 STR 123 124 ANA 5 6 U2 MADI 13 14 U2 MADE 45 46 U BIS 29 30 U2 BUS 61 62 U2 STR 93 94 STR 125 126 ANA 7 3 UZ MADI 15 16 U2 MADI 47 48 UZ GUS 31 32 U2 BUS 63 64 U2 STR 96 96 TR 127 128 NOTE The inputs and outputs buses and streams that are already in use are indicated by an asterisk Page 47 There are no restrictions to how you can use the inputs outputs buses or streams and every signal routed to an output or bus is mixed in equal proportion after the output or send fader For instance you could have 8 channels with MADI 1 2 U1 or Bus 1 2 as the input and Bus 3 4 as the output routing You could then use different EQ settings to split the signal process it with different effects e g for a multiband compressor and recombine the signals at Bus 3 4 You could even select the same bus as the input and output of a mixer column but be careful as you can have digital feedback this way
19. a certain amount of time known as a processing delay When several signals are processed in parallel for instance a kick drum going through a compressor in a mixer column and a bass going through a compressor an EQ and a chorus in an other mixer column the cumulated processing delay for each signal may be different resulting in misaligned audio signals Phase problems may also be created These problems can be solved by introducing compensating delays in some of the signal paths as necessary to get the output audio signals perfectly aligned However this introduces another problem since all the signals must be aligned with the slowest one i e the one that sustains the highest cumulated processing delay any signal going through the system is delayed either by a processing delay or by a compensating delay Therefore a performer cannot monitor his her performance in real time through that system The overall delay is perceived as the inherent latency of the system A benefit of DSP powered systems such as MX4 and Mixpander is that the processing delays are in most cases negligible comparable to those of hardware digital mixers and effects units In fact MX4 and Mixpander are indeed hardware systems controlled via a software interface On the other hand native systems that use the CPU of the host PC are subject to higher processing delays inherent to the PC environment which requires the use of buffers for reliable audio processing
20. and DSP Plug Ins however do not work with MAC OS The SSL Mixpander PCI card and associated software are compatible with the following operating systems and driver protocols Platform Operating System Driver Protocols Windows XP SP2 or later 32bit only PC ASIO 2 WDM MME GSIF2 DWave Windows Vista SP1 or later 32bit only The SSL MX4 comes with Low latency MME drivers WDM drivers ASIO 2 drivers DWave drivers and GSIF drivers for Windows XP and Vista It can be used with any PC based MIDI amp Audio sequencer recording and editing software or other audio applications The SSL Soundscape Drivers are truly multiclient allowing you to share your SSL audio hardware between several applications that use different driver models MADI Converter Console or Routing Device As world leader in large format analogue and digital mixing consoles it was natural for SSL to be among the companies that initiated the development of MADI Multichannel Audio Digital Interface The MADI standard was finalised by the AES as AES10 first published in 1991 and revised in 1993 A PDF copy of the specification can be obtained from the AES website With outstanding digital audio workstation systems and innovative DSP powered multichannel audio cards the SSL product line has always been at the cutting edge of professional studio technology in terms of sonic performance processing power and multiple inputs outputs Featuring SSL s revolut
21. are saved automatically whenever you change any setting and will automatically run the same configuration on next start up This includes the selection of Communication devices created Console Interfaces devices selection and Activation Status of the Console Interfaces NOTE When Console Manager starts up together with launching the SSL Mixer V6 it scans the computer for available Communication Devices If you for example have a USB Hardware Controller that is still switched off Console Manager can not initialise the MIDI Port s In order to remedy the situation you should re launch the Mixer software after you have switched on the Controller Closing Console Manager Console Manager will automatically close at the same time as the SSL Mixer software provided that no Console Manager windows and or dialogue box is Aya Console Manager is shutting down still opened in which case the following dialogue box will appear Ibi uan ap pn The same dialogue box will appear when you disable Connect to Console Manager in the Mixer Software and Console Manager windows are still open Page 56 Standard DSP Mixer Plug Ins All mixer elements which can be inserted into a mixer strip are called plug ins These can be the standard elements and plug ins included in the SSL Mixer software or optional plug ins in many cases developed by third party companies any element can be inserted anywhere in the Mixer before or after any other element This
22. button in the track channel strip then the Record button in the Transport Ad 5 Rd 2 REC M REC M Example configuration for Mixing Recording and Monitoring with SSL Mixer V6 and Nuendo In order to fully understand the benefits of DSP based Mixing please read the following example carefully It was done using Steinbergs Nuendo DAW Software When you are using a different Software and are already familiar with it it is very easy to translate the Nuendo specifics to the procedures the DAW of your choice may require Preparing Nuendo For Multitrack Mixing and Recording through the SSL Mixer V6 you will need to create enough Output and Input buses in Nuendo repeating the procedure described inside the Nuendo Section above I Add Input Bus E3 You can add multiple buses at the same time in the Add Input Bus Add Output Bus Dialogues You can find these dialogues in Nuendo s Device VST Connections Menu using ip the information provided below I O Bus set up Count Selecting the MX4 as Nuendo s ASIO Audio device connects all 1 0 buses to MX4 Streams Configuration I O Bus set up Please create the following Inputs and Outputs in Nuendo e 6 Mono input buses and corresponding input channel strip assigned to STR 1 to STR 6 e 3 Stereo input buses and corresponding input channel strip assigned to STR 7 8 to STR 11 12 e 24 Mono output buses and corresponding output channel strip assigned to STR 1 to STR24 e 16 Stereo o
23. displays additional SSL System Information User Manual User Manual Clicking on User Manual opens this reference Guide in a PDF Format Please make sure that you Read Me notes have a PDF Reader installed on your System otherwise Windows may display an Error message that it could not open this file Type Read Me notes User Manual The Readme Notes contain the latest changes in software revision Read Me notes It may contain important last minute changes that did not yet make it into the User Manual About SSL Mixer About SSL Mixer Kead Ive notes Opens the Window below About SSL Mixer Apart from the current Software Revision all installed SSL hardware units are listed with their unique serial number UID The UID is required when you want to purchase additional software modules or want to register the hardware on our website SSL Mixer Version 6 0 Click OK to close the window Copyright 1993 2009 Sold State Logic I Oxford England hitp www ssl coundscape Mx4 Mopander Senal 8 8 Support Support FAQs and Online Help Centre To access the latest support information on SSL Mixer V6 MX4 or the SSL Console Bundle please visit our online support site The information there is kept up to date by our support staff to make sure all information is accurate All information is available to you 24 7 365 If you can t find your answer or a solution to your issue you can submit a
24. for the SSL Mixer a I O Assign Ctrl 1 I O Assign Ctrl 1 This tool selects the input or output routing of all mixer element that have an I O label The I O assign tool also handles the DSP assignment by clicking in an empty column area el Move Ctrl M Move Ctrl M I The Move tool can be used to drag a mixer strip to a different column number or move an element inside a strip a Copy Ctrl C Copy Ctrl C I Copy is similar to the Move tool except it adds a new element or column at the copy destination X DSP Mute Ctrl U Mute Ctrl U I The DSP Mute tool is used to mute or unmute mixer columns or mixer elements i Info Ctrl 1 Info Cisl The Info tool opens the Element Property window which contains relevant settings for automation control ADC settings and general Information about the Plug In 8 Delete Ctrl D Delete Ctrl D The Delete tool is used to delete mixer columns or mixer elements Mix Edit E Clicking this this entry or pressing E on the computer keyboard Delete Ctrl D I switches between Mixer Edit and Mixer Control modes Automatic Delay Compensation Ctrl Alt D Automatic Delay Compensation Ctrl Alt D I Clicking this item or pressing Ctrl Alt D on the computer keyboard enables disables toggle Automatic Delay Compensation Page 78 Settings Menu Options View Help Master Clock rar W S Clock Out b I O mode Clicking on Master Clock
25. inputs and outputs come in three categories fixed assignable and recorder It is helpful to visualize them in order to understand the signal flow within a mixer strip Fixed inputs outputs The fixed inputs and outputs connect the various mixer elements within a mixer strip In these diagrams they are indicated by numbers in the black circles incremented from left to right The examples on the right side of the page show a mono multi EQ mixer element as it appears within a mixer strip and with its single input and single output represented and a stereo SSL Dynamics element with side chain as it appears within a mixer strip and with its four inputs and two outputs represented Fixed inputs and outputs always connect to an output or input with a matching number For instance an element with a single mono output output 1 will always connect to the left side input input 1 of a stereo element as shown below This type of configuration should be avoided because the presence of an unconnected input can create problems Incorrect configuration A mono mixer element SSL Console EQ Mono is connected to a stereo mixer element Audio Toolbox Delay Input 2 of the stereo delay is unconnected This could create audible problems and erratic routings DELAY LONG E 24 3 Multi EQ element Mono Input Output Structure Input 9 mEQ 4 Band E Multi EQ element Mono
26. mixer files will not load correctly if they are created for a different Card or for a different sample rate particular plug ins are not installed yet or if the corresponding plug in passwords have not been entered 8 You are ready to start using the MME ASIO 2 or GSIF drivers with your application s Alternatively you can move on to the Chapter 8 SSL Mixer V6 Reference Guide which describes how you can create or edit your own mixer configurations Working With your Audio Application In order to use your MX4 most effectively you will need to be familiar with the operation of your DAW or other audio capable application s If necessary please spend time reading the manual s for your application s of choice In particular if you are using a sequencer make sure you understand the basics such as setting up the clock synchronisation configuring the inputs and outputs of the software mixer arming tracks etc This manual could not possibly cover every aspect of every audio application on the market In the following sections you find a guide for some popular applications The information should be similar for many other audio applications Achievable latency may vary depending on the host computer system and the applications that are running During testing we have found that MX4 operates very well at buffer settings down to 64 samples with many audio applications Please refer to the documentation of your audio application if you need inf
27. mono to stereo process in the 50 0 m FD mixer column then the input element will not 15 0 be connected to input 2 of the output element NEN and this should be avoided as it can have undesirable effects the right hand side channel of the output element may pick up a signal from elsewhere in the Mixer In the example on the right side a mono signal reaches the mixer column via the MADI 1 input A mono to stereo Chorus effect is applied The Chorus stereo pair of outputs connects as required to the stereo output element BUS 1 2 U1 For stereo in mono out only the left side of the stereo input will be connected to the mixer column s output This configuration can be used to insert a 2 in 1 out mixer element such as a mono compressor with side chain input The main signal will reach the compressor via MADI input 1 the key signal will reach the compressor via MADI input 2 Only the main signal will reach the compressor s single output For stereo in mono to stereo out only the left side of the stereo input is connected through the mixer column but it splits into Stereo at the pan control This configuration just like the stereo in mono out configuration described above can be used to insert a 2 in 1 out mixer element such as a mono compressor with side chain input The only difference is that the output can be panned left or right as required with the mono to stereo output element ste
28. opens a submenu for each installed SSL device displayed as Unit 1 Unit 2 Sample Rate gt Varispeed EE Time Code Format Available clock sources vary depending on device type and interface they are connected to EE i Mixpander Mix Window Unit Configurator Save Settings Master clock settings for a MX4 e Internal The Master Clock is generated by MX4 s on board clock generator Macer Cor le s I MADI A or MADI B iit a MX4 derives its Master clock from the MADI Input A or B that E MADIA carries an embedded Clock inside the MADI stream Varispeed s z Time Code Format e Word Clock Generally suitable for slave synchronisation to a Word Clock signal from any other device Especially in bigger facilities the Wordclock will be generated by a Houseclock Generator that has multiple direct Word Clock Outputs and syncs the whole facility to this stable clock Master clock settings for a Mixpander and SSL Alpha Link Soundscape iBox units Since Mixpander systems can contain various models of the Alpha Master Clock pola EL P W S Clock Out E Unit 2 gt Link iBox Product Range with several digital I O options the SIM a RN available Master Clock options vary and only depend on the 1 0 p TOF A configuration of the connected converter box Varispeed 5 nl Time Code Format a Tor C Frame Clock e Internal Word Clock The Master Clock is provided by the on board clock gener
29. produce anything from a slight thickening or doubling of the sound to the common jangly effect that s great for guitars Flanging is at the extreme end of the control range with large pitch changes delay variations and amazing stereo width and movement It s great for Sound Design alien voices etc olid State Logi The parameter values can also be edited directly with the mouse in the mixer channel element Page 64 Dynamics DYNAMICS C3 The Dynamics algorithms are extremely efficient Mono and Stereo versions are available Up to 6 dynamic stages can be activated simultaneously Each stage can be enabled or disabled in the main DYNAMICS window by clicking on the buttons Active processing stages appear illuminated EXP and COMP1 in the example below On Off Buttons INS Thres Rato Thres Rato Thres Ratio Thres Ratio dB tx es x 1 db x 1 es x 1 1 0 300 DYNAMICS GATEIEXPICOMPILIM STEREO TEREO Solid State Lop Dynamics Processing Functions 1 Noise Gate Allows real time gating of the signal to remove any low level background noise between sounds and is useful for dialogue editing guitar or vocal gating or ducking backgrounds Expander This has similar operation to that of a noise gate but has ratio setting which determines the slope of the cut off This means that instead of total silence the level can smoothly increase to allow a gentle build into the new sound This can be used for hi
30. question via the site to our support staff for resolution URL http www solidstatelogic com support HOME NEWS PRODUCTS SUPPORT GALLERY STORE LOCATOR ABOUT LOGIN REGISTER Solid State Logic SOUND VISION Support FAQs documentation and other useful utilities A great product is only the start of what sets SSL equipment apart We believe that the work s best products demand the best support To provide this SSL has a network of sales and service centres throughout the world including its subsidiaries in New York Los Angeles Paris and Milan Through these offices and appointed distributors in other countries a full program of backup and technical support is guaranteed Underpinning al this local expertise is the global support available from SSL s service centre at the company headquarters near Oxford England Workstation Analogue Products Outboard Console Duende Resources Page 89 9 Legal Disclaimer Solid State Logic SOUND VISION Visit SSL at www solid state logic com 2009 2010 Solid State Logic All Rights reserved under International and Pan American Copyright Conventions No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means whether mechanical or electronic without the written permission of Solid State Logic Oxford England MX4 SSL Console Bundle Soundscape Mixpander MadiXtreme SL 4000 B E G Series XL 9000 K Series Solid State Logic SSL SSL Mi
31. sections describes the standard mixer elements Optional plug ins are normally supplied with their own manual in electronic or printed form NOTE To change parameters of any mixer element or plug in it is necessary to be in Mixer Control mode To switch from Mixer Edit mode to Mixer Control mode click on the Mix Control Edit Toggle button in the lower right corner of the mixer window Using the various mixer elements is straightforward Some general guidelines are provided below which are valid for most mixer elements Faders and sliders can be moved by clicking and dragging them with the mouse Alternatively clicking at the required position will cause the fader or slider to jump to that position They are also controlled by positioning the mouse cursor over them and moving the scroll wheel or if you want a finer control by doing the same procedure but over the fader s value box Pots e g the pan or balance pot for a send element can be moved by clicking and dragging them with the mouse Once a pot has been grabbed the distance between mouse pointer and pot determines the resolution of the pot s response Finer adjustments become possible as the distance is increased Double clicking on certain faders and pots opens dialog boxes where the required value can be entered e g the send elements faders pan or balance pots and the fader elements Values displayed in value boxes can generally be edited with the mouse buttons right clic
32. still needs to run some global plug in code The DSP power percentage that is reported as being used for each element is the maximum percentage that this element will use In reality there are several parameters that are important to the DSP for example processing time and program and memory requirements This means that when two elements are combined the overall DSP power requirement may be less than the sum of both percentages i e one element may need more memory and the other may take more processing time but with less memory used In this case one algorithm is masking the power requirement for the other With multiple cards the percentages are shown for each card individually The C percentage shows the connection resources usage Since each DSP has a fixed amount of Audio Paths connected to the main routing infrastructure of the hardware connections are used by e Streams coming from or going to the PC also for VST Plug Ins e Physical Inputs or Outputs connected to the outside world e Internal Busses that need a path to another DSP DSP Resources and DSP Auto Routing Assigning a mixer strip to a specific DSP NOTE This section assumes that Mixer Edit mode is selected press E on the keyboard to switch between Mixer Edit mode and Mixer Control mode and that the 1 0 Assign tool has been selected for the left mouse button by clicking on its icon Clicking in an empty area of a mixer strip with the I O Assign tool show
33. with five entries that match the MEET o a functions of the five buttons just discussed C MMC Slave Intertz Y Midi Mixer Map Int Remove Select Device Information Properties Using Console Manager Activating a Console Interface When the Console Interface is created and assigned to an appropriate Name Device Communication Device Serial or MIDI and the Hardware Controller is v Penny Giles MM16 Interface New MIDI de connected to the selected communication device you can activate the L1 Midi Mixer Map Interface New MIDI de Console Interface by checking the tick box belonging to the Interface entry Penny Giles MM16 Interface in the screen shot on the right NOTE While several Console Interfaces can be used simultaneously to control the same Mixer certain configurations create conflicts and different Hardware Controllers start to fight for the right Fader Position Saving the Console Manager configuration in the SSL Mixer software Activating the option Connect to Console Manager in the menu Settings Preferences Mixer initiates the basic communication betwen the SSL Mixer V amp and the Console Manager Module Performing a Save Settings in menu Settings Save Settings in the SSL Mixer software while Console Manager is running and connected makes the connection permanent and Console Manager will be launched automatically the next time the SSL Mixer is started Console Managers Settings
34. your are in Mixer Edit Mode Four tools can be loaded onto the mouse buttons simultaneously Click on the tool of your choice with the mouse button you want to assign it to A white bar will be displayed below the tool s icon to the left or right side according to the mouse button you used You can select two other tools by holding down the Alt key while you click the tool icons this status will be shown by a light blue bar under the tool To use these tools hold down the Alt key while using the mouse button Edit Mode Tools Ecreate tool Create new Strips in empty columns or new mixer elements in the User definable area of the Strip d I O Assign tool Change I O s for Inputs Outputs and Sends assign Strip to another DSP X Mute tool DSP mute mixer elements or complete mixer columns al Move tool Move mixer elements inside Strip or mixer strips to another column copy tool Copy mixer elements inside Strip or mixer strips to another column 8 Delete tool Delete mixer elements or mixer columns e Ej Info tool used to display information about mixer elements or mixer column Each Tool s function is explained in detail in Chapter 9 Menu Reference Section Edit Menu NOTE If the same tool is assigned to a mouse button and the Alt key that same mouse button combination then only the white bar will be shown Page 36 Mixer Inactive Build For each change that is made in Edit Mode the DSP code needs to be updated
35. 00L3D767D5 7 In case MX4 Mixpander passwords are used prefix password with M Save Cancel NOTE If you have purchased a password for only one unit this module will be enabled on all the hardware units in the system that run inside the same instance of the SSL Mixer The password should only be entered for the unit it was generated for the other unit s should be left at the default 000000000000 Only then Password Sharing will allow to work with this module on all Units Page 87 View Menu View Hel Inside the View Menu you can select one of two different Mixer Views Full View en hep 7 Te a wide Channel Strips and Small View Narrow Channel Strips A Sali View Q Small Column Size Q Click on Small View or press Q on the computer keyboard selects a narrow view mode for the SSL Mixer window More mixer columns can be displayed 17 columns at 1024 x 768 resolution but some controls ie the Full Column Size X Click on Full View or press X on the computer keyboard selects a wide view mode for the SSL Mixer window Less mixer columns can be displayed 11 columns at 1024 x 768 resolution but all controls are exposed solo group and fader mute group assignment boxes are hidden Help Menu Hep The Help menu allows direct access to this User Guide the Readme Notes including last minute Tur changes and the About SSL Mixer Window that
36. Clock Out Unit 2 AES EBU S PDIF O mode Unit 3 TDIF A e Internal E TOIF B When this option is selected the Sample Rate is set by the Varispeed 4 ui enon Soundscape unit s on board Master Clock Generator This should rtu Super Clock TDIF B be used in conjunction with analogue equipment only oe aig Li e AES EBU S PDIF Unit Configurator Word Clock When this option is selected the Soundscape 32 is slaved to the A Se ie WordClock signal received at its AES EBU S PDIF input Word Clock 270 deg TDIF A TDIF B TDIF C When one of these options is selected Soundscape 32 operates as WordClock Slave to the source device connected to the corresponding TDIF port Super Clock TDIF A Super Clock TDIF B Super Clock TDIF C These options operate in a similar manner to the TDIF A TDIF B and TDIF C options described above except that a SuperClock signal at 256 times the Sample Rate is used to provide the higher frequency system clock for Soundscape 32 with the LRCIk signal providing the WordClock reference Super Clock If this setting is selected it is assumed that Soundscape 32 s internal clock divider produces the sample frequency Word Clock derived from the incoming Super Clock and that other devices are slaved to Soundscape 32 via the Word Clock TDIF or AES EBU S PDIF outputs Super Clock is a higher frequency clock signal 256 x Sample Rate Word Clock When this option is selected Soundscape 32 is slaved to the
37. E In rare cases VST plug ins may not be loaded because their unique ID conflicts with the unique ID of an already loaded SSL Mixer element In such cases a warning message will be displayed Since the VST plug ins run on the CPU of the host PC the audio must be routed at high speed between the SSL Mixer and the PC in order to use VST effects at low latencies This is done using the streams provided by the MX4 or Mixpander One stream is used per channel of audio so that a mono VST plug in uses one stream and a stereo VST plug in uses two streams However stream usage has been optimised so that consecutive VST plug ins in the same mixer strip only require Input streams for the first VST Plug In in the chain and only require Output Streams for the last VSt Plug in inside the chain Therefore as long as the signal does not leave PC Land or DSP Land no additional streams need to be set up to connect both worlds Available streams are assigned automatically to VST plug ins taking into account that streams already used by a Windows application or assigned to a mixer input output or send element are not available If the number of available streams becomes insufficient for the number of VST plug ins being used the following warning will be displayed A Mixer streaming channel count overflow In this case the Mixer will also become inactive until the situation is resolved by deleting one or more VST plug in s reassigning or mut
38. Fader To avoid double signals to the MASTER the Output is currently muted Fader and Solo group is set to Group 1 to solo the MON s while muting the Mixing Channels Solo Group SG gt eee Setting up Artist Monitoring Output to MASTER Monitor Bus 1 2 muted EME Recording Channel Scribble Strip MON 1 DENN e On the armed Recording Channel locate the first Send BUS 19 20 and open the fader to approx 8096 e You should now be able to see the top PPM work in the MON1 Channel and hear the Recording Channel s Input through your Monitoring System STR 1 2 U1 M MADI 1 2 Ut BUS 11 12 U1 MON1 Channel o mEQ4 Band E e Open the Send MADI 19 20 in the Artist Monitor Channel MON1 pusiz ur E e You should now be able to hear the Input from the Recording aes Channel on the headphones 0 DYNAMICS Playback Channels n e All Playback Channels that should also be fed into the Artist Headphone also need a Send assigned to Bus 19 20 TTTTN e Simply create a new send or assign Output to Bus 19 20 on existing 0 R Sends Bus1t5 teut MADI 13 20 u1 0 e You can now feed every individual Playback Channel with an dpt Hume individual send level and pan into the Artist Monitor em x m Pre Listen the Artists Headphone Mix e Solo the Artist MONA sa e Click the Mute Button on the Output of MON1 to send this channel to FA ro ate your MASTER Channel You are now listening to the Artist
39. In most cases if either of these values exceeds 10096 when a Mixer is created the following warning message is displayed A Mixer DSP processing power limit reached After you click OK the title bar will display the P and M values so that you can see which one exceeds the available resources and by how much If only the P value exceeds 100 the title bar will display a warning as shown below create mixer o5 bmp E so Ifthe M value or both values exceed 100 the title bar will inform you that the Mixer is inactive create mixer 06 bmp E Sia Muting or deleting some elements will reduce the values and reactivate the Mixer E caua However the P xx value is not completely accurate because some plug in elements report inaccurate processing cycles to the SSL Mixer This means that depending on what kind of elements are used some Mixers can t reach or may exceed the P 100 value without the warning box appearing Also the Mixer DSP measures the actual processing cycles used for every sample and warns if a real mixer processing cycle overrun occurs If this is the case a warning is given in the caption bar of the mixer window and the mixer is muted for about half a second The warning can also be reset by double clicking the caption bar of the mixer window Page 37 Basic I O and Routing Elements Each mixer element has at least one input and one output and some elements have many more These individual
40. K iJ ES Input S a 0 0 Trim 0 0 Pan WRITE ro d Master Master SSL Sound Master EffcctSnd1 BUS 3 Audio 2 Mastcr Mctronomc BUS 1 BUS2 B SSL Soundscape ci c SSL Soundscape Buses Section Mains Section Page 16 Selecting an Input for the Track Channel Strip In order to hear the input signal an input must be MadiXtreme Reference Guide cwp Console selected for the channel strip Click the input field Stereo SSL M none Input G 0 0 Input G 0 0 Input near the top of the track channel strip to display a selection menu Selected Track Input Series If you are receiving a stereo test signal via MX4 Selected Track Inputs inputs 1 and 2 highlight SSL Soundscape ASIO A submenu will be displayed click Stereo SSL Soundscape ASIO STR 1 MX4 1 in the submenu Selecting an Output for the Track Channel Strip Next select the track output by clicking the output field near the bottom of the track channel strip Select SSL Soundscape ASIO STR 1 MX 1 to hear the signal transmitted via the MX4 s first output pair SSL Soundscape ASIO STR 53 Madixtreme 1 SSL Soundscape ASIO STR 55 Madixtreme 1 SSL Soundscape ASIO STR 57 Madixtreme 1 a IO SSL Soundscape ASIO STR 59 Madixtreme 1 SS SSL Soundscape ASIO STR 61 Madixtreme 1 SSL Soundscape ASIO STR 63 Madixtreme 1 SSL Sound Monitoring the Signal Click the Input Echo button to hear the signal
41. Mute Group FG1 3 an Output to MASTER Monitor Bus 1 2 gt EJEXHAN IM Scribble Strip Mono Playback 1 gt Tia STR UI Mm Mono In 1 b Mono In 2 i hono Out gt hbno Out 2 Every Output Bus in Nuendo now connects directly to the streaming yg o IE inputs of the Mixing Channels A 00 A oo The Mixing Channels have been set up in a very similar way to a traditional mixing console Input Input Metering Delay Line Phase Switch EQ and Filters Channel Dynamics and AUX Sends Since the SSL Mixer has no fixed structure you may change the Strip to completely meet your current demands You may add as many elements as you want and change its order in any way you can imagine place additional AUX Sends or move the Dynamics above before the EQ simply create your own ideal Mixing Channel In the Tutorial mixer SSL Mix 56Ch Rec 12Ch the flow diagram between the Mixing Channels the Master Strip and the Aux Channels is quite simple Please proceed to the next page where the MASTER Channel is explained in more detail MASTER Channel Main Monitor in the example Mixer The Stereo Master is used as the Main Monitor output This Stereo Input Bus 1 2 IE should be routed and connected to your Monitor speakers via the DA converter outputs SSLEQ F SSL Console EQ F gt The Input is set to BUS 1 2 the Outputs of all other Channels are set to Bus 1 2 so this Channel works as the su
42. O mode Unit 2 gt Worm Clock 24 48 64 or SSL XLogic Alpha Link interface DB A mm MUNERE ne Frame Clock e Worm Clock SSL s proprietary extension of the Word Clock Format Worm Clock is a modified Word Clock signal that includes sample accurate start stop synchronisation information for several units The Master Clock parameter for the slave unit must be set to Word Clock which also enables Worm Clock slave synchronisation e Word Clock When this option is selected the Mixpander System is slaved to the Word Clock signal received in the connected Alpha Link or iBox Interface e Frame Clock Clock signal similar to Word Clock used at high Sample Rates for digital signal formats that can not be clocked higher than standard Rates see above for more details e FrameClock 90 deg phase Must be selected when connecting certain devices whose Audio signals and clock signals are out of phase mainly MADI or ADAT SMUX signals on devices from certain vendors Frame Clock 90 deg phase W S Clock Out settings for a Mixpander connected to a Soundscape 32 unit e Worm Clock Master Clock E SSL s proprietary extension of the Word Clock W S Clock Out Unit 1 gt Worm Clock Format I O mode 4 Unit 2 gt Word Clock l Jnit 3 gt Word Clock 90 deg phase Worm Clock is a modified Word Clock signal that includes sample accurate start stop synchronisation information for several units The Master Clock par
43. S 422 the external device is connected to pos and give the device a good name you can remember ooo New senaldvice Cancel x Remove button va Confirm the removing of the selected serial device This action will disable all console mterfaces that are connected with this serial device Clicking the Remove button when a device is selected opens a dialogue box where the removal of that device must be confirmed Click Yes to remove the device click No to Are you sure you wish to remove the selected serial device aborts the operation New serial device COMI Su Properties button Properties of Serial Devi Clicking the Properties button when a device is selected opens a dialogue box which ts PO shows the properties of that device as it was defined upon creation Device Name New serial device Serial Port COMT Right Click Menu 2 mm l l nee Right Clicking the entry of a Serial Port device opens a menu with the same functions as Remove the three buttons described above Properties Setting up Console Interfaces Console Interfaces The Console Interfaces section has five buttons Add Remove Properties Change ex al e 2 Device and Information ve DER The latter four appear greyed out if no Console Interface device is selected or present IV JL Cooper CS 10 Interface MTP AV 1 1 MMC Slave Interface MTP AY 2 Midi Mixer Map Interface MTP AV 3 Page 54 al Add button Click
44. WS 900 Duende M Delta l Mixpan G Series Bus Comp Solid State Logic SOUND VISION 2009 Sold State Logic Terms amp Conditions Page 5 2 SSL Mixer V6 System Requirements Compatible SSL Audio Cards MX4 MX4 PCle card features two MADI inputs and two MADI outputs providing 112 or 128 simultaneous inputs and outputs at up to 48kHz 56 or 64 simultaneous inputs and outputs at up to 96kHz And a set of SSL optimised hardware DSPs that allows it to perform the most demanding mixing tasks Mixpander The SSL Mixpander PCI card can accept up to 64 simultaneous 1 0 at 48Khz via its expansion port when connected to SSL Alphalink interfaces or SSL Soundscape iBox range of audio interfaces Compatible Windows Versions and Driver Protocols The SSL MX4 PCle card and associated software are compatible with the following operating systems and driver protocols Platform Operating System Driver Protocols Windows XP SP2 or later PC with 32 Bit Windows Windows Vista SP1 or later ASIO 2 x 32 Bit WDM MME GSIF2 DWave SSL SS V6 Windows 7 or later Windows Vista SP1 or later ASIO 32 Bit SSL SS V6 PC with 64 Bit Windows Windows 7 or later Support for ASIO64 and WDM 64 coming soon Note MX4 can run under OSX Tiger V10 4 11 OSX Leopard V10 5 4 or greater and OSX Snow Leopard V10 6 1 32 and 64 Bit or greater by using Madixtreme Core Audio Divers Under MAC OS the MX4 Card works as a MadiXtreme 128 The Mixer Software
45. WordClock signal received at its WordClock input connector Word Clock 90 180 270 deg phase These variants of the WordClock setting are provided to adapt to different TDIF implementations as found in other devices such as for example the Mackie D8B digital mixing console Video Sync This option is only available when the optional Soundscape Synchronization Board is installed in the Soundscape 32 unit Unit 1 in a multiple unit system If it is selected Soundscape 32 can be slaved to any Video Synchronisation signal such as Blackburst or Composite received via the VITC Input of Synchronisation Board W S Clock Out With this menu entry you can control the Clock signal to be transmitted at the Word Clock Super Clock output connector of the installed device s As mentioned above the available options depend on the installed SSL system W S Clock Out settings for MX4 Master Clock W S Clock Out The MX4 has one BNC Word Clock connector that can transmit or receive Word votes ien Clock Signals A Init 3 The Word Clock Connector can only Output Word Clock signals when the Master Clock is set to Internal If the Master Clock is set to MADI or Wordclock the W S Clock Output selection is greyed out Unit 3 on the right k W S Clock Out settings for Mixpander and Alpha Link iBox units For Mixpander cards the W S Clock Out signal is Master Clock a actually transmitted by the connected Box WIS lock Out gH ur Eq I
46. a 1 65536 32768 word alligned Data Area 2 46 Data Area 3 69 Data Area 4 8 Data Area 5 164 ElemType 2050 Delay 45 TC Dynamizer Stereo pla ea pee 208 Backgnd Code Area Sample Prolog Code Cycles Sample Code Cycles Backgnd Rate Backgnd Prolog Code Cycles Backgnd Code Cycles Total Code Cycles per Chunk Measured Cycles 1W 5 Measured Cycles ZWS Sample Delay Measured Sample Delay Page 74 7 Menu Reference File Menu New Mix Clicking New Mix will create a new empty Mixer If a Mixer is already active and has been edited since the last save the following dialog box will appear Save mix changes Open Mix Open Mix opens a standard Windows file browser to search and load an SSL Mix file on Open Mix i any logical PC drive or network location open x If a Mixer is already active when you open a new Mixer ee the same dialogue box above will appear asking you to ogres even eR Nemes first save your current Mixer Name Datemodified Type Size 2 Band EQ Dynamics mix 2 Band EQ Dynamics External Send 2 Band EQ TCReverb mix __ 4 Band EQ mix 7 Band Graphic EQ mix 116 Channel Mono 2 Band EQ mix __ 16 Channel Mono 2 Band EQ Dyna 16 Channel Stereo EQ Chorus Delay __16 Channel Stereo EQ Dynamics Ch 24 Tracks mix __ 32 Tracks MIX Dolby Encode Decode 16 Channel MIX __ Guitar Amp Simulator mix LJ LCRS 16 Channel MIX
47. active and does not have a similar option activated When working with a single monitor this option can be quite confusing since you have to minimise the Mixer V6 application in order to fully access other applications that are only partly covered by the mixer window Unit Configurator This entry opens the Unit Configurator window where you can enable disable or re number unit id s of all Mixer compatible SSL devices installed in your system The Unit Configurator is described in detail in the section Configuring a multiple unit system with the SSL Mixer V6 in Chapter 6 Page 86 v v v v Auto route If Automatic Delay Compensation is active Use hierarchical menu for mixer element selection Pass all keyboard input to active mixer element window Ctrl Alt K Treat mixer element parameter changes as mixer file changes Native mixer elements sample buffer size Value Cancel Options View Help Master Clock W S Clock Out VO mode gt Sample Rate Varispeed Time Code Format gt Preferences Mix Window Y Always ontop Options View Help Master Clock gt W S Clock Out gt O mode Sample Rate Varispeed Time Code Format Preferences b Mix Window gt Unit Configurator Save Settings Save Settings Sample Rate gt Any changes you have made in the Settings Menu and all sub menus are only saved as default Varispeed Jd
48. adding a command line to that effect in the MixWnd section of the SSL Mixer INI file the path to the INI file can be checked in the Start in field of the SSL Mixer shortcut s properties The ADC will ignore the value of the Reported delay parameter shown in the Element Info window and will use the value specified by the command line in its calculations taking the Delay Adjustment parameter into account NOTE The Mixer must be restarted for the command line to take effect settings specified in the INI file are loaded on startup The command line reads as follows ElemType XXXXXXXX Delay Y Element s name where e XXXXXXXX is the unique Element Type ID for the element e Y is the required delay value in samples The Element s name is only required for documentation purposes To check the Element Type ID in Mixer Edit mode hold down the Shift key and click the mixer element with the Info tool The Element Properties window for that mixer element will be displayed as shown on the right side for the TC Dynamizer The Element Type ID is shown on the iid SECT second line red circle ELEMTYPPROP Checksum 313942989 Name TC Reverb Stereo Comment TC Works GmbH Ver 1 01 To continue with the same example in order to specify Refresh check error mode 0 a delay value of 45 for the TC Dynamizer stereo mixer ihe element the command line in the MixWnd section of Outputs the INI file should read Data Are
49. am shows signal routing through a stereo input mixer strip The signal can be fed via any of the external inputs it can be internally sent from another mixer strip via one of the buses or it can be received from a Windows application via a Streaming input Once the signal is in the strip it can be mixed with a track output equalized the level can be adjusted and monitored it can be delayed sent to another mixer strip or output and processed by one of the available plug ins The fixed peak meters are pre fader so they will show a signal even if the fader is all the way down or if the mixer strip output is muted Any level changes resulting from an inserted fader or EQ will be shown by the fixed peak meters The numbering and naming of the available inputs outputs buses and streams may vary depending on the hardware configuration i e The number and type of SSL audio cards installed in the host computer the currently selected Sample Rate the selected MADI format 56Ch and 64Ch and High Speed 64 96kHz modes for AES ADAT and TDIF File Edit Settings Options View Help DSP 1 P 0 0 M 0 0 C 9 0 Mono gt 0 DSP 2 P 0 0 M 0 0 ets Input gt b Input Stereo gt DSP 3 P 0 0 M 0 0 C 0 0 gt Input 4 chan gt DSP 4 P 0 0 M 0 0 C 0 0 a Input 6 chan gt Input 8 chan gt MX4 MADI 1 128 STR 1 128 BUS 1 64 Input Assignment Mixpander AES EBU
50. ameter for the slave unit must be set to Word Clock which also enables Worm Clock slave synchronisation Word Clock When this option is selected the Mixpander System is slaved to the Word Clock signal received in the connected Soundscape 32 System Word Clock Phase When this option is selected the Mixpander System is slaved to a Word Clock signal received at the Soundscape 32 System that is shifted against the Audio signal by 90 180 or 270 Especially older digital devices like early DIRS Tape Recorders and some digital Consoles need those settings Super Clock When you have problems such as digital clicks providing only Word Clock to a slave device or of that that Word Clock is varying in frequency in Chase Slaving conditions please use Super Clock instead Word Clock 180 deg phase Word Clock 270 deg phase Super Clock I O mode e ji ii Settings Options View Hel When the mouse pointer is on I O mode E aster Clock several submenus open that allow hardware W S Clock Out YO mode 64 96KHz gt Unit 1 gt SchTDIFA DIG ANA specific settings to be made for operation at high Sample Rates and MADI Ch Modes Sample Rate Varispeed Again the available options are determined by the SSL Hardware you are using 64 96kHz Time Code Format 8 ch TDIF A 8 ch TDIF B 4 ch TDIF A DIG ANA 4 ch TDIF A 4 ch TDIF B MADI 64 96KHz gt Unit 2 MADI gt t
51. ameter setting The overall orientation of the displayed sound field responds to adjustments of the rotation and asymmetry parameter Settings Angle Section ANGLE Asymmetry 90 90 degrees ASYM ROTATION Angle shift applied to the side MS matrix input signal along with the angle shift introduced due to the rotation parameter The value of the parameter has no effect if the MS matrix is not active This parameter does not affect the mid MS matrix input signal at all Rotation 45 45 degrees Angle shift applied to both the side and mid MS matrix input signals The angle shift of the side MS matrix input signal also depends on the setting of the asymmetry parameter Bass Shelving section BASS SHELVING E GAIN M ars FREQ Gain M 6 0 6 0 dB Bass shelving gain for the mid MS matrix input signal This parameter is used in combination with the Gain S parameter to enhance the stereo perception at lower frequencies The Q factor of the shelving filter is constant at 0 7 Gain S 6 0 6 0 dB Bass Shelving Gain setting of the side MS matrix input signal This parameter is used in combination with the Gain M parameter to enhance the stereo perception at lower frequencies The Q factor of the shelving filter is constant at 0 7 Frequency 200 1300 Hz This parameter determines the cut off frequency for both the mid and side bass shelving filters Note The MS Decoder can be used to check a stereo Arrangement for m
52. an overview and allows quick identification of grouped columns especially when you start to build bigger Mixers and explore the endless possibilities of DSP based grouping Page 34 Input Output Identification Depending on the SSL hardware that is used with the SSL Mixer V6 the selection of available audio inputs and outputs will vary MX4 Channel Inputs in the MX4 are named MADI 1 64 1 56 for MADI Port A and MADI 65 128 65 120 for MADI Port B depending on the MADI I O mode 64Ch or 56Ch The MADI Mode is selected under Settings 1 0 mode MADI and has to match with the settings of the connected MADI Devices Converters Consoles Routers Internal Buses are named Bus 1 64 the Streaming Channels PC Software 1 0 s are named STR 1 128 NOTE When working at 96Khz the number of MADI and Streaming 1 0 is reduced to 64 Mixpander Mixpander can handle 64 in out from its expansion port that can be connected to a SSL Alpha Link or Soundscape iBox interface If connected to a legacy Soundscape 32 Unit 26 inputs and 28 outputs can be used Mixpander also has 64 Buses Bus 1 64 and 64 streaming channels STR1 64 On program start up SSL Mixer V6 detects which Unit is connected to the Mixpander and the I O Labels will be named accordingly SSL XLogic Alpha Link or Soundscape iBox 24 48 64 Models The SSL XLogic Alpha Link and SSL Soundscape iBox 24 48 64 models offer a wide range of audio formats Their inputs and out
53. ard Mixer strip Mixer element window opened by double clicking the mixer Mixer strip full view element s name field small view 3 T A MADI 1U3 M Ga ad fUntiied T Av mEG4 Band C7 DYNAMICS C3 8 bed p bed gt Value MaDpit2u3 1 Cancel Mixer element parameter dialog box opened by double clicking the parameter field NOTE Once a Mixer has been loaded it remains active even if the window is closed The Mixer contains 128 mixer columns each contains one mixer strip that is 1 to 8 Channels wide A horizontal scroll bar is provided for navigation across the Mixer window A vertical scroll bar appears when necessary i e whenever one or more mixer strips cannot be entirely viewed in the mixer window This is necessary because while the Mixer window can be resized there is no limit to the number of mixer elements that can be inserted inside the user definable area and therefore there is no limit to the vertical size of a mixer strip The Mixer on the right shows a simple structure with two stereo strips and an effects return strip all bussed to a master mixer strip Column 5 is empty Notice that only the first mixer strip has an EQ and Compressor while both have a send element This is an example of putting power where it is needed The restrictions of some hardware mixing desks and of inflexible predefined software mixers that do not reach SSL s workflow and flexibili
54. ardless of the output type mono stereo mono to stereo 4 6 or 8 channels LRCS or LRC LsRs NOTE A single mixer strip could can contain several output elements each assigned to different fader and solo group The fader group and solo group assignments can be selected in several ways e Right clicking or left clicking in the relevant group assignment selection box respectively increases or decreases the value in Steps of 1 e Right clicking or left clicking in the selection box and holding the mouse button down respectively increases or decreases the value continuously The other mouse button can then be held down as well to speed up the process even more e Mouse Scroll Wheel hovering over the group box and increase with scroll wheel Up decrease with scroll wheel down e Double clicking in a selection box opens dialog box where the required fader group number or solo group number can be entered with the keyboard Faders were alue Whenever several output faders are assigned to the same fader and mute group clicking and dragging any single one of them Cancel with the right mouse button will move all faders in the group The grouped faders keep their original position relative to each other while they are moving until one or more of them reach n minimum or maximum level and cannot move any further Bus 33 4003 gt Value Even then moving back will restore its relative position within the group provided the mouse b
55. as required Fader Ql Pan or balance Any internal bus external output or stream Buss 6u2 S can be selected as the send destination Destination using the 1 0 Assign tool in Mixer Edit mode All send elements have a mute button Mute button Double clicking on a send element opens the following dialog box e Pre fader sends box unchecked do not respond to changes made to output element settings regardless of the output element s position in the mixer strip e Post fader sends box checked respond to changes made to the fader mute button and solo button settings of all outputs placed below them except where these outputs are separated from the send element by an input element If you want to use a send element as an auxiliary send to an external effects units set the routing of that send element using the Track Assign tool in Mixer Edit mode to the required external output s The wet signal can be returned via an input element within the same mixer strip placed after the send or a feedback loop will be created or to another mixer strip altogether If you want to use a send element as an auxiliary send to an internal plug in effect you can route the send to a bus create a new mixer strip which has that bus as its input and insert the required plug in effect in the new mixer strip NOTE As well as sending a duplicate of the signal to the selected send destination a send element still passes the original signal
56. ase check the Section Automatic Delay Compensation in Chapter 8 for more details i i If Automatic Delay Compensation is active v Align all Output elements with Fader Align all output elements with fader In order to lin e Up outputs that have l G Align all Output elements except if followed by Input element isolated audio paths in the Mixer the Align all Output elements with fader option can be used When this option is selected all output elements that have a fader before the Outputs are time aligned Outputs elements without a fader can be used for signals that should not be aligned delayed e g a send return loop to an external effects processor Artist Monitor etc Align all outp ut elements with fader If Automatic Delay Compensation is active Align all Output elements with Fader T z v Align all Output elements except if followed by Input element except if followed by input element This option will line up all output elements regardless if they have a fader or not but it will exclude Outputs that are followed by an Input element ie a send return to external hardware v Use hierarchical menu for mixer element selection Use hierarchical menu Mixer P Autoroute for mixer element selection If Automatic Delay Compensation is active v Use hierarchical menu for mixer element selection If activated this option will sort all entries hierarch
57. ass button e On sends input and output elements a mute button and a pan balance pot if the send is stereo MADI 16S IM SAADI Tul Input element assem san m E M Bypass button Send pan DYNAMICS erba Send mute button Balance Surround panner Solo button Peakmeter Center button Solo group assignment W so Fader yc Fader group assignment Output manteu T dea Name field Output pan Output pan and balance sliders can be clicked and dragged with the mouse It is also possible to change the value in the box to the right of the slider e Right or left clicking in the box respectively increases or decreases the value in steps of 1 e Right clicking or left clicking in the box and holding the mouse button down respectively increases or decreases the value continuously The other mouse button can then be held down as well to speed up the process even more e Mouse Scroll Wheel hovering over the value box or the slider when the Mixer Window is active allows value increase with scroll wheel Up and decrease with scroll wheel down e Double clicking in the value box calls up a dialog box where the required value can be entered e Clicking on the centre button below the value box resets the value to o centre Centre Button Cancel Value 15 Page 32 Fader and mute groups Each output element with a fader can be assigned to one of 99 fader groups and to one of 99 solo groups Group assignments are reg
58. associated application software please ensure that you have successfully finished the Hardware Installation as described in the MX4 Hardware Manual Otherwise you will not be able to successfully Install or work with the SSL Mixer V6 application The files required for the following Installation can either be found on the MX4 CD or can be downloaded from the SSL website The MX4 CD comes with the MX4 Install Menu Application MX4 start exe that allows easy Installation of all software components In order to avoid any complications during software installation please follow these steps in the order indicated 1 Make sure you have installed the MX4 Hardware and Drivers properly If you have an internet connection please download and use the most recent version available from the SSL website 2 Install the SSL Mixer V6 Software 3 Install the Plug Ins SSL Console Bundle Plug Ins This is part of No 2 if you use the MX4 CD Mixer Installer 4 If you want to remote control the SSL Mixer V6 with a Hardware Fader Remote please also install the Console Manager Plug In 5 Start the SSL Mixer V6 Software and follow the Instructions of the Unit Configurator Make sure the Software runs properly 6 Enterthe Mix Password you find on your MX4 Registration card under Options Passwords MIX starting with the letter M 7 Enter the SSL Console EQ Password you find on your MX4 Registration card SEQ under Options Passwords SSL EQ Filters starting
59. ator of the Alpha Link or iBox device e Digital Input Clock Options This could be MADI ADAT AES EBU or TDIF depending on model and configuration e Frame Clock Clock signal similar to Word Clock used when the actual Sample Rate is a multiple of the transmitted audio frame size Frame Clock is used at high Sample Rates for digital signal formats that can not be clocked higher than standard Rates For example one ADAT Frame can contain 8 Channels of 24 Bit Audio at 48kHz At 96kHz the ADAT Frame can still carry the same amount of DATA In order to achieve the double amount of information an ADAT Frame at 96kHz only contains 4 Channels of Audio at 24Bit SMUXING The Clock or amount of Frames second stays at 48000 ADAT Frames s therefore the Frame Clock remains 48kHz even when running the System at 96kHz e Word Clock Generally suitable for slave synchronisation to a Word Clock signal from any other device Especially in bigger facilities the Wordclock will be generated by a Houseclock Generator that has multiple direct Word Clock Outputs and syncs the whole facility to this on stable clock NOTE The Master Clock on Mixpander Systems is always generated or received by the Alpha Link or iBox interfaces The card itself can neither generate a Master Clock signal itself nor read any of the industry standard external Clocks formats Page 79 Master clock settings for a Mixpander with Soundscape 32 unit Master Clock Unit PO Internal W S
60. ayback clock settings are correct Overview The Samplitude Mixer is divided into three main sections amp Mixer MadiXtreme Reference Guide VIP la Deg on the keyboard press M to display the Mixer LJ Plugins For clarity we have used the buttons on the left of the men euge MES MEC Pe Mixer to hide the EQ Insert and Aux sections of the 1s T FQ a master E snapshots channel strips cull 1 A f D EE eus Pee 4 D E MEM 6 The Samplitude Mixer features one audio channel strip for each audio track in the current project By default the output of each audio channel strip is routed to the Master section this can be changed if required To get started create a new Samplitude project by clicking New Virtual Project VIP under the File menu Name the project in the following dialogue window and click OK to confirm and close the window 5 Rd Mono 5 4 X FX Mixta Fila On By default the project will have four stereo audio tracks and corresponding audio channel strips We want to record our test stereo signal to track 1 StiMast SEL Sourd t2 Channel Strips Master Section Global Selecting an Input for the Track s Mixer MadiXtreme Reference Guide VIP In order to hear an input signal the track input must be 2 2 1 2 1 2 selected Au Ol Aux O m _ Plugins Click the input field near the top of the track channel strip to slins COlins COllns COllns C Master FX di
61. changed with the I O Assign tool as described above NOTE As well as sending a duplicate of the signal to the selected destination an output element also passes the original signal through to the next element below it in the Mixer strip where it is inserted Distinguishing between simple Input and Output Elements Output without fader elements and input elements look very similar There is always a little space above an output element and a little space below an input element to help identification Faders Mono and stereo faders can be inserted at any point inside a mixer strip You can adjust the Gain between 96dB and 6dB Peak Meters Mono and stereo peak meters can be inserted at any point inside a mixer Mono Stereo Strip peak meter peak meter M S Decoder The MS mid side recording technique combines two signals in a matrix typically from one cardioid and one figure of eight condenser microphones to create a stereo signal This signal translates easily into mono the signal recorded from the figure of eight microphone is phase inverted on one side summing into mono the left and right sides cancel each other while the signal recorded from the cardioid microphone remains unaffected d It is also possible to control the stereo spread by changing the relative levels of the mid and side components i eoo erws ec o mmo e e e e 4 e On a traditional mixing console creating an MS matrix som
62. cking the open and save buttons in the top section of a main plug in window opens standard Windows dialogue boxes which can be used to load or save presets There is also a bypass button in the top right corner of the window The controls include faders which can be clicked and dragged value fields which can be double clicked to open dialog boxes and where the right and left mouse buttons can be used to respectively increase or decrease the value Chorus Flanger The Chorus Flanger plug in algorithm requires only a small amount of DSP resources Mono Mono to RAEL BP Stereo and Stereo versions are available 50 0 To produce the Chorus Flanger effect a proportion of the original signal is sent through a short delay The resulting delayed signal is modulated by a low frequency oscillator LFO In the main section of the window the Mix fader controls the amount of signal that is delayed and sent to the LFO the Delay fader controls the length of the delay and the FdBk feedback fader controls the proportion of the processed signal that is sent back the input SE untitled In the LFO section of the window the Freq Phase and Depth faders Mix oe FdBk Depth control the frequency phase and depth amount of modulation of the LFO d d X OW the Wave buttons allow the selection of a sine or triangular LFO waveform shape and the Phase indicator lights up to indicate the LFO speed and phase The Chorus Flanger can
63. d into a folder and start Setup exe Once the Installer is started depending on the Windows Version E you may be prompted with some dialogue boxes to confirm that you Solid State Logic a Wizard for SSL Mixer really really want to run this Installer The InstallShield R Wizard will install SSL Mixer amp Soundscape V 6 0 Editor V6 0 1 on your computer To continue click Next E Click Next gt S Cancel Please note that although you can select a different installation folder than the default offered the SSL Mixer amp Soundscape V6 user manuals will always refer to the default installation folders Also our Support docs and Support people will always refer to the ud le UN AAA default directories Destination Folder Click Next to install to this folder or click Change to install to a different folde We therefore recommend using the default installation locations Click Next You can select a Projects Data Folder we do recommend using the default location J c Install SSL Mixer amp Soundscape Editor V6 0 1 project data to 9 C Soundscape Change Click Next lt Back Cancel Once you have selected your installation and project data folders you may select to install the SSL Mixer and or the SSL Soundscape V6 Click Next Now you are ready to install some very fine SSL Software Click Install Once the Installer has succ
64. de Program File 16 Channel Mono 2 Band EQ mix de ProgramDat __ 16 Channel Mono 2 Band EQ Dyna de Soundscape 16 Channel Stereo EQ Chorus Delay A Mix 16 Channel Stereo EQ Dynamics Ch mix mx4 E Documents More 24 Tracks mix File name channel strip mix Save as type Mixer Files MIX Hide Folders Exit Exit closes the program If the currently active Mixer has been modified since the last Exit Alt X f save operation the following dialog box will appear Save mix changes Edit Menu f a e Edit Settings Options View Help The first section of the Edit menu lists the Mixer editing tools and clicking on any item create M in this section assigns the corresponding tool to the left mouse button 1 0 Assign Ctrl 1 Move Ctrl M Copy Ctrl C Mute Ctrl U Info Ctrl I Delete Ctrl D Mix Edit E Automatic Delay Compensation Ctrl Alt D Page 77 You can also access these tools directly from the Toolbar File Edit Settings Options View Help NOTE The Edit Tools only work when the Mixer is in Mix Edit mode Edit Mix Edit or by pressing E on the keyboard Create Alt 1 Create Alt 1 Clicking with the Create tool in an empty mixer slot will create a mixer column Clicking in the user definable space in a mixer column will open the list of mixer elements which can be inserted This tool is used as the basic building procedure
65. ded Please make sure you understand the Master Clock and Sample Rate concepts and that you understand the Mixer software s routing possibilities It is also a good idea to have the system switched on while you read the manual so that you can experiment with the features you read about We trust that you will soon feel confident creating and using your own mixer configurations However even when it has become second nature the comprehensive Table of Contents located at the beginning and the search function in your PDF reader software will provide convenient ways to check specific information whenever you need it Please also read the MX4 Hardware Manual for detailed Information about Hardware Installation and Driver Setup If possible Please do not print this manual lt NOTE This Manual does not contain an Index Please use your PDF Reader s build in search function to find the sections containing specific words and topics Reading conventions Designation of supported hardware The SSL Mixer software supports the MX4 and Mixpander audio cards The functionality of these cards is similar although their specifications vary The information in this manual relates to both cards Differences are pointed out where necessary Key commands and key combinations Some functions of the SSL Mixer can be accessed through the use of computer keyboard keys or key combinations as well as by using a mouse or other input device In this manua
66. down to next element below inside the mixer strip EQ 2 band The 2 band EQs are fully parametric allowing band pass or notch filters with variable Q bandwidth cut PERRBAND Aer and boost and centre frequency You can place as many EQs as you need in a mixer strip to add more SEmi s bands 200 200 The Quality Factor Q determines in a passive filter how selective narrow the filter is High Q means high quality and therefore a narrow filter The Q factor value is calculated by dividing the centre frequency with the bandwidth of the filter If you are more used to work with octaves instead of Q 2 octaves means that the bandwidth is twice the centre frequency and hence it has a Q of 0 5 The EQ parameters can be adjusted in real time by using the mouse buttons in the EQ parameters value boxes in the mixer strip or by using the scrollwheel If you hold down both mouse buttons the EQ parameters can be changed more quickly and the direction of the change is determined by the mouse button pressed first Double clicking on a parameter opens a dialog box where the value can be entered with the keyboard The mono 2 band EQ element has two separate fully Page 58 parametric sections and for the stereo 2 band EQ there are in fact four linked active EQs providing two bands for each channel Double click on the little Mixer Window to open the EQ 2 Band GUI The response of the EQ is shown in the curve display and you can adjus
67. e Finally the overall gain section can compensate for the natural gain reduction caused by compressing a signal Setting the Attack Release and Gain The attack and release controls determine how the output of the envelope detector responds to changes in the input signal and determines the how quickly the output gain should be changed according to the Gain computer Setting a long attack and release means that the control signal changes quite slowly and it will represent the average level of the input signal With a compressor this would result in an average level control which increases when the average level is on a decay Page 65 Setting a fast attack means that the control signal reaches the peaks quickly so that the applied gain can respond quickly to peaks in the signal This would be used for a fast limiter that prevents the output signal exceeding a threshold For a brick wall limiter the attack should be set to the minimum and the release should be increased until the signal sounds natural Setting a fast release means that the control signal responds quickly to a decay in the input level so the gain can be increased immediately to compensate The attack time should be increased until the signal sounds natural NOTE Setting both attack and release too fast will distort the signal as the gain applied can change with the waveform of the input signal The Attack and Release faders allow you to set the response of the control
68. e oc seces Properties button opens a dialogue box which shows information about 55 Led the interface and allows editing of the setup M Man Volane ooRECI Output Stereo This window also may include access to further windows like the MIDI uses m Undefined Learn mode etc e Change Device button Clicking this button when a Console Interface is selected opens a dialogue box where any of the installed Serial Ports and MIDI devices can be selected and assigned to Communication Device the selected Console Interface Cancel NOTE While any controller device can be selected from the list the selected Console Interface will only function correctly with a compatible device 9 i Information button AA Midi Mixer Map Interface Clicking this button opens an information window about the ES use se le cte d Co nso le nte rfa ce Copyright 2005 Sydec Audio Engineering NY Technical Support support soundscape digital com Information and Updates http www soundscape digital corn Warning this computer program is protected by copyright law and international treaties Unauthorzed reproduction or distribution of this program or any portion of it may result in severe civil and criminal penalties and will be prosecuted to the maximum extent possible under the law Page 55 Right Click Menu Console Interfaces al e el e i Clicki i 1 i Name Device Right clicking on a Console Interface opens a menu
69. e can be edited directly in the value box using the mouse buttons or scroll wheel in the usual way Alternatively double clicking inside the value box opens a text entry dialogue There is room for creative use of the sample delay line For example splitting a stereo pair of tracks into two mono tracks and inserting a sample delay line element in the signal path for one of these tracks can widen the perceived stereo image Phase inverting the delayed signal can also add extra width but may cause mono cancellation or phasing Value 133 Cancel Inputs and outputs Mono stereo 4 6 and 8 channel input elements can be inserted at any point in a mixer strip and can Mapi2U3 JL derive their signal from any external input s or internal bus ses All outputs have a Mute button NOTE An input always blocks any signal from mixer elements above It can be used as an insert point at any position in a mixer strip in combination with a send or output element output followed by Input it can be used as a send return infrastructure To remove it temporarily from the signal flow please use the DSP MUTE tool All the output types are also available inside the Strip e Outputs with fader mono mono to stereo with or without EPP Equal Power Panning stereo with or without EPP 4 6 or 8 channel mono to LRCS mono to LRC LsRs e Outputs without fader mono mono to stereo stereo 4 6 or 8 channel Input sources and output destinations can be
70. e follow the on screen instructions of the Installation wizard Enabling Console Manager in SSL Mixer V6 Setup Console Manager 1 55 Console Manager can not be launched as a standalone program It is a software module of the SSL Mixer V6 General Connect to Console Manager Enabling the entry Connect to Console Manager in the Menu Settings soa B E E Preferences General opens the module automatically and connects it Dd to the Mixer Software NOTE If you always want to invoke the Console Manager Module when you start up the SSL Mixer V6 please activate Connect to Console Manager followed by a Save Settings command in the Menu Settings Save Settings Console Manager Taskbar Icon An icon appears in the taskbar once the Console Manager is running Console Manager Icon Right clicking on the task bar icon opens the following menu v First Connecting N Mixer Selection SSHDR1 REd Mixtreme Mixer selection opens a submenu to chose to which software the Console Manager should be connected to e First Connecting The first SSL Soundscape Software that invokes Console Manager gets exclusively connected recommended setting e SSHDR1 REd Use this entry to connect legacy Soundscape Software to the Console Manager Module e Mixtreme Use this entry to connect legacy Soundscape Mixtreme and Soundscape Mixpander powerpacks under SS Mixer 4 3 or below to Console Manager Properties To use Console Manager with the SSL Mixer V6
71. e indicated by an A and MADI 1 8 Lit MADI9 16 11 this means that their routing can be m Ne determined freely using the I O Assign tool The individual input s of input elements and individual output s of output or send element s are assignable in this way The example above shows an 8 in 8 out output element Initially the element s outputs are assigned to outputs 1 8 The I O Assign tool is then used to change the element s output assignment to outputs 9 16 As well as transmitting the audio data they receive via their assignable output s incl any volume and pan balance settings and the mute status send elements and output elements also let the original data pass through to any element placed below them i e unaffected by these settings and regardless of mute status Zr 0 EXE I0 In the example to the right the data received at inputs 1 and 2 will be output These signals will feed any assignable input s in the Mixer that is are set to BUS 5 6 e via buses 5 and 6 assignable outs shown as A e original signal will reach the multi EQ element placed below the send BP Page 39 Mixer column Input Output configurations When you Select the Create tool and click in an empty mixer slot in Mixer Edit mode a menu appears prompting you to create a new mixer column If you have several units in your system the menu will let you choose the unit i e the DSP and actual inputs outpu
72. e units that are not available the following dialogue box will let AT X Mixer columns reference unavailable physical unit s you decide to if these columns should be loaded with y Load these columns on first physical unit but with elements blocked their elements blocked i e muted or skipped Clicking Yes will load these mixer columns The Mute tool can be used to unmute them These columns will be assigned to the highest numbered unit within the system This may cause mixer elements to become muted in other mixer columns Clicking No will not load these mixer columns The following warning will be displayed before the Mixer is loaded Mixer columns reference unavailable or incompatible units Therefore these columns are not loaded Save Mix Ctrl Q Save Mix saves or updates the active Mixer If the active Mixer has not been saved save Mix Ctrl Q f previously a standard Windows Save As browser dialogue opens Save As Clicking Save As a standard Windows Save As browser dialogue opens the Mixer Save Mix As i needs to be named or renamed and you can browse your local and network drives to select the destination am path 20 DOT J 7 el Lad By Organize csa Views Y New Folder 7 PE Name Date modified Type 2 Band EQ Dynamics mix __ 2 Band EQ Dynamics External Send 2 Band EQ TCReverb mix Folders V 4 Band EQ mix di Perflogs 7 Band Graphic EQ mix
73. entre button a pre fader stereo peak meter input and output mute buttons a solo button and a fader _ E mani1 2u3 10 There is also a blank space at the bottom of the mixer strip that can be used to name and colour code the Strip Scribble Strips mani 2u3 0 4 Page 51 Output w Fader Output w Fader Output w Fader Output w Fader Output w Fader Output w Fader Output w Fader EPP Output w Fader EPP Output Output Output Output Output Output Output w Fader Output w Fader Output w Fader Output w Fader ka Mono Mono gt Stereo Stereo 4 chan 6 chan 8 chan Mono gt Stereo Stereo Mono Mono gt Stereo Stereo 4 chan 6 chan 8 chan Mono gt LRCS Mono 5 1 Stereo LRCS Stereo 5 1 f GE File Edit Settings Options View Help Next select the Create tool again click in the blank area of the sion 20 Mines Past C Multi EQ 1 Band Mono mixer strip under the track insert The mixer elements menu that O dE d h k A ll s sdio Toolbox Dynamics Multi EQ 2 Band Mono you used to create the track Insert will appear again dio Toolbox Delay Multi EQ2 Band Stereo This time select multi EQ 4 Band Stereo then release the dio Toolbox Dither MultiEQ3 Band Mono mouse button Dynamizer b Multi EQ 3 Band Stereo Reverb 1 01 Multi EQ 4 Band Mono Reverb gt Multi EQ 4 Band y Stereo The Multi EQ module
74. er environment Typically when launching the SSL Mixer application problematic plug ins would cause an object initialization error and the program does would immediately close again At present the only tested examples of this are Lounge Lizard and Tassman from Applied Acoustics Systems but the same may occur with other plug ins The command line switch solves the problem by initializing COM objects as APPARTMENT THREADED instead of MULTI_THREADED To use the a command switch insert a just after SSLMixer exe in the Target line of the SSL Mixer shortcut s properties In a standard installation the SSL Mixer s shortcut is located in C Documents and Settings All Users Start Menu Programs Startup Right clicking the shortcut will open the Properties window The edited line should read as follows C Program Files Soundscape SSLMixer SSLMixer exe a h SSLMixerDef ini Details Previous Versions Shortcut Compatibility AJ SSL Mixer Version 6 0 a command line switch Target type Application Target location Version 6 0 Alpha 8 Target Version 6 0 SSLMixer exe a hSSLMixerDef ini Start in C Soundscape Shortcut key None Run Normal window E Comment Ope Fe locaton NOTE Using this command line switch may slow down the performance of the SSL Console Manager application Automatic Delay Compensation ADC In a digital mixing system any processing of an audio signal takes
75. ereo to LRCS and stereo to 5 1 output panners only e Left L and Right R buttons positioned above the X pan fader can be used to link the X and Y pan faders to either pan dot e Four L lt gt R Pan Relation mode buttons allow the pan dot positions to be controlled independently or allow the dots to be linked so that their positions are automatically mirrored horizontally vertically or diagonally when moving either pan dot Independent L R pan positions Horizontally mirrored L R pan positions Vertically mirrored L R pan positions as ii t L Diagonally mirrored L R pan positions The output routing of the mono to LRCS and stereo to LRCS output panners is Left Right Centre Surround so that the left and right signals are on adjacent buses or outputs in case just the stereo signal is required The outputs would be routed to four full bandwidth speakers three across the front L C and R and a rear surround speaker S Similarly the output routing of the mono to 5 1 and stereo to 5 1 output panners is Left Right Centre LFE Left surround Right surround For instance if the output element is assigned to MADI1 6 U1 the output routing would be e L gt MADI1 U1 e R MADI2U1 e C gt MADI3 U1 e LFE gt MADI 4 U1 e Ls gt MADI5 U1 e Rs gt MADI6 U1 Page 46 A note about 5 1 and ADAT TDIF Outputs Mixpander Only When using a Mixpander card the component signals of a Surround mix may be o
76. essfully finished you can also Click Finish You are now ready to launch the SSL Mixer V6 for the first time Enjoy Custom Setup Select the program features you want installed Click on an icon in the list below to change how a feature is installed z Feature Description SS Create Desktop icon for SSL Mixer E Creates desktop icon for Create Desktop icon for oe Editor Soundscape Editor gt This feature requires 4KB on your hard drive Install to C Program Files Soundscape lt Back net gt Cancel Ready to Install the Program The wizard is ready to begin installation If you want to review or change any of your installation settings click Back Click Cancel to exit the wizard Current Settings Setup Type Custom Destination Folder C Program Files Soundscape User Information Name Prabha Company lt Back instan y Cancel Solid State Logic InstallShield Wizard Completed The InstallShield Wizard has successfully installed SSL Mixer amp 6 0 Soundscape Editor V6 0 1 Click Finish to exit the wizard Note The SSL Mixer Soundscape V6 Combo Installer will also install the latest Version of the SSL Console Bundle and Audio Toolbox Page 10 Installing the SSL Soundscape Console Manager Module Double Click the Setup Console Manager 1 55 to install the Console Manager software on your computer Pleas
77. etimes requires several mixer strips In the SSL Mixer only hN y Ws gt gt one stereo in stereo out mixer strip with the MS Decoder plug in eee reu element is needed to create the stereo pair and dedicated controls Cardioid microphone mid signal allow easy adjustment of all parameters ners Figure of eight microphone side signal The gain and width parameters for the MS signal can be adjusted directly in the mixer strip using the mouse buttons or scroll wheel Value 0 0 Cancel If you hold down both mouse buttons the values can be changed more quickly and the direction of the change is determined by the mouse button pressed first MSDecode 1 00 Double clicking a parameter value allows text entry with the keyboard Value 1 00 Cancel Double click on the mixer element s to open the main MS Decoder window Input section Lock Mid button BD Mid activated The relative gain of the mid MS matrix input signal is not affected by the width setting uv Op Mid not activated The relative gains of the mid and side MS matrix input signals vary at the same time and in opposite directions Gain 36 0 6 0dB The overall input gain applied to both input channels Width 0 00 3 00 Ratio expressing the gain of the side MS matrix input signal divided by the gain of the mid MS matrix input signal Matrix Routing section Swap Inputs Swaps the input channels before the signals enters the MS matrix
78. even for the most basic effect plug in VST compatibility offers SSL Mixer users a very wide choice of plug ins However since VST plug ins inserted in the SSL Mixer run on the CPU of the host PC buffers must be used The Automatic Delay Compensation takes care of the resulting alignment and phase problems Note that in recording situations when real time monitoring of the input signals is required it may be preferable to use only DSP powered plug ins with or without Automatic Delay Compensation VST plug ins can then be used when mixing preferably with Automatic Delay Compensation active The Automatic Delay Compensation ADC function can introduce compensating delays in the Mixer in order to counter the effects of any mixer element and bus delays The ADC compensates for all bus and output delays This means that the audio paths leading to common points are lined up i e they present the same overall amount of delay However all buses and outputs are not necessarily lined up relative to each other For instance the following output pairs e MADI1 2 U1 used by the Output Stereo element in mixer column 1 e MADI3 4 U1 used by the Output Stereo element in mixer column 2 are not lined up by default if they have completely isolated audio paths in the Mixer They will only be lined up relative to each other if they are referenced by the same send or output element Automatic Delay Compensation toggle Ctrl Alt D
79. gher levels of background noise removal such as tape hiss or Air Con noise for auto ducking guitar hum etc or it can be used to pump the mix which is commonly heard in dance music 3 Three Node Compressor The main compressor section has three separate compressor nodes with each having its own threshold and compression ratio This means that you can achieve a wide selection of effects from very soft soft knee to very hard brick wall compression You can also have any combination of these for instance you could start with a soft compressor that leads into a much harder one This compression section can be used for controlling the levels of dialogue vocals individual instruments like guitar and for maximising the energy in an entire mix 4 Limiter The limiter allows you to set a threshold for brick wall limiting and with a zero attack time will not allow the signal to exceed the threshold This is useful for such things as CD mastering or live PA where it is vital that the signal never exceeds a given level also useful for optimising broadcast levels during lay back to tape N Each of the four dynamics elements can be controlled via a global Main section This allows the attack time release time and output gain to be set Via these three global settings you can decide if the dynamics processor should track the input signal very quickly short attack short release or smoothly follow the contours of the sound long attack long releas
80. going through the channel strip prior to recording Stereo SSL EI Inputs 0 0 Tnm 0 011 Trim 0 0 Pan WRITE WRITE Ex EN Obese Co GA GSS ER EE Recording When the signal is passing through the channel you can record it by clicking the Track Arming button in the track channel Strip then the Record button in the Transport WRITE WRITE MDs SD MEN Hews M5 PR PA p an Magix Samplitude Sequioa Based on Samplitude 10 Pro running under Windows XP Selecting the Driver System Options Audio Setup The ASIO Driver System was selected for this quick System Optons Start example Options menu click System Audio dba A select the ASIO option box Click OK to confirm your Hare Corl 190 baie BEES selection and close the window ana Dock Souce SSLSoundscapeMoer e Performance ASIO Buffer 9802 24Bb Control Panel Audio Connections and Clock Settings wa o ECCI It is assumed that the MX4 is connected to an Alpha Unde Dente Link MADI AX or MADI SX Koad Meru t Mow The Alpha Link is configured so that its analogue esa inputs 1 to 24 are connected to its MADI outputs 1 to 24 and vice versa ood dte A stereo test signal is received via the Alpha Link s E A analogue inputs 1 and 2 and its analogue outputs1 fie ano pais and 2 are connected to a monitoring system Project Options Monloing Behoviow co It is further assumed that the MX4 and Alpha Link 7 Mix Input and Pl
81. h other or front and rear speakers as if the all speakers were brought closer to each other Higher values create more separation The Centre Speaker control allows centre panned sound to be gradually spread across the left and right front speakers The LFE dB level control for 5 1 output panners only determines the level of the signal routed to the LFE channel pre output fader Clicking the Speaker icon above the LFE fader will mute unmute the LFE output channel the LFE fader appears dimmed when the LFE channel is muted NOTE The panning mode is always equal power regardless of panning position divergence or centre speaker control settings Muted speakers are not taken into account though Page 45 X Y Divergence Centre and LFE controls e The sliders can be moved either by clicking and dragging them or by clicking at the required position with the mouse e Right clicking or left clicking in a value box respectively increases or decreases the corresponding value in steps of 1 Right clicking or left clicking in the selection box and holding the mouse button down increases or decreases the value continuously The other mouse button can then be held down as well to speed up the process even more Speaker Icons e Clicking a speaker icon mutes unmutes the corresponding speaker output e Right clicking a speaker icon solos unsolos the corresponding speaker output e The output level for each speaker is displayed in dB For st
82. ically that appear in the create element list while inserting a mixer element into a mixer column ANA 1 2 U1 ANAL2UI Dolby Surround Encoder Decoder RoomVerb SSL Console EQ VST Plug Ins Classic Auto Filter Stereo Aphex Aural Exciter Type III Version 1 0 Elephant 8 Chan Aphex Big Bottom Pro Version 1 0 GEQ7 Stereo Timeworks CompressorX GEQ7M Mono Drawmer SDX100 Hyperprism Phaser GMOI Stereo SSL Bus Compressor Mono Mono Hyperprism Ring Modulator SSL Bus Compressor Stereo Stereo SSL Channel Mono Mono SSL Channel Stereo Stereo SSL Drumstrip Mono Mono SSL Drumstrip Stereo Stereo SSL VocalStrip Mono Mono Hyperprism Sonic Decimator Version 2 xx Mixer Version 2 xx Mixer Part B Version 2 xx Mixer Part C Audio Toolbox Chorus Flanger Audio Toolbox Dynamics SSL X Comp Mono Mono Audio Toolbox Delay SSL X Comp Stereo Stereo Audio Toolbox Dither SSL X Eq Mono Mono TC Dynamizer SSL X Eq Stereo Stereo TC Reverb 1 01 MI Soe v Y A e ML Pw xc o NS n Y wp F m xS e WM Reverb Page 85 Pass all keyboard input to active mixer element window When this option is activated input from the computer keyboard is passed to the active mixer element window This may be necessary in order to authorise or use certain shortcuts in a VST Plug In Please note that some global SSL Mixer V6 keyboard commands may not work anymore so it s probably best to use th
83. ing one or more input output or send element s or closing or re routing a Windows application in order to release some streams Page 68 The default buffer size for native mixer elements is 128 samples This setting determines the latency of the VST calculation It can be changed under menu Settings Preferences Native mixer elements Sample Buffer Size Typically it should be raised if the PC is struggling to cope with the processing demands Multiples of 64 up to 8192 can be used If an invalid value is entered the closest valid value below it will be used instead Operationally VST plug ins within the SSL Mixer generally behave in a similar fashion to SSL format DSP powered plug ins and SSL Mixer elements in general They can be moved or copied using the relevant tools their settings are saved as part of the Mixer and automation works in 00 Default the same Way aS for other mixer elements 101 Peak suppressor P 02 T ient However the text box at the top of the main plug in window BOS Leveler 04 Expander behaves a bit differently The arrow to its right can be used to open a program selection menu and names can also be typed directly inside the box The Enter key must be pressed to validate a newly entered name otherwise it is lost as soon as a different program is selected a een ae OS E N Note Many VST plug ins have their own build in program bank management facilities VST mixer ele
84. ing the Add button opens the dialogue to select the kind of device you have 3Pin Master Interface 9 Pin Slave Interface connected The entries in the Interface list partly refer to industry standard CMAutomation Motormix Interface Full Frame Message Decoder Slave communication protocols and partly to dedicated Hardware devices Some of the General Advanced Midi Interface JL Cooper C5 10 Interface dedicated Hardware devices however defined industry standard communication JL Cooper MCS 3000 Interface Mackie Baby HUI Interface Protocols Selecting for example a MACKIE HUI interface also works with other Mackie Control Interface Mackie Control XT Interface Hardware that supports the MACKIE HUI HUI protocol Mackie HUI Interface Midi Mixer Map Interface Cancel za Add interface in Console Manager Select the appropriate Protocol Device Interface and press OK Ef Remove button APA Contirm the removing of the selected interface Clicking the Remove button when an Interface is selected opens a dialogue box where ii the removal of that device must be confirmed Click Yes to remove the device click No to abort the operation Are you sure you wish to remove the selected interface Midi Mixer Map Interface Properties button a ld reas Channel 1 When certain Console Interfaces such as the MIDI Mixer Map Interface Im Colman Element Knob or Soundscape 9 Pin Slave Interface are selected clicking th
85. ionary PCle Core Audio Pipeline technology and supported by the legendary SSL Soundscape drivers MX4 builds on this heritage as one of the first audio devices to take full advantage of the high speeds and incredible bandwidth offered by the PCle bus on modern computers 3 The SSL Inside Console SSL Mixer V6 Digital mixing effects and processing The SSL Mixer software runs on the on board DSP powered mixing engine providing immense audio processing capabilities The Mixer s architecture is amazingly flexible and puts no limits in the way the channels are structured The SSL Console EQ Filters Channel Dynamics and Bus Compressor plug ins offer the highest quality processing you can find in digital audio and provide console grade processing for the hit record The SSL Audio Toolbox provides essential building blocks with multi function dynamics processors gate expansion compression and limiting delay based effects multitap delay chorus flanger and dither Optional effects and processing plug ins are also available from other world renowned developers DSP based Hardware Processing PC based mixers suffer from a certain amount of processing delay also known as latency This may be very small on an expertly configured modern PC but gets worse as native effects and processors are added in the signal path so much so that it can be impossible to play an instrument and monitor the output in real time through a software mixer w
86. is now inserted MS Decoder Stereo The strip is simple but it is now complete In Mixer Edit mode take some time to experiment with the other tools It s possible to move or copy any mixer element within a mixer strip using the Move or Copy tool MEG 4 Band It s also possible to move or copy an entire mixer strip to another mixer column If the destination column is already occupied by a mixer strip that mixer strip and any other mixer strips will automatically be shifted to the right to make room as necessary Clicking on the input or output element with the I O Assign tool will allow you to select a different input source or output destination With the Delete tool you can delete any mixer element or strip by clicking on it MADI 1 2 U3 Placing mixer elements into the mixer strip Clicking with the Create tool in an existing mixer strip opens a menu displaying all mixer elements that are available to insert The selected element is inserted as soon as the mouse button is released x If you have followed the step by step mixer strip creation procedure described earlier above you are already familiar with this menu There is no limit to the number of elements A that can be inserted in a mixer strip within the available SATUS DSP power If you insert too many elements and the height of the strip TO cannot be fully displayed in the SSL Mixer window a vertical scroll bar will appear It is also possible to re
87. is option only if required Treat mixer element parameter changes as mixer file changes When this option is enabled a change of mixer element parameter will enable the Save Mix function in the File menu If it is disabled only Mixer E Auto route If Automatic Delay Compensation is active Use hierarchical menu for mixer element selection Pass all keyboard input to active mixer element window Ctrl Alt K Auto route If Automatic Delay Compensation is active Use hierarchical menu for mixer element selection Pass all keyboard input to active mixer element window Ctrl Alt K Treat mixer element parameter changes as mixer file changes changes to the structure or routing ofthe Mixer enable the Save Mix function Native mixer elements Sample Buffer Size This entry opens a dialogue box to enter the Sample Buffer Size for native mixer elements VST VSTi Plug Ins The default buffer size for native mixer elements is set to 128 samples Increase this number if your PC is struggling to cope with the processing demands Decrease this value if you need lower latencies processing delays while Monitoring through a native mixer Mixer gt C element Multiples of 64 up to 8192 samples can be used If an invalid value is entered the closest valid value will be used Mix Window If Always on top is activated the SSL Mixer window will always float on top of any other window even if that other window is
88. ith a few plug ins This is why most native MIDI Audio sequencers now include a plug in delay compensation feature This solves the problem in mixing situations but is by its very nature unusable while recording tracking and monitoring In contrast the SSL Mixer and its DSP powered plug ins offer a level of performance on a par with high end audio hardware in terms of sound quality and comparable to a hardware mixing console in terms of latency or absence thereof This is a major advantage when recording live vocals or instruments DSP effect plug ins can be inserted at any point in the signal path and the wet signal can be monitored in real time i e without any annoying processing delay while recording the dry or wet signal or both into your chosen application Native effects and DSP processing plug ins While SSL format DSP powered effects and processing plug ins provide a unique combination of superior sonic quality negligible latency and rock solid reliability we appreciate that native processing has a part to play The SSL Mixer supports the VST format This means that VST effect plug ins running on the host CPU can be inserted directly in the SSL Mixer This is useful in situations where latency is not an issue e g during mixing and mastering and allows access to a multitude of plug ins Feel free to grow Multiple card setups Multiple MX4 and Mixpander cards can be used simultaneously to provide a staggering number of inputs
89. k the boxes to connect the audio channel strip to a different input or output y Stereo Out 2 A Left channel strip as required Right Stereo Out 2 Left 5 P If the boxes are hidden right click the mixer select Window and then click Show Routing View to display them Cakewalk Sonar Based on Sonar 7 0 Producer Edition running under Windows XP Selecting the Driver The ASIO driver mode was chosen for this quick start example Options menu click Audio click the Advanced tab select ASIO using the Driver Mode drop down menu and click OK to confirm and close the window Audio Connections and Clock Settings It is assumed that MX4 is connected to an Alpha Link MADI AX or MADI SX The Alpha Link is configured so that its analogue inputs 1 to 24 are connected to its MADI outputs 1 to 24 and vice versa A stereo test signal is received via the Alpha Link s analogue inputs 1 and 2 and its analogue outputs 1 and 2 are connected to a monitoring system It is further assumed that the MX4 and Alpha Link clock settings are correct Overview Audio Options ASIO General Advanced Drivers pem File System eee JEnable Read Caching Enable write Caching Playback 1 0 512 Record I O 256 Buffer Size KB Buffer Size KB Playback and Recording Driver Mode ASID Trigger amp Freewheel Best when sound card has a Dithering Triangular v word clock input Full Chase L
90. king or left clicking once in a value box respectively increases or decreases the corresponding value by one increment Right clicking or left clicking in the selection box and holding the mouse button down increases or decreases the value continuously The other mouse button can then be held down as well to speed up the process even more Double clicking in a value box often calls up a dialog box where the required value can be entered using the computer keyboard Buttons bypass mute solo etc respond to mouse clicks In some cases right clicking them gives access to some extra functions e g the MUTE buttons in the multi EQ window Nodes can be clicked and dragged with the mouse for example to shape an EQ curve in the a multi EQ window or to place a sound in a surround panner sound field window Standard Windows option boxes and check boxes are sometimes provided to select or activate deactivate certain functions e g to select rectangular or triangular dithering and activate or deactivate noise shaping in the dither element dialog box from the Audio Toolbox Certain mixer elements have a name field in their main window and load save buttons which open standard Windows load save dialog boxes Page 57 Sends Several types of send elements are available mono stereo with a balance control mono to stereo with a pan control with or without Equal Power Panning Any number of sends can be inserted anywhere in a mixer strip
91. l computer keys will be shown between square brackets For example the key for the letter E will be written E Key combinations will be written using signs For example pressing the D key while holding the Control key will be written as Ctrl D Menus Where appropriate to indicate a path under one of the main menus the following format will be used menu Header Submenu 1 Submenu 2 Submenu3 Item Screenshots The appearance of the SSL Mixer software on your computer screen may be different from the screenshots in this manual This could be because your SSL hardware configuration is different because you are using a different version of Windows because you are using different Windows settings or because the look of the SSL Mixer can vary e g the Toolbar can be moved around the main window The screenshots themselves were not always made using the SSL Mixer s default settings Safety and Installation Considerations This section contains definitions warnings and practical information to ensure a safe working environment Please take time to read this section before installing or using this unit Please do not dispose of these instructions General Safety Caution e Read these instructions e To reduce the risk of electric shock do not perform any e Keep these instructions servicing other than that contained in these Installation e Heed all warnings Instructions unless you are qualified to do so Refer all e Follo
92. ly you can change some Send Outputs in the Channels to the Bus Input of the newly created AUX Channel s o DII eI E Again your imagination is the limit Due to the near ZERO latency architecture of the SSL Mixer V6 creating complex Busing structures does NOT affect the overall latency of the Mixer at all Internally the Buses do not introduce ANY additional latency However Plug ins inside the AUX Channel can add latency especially native VST Plug Ins TES TN Recording Channel Section in the example Mixer 12 Inputs 4x Mono Ins and 4x Stereo Ins have been set up to Mono Input MADI 1 muted gt REISEN 4 record 12 physical inputs MADi 1 to MADI 12 pass them butputte Nuendo Sireama staniu O directly to Stream 1 12 into Nuendo AND down the Recording h ips SSL EQ F BP EAS eel SSL Console EQ F DSP muted 3 After below the output going to Nuendo s Stream Inputs x EN SSL EQ and SSL Dynamics can be applied for Monitoring SSL Console Dynamics DSP muted gt They are DSP muted and should be un muted to use them for nm UT Monitoring Send to MON1 Bus 19 20 3 BUS 19 2001 IM Q 3 Stereo Sends to Monitor MON 1 3 Post EQ and Dynamics AMOR BI BUS 21 22 U1 JB allow near ZERO latency Artist Monitoring with Effects 1 Send to MON3 Bus 23 24 The Output Section with Fader sends the Signal over Bus 1 2 to the red MASTER Strip in the mid Master a
93. ments VST mixer elements are indicated by a plug in name label with a grey background and black text If a processing overload occurs in the host PC a warning message is displayed the VST mixer elements turn red and the Mixer is deactivated mEQ 4 Band A VST plug ins native mixer elements processing overload Click OK to close the message box To reactivate the Mixer the configuration should be changed This can be done quickly by selecting the Mute tool and muting or unmuting mixer elements VSTi mixer elements MS Wasp VSTi No Inp Output Stereo Column 1 Element 4 Everything mentioned in the previous section about VST plug F Ed wl Default ins also applies to VSTi VST instrument plug ins amp cmn Cu none sca In addition VSTi plug ins have Port and Chan settings in Ex peu the Plug In Topbar to open a drop down list and select an audi 5 available MIDI input port and MIDI channel edipi os Tris ILLI VOICE A Soundscape Yamaha 03D R ADSR o D 43000 ene AMT spo BT UL amp 6 6 P AMRSGARO llo o Y TAM LFO 2 DRV TONE SHOW FX PANEL NOTE In order to use VST instruments a MIDI interface Keyboard Controller must installed on the host computer and correctly configured Page 70 Additional information regarding VST VSTi plug in compatibility Certain VST or VSTi plug ins require special Multi Threading settings to work in the SSL Mix
94. mming SSL BUS section for all other columns in this Mixer SSL Stereo Bus Compressor bypassed E The Stereo PPM meter shows any overload on the BUS Since the SSL Realtime Mixer Engine does not allow or mask any potential overloads in Inputs or Outputs you may have to lower the general volume of all Mixing Channels proportionally by right clicking and dragging one of the faders to move them all Just below the PPM there is a Stereo SSL EQ F for final Frequency tweaks followed by The Glue our famous SSL Bus Compressor to let your Mix sound like a record You could add other Plug Ins to your Master Channel for example a brick wall Limiter a Multi Band Compressor or a Mastering Package Also you can add Sends or Outputs for example To Tape Streaming Output to Nuendo to record the Master there or to your Headphone Preamp directly under the Stereo to Stereo Output w Fader gt Plug Ins The master channel s Solo and Fader groups are set to group 3 so it won t be affected by the solo buttons or group fader movements in the Recording or Playback channel sections Solo Group 63 ls Fader Mute Group FG3 ag l The MADI 1 2 h h R i e 1 2 outputs should be connected to the Control Room Output to MASTER Monitor MADI 1 2 PTET Monitoring speakers via the A D A interface you can l l alternatively change the Output for example to MADI 63 64 Scribble Strip MASTER gt ASTER when your Master DA with y
95. n Followed by a Sample Delay Line which can can invert the phase and add a small delay 0 255 samples to change phase relations between channels SSL Console EQ F and Dynamics give you the original SSL Console Sonic DNA 5 Stereo Sends can feed the AUX channels All AUX sends are set to pre fader but may be switched to post fader by double clicking them Sends can be placed before or after EQ and Dynamics with the MOVE Tool Edit Mode Tools if desired Solo and Fader Groups SG and FG are assigned to Group 1 The Output is set to Bus 1 2 which is the Input of the MASTER Monitor Please note Some Plug Ins in the higher numbered Stereo Mixing Channels are DSP muted to save DSP resources Although MX4 has immense processing power it is a good practice to DSP mute unused elements to keep this DSP resource in reserve Interaction with the DAW Application Mono to Stereo Output w Fader 3 Mono Input Stream 1 3 Blank Space Stereo PPM B H Sample Delay Line gs T SSL EO F SSL Console EQ F E SSL Console Dynamics gt LL BUS 9 10 U1 o BUS 11 12U1 Send to AUX1 Bus 9 10 3 Ele Send to AUX2 Bus 11 12 3 d Send to AUX3 Bus 13 14 gt n BUS 13 14 U1 Send to AUX4 Bus 15 16 S BUS 15 16 U1 Send to AUX5 Bus 17 18 BUS 17 18U1 series Solo Group SG1 EN Fader
96. nd Monitor Section The order of elements can be changed between the top Input and the bottom Output for example If the Output to Nuendo is moved below the SSL EQ and Dynamics the signal going to Nuendo will contain EQ and Dynamics therefore you would record the processed signal Mono to Stereo Output w Fader Or by moving the Send to Mon3 Bus 23 24 above SSL DYN below SSL EQ F would send an artist the EQ d but not Comp d signal to his headphones the Compressor would still Solo Group SG20 a hon Minden e going to the Producers Fader Mute Group FG20 gt E A Peeters Output to MASTER Monitor Bus 1 2 gt EEN M When you use the SSL Mixer V6 for mixing only both Scribble Strip Mono Recording 1 gt Recording Channels and Artist Monitor Channels can be DSP muted to free up DSP resources that are probably better used for the mixing tasks Recording to Nuendo STR 1 The signal coming from Input MADI 1 goes out of the SSL Mixer via STR 1 to Mono Input 1 in Nuendo s mixer which is set to STR1 as m Input Lr MEE Input Routing Mes Pressing the record enable button in the Nuendo Channel or for as for as many channels as you want to record you are now ready for recording and should see Nuendo s Peak Meters move 141201101 g Mono In 1 b Mono In 2 gt hbno Out 2 h gt hbno Out 2 NOTE It is also possible to use the high quality SSL EQ and Dynamics for recording as you may d
97. nd field using the surround panner A stereo in stereo to LRCS out configuration is similar to the mono in mono to LRCS out configuration except that the signal path through the mixer column is stereo allowing stereo processes or effects to be applied to the signal Routing in this example In this example the output routing of the LRCS signal is e MADI 1 L e MADI 2 R e MADI 3 C e MADI 4 S mono to LRCS panner DIVERGENCE CENTER FRONT REAR FIR mono in mono to LRCS strip as seen in the Mixer Software mono in mono to LRCS strip connection diagram Q ANA 1U2 mEG 4 Band DE mEQ 4 Band mapli u2 E Gunshot m DIVERGENCE FRONT REAR FIF CENTER 100 100 100 Page 43 The mono in mono to 5 1 out configuration is similar to the mono in mono to LRCS out configuration except that the output element has six individual outputs for 5 1 eL e R e C e LFE e Ls e RS The stereo in stereo to 5 1 out configuration is similar to the mono in mono to 5 1 out configuration except that the signal path through the mixer column is stereo allowing stereo processes or effects to be applied to the signal Routing in this example e MADI 1 L e MADI 2 R e MADI 3 C e MADI 4 LFE e MADI 5 LS e MADI 6 RS mono to 5 1 panner DIVERGENCE FRONT REAR FIR CENTER mono in mono to 5 1 strip connection diagram Q mo
98. nd is soloed right clicking the MUTE button a second time returns all the buttons to their previous state whereas left clicking deactivates all EQ bands Page 59 Right clicking in the EQ band tab near the MUTE button will open a menu with options to restore default settings for that EQ band or for all EQ bands to activate or deactivate solo mode for that EQ band The EQ curve can be edited directly in the graph display e The centre frequency for each EQ band is represented in the curve display by a node Each node has a number so that they can all be identified easily even if they have been moved around a lot any of the EQ bands can be set to any centre frequency so the node for EQ Band 1 could end up being between the nodes for EQ bands 3 and 4 The nodes can be clicked and dragged with the mouse The frequency and gain parameters are adjusted accordingly in real time e The curve itself can also be shaped by clicking and dragging to increase or decrease the bandwidth of an EQ band Dragging a node Dragging the line The Top bar of the Multi EQ contains the Standard Preset Load Save and Bypass buttons Sample delay line The sample delay line element can be used to Phase inversion button compensate for time delays generated in the mixer or resulting from AD DA conversion It can also be used to invert the phase of a signal Delay value number of samples The signal can be delayed by up to 255 samples The valu
99. no in mono to 5 1 strip as seen in the Mixer Software TDIF 1U2 mEQ 4 Band mEQ 4 Band Engine 5 DIVERGENCE CENTER FRONT REAR FIR ps uis T co ES Ca le For mixer columns with a mono or stereo to LRCS or 5 1 output double clicking the output element just next to the small Surround panner or in the output assignment box will open the Surround Panner window The panner features individual pan dots for the Left white or mono and Right red stereo panner only input signal s These dots can be moved across the sound field using the left and right mouse buttons respectively by clicking and dragging or by clicking at the required position in the sound field The pan dots can be moved either in the small panner in the mixer column or in the large panner window In the large window it is also possible to use the X and Y sliders or the X and Y value boxes For Surround panners with a stereo input L and R buttons positioned MADI 1 2 Ut mEQ 4 Band DIVERGENCE CENTER i FRONT REAR FIR above the X fader indicate whether ma T mv u the Left or Right signal panning is currently controlled by the X and Y faders 021053103 The Front Rear and F R Front Rear divergence controls allow the sound to blend gradually respectively between the front speakers as if the front speakers were brought closer to each other rear speakers as if the rear speakers were brought closer to eac
100. not consume DSP power anymore This means that you can construct a Mixer with duplicated strips having different parameter settings for easy A B comparison Or you could build a Mixer that has a higher processing power requirement than the DSP s can provide and just activate the elements that you need at any given time This way if you need to use more effects than available DSP power allows you can adjust an effect in real time record the output to a sequencer track and then mute the real time effect to save processing power for other purposes NOTE Pressing the BP button bypass for an element does not reduce the DSP power consumption as the element is still active just bypassed and instantly available Only DSP muting the element with the Mute tool will reduce the DSP power used Each mixer element consumes a certain percentage of DSP resources and the overall percentage for processing P and memory M is shown in the Mixer window s title bar For example in a MX4 a single mono mixer column with output fader is around P o 196 M o 396 the 4 band mono multi EQ is P 1 1 M o 396 a mono peak meter is P o 196 M o 1 etc More complex elements use more DSP power such as for example the stereo Chorus Flanger from the Audio Toolbox plug in which uses P 2 196 M 1 296 If you DSP mute an element you will see a reduction in DSP power usage as long as there is no DSP masking taking place another instance of the Plug In is active and
101. nsole SSL Mixer Void EYEEE VE C02 EV eua Veuv d Ve ve Pe EE Cv nex PE S Se rena a Va epo Cue aas 7 Disitatmpbyneeilects ANG Procede 7 DSP based HardWare PrOCessi i9 NA TAS 7 Native effects and DSP Drocessine DUS ANS socis es tive e e eee AD 7 Feel free to crow Multiple card Set ps iaa 7 SUG HO TS REM RE ET t 7 SSL Mixer V6 Software Installations ees aa id 8 SSE Mixer Vo Software and Plusi Installation OVINA Cei ee ve a e e etat 8 Installingthe SSE MIXer Vo SOW AC i sees iras bd 9 Installing the SSL Soundscape Console Manager Module ocios 11 B Duickstart Tito alicia 12 a 12 MWorkine With your AUCIOSA DD CATION rata 13 Example configuration for Mixing Recording and Monitoring with SSL Mixer V6 and Nuendo esee 20 6 SSL Mixer V6 The Reference GUNG Gs thai Fc La eee due ro Qood Sc Free Cota iv d vere E DO v EhR IH Fevsveedi dudas 26 Eoadinednasavine ad Saee oot dine EA EEA E ETA dais 26 Mixer Dullditie Blocks ni Al lesa 27 Mixer Strips and D5PProcessime POWOJI 3 ostii tun a Er e usen A ute b ON eee 27 DSP Resources and DSP AUO ROUNE 5 655 God tuse a oet asia odios ii 28 Basic Mixes ie ID Mold CES IT ar ATA 29 A ERN 30 sj e 8o 1L CERNI on II O 32 SCHDDIG A o dace run Ente Dti nC B tcs DUREE M estes ate Do iege uot bas 34 Input Output identltica Oo c roues eo aa iva de ma Pre te eei Rb euadere vet d a essen e eve vitibus v NR 35 Mixer Edit Mode TOO Dat ars a A Ot A ia OR C E e
102. o with real consoles without added latency Just move the streaming output element below the SSL EQ and Dynamics elements so the Tape Send is Post Effects now Artist Monitor Channel Section in the example Mixer Three stereo Artist s Monitors MON1 to MON3 derive Stereo Input Bus 19 20 gt GEHESEN their Input signals from auxiliary sends on the Recording Stereo PPM E Channel m Send Elements Pre Fader routed to the MON Channels are assigned to physical Outputs here MADI 19 20 that are ultimately connected to Headphone Preamps The Artist Monitor section bypasses Nuendo entirely ATB Dynamics DSP muted gt directly sending the input signal to the Artist with near ZERO latency The DAW s build in Direct Monitoring Should not be activated to avoid listening to the REC Input twice M EQ 4 Band DSP muted The currently DSP muted M EQ and ATB Dynamics can be used to adjust the Headphone Sound The Monitoring volume for the Artist is handled by the little Fader on the Send MADI 19 20 in this case If MADI 23 24 or MADI 47 48 is used you can connect a headphone directly to an Alpha Link headphone output Stereo Send Artist Phones MADI 19 20 3 which is hard wired to DA 23 24 The channel s output level to the Master Channel is adjusted with the bottom Fader which does not affect the Stereo to Stereo Output w Fader gt gt Send to the Artist headphones set to Pre
103. ock Best when chasing to MIDI time code C Share Drivers With Other Programs Use Multiprocessing Engine Play Effect Tails After Stoppi O Play Effect Tails After Stopping Timing Offset msec 0 000 Always Open All Devices Remove DC Offset During Record Record Pre allocate 0 B File seconds Record Latency Adjustment samples Device SSL Soundscape ASIO 64 in 64 ou w Manual Offset 9 ASIO Reported Latency 51 2 The Sonar Console is divided into three main sections on the keyboard press Alt 3 to display the Console For clarity we have used the buttons on the left of the console to hide the EQ Plot EQ FX and Send sections of the channel strips e Tracks Section includes one channel strip for each track in the project e Buses Section includes the Master Bus Strip on the left e Mains Section includes direct stereo outputs assigned to the audio hardware Me bS HR When Sonar is started a dialogue offers the option to create a new project The default configuration of the new project is two stereo audio tracks and two MIDI tracks This is a good way to start experimenting with MX4 and was used for writing this manual so please follow the prompts to create a new project and then proceed to the sections below m AM Audio 1 Tracks Section Xtreme Reference Guide cwp Console El Madi WRITE UE 5 UU CACEN hone MED TRACK TRAC
104. on Buses 9 10 to 17 18 AUX 1 and AUX2 have no Plug Ins inserted and are therefore ready to for you insert a VST or SSL Mixer DSP effect Aux 3 has a short slap back delay and a M EQ inserted Aux 4 is is ready with a psychedelic stereo ping pong delay and also some M EQ action Aux 5 has a Chorus Flanger element inserted All Aux Channels are set to a common Solo and Fader Group 10 so you can easily Solo 1 effect or listen to a fully dry mix by muting all ofthem with a right click on a Mute button Stereo to Stereo Output w Fader gt gt Also it allows you to alter the global effect volume by moving on ofthem with a right mouse click When you want to use an external EFX Processor simply insert Solo Group SG10 create an Output Element directly followed by an Input Element both without Fader and set the l O s to the appropriate hardware connections i gt FF Output to MASTER Monitor Bus 1 2 gt EME M Fader Mute Group FG10 10 Scribble Strip Stereo AUX 3 gt MINE AUX Channel Signal Flow The AUX Channels derive their Inputs from Sends on all other Channels We used 5 Stereo a y Bus pairs from Bus 9 10 to Bus 17 18 OZ The Outputs of the AUX Channels are set to Bus 1 2 our MASTER Bus going directly to our ERUNT Summing Monitoring MASTER Channel uu E You can set up more AUX Channels if desired and create new Send inside the other Channels to fed them Alternative
105. ono compatibility Insert the MS Decoder into your Master Bus and set its parameter as follows M S Matrix On to monitor in mono Off to monitor in stereo other top row buttons off Gain 6dB odB if monitoring via an EPP output element Width 1 00 Asymm 90 Rotation o Bass Shelving Off Page 63 Audio Toolbox plug ins The Audio Toolbox set of mixer plug ins must be enabled by entering a password in the SSL Mixer software you can find the password in the product s registration card and in a sticker on the MX4 box Entering the password in one of the Audio Toolbox plug ins will automatically enter it for the rest of the plug ins listed in the Options menu Chorus Flanger Dynamics Delay Dither The Audio Toolbox plug in effects combine DSP power efficiency with excellent audio quality They are very useful collection of essential tools bread and butter processes for everyday tasks More comprehensive optional DSP effects are available from Solid State Logic and third party companies Chorus Flanger Dynamics processor Delay and Dither elements are available for insertion in any mixer channel in all relevant mono mono to stereo or stereo configurations The parameters shown in the mixer columns can be edited directly with the left and right mouse buttons or the scroll wheel Double clicking a parameter value field allows text entry Double clicking the name of an element in the Mixer channel opens the main plug in window Cli
106. open the Passwords window Enter your password for the Version 2 xx Mixer MIX Audiotoolbox ATB SSL Console EQ and Filters SEQ SSL Console Dynamics SCD and SSL Bus Compressor SBC The Passwords for your MX4 can be found on a label on the card itself or on the registration card If you have purchased any optional effects plug ins then you can also enter the corresponding passwords now Please check the Passwords section of the Options chapter if you need more help 4 Click Open under the File menu locate and load the Mixer SSL Console 16CH mix file The path is C Soundscape Mix SSL Console 16CH mix for a standard installation using the default folders 5 Activate the sound source connected to inputs 1 2 of your SSL hardware The peak meter at the top of the mixer strip in column 1 will indicate the level of the signal Make sure the red clipping indicators are not lit otherwise you could get some very nasty digital distortion NOTE If the input peak meter indicates no signal or maximum level all the time the Master Clock settings are probably incorrect Please check the Master Clock section of the Settings Section in the Menu Reference chapter for details 6 The Mixer will be set up to mix the 16 inputs to stereo and send the resulting stereo signal to outputs 1 2 of your SSL hardware 7 Try loading different mixer files menu File Open to get an idea of how versatile the SSL Mixer is Note that some of the preset
107. ormation about selecting a buffer latency setting Steinberg Cubase Nuendo Screenshots based on Nuendo 4 1 2 Build 851 running under Windows XP Selecting the Driver P Device Setup E For this quick start example we have chosen to use the ASIO driver Devices menu click Device Setup Im highlight VST Audio System in the left hand pane MID K VST Audio System ll Release Driver when Application is in Background select SSL Soundscape ASIO in the ASIO Driver MIDI Port Setup d d th li OK C Remote Devices Input Latency 11 610 ms rop down menu then click OK AR ey ise G Transport Time Base Audio Connections and Clock Settings i idus ideo We will assume here that the MX4 is connected to nas Video Player Advanced Options Setto Defaults an Alpha Link MADI AX or MADI SX VST Audio System SSL Soundscape ASIO Studio Manager VST System Link Multi Processing The Alpha Link is configured so that its analogue inputs 1 to 24 are connected to its MADI outputs 1 to mercem 24 and vice versa 0 Samples A stereo test signal is being received via the Alpha Link s analogue inputs 1 and 2 and its analogue outputs 1 and 2 are connected to a monitoring system It is further assumed that the MX4 and Alpha Link clock settings are correct Overview The Nuendo Mixer is divided into three main sections press function key F3 to display the Mixer P Mixer E
108. our speakers is connected there Master Bus Signal Flow The Master Bus on the Input is simply fed by all other Channel Outputs using Bus 1 2 The Output routes to a physical output most probably directly connected to your Monitoring System s Speakers Headphones and or an additional Tape recorder Nn B bl Bus 1 2 Bus 1 2 When necessary you can change individual Channel outputs to route directly to another physical output and therefore bypass the Master Section This could for example be useful if you want to send a clean Guitar recording to an Amp Cabinet combo and record the results with a Microphone over a Recording Channel Due to the near ZERO latency architecture of the SSL Mixer V6 this is now all R per ee possible directly inside your PC A To Monitor Speakers Headphones MADI 1 2 AUX Channel Section in the example Mixer 5 Stereo AUX channels are set up and can be used as Sends for Stereo Input Bus 13 14 gt ELSA Reverbs Delays Chorus and other EFX you want to use globally Stereo PPM E mEQ3 Band EZ Please note that effects inserted into these channels should be set to a 100 wet mix since they are working in parallel with the original channels coming from the Mixing Channel Section M EQ 3 Band gt DELAY LONG GC 100 0 Long Delay gt gt The 5 Aux Channels are set to receive their Inputs from the Mixing Channel s sends
109. pensation is active will line up all the output elements except those that are followed by an Input element Mixer element Delay Adjustment parameter The ADC function relies on the delay values reported by each individual mixer element to calculate the compensating delays that must be applied This value can be checked and edited by the user In Mixer Edit mode clicking a mixer element with the Info tool BS Eun open the corresponding Element Info window as Name TCReverb Stereo 0 shown on the right side for a TC Reverb plug in j i Cancel The value in the Delay Adjustment field will be added to or CN PU subtracted from the Reported delay value Automatable knobs 4 Any value in Samples up to 99999 can be entered more than Name Units Automation Enable Automation Track should ever be needed om JOE Couma dl y F i lue the minus sign must be entered There is no i 10 Column v or a negative value g eina need to type the plus sign for a positive value ETIN 10 Column fi Page 73 Note that this parameter is applied individually for each instance of a mixer element allowing you to selectively correct or introduce a delay in the Mixer when ADC is active The Delay Adjustment parameter setting is saved as part of the Mixer If you find that the reported delay value always needs to be adjusted by the same amount for each instance of a particular mixer element you can override the reported delay value by
110. potentially all of the DSP code has to be restructured and spread differently across all DSP s While this is happening no further editing is possible Depending on the amount of DSP Code that needs reloading or in other words how big your mixer is this could take from a couple of milliseconds to approx 1 second In order to speed up the building process you can also use Inactive Build Here the Mixer gets deactivated no DSP Code loaded and you can edit your structure add Strips and elements instantly Once you are done just activate this Mixer and all of the DSP Code is loaded only once If native mixer elements such as VST plug ins are used native processing is also stopped while the Mixer is being edited To use Mixer Inactive Build hold the Shift key down while performing the required edits The title bar will display Inactive after the P and M values and the changes you make will be reflected instantly on screen o Jc The Shift key can be released before the last edit is carried out in order to reactivate the edited Mixer A Alternatively you can double click on the Caption bar to reactivate the Mixer DSP power limit The P value reported in the Mixer window s title bar is the percentage of the available DSP clock cycles which is required to run the Mixer at the selected Sample Rate taking the Varispeed setting into account The M value is the percentage of memory resources required to run the Mixer
111. ppy to help Please register your SSL audio card on our website This will ensure that you receive notifications of future software upgrades and other important information and that your guarantee is registered Registration will also make you eligible for technical support The Solid State Logic home page is at www solid state logic com Solid State Logic is committed to the development and marketing of professional solutions for native PC and Mac based digital audio recording systems The SSL Mixer V6 is the Software creating a real SSL Console inside the Box Flexible reliable and equipped with the Sound that made more Hit Records than any other Console How to use this manual The SSL product range has been designed from the ground up to be easy to use If you are familiar with the Windows environment installing PCle and PCI cards and the basics of recording and playing back digital audio you could probably just set the system up and feel comfortable running a session within an hour However the SSL Mixer offers a wealth of powerful and helpful features that you will only discover quickly by reading this manual It is therefore advisable at some point to read it from cover to cover For example the Mixer is fully configurable and while a few ready made Mixers are provided to really harness its power read the Mixer chapter as soon as you can If you are new to digital audio recording reading the manual first is highly recommen
112. puts are identified by a string of letters for the output type ANA for Analogue 1 0 AES for AES EBU I O MADI for MADI 1 0 ADAT for ADAT I O TDIF for TDIF STR for Streaming I O BUS for Bus one or two numbers one for a mono input or output two for a pair or larger group e g 9 16 for an eight channel input element and a unit number if there is more than one card present in the system NOTE When working at 96Khz the number of connections to the Alpha Link Unit and Streaming I O is reduced to 32 Soundscape 32 workstation The Soundscape 32 audio workstation offers 3 TDIF ports that provide a total of 24 i o and are identified in the SSL Mixer as TDIF1 to 8 TDIF9 to TDIF16 and TDIF17 to TDIF24 inputs and outputs The AES EBU stereo input connector is named DIGITAL AES EBU IN1 2 The two AES EBU stereo output connectors named DIGITAL AES EBU OUT1 2 and OUT3 4 The two balanced XLR inputs are identified as the ANA1 and ANA2 The four balanced XLR outputs are named ANA1 ANA2 ANA3 and ANA4 NOTE When working at 96Khz the number of I O s is limited to 16 and Streaming 1 0 is reduced to 32 Page 35 Mixer Edit Mode Toolbar File Edit Settings Options View Help The SSL Mixer Toolbar contains seven tools to create edit and fully configure the SSL Mixer s structure for each channel Although simple to use the tools give you the power to design almost any structure you could dream of NOTE The Tools only work when
113. quired for CD at 16 bits the Dither element would normally be placed in the main stereo output channel strip The recording resolution and the Dither Requantisation bit depth would then both be set to 16 bit l The Requantization bit depth can be changed in the value box using the mouse buttons in the usual way Alternatively double clicking in the value box will open a a text entry dialogue Page 67 Using VST Plug Ins VST effect plug ins running on the host CPU can be inserted in the SSL Mixer just like any other mixer elements The VST plug ins are stored on the PC as files with a dll extension For a VST plug in to be available to the SSL Mixer the corresponding dll file must be loaded by the Software during startup By default the SSL Mixer scans the C Program Files Soundscape MixElem VST folder and loads the dll files located in that folder A different path can be specified by adding a VSTLibPath line to the relevant ini file located in C Soundscape in a standard installation for instance VSTLibPath C Program Files Steinberg Vstplugins Note that any subfolders of the designated folder will be scanned as well During scanning a small window appears in front of the splashcreen where the plug ins names are displayed as they are loaded S8mxvST scanning YST Plug In TT Dynamic Range Meter 1 4 Dialogue boxes may also appear during that phase for instance when a plug in requires authorisation NOT
114. reo in mono out mixer strip as seen in the Mixer Software MADI 1 2 U1 SSL DYN MADI 1 UT stereo in mono to stereo out as seen in the Mixer Software MADI2U01 E SSL D YN BP MADI 1U1 Mi stereo in mono out mixer strip connection diagram BUS 1 2 U2 1 stereo in mono to stereo out connection diagram maoirzui J E 112 im Stereo Balance and Panning Stereo and mono to stereo outputs can be selected with Equal Power Panning EPP menu options In this case when the balance or pan control is moved to one side the level for that side is gradually increased by up to 3dB to compensate for the overall loss of power from the other side 4 in stereo out mixer columns 4 in stereo out 4 in stereo out as seen in the Mixer Software connection diagram MADI 1 4 U1 M This configuration would be used to insert a 4 in 2 out mixer element such as a stereo compressor with side chain input MADI 1 4 L SSL DYN The main signal must reach the compressor via MADI inputs 1 2 the key signal or Sidechain must reach the compressor via MADI inputs 3 4 Only the main signal will reach the compressor s outputs BUS 1 2 U2 Surround Mixing I O Configurations For mono in mono to LRCS out the signal path through the mixer column is mono allowing mono processes or effects to be applied to the signal The mono multi EQ in the example is applied before the eq d signal is positioned in the sou
115. rn n ro p mw M MADI 3 4 U1 ui BUS 1 2 Li Drums Guitars Multi FX Return Page 49 Final Mix MADI Out 3 4 Master Out Creating a new Mixer To fully understand the mixer creation process it might be useful to think of a particular mixer strip then set out to create it You can follow this step by step example to create a stereo mixer strip with a stereo track insert assigned to streams 9 10 and a 4 band multi EQ Click New under the File menu If a Mixer is already open you will be b merum given the option to save it File Edit Settings Options View Help A completely blank mixer will appear Mixer Control mode mouse cursor and Mix Control Edit toggle um V Now press the Edit toggle button in lix Sax Mixer Edit mode the mouse cursor shows edit as well as the Edit toggle button Mixer Edit mode mouse cursor and Mix Control Edit toggle Select the Create tool by clicking its icon with the mouse Click in a mixer column with the Create tool hold the mouse button down select the required type of mixer strip and release the mouse button In this example we have opted for Stereo Input Stereo Output with Fader and Equal Power Panning in mixer column 1 Mono gt Input Stereo gt Input 4 chan gt Input 6 chan gt Input 8 chan gt A mixer strip will appear with the default inputs and outputs 1 2 U1 a balance control Slider with c
116. s can also be created with 4 6 or 8 inputs and outputs These could be used for example to send and receive multitrack submixes to and from 8 Channel ADAT TDIF ports Input and output selection Each mixer column has at least one built in user selectable input and output and may have any number of send elements These can be set to use any of the physical inputs and outputs internal mixer buses or PC audio streams In Mixer Edit mode selecting the Track Assign tool and clicking the input output or send element will open the menu showing all possible routing options The example below shows the selection menu for a stereo input element with a SSL Alpha Link MADI SX connected to the Mixpander that the mixer column is running on AES 1 2 u2 ANA 10 U2 MADE 17 18 ue MADI 49 50 LE Bus 1 2 U2 BUS 33 34 LE STR 65 66 STR 97 98 AES 3 4 U2 ANA 11 12 U2 MADI 19 20 UZ MADI 51 52 U BUS 3 4 U2 BUS 35 36 U2 STR 67 68 STR 99 100 AES 5 6 UL ANA 13 14 U2 Mapi 21 22 U2 MADI 53 54 U2 B5 6 Ue BUS 37 39 U2 SIR 69 70 SIR 101 102 AES 7 8 U2 ANA 15 16 U2 MADE 23 24 UG MADI 55 56 U BUS 7 8 U2 BUS 39 40 U2 STR 71 72 STR 103 104 AES 9 10 U2 ANA 17 18 U2 MADI 25 26 LE MADI 57 58 U2 BIS 9 10 U2 BUS 41 42 U2 IR 73 74 STR 105 106 AES 11 12 U2 ANA 19 20 U2 MADE 27 28 UR MADI 59 60 U EIS 11 12 U2 BUS 43 44 LE STR 75 76 STR 107 108 AES 13 14 U2 ANA 21 22 U2 MADI 29 30 UZ MADI 61 62 U2 BUS 13 14 U BUS 45 46 UZ TR 77 78 STR 109 110 AES 15 16 U2 ANA 23 24 U2 MADE 31 32
117. s or double click the task bar icon opens the main Console Manager Properties Window Console Manager allows external devices to control the SSL Mixer software by receiving data from these external Za Soundscape Console Interface Control Panel ha devices and transmitting it to the Mixer Software using Serial Port Devices Console Interfaces several possible Control Protocols HUI MCU JL Cooper S Name Status Sl e c etc that can be set up in the Console Interface section Serial Port NES on the right hand side of the window Com Devices es Console Interfaces The two sections on the left are used to select the ita Name status for Hardware Controllers Hardware Ports Serial Com Ports Midi Interface USB MIDI Communication MIDI that belong to the Hardware Controller or where fe Devices the Controller is connected to MIDI RS422 etc Setting Up Midi Controller Devices The MIDI Devices section has three buttons Add Remove and Properties do cios N Stat The latter two appear greyed out if no Midi device is selected or present sal mcum CS 10 Tm Es NE a Add button ZA Add midi device to midi devices list Clicking the Add button opens the dialogue to create a new Device Select any select midi inc available MIDI Input and Midi Output the device is connected to and give the setec midi output Akai Pbay RP1 ec x device d good name you can remember Midi device name
118. s zi a list of the available DSPs for the Unit card and current resources usage DYNAMICS G3 DYNAMICS Ed DvwaMiCS E This list is visible for as long as the mouse button is held down v DSP 1 P 19 9 M 8 2 C 9 3 D DSP 2 P 0 0 M 0 0 C 0 0 The ticked entry indicates the DSP Core that the mixer strip is currently DSP 3 P 0 0 M 0 0 C 0 0 assigned to DSP 1 in this example The DSP assignment can be changed DSP 4 P 0 0 M 0 0 C 0 0 by chosing another DSP before releasing the mouse button Mixer auto routing Auto routing can be enabled or disabled by ticking or unticking the Auto route item under menu Settings Preferences Mixer Mixer auto routing enabled v Auto route j If the Auto route item under menu Settings Preferences Mixer is ticked auto routing enabled the DSP resources are allocated automatically Mixer auto routing disabled If the Auto route item under menu Settings Preferences Mixer is unticked auto Auto route routing disabled the DSP resources need to be allocated manually when building a Mixer as described below When the Create tool is used to build a new mixer column an additional drop down menu lists the available DSPs with their current resource usage values The new mixer column will use the DSP selected highlighted A submenu then lists all the input element types a further submenu will list the output element types Basic Mixer Strip Structure This diagr
119. scape 32 Sync Card PCi Host Mixpander suis Time Code Format 24fr Preferences e fr Mix Window gt 293 fr 29 97fr df Unit Configurator 30fr Save Settings 30fr df Page 83 Preferences Settings Options View Help This entry is divided into two sub menus RTE General and Mixer W S Clock Out VO mode b Sample Rate Varispeed Time Code Format Preferences General a Mix Window gt Mixer gt Y Auto route Most entries inside the Preferences Menu Unit Configurator F Sere earn os are options that can be activated ticked Pass all keyboard input to active mixer element window Ctrl Alt K or deactivated Only a few items arrow Or v Treat mixer element parameter changes as mixer file changes dot to the right open further submenus or dialogue boxes Native mixer elements sample buffer size General sub menu Connect to Console Manager Please check the Console Manager Installation in Chapter 5 Genemi d Connect fo Console Manager Mixer Ignore incoming samplerate indication o Sa 5532 AES EBU S PDIF Xmt Channel Status Activating this entry connects the SSL Mixer V6 to the optional Console Manager application which can be used connect the SSL Mixer Software with a huge variety of hardware control surface If the Console Manager Module is not already active it will be launched automatically Please read the Section Controlling the Mixer with a Hardware Control Surface for f
120. set CUP A 36 Mixeritnactive BUM eoe Ceu ono seti MS ct eA EPR Ne uu tabe a uto pd ce ou eure oS e OUI cU 37 Basic Dana Routine EB Herbs serons onda tss tessa Sheet Ran Portam deos ti Mica eR ts end e 38 Mixer columidipit Output CONSUL ONS 205i ous otc ums otic Dose Ue aces iva cioOS 40 Understandine TNE Sionat Path ssc tiooosctouess doctae ltd 49 Created new MIXET ni A A ah eal le ul dum Loic Ls d ie 50 Using Console Manager and a Hardware Control SU ii 53 Standard DSP Mixer PIUS NS a EE E E E E RAR 57 Usne VS EPU N ae On 68 Automatic Delay compensa tion ADC ricas E E aE iL E US 72 7 Menu Re erence sosse oer A A aia 75 A A a A O EH 75 A TER NERONI NORTE UR TIONIBUS NENNT SEN NR DETENER PL OSEE 77 A RET Lc TT PES 79 TION SIM CIN TRE Uoc Un 87 VEN MIU ced imet obere a AT 88 IRIURE TR 88 Te eM CN 89 9 Legal DISCIANINEL EET E UT emm 90 1 Introduction Congratulations on your purchase of an SSL MX4 audio card The SSL MX4 is designed to provide you with many years of reliable service and in conjunction with the SSL XLogic Alpha Link converter series the pristine audio quality you expect from any SSL product Should you ever need assistance in setting up or using your MX4 Solid State Logic s worldwide customer support team is easy to contact via the Support section of the SSL website and is always ha
121. shold for the limiter Therefore if a threshold fader is moved up and reaches a current position of another threshold fader to its right this fader will also start moving up If a threshold fader is moved down and reaches the position of another threshold fader to its left this fader will also start moving dwon However as long as the mouse button has not been released returning the fader towards its original position will allow the other threshold settings to be restored Moving any threshold fader with the right mouse button will move all other threshold faders relatively while maintaining the dB relationship This allows the whole curve to be shifted moved up or down in the graph For the Gate and Expander when the control signal is below the threshold the signal is muted only above the threshold the Gate is opened and audio passes through Gain Metering DYNAMICS C DYNAMICS C3 DYNAMICS C3 The amount of gain reduction is shown by the MM ud meter in the Dynamics mixer element The meter No Processing Expansion Compression calibration is 3dB per segment In the main Dynamics window the level of the processed signal is shown in the curve display as a white sign that moves in real time along the curve This makes it easy to check whether the signal is operating at the correct point on the curve The level of the input signal level is shown as a small vertical white line which moves along the horizontal axis Page
122. signal in milliseconds ms as required from oms to 999 9ms for Attack and 1ms to 9999ms for Release The Gain fader allows the curve to be positioned in the available dynamic range changing the output level by up to 36dB Setting the Thresholds and Ratios There are 10 faders for setting thresholds and ratios for a Gate an Expander three separate Compressors and a Limiter These allow very flexible control of the Compression Curve which determines the transfer function between input and output levels Depending on the number and type of processing stages activated any curve shape can be defined including soft knee and hard knee compressors and expanders gates and limiters or any combination of these The Threshold fader for each processor can be set from odB to 6odB and determines where the processor starts to kick in The Ratio fader for each processor sets the slope of the Comp Curve below the threshold for the Expander and above the threshold for each one of the 3 Compressors from 1 1 to 1 50 for expansion or 50 1 for compression and determine the gain change to be applied at the measured control signal level NOTE The measurement of the input signal depends on the Attack and Release settings and higher values will slow down the animated gain indicator on the curve The thresholds levels for the six processing stages need to increase from left to right For example the threshold for the gate can not be higher than the thre
123. size the window Even if there seems to be no space left in the mixer strip existing mixer elements will automatically be moved to make space for a new one at the point where you click On the right you see the top part of a mixer strip that 57 81 contains a mono peak meter a sample delay line a 4 Band TET multi EQ a SSL dynamics and 4 send elements The window has not been resized while these plug in elements were inserted therefore a vertical scroll bar appears on right hand side DYNAMICS Signal routing in the mixer strip The signal routing is always from the top to the bottom of a mixer strip For instance if you place a track insert below an EQ this is the position at which audio will be recorded or played back i e if an audio sequencer records from this particular track insert it will record the equalized signal Using the internal buses The Mixer has 64 internal digital buses for each hardware unit MX4 or Mixpander installed on the host computer These can be used to distribute or group signals that are to be sent to an internal effects processor or a master fader Any output or send element can be routed to a bus and the input for any mixer strip can also be a bus instead of an external input The same bus can be the input for as many mixer strips as required allowing easy signal distribution in the Mixer Using Console Manager and a Hardware Control Surface Console Manager Properties Window Click on Propertie
124. splay a selection menu If you are receiving a stereo test signal via MX4 inputs 1 and 2 make sure that SSL Soundscape ASIO In 1 2 is selected as it should be by default Selecting an Output for the Track i Next select the track output by clicking the LS HES BES ES Me Sthlast Sthlast Sthlast Sthlast v SSL Sound 1 2 output field near the bottom of the Track k channel strip Make sure that 1 SSL Soundscape ASIO Out 1 2 Stereo Master is selected as it should be by default Note that the output signal is not routed directly to the MX4 outputs 1 and 2 It is routed to the Master section of the Samplitude Mixer which itself should be routed to the MX4 outputs 1 and 2 If you need to change the output routing of the Master section click the output field at lu e x zee E zs the bottom of the Master section just like you A aa Aa nz a sor En did for the output of the channel strip and ato ca ic AE 1 s select the output pair as required Monitoring the Signal Click the Input Monitoring button to hear the signal going through the channel strip prior to recording The track channel strip meters will indicate the signal level and you will hear it through your monitoring system If necessary adjust the level of your audio y y Source StMast StMast Recording When the signal is passing through the channel you can record it by clicking the Track Arming
125. t just like a plug in DSP effects algorithm The only fixed parameters are the number of streams number of buses and number of physical inputs and outputs available per card Let s define what we mean by inputs and outputs buses and streams Inputs and Outputs Physical connections to audio devices outside the host computer such as microphone preamps mixing desk stereo mastering recorder and so on They may be called physical or external inputs and outputs and should not be confused with the input elements and output elements that will be described later in this chapter In particular while input elements and output elements may be assigned to an external input or output they may just as well be assigned to a bus or stream Buses Audio paths connections that can be used to route audio signals between different parts of the SSL Mixer for instance between a send element and an input element For the purpose of this manual buses only exist within the SSL Mixer Streams Audio paths connections that can be used to route audio signals in either direction between the SSL Mixer and Windows applications such as MIDI audio sequencers or virtual instruments Mixer Strips and DSP Processing Power It is possible to DSP mute mixer strips or mixer elements using the Mute tool i e turn the Hardware off and unlike what happens in a hardware only digital mixer in the SSL Mixer these muted mixer strips or elements do
126. t the parameters using the faders or value boxes in the usual way Multiple EQ windows can be opened at the same time the caption bar shows to which element in which column the GUI belongs to Below the caption bar the usual SSL Mixer GUi Top bar allows Loading and Saving of Presets and a Bypass button Multi EQ The multi EQ is a very flexible and resource efficient Equaliser Several variants of the multi EQ are users BP available 1 band 2 band 3 band or 4 band mono or stereo As usual more than one multi EQ can be ee inserted into each mixer strip if you need more bands The little Mixer Window shows the EQ Curve right inside the Mixer strip You cannot edit the EQ from here Double click the multi EQ element to open the main GUI Below the graph display on the left hand side an input attenuator can be used to lower the input gain when boosting certain frequencies in the EQ would otherwise cause overloads If the signal overloads the EQ curve will change from blue to red also in the little Mixer Graph Use the Input attenuation to decrease the Input volume Click and drag the fader click at the desired fader position or use the value box to adjust the input gain On the the right of the input attenuator four parameter fields Type Frequency Q factor and Gain allow flexible manipulation of the currently selected EQ band On the right you see a 4 band stereo EQ the band tabs to the EQ band Band 3 selec
127. ted Each band also has an individual MUTE button 7 Y 28 p It h J Solid State Logi The Type parameter offers eight different options low pass high pass band pass with constant skirt gain band pass with constant peak gain peaking EQ notch filter low shelving and high shelving The icons on the buttons show the resulting curve of these EQ types to make yourself comfortable with the EQ types you can also hover with the mouse over a button until a Tooltip with the Type description appears Frequency Q factor and Gain can be edited using the rotary knobs or the value boxes Knobs can be clicked and dragged with the mouse Once a knob has been grabbed the distance between mouse pointer and knob determines the resolution of the knob s response Finer adjustments are possible when the distance is increased Alternatively clicking at the desired position in the area around the knob sets the value immediately The values for the EQ bands parameters can be edited by clicking or clicking and holding the little up and down buttons inside the value boxes To enter a parameter value with the keyboard simply double clicking on a value box Left clicking the MUTE buttons toggles between mute and unmute of the EQ band The button is highlighted when the EQ band is muted Right clicking a MUTE button solos the corresponding EQ band meaning that the other EQ bands become inactive muted When an EQ ba
128. ts that the mixer column will be created for Several mixer column configurations are available which all include built in input and output elements The output element always has a mute button and may have a fader pan or balance control peak meter and solo button An EPP Equal Power Panning output can be selected for stereo and mono to stereo outputs Mixer column input output configurations using mono and stereo e For mono in mono out the signal just flows through the mixer column only affected by the user defined settings of the various mixer elements which also should be mono e For stereo in stereo out the respective level of the left and right signals is controlled by the balance setting available if there is a fader Stereo mixer elements would be inserted in the signal path as required e For mono in mono to stereo out the signal path through the mixer column is mono and the signal is split into stereo before the pan control For mono in stereo out the input is mono mono in stereo out mixer strip mono in stereo out mixer strip but the input signal needs to reach both as seen in the Mixer Software connection diagram inputs of a stereo output element This mixer column configuration should only be created in order to use a stereo process or effect on a mono source e g a mono to stereo chorus or 0 reverb MAaDI1U1 In fact if you use this configuration without CHRSIFLNG CHRS iFLNG Cj inserting a
129. tted Sample Rate Settings Options View Help Master Clock W S Clock Out l O mode The Sample Rate submenu lists all available clock speeds when the Unit is internally clocked This menu appears dimmed and cannot be used if the SSL Device or devices are clocked to an external device Sample Rate 22050Hz Varispeed 32000Hz Internal Sample Rates estais ea e 22 500Hz Multimedia o 47952Hz e 32 000Hz Video and Broadcast Standard snl Unit Configurator e 44 056Hz NTSC Drop Frame Pull Down of 44 1kHz 88112Hz e 44 100Hz CD Standard p e 47 952Hz NTSC Drop Frame Pull Down of 48kHz 96000Hz e 48 000Hz Broadcast Standard e 64 000Hz Video e 88 112Hz HD NTSC Drop Frame Pull Down of 88 2kHz e 88 200Hz High Definition Audio e 95 904Hz NTSC Drop Frame Pull Down of 96kHz e 96 000Hz High Definition Audio and Video Varispeed The Varispeed setting provides a 10 variation of the internal Sample Rate Clicking Vanspeed T C Varispeed opens the Varispeed dialogue box where percentage or can be entered Value Cancel Frame Rate Frame Rate selects any of the commonly used SMPTE or EBU Frame Rates such as 24 4 ees ver fer Master Clock frames per second for film 25 29 97 29 97df 30 or 3odf frames per second for video W S Clock Out The SSL Mixer V6 only uses this setting when a Video Sync capable SSL Device is part of m j the System like Sound
130. ty standards have been relegated into the past and are now available to any PC DAW user For example if you want to send an EQ d signal to an effects unit drop an EQ in before the send If you want a flat signal sent to the effects unit but want an EQ d version sent to the master out drop an EQ in after the send If you need one auxiliary send in a strip and eight in another strip just create them as required B manus p Ss File Edit Settings Options View Help 1 4 GD manu MINT TE 9 manies 6 u E n mEGQ4 Band E DYNAMICS n O n Q MADI 65 66 UF MADI 65 66 UX IM 1 as D maoit 2u3 eusi 2u3 IM bas Jue ME LIN Neus 1 2u3 BUS 1 2 U3 Basic Controls Mixer strips Mixer Strips in columns have the following standard controls and buttons e Input element on the top and an output element on the bottom each with mute buttons e Scribble Strip name field with definable Font and Background Colour e On Outputs with Fader a pre fader peak meter a solo button Volume Fader a solo group assignment box and a fader and mute group assignment box e If the mixer strip has a stereo output this output includes a pan control for mono in mono to stereo out mixer strips or balance control for stereo in stereo out mixer strips and a centre button to easily reset the pan balance to centre e If the mixer strip has an LRCS or LRC LsRs 3 1 or 5 1 output a surround panner e On most plug in elements a byp
131. up def mix features 8 stereo and 8 Mono mixer strips routed to a MASTER mixer strip ready to mix 24 tracks from the Windows application of your choice down to outputs 1 2 of your MX4 or Mixpander Unit 1 if several cards are present 4 Mono and 2 Stereo mixer strips are prepared for recording 5 Stereo Send Buses and 3 Stereo Artist Monitors complete the Mixer and allow overdubs with near ZERO latency Monitoring and global EFX To use this Mixer outputs 1 2 of your SSL hardware must be connected to your monitoring system via a suitable interface Windows applications will also need to be configured to use the SSL audio streams according to its accompanying documentation The SSL audio streams have names like for instance STR 1 2 to STR 127 128 in the Windows Control Panel for stereo pairs and the name of the card is also specified You can load different mixers to experiment with by clicking Open Mix under the File menu A standard Windows dialog box will appear allowing you to select a mixer The default path for mixer files is C Soundscape Mix Mixer Mixer building Blocks The key to understanding the Mixer is simple you can have virtually any type of configuration you want provided that you do not exceed available DSP processing power The number of mixer strips EQs sends returns peak meters or faders and their positions in the mixer are completely user definable In fact every part of the mixer is a plug in elemen
132. urther details on how to set up and use the Console Manager Module Ignore Incoming Sample Rate Indication Sener t Hooper tin Cone enger v e amp _ je r Mixer b Ignore incoming samplerate indication When this option is selected the incoming Sample Rate indication IS CO EA a F ignored and the currently selected Sample Rate is maintained This is useful if the Master Clock source is transmitting an incorrect Sample Rate indication AES EBU S PDIF Xmt Channel Status 5532 AES EBU S PDIF Xmt Channel Status e Consumer Professional You can set AES EBU or S PDIF to communicate in a Consumer or Professional format for the digital audio data transmitted from a Soundscape 32 s AES EBU S PDIF outputs For example some professional DAT recorders will not record from their digital inputs if they receive data in the Consumer format Soundscape 32 adjusts to either format automatically therefore there is no equivalent setting for the AES EBU S PDIF digital input Page 84 Mixer sub menu Auto Route Mixer Mixer v Auto route Activating this option enables the Mixer Auto Router to automatically assign available DSP Resources to inserted Columns or elements Please check the Section DSP resources and DSP Auto Routing in Chapter 8 for further details If Automatic Delay Compensation is active Mixer gt V Autoroute ADC offers several options to allign or not alter elon Die tio cit certain outputs in time Ple
133. ut from the resulting menu NaGmekd 5 STR 1 Madixtreme 1 Stereo In Left STR 2 Madixtreme 1 Stereo In Right STR 3 Madixtreme 1 v STR 4 Madixtreme 1 Stereo In 2 Right STR 5 Madixtreme 1 Stereo In 2 Left STR 6 Madixtreme 1 MEE Y Output Channel Strips gt VST Connections Outputs Output channel strips are created and can be reassigned in the same Inputs Outputs Group FX way as input channel strips Simply click the Output tab to add or seas AddBus resets MOM E E assign output busses as required Bus Name Speakers Audio Device Device Port E Stereo Out Stereo SSL Soundscape ASIO Left STR 1 Madixtreme 1 Right STR 2 Madixtreme 1 Audio Channel Strips I Nuendo e In the Project menu select Add Track and click Audio Eile Edit Project Audio MIDI Media Transport Network Devices Wi Add Track gt Audi Po Nuend gt Audio h Duplicate Tracks li Instrument e In the following Add Audio Track dialogue box create a number of audio tracks as T Add Audio Track ES required The corresponding channel strips will be added to the mixer Audio Track Configuration LR count configuration speakers Browse Presets Cancel The input and output channel strips that are currently connected to the audio channel Gest an strips are indicated in routing boxes located above the audio channel strips co TT Clic
134. utput buses and corresponding output channel strip assigned to STR 25 26 to STR55 56 Mono In 1 l Mono In 2 Mono In 3 i Mono In 4 i Mono In 5 tono In 6 Mono In Mono In Mono In 1 ono Out AEN Mono Out 2 Mono Out 3 Mono Out 4 Mono Out 4 Mono Out 6 Mono Out 7 Mono Out hono hono Mono Mono Mono Mono Mono Mono 0 0 21 00 0 0 c 00 00 7 DD 7 oo i 00 Preparing SSL Mixer V6 Loading the example Mixer Switch to SSL Mixer V6 ie with ALT Tab and Open the Tutorial Mixer SSL MIX 56Ch REC 12Ch mix in Program Files Soundscape SSL Mix V6 Mix Mixer SSL MIX 56Ch REC 12Ch mix nu 8 n mnm nmu I1 m a Oo 5 i Mixing Channel Section Master AUX Channel Section Recording Channel Section Artist Monitor Section This Mixer is divided into a Mixing Channel a Master and AUX Channel a Recording Channel and an Artist Monitor Section It is therefore well suited for a Mixing Session with additional Overdubs On the following pages the Channel structure inside the different sections is explained in more detail Please read the descriptions carefully to fully understand the work and signal flow It might be a good idea to read and work with the Mixer at the same time Mixing Channel Section in the example Mixer 56 Inputs 24x Mono and 16x Stereo are set to receive 56 Streaming Inputs from Nuendo s 56 Outputs Right below the input there s a blank space left to insert another DSP or VST plug i
135. utput via 8 channel ADAT of TDIF connectors This way the whole mix could for example be sent to an 8 track DTRS machine for mastering a 5 1 mix could be output via the first six outputs along with a stereo mix via the last two so that all the material fits onto the same tape ADAT 1 6 U2 MADI 1 However when the Track Assign tool is used to select an output for a mixer column with P T 3 8 Ue MADI 1 an LRCS or 5 1 output the pop up menu offers options that combine ADAT TDIF and E ig gt ADAT 7 12 U2 MADI 2 channels on different connectors e g the ADAT5 10 U2 option uses the ADAT A and EE MASS ADAT B connectors ADAT 11 16 U2 MADI 2 Some of the options combine ADAT outputs with analog outputs or AES EBU outputs ADAT 13 18 U2 MADI 2 with analog outputs ADAT 15 20 U2 MADI 3 For these options in the pop up menu ADAT25 ADAT26 ADAT27 and ADAT28 in fact ADAT 17 22 U2 MADI 3 refer to ANA1 ANA2 ANA3 and ANAa ADAT 19 24 U2 MADI 3 For example if you select ADAT23 28 U2 as the outputs of a 5 1 mixer column ADAT 21 26 U2 MADI 3 ADAT 23 28 U2 MADI 3 ANA 1 6 U2 MADI 4 In fact this means that ADAT23 and ADAT24 will be used for the Left and Right signals ANA1 will be used for the Centre signal ANA2 will be used for the LFE signal ANA3 will be used for the Ls signal and ANA4 will be used for the Rs signal Other mixer column input output configurations In addition to all what has been mentioned above mixer column
136. utton has not been released Mute buttons The mute buttons for grouped faders are also linked Right clicking on a mute button will cause all the mute buttons in the same fader and mute group to switch to the same muted unmuted status regardless of their status before The mute buttons can be used individually regardless of their fader group assignment by clicking them with the left mouse button Solo groups Left clicking any inactive grey solo button solos the corresponding output and silences all other outputs that have the same solo group assignment Any previously soloed output inside the same solo group is dropped out of solo mode and silenced unless the Ctrl key is used as described below The solo button turns bright red Solo Listen all other solo buttons in the same group switch to a red S on grey background Solo Muted Left clicking again on the active red solo button deactivates Solo Mode for this entire group Right clicking an inactive solo button solos the corresponding output and all the outputs that have the same fader and mute group assignment It also mutes all the outputs that have both a different fader and mute group assignment and the same solo group assignment as any one of the soloed outputs Any previously soloed output which has a different fader and mute group assignment and the same solo group assignment is dropped out of solo mode and silenced unless the Ctrl key is used as described below
137. ver every operational aspect of the SSL MX4 However it is not a contractual document Solid State Logic and or the writer s of this manual cannot be held responsible for any loss or damage arising directly or indirectly from any error or omission in this manual Trademarks All trademarks are the property of their respective owners and are hereby acknowledged Website The URL for the Solid State Logic website is http www solid state logic com The SSL Support Website is http solidstatelogic com support HOME NEWS PRODUCTS SUPPORT GALLERY STORE LOCATOR ABOUT Solid State Logic d nni 3 SOUND VISION Support FAQs documentation and other useful utilities A great product is only the start of what sets SSL equipment apart We believe that the work s best products demand the best support T o provide this SSL has a network of sales and service centres throughout the world including fts subsidiaries in New York Los Angeles Paris and Milan Through these offices and appointed distributors in other countries a full program of backup and technical support is guaranteed Oxford England Underpinning all this local expertise is the global support avaiable from SSL s service centre at the company headquarters near Console Duende Resources Workstation Analogue Products Outboard a V Us x US Qu Qu q 9 qm ee e orn ve m ae Duality Duende Classic Alpha Link Rang A
138. w all instructions servicing to qualified service personnel e Do not use this apparatus near water e Do not expose this apparatus to rain or moisture Installation Notes e Do not block any ventilation openings Install in e When installing this apparatus place the host system accordance with the manufacturer s instructions into which it is to be installed on a secure level surface e Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators e To prevent damage from static electricity when installing heat registers stoves or other apparatus including this apparatus either to the host system or to this amplifiers that produce heat apparatus always take proper anti static precautions e There are no user adjustments or user serviceable items Always use an anti static wristband If in doubt please on this apparatus refer to qualified service personnel e Adjustments or alterations to this apparatus may affect e Take care of rough or sharp edges when accessing the the performance such that safety and or international inside of the host system compliance standards may no longer be met Never install or remove this apparatus whilst the host system is powered Always remove the power cord from the host system prior to accessing this apparatus If in doubt about installing this apparatus please refer to qualified service personnel Disclaimer This manual has been written with great care and attention to detail and we have attempted to co
139. with the letter M 8 Enter the SSL Console Dynamics Password you find on your MX4 Registration card SCD under Options Passwords SSL Console Dynamics starting with the letter M 9 Enterthe SSL Bus Compressor Password you find on your MX4 Registration card SBC under Options Passwords SSL Bus Compressor starting with the letter M 10 Enter the SSL Audio Toolbox Password you find on your MX4 Registration card ATB under Options Passwords Audio Toolbox Partx starting with the letter M You only have to enter the password once 11 Connect your Converter or MADI Console and set Clocking and MADI Mode under Settings Master Clock and Settings MADI MADI Mode 12 Ensure that the Mixer V6 Software runs properly Under Settings Save Settings you can make your changes permanent All the steps above are described in greater detail on the following pages Installing the SSL Mixer V6 Software The MX4 Card comes with an Installation CD containing the SSL Mixer and Soundscape V6 Combo Installer Please insert the MX4 CD in your PC let the MX4 Install Menu Application begin Autostart for CD s needs to be active and select Install SSL Mixer or Soundscape V6 If your MX4 Installation CD has a Version prior to June 2010 or you are looking for a more recent Software Version please download the latest Mixer Soundscape V6 Combo Installer from our Website http www solidstatelogic com music soundscape downloads asp Simply unpack the downloa
140. xer V6 SSL Soundscape V6 Super Analogue and made for MX4 are trademarks of Solid State Logic All other product names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners and are hereby acknowledged As research and development is a continual process Solid State Logic reserves the right to change the features and specifications described herein without notice or obligation Solid State Logic cannot be held responsible for any loss or damage arising directly or indirectly from any error or omission in this manual E amp OE

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