Waves SSLComp is still awesome after all these years

Music Production
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I own a ridiculous number of compressor plugins, and that includes a number of SSL Bus Compressor style plugins.

I’ve never used the hardware so I couldn’t say which one is the most accurate emulation – but I can say this… No matter how many I try, I always end up back in Waves SSLComp.

There’s just something about it, I love how it feels on a mix bus and I find it easier to dial in the “right” settings than any other compressor.

Because I enjoy trying new things I’ll often end up with some new compressor or mix bus processor and I’ll be thinking, “Oh this is cool. I like this.”

But then I’ll switch to the SSLComp and I always have to go back to it. In the end it’s an aesthetic preference, but at least for me there is something special about that plugin and they really nailed it.

I know technically someone could use Plugin Doctor and probably match the settings – but half of why I love it is the usability. It sounds good AND it’s easy to find the sweet spot.

I feel similar about Kramer Master Tape. To this day I haven’t found another tape plugin that is so usable as that one. Half is the sound, and half is a well-done UI with good metering that makes it easy and fast to get the sound you’re looking for between one song and the next. Consistency. Workflow. It’s important.

Anyhow, I wonder if anyone else feels the same about SSLComp or Kramer Master Tape for that matter. Throw in Scheps Omni Channel and these are tools I adore with the same kind of love hardware dudes have for their gear.

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Yeah, agreed. Both of those plugins just seem to do what I want without having to spend a lot of time getting them there. Triggering the fade out on the SSLComp at the end of a track is also way too easy, in a good way.

I’d say the same for RAxx and RVox on individual tracks. They’re like the one-knob series, but with bonus knobs :smiley:

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Haha yeah! It’s amazing how often I see RVox used on tracks by professional mix engineers when they make videos. I don’t even mean in a promotional way – often it will just be in the background or on their mix in several places when they’re actually promoting other brand’s products.

You’re right, it’s just one of those classic plugins that does something exceptionally well, quickly, and consistently. Great call out.

I actually never tried RAxx, although I have it obviously. I’ll give it a try. Do you just use it on guitars or other things as well?

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Normally things that I know are going to be unpredictable volume, but I just have to get in the mix and then ride the fader. Tonight I had it on a violin and acoustic (though that acoustic was predictable enough that I got nicer results with the LA-3A, but if it’s being really dynamic then RAxx is good to get it centered first).

I used to use it on (clean) bass as well, until I discovered Bass Rider. For a single-purpose plugin, that one is worth it.

All this is live mixing, btw. If I’ve got a recording then I’m probably just managing clip gain (largely visually).

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Ah, that’s another callout I’m not familiar with. I use CLA-76 and CLA-2A all the time, but I’ve never put CLA-3A through its paces! I’ll dig into it.

Your Bass Rider recommendation is great. I’ve long used Vocal Rider on occasion – but I recently used Bass Rider and felt the differences. Both of these plugins can be used on more than just Vocals or Bass.

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Yeah, I like how Bass Rider catches the start of the note and holds steady, so then a compressor after can do the work to fatten it out. I haven’t really thought of anything else where I’d want that behaviour though.

And yeah, the 76->2A chain is classic, especially on vocals.

I’m working on getting a good (gentle) limiter onto my lead guitar from the other night - he’s running a quad cortex now so I need to make him sit properly again. Everything is on the table until I find something I like, but I’ve already ruled out the 3A! Obviously the sound I’m getting is pretty processed already, so the 3A is a bit rough and grabby, but if I find anything that surprises me I’ll let you know.

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I landed on the CLA-2A mainly for the volume boost, followed by the API 2500 to compress (about 6dB! which is way more than I thought I’d want!). The key thing I liked is that the API lets you separate the L-R response, and since this guitar track is full of stereo effects already, it really makes it dance (at about 70% link), whereas all the stereo compressors just killed the sound.

So it’s given me another look at the API, which I don’t use all that often, but I like that it has a variety of options that most compressors don’t have. I’m not really interested in “faithful” emulations of hardware, so it’s either got to be easy and reliable to dial in (like RVox, or the 76 and 2A if you know you want it to be one of those), so a flexible plugin that can do a range of sounds is useful when you have the time to play with it.

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Ah, the percentage link is nice. I do enjoy the movement of M/S compression sometimes. It’s one of the things I like about Scheps Omni Channel – that all the modules can run in stereo, dual mono, or M/S. Very useful.

There’s no percentage, though, and full M/S can be too much so I’ll give that a shot on the API!

I’ve long been a fan of Kramer Master Tape for its transient-taming abilities. The VU meter is particularly well implemented, so once you know KMT it becomes very predictable based on how hard you drive the input (or not.)

Just passing through it does something to transients that allow you to need less limiting, and the effect of both together is to my ears usually better than hitting a limiter too hard.

H-Comp is a compressor I’ve always wanted to love – it has a limiter on the output. I love comp+limiters because the limiter can catch transients that slip through the compressors attack, so you get this added layer of control.

However, there’s no post-compressor gain so to use the limiter you end up boosting the track up to really loud levels. The limiter needs its own knob, like Scheps Omni Channel has… Then it could be used in a chain without boosting levels up to 0.

Another Waves compressor I use a LOT is the Original mode in AR TG Mastering Chain Live. I don’t know why I like it so much, it’s a little weird, but I love it on submix busses. Occasionally I switch to the modern mode which hits harder. But there’s a ‘subtle-severity’ to the Original that I love. Manual recommends using it in parallel, but I use it at full strength, subtly.

Working that way, it sort of pushes back a little on the level on all my submixes and I just like what it does. One of those plugins I used and kept coming back to any time I didn’t.

I also try to do any final EQ shaping on busses instead of the master if I can, just to get closer to the source while still working broad – and the simplified hardware style EQs in AR TG are good for that.

Oh, and the filters – which are too severe for a master bus (despite the “mastering chain” name), but sometimes they work well on submix busses to broadly put groups in their own space.

I guess that compressor is based on a zener-diode compressor. I don’t know a real one so I am clueless about accuracy, but I like it.

OMG, the Kramer Pie Compressor is another great one. If I remember right it has a rolloff of high frequencies so I like it on anything with harsh air frequencies. It’s not the most versatile compressor, but I like the feel of it. It’s an example of a compressor with enough of a ‘thing’ that I know what it’s going to do before I grab for it.

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When I have the time available I like to be able to “audition” my plugins to try and find the best option given the source, the mic in general and the genre. I tend to only do this on major/key tracks otherwise it would take too long.

That said, the Waves SSL Bus Compressor is among the the VCAs that I audio for a particular job and it’s surprising how often it tends to be the better choice, subjectively speaking. It can be a bit too brutish in some contexts, and the lack of ratio options can be a bit limiting. However, it can be pretty stellar performer regardless.

Man I so want a sidechain on the Pie as well as an adjustable attack time, even if it happens to be like a 3-way switch.

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