MX4 now shipping

SSL’s new “mixer-on-a-card” the MX4 is now shipping!

MX4 puts a configurable SSL console with EQ, Channel Dynamics, Bus Compressor, and double-precision mix engine onto a PCIe card for your Windows-based audio workstation. As well as being a 128 I/O solution with 2 optical MADI heads, MX4 allows you to build a zero-latency mixer to handle tasks that a software DAW cannot do alone! Add to that multi-client drivers, HUI support, unlimited hardware inserts, internal side-chains for the dynamics sections, and surround capability, the MX4 puts the sound and functionality of a full-scale SSL digital console inside your PC.

MX4 cards being boxed ready for shipment

Full of eastern promise…….and the odd Kebab! – Posted by Richard

Following my late flight home from Madrid on Friday, I have refreshed the suitcase and now find myself in Istanbul along with 20 million Turks. I am over here for a series of Distributor and end user meetings, so I am afraid there are no public events for this visit. Plans are to put in place a demo workshop for October time by means of a new product launch, but more information to follow.

Catch up soon.

Show us your SSL

One of the things we are happy to share is stories of happy SSL users. While we post a number of press releases on our main website www.solidstatelogic.com the XLogic team are keen to show more everyday use of SSL equipment, and not just the “studios of the rich and famous”. Feel free to send us a snapshot of your own studio and let us know what SSL does for you…

One person who did just this is Ted Ling. He’s in the fortunate position that he has been able to spend a bit of money on his personal studio, even hiring Walters-Storyk Design Group to help with the accoustics! Ted had a collection of classic keyboards to rival anyone – including a Hammond A100, PPG Wave 2.2, Rhodes Mk II Stage Piano, and a Hohner Clavinet D6. One of the reasons that he chose to buy an Alpha Link AD/DA converter was the unrivalled backup you get when you buy something from SSL, and he asked me to say a big “thanks!” to Florian Blattner from our Swiss distributor J&C Intersonic and SSL’s own Vincent Chennais for their above-the-call-of-duty support during his install.

Send us pics of your SSL setup to jamesm@solidstatelogic.com if you’d like to be featured in the blog.

Ted Ling and his Alpha Link

Hola from SES Audio, Madrid – By Richard

Despite being 35 degrees outside, here we are in a very busy demo studio deep underground at SES Audio, Madrid…..and I’m freezing!

The event sees the Spanish launch of MX4 and X-Rack at one of Spain’s key SSL dealers. In addition, the entire range is here on demo along with the SSL ‘Take Me Home’ Rack. For those of you not aware, the ‘Take Me Home’ racks make their way strategically around the world and offer potential customers the chance to borrow a piece of SSL gear and play with it in the comfort of their own homes. Aren’t we nice??

Additionally, we have set up a nice A/B comparison of SSL SuperAnalogue summing in action using the Matrix and an identical ‘in the box’ sum from another manufacturer of professional audio tools!  It’s great to see so many jaws dropping as they A/B the two. 

Thanks to Raul Marin of our Spanish Distributors, Lexon for what I think (as it was in Spanish) was an inpromptu masterclass exploring the subtleties of modern Flamenco production……..it certainly had me riveted!!

We have a further day of seminars and demonstrations tomorrow, so if you can, come down to SES for flamenco madness amongst other things!

SES Audio's Javier performing traditional dance!

Visitors enjoying SES Audio's artificial Sun

Lexon's Raul proudly holding the artificial Sun

we7 competition – win ca$h for your favourite playlist

Our benevolent shareholder (nice chap called Peter, makes records and generally innovates technology with everything he touches http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_gabriel ) is one of the founders of we7 www.we7.com . In case you haven’t heard of it, we7 is a music destination where you can listen to music legally for free, all the while making sure that the artist responsible for your auditory pleasure is being rewarded! Peter believes (quite rightly in SSL’s opinion) that creators and musicians should be paid for their craft, and we7 ensures that in todays world of downloads and on-demand that those who make the music get paid for it, while we the user doesn’t have to!

we7 are running a competition for UK-based subscribers to make a playlist of the 7 songs that describe you. Share the 7-song-story of your life using new-fangled things that young people use (facebook, twitter, bebo and the like) and the most popular playlist will win the £1000 weekly cash prize. At the end of the competition, the best playlist (as voted for by you) will will a further £3000.

Aside from the obvious financial incentive, sharing your musical experience is a common bond for us all. You might even learn that your deep, thoughtful, Baudelaire-reading friend secretly has a penchant for Rick Astley!

Check out Jim’s me7 playlist here http://www.we7.com/user/view-playlist?playlistId=537989&m=0

Check out Damien’s me7 playlist here http://www.we7.com/user/view-playlist?playlistId=538083&m=0

Sweetwater Gearfest

Our man in New York is out and about this weekend attending the Sweetwater Gearfest http://www.sweetwater.com/feature/gearfest2009/

We’ll be showing all of our toys, inlcuding the X-Desk and the US launch of the MX4 card. A system will be up and running for you to check out, staffed by our friendly (well, friendly for a New Yorker) man Fadi Hayek. Looking forward to seeing you there!!!

Back to the past…

For those of you who don’t already know, Solid State Logic started life making control systems for church organs. Instead of using mechanical “pull out the stops” levers and pulleys to divert the airflow into the pipes, our founder Colin Sanders designed a system using solid state electronics and logic gates (hence “Solid State Logic”). The company was sold off years ago, but is still in existence – see http://www.ssosystems.com/ for more info.

Inspired by this and Richard’s medieval lute collection (see his bio), the team have been researching some new market areas. We sent Damien out on a field trip to the home of classical music – Vienna. Flushed with history and enthusiasm damien returned with an amazing idea… a keyboard that was like a guitar! Unfortunately we had to point out that this had already been done, and presented in a much more attractive way.

Back to the drawing board…

SSL develops next generation “Keytar”…

…but find someone else presents it much better.

Shalom – Damien

Greetings from Tel Aviv.

Wasn’t quite sure if I was going to make it after the fiasco at London Heathrow but eventually it all worked out. Phew!

For those that are interested we will be holding 3 seminars this week covering everything from Mynx – Matrix. We will also be showing X-Desk, X-Verb and talking about Duende v3 as well as launching the “Take Me Home Promotion” through our partner Music Shop.

All the details can be found here and I look forward to seeing you very soon.

Tzeth’a Leshalom VeShuvh’a Leshalom

Duende V3 release delayed

Unfortunately we have been stuck by some unexpected blows from left-field. While Holyfield got his ear bitten and Gazza broke his leg in a clumsy challenge, the Duende team have had their own career-theatening injury recently. Thankfully the SSL physios have run onto the pitch armed with iced sponges and that cold spray-on stuff to help get our crack development team back onto their feet and into the game again, ready to sprint the last 20 yards into the box to volley in the winner in extra time.

 

Beta testing is always the last check of development. The place where we test on a number of different systems that are used in different ways. Mac, PC, laptop, desktop, firewire, PCIe – the SSL beta team are the veritable United Nations of DAW setups and it is these guys that usually help us put the cherry on top of the sundae before we release software. However, this time they have found some issues we need to address before we can proudly call the V3 software release “finished”.

Rest assured, that the guys are ploughing into it, and we will release the V3 software in the coming weeks. In the meantime, we decided to run a big sale on all Duende plug-ins as a way to “give something back” to the army of Duende users out there.

Stay with us – V3 will be worth the wait!

the crack SSL development team hard at work on Duende V3

Please come to my party? By Richard

Further to last weeks post regarding the event in Madrid next week. Please click here for more information.