New Gear Review: Fusion by SSL

There’s been an undeniable trend unfolding across the music production world over the past twenty years: From top-tier professionals to passionate home studio owners, the art of audio has shifted from an all-analog world into a digital realm where tangible gear is increasingly replaced by software.

Many longtime producers and engineers have held on to their favorite pieces and most beloved signal chains, but the days of needing rooms filled with gear to make a great sounding record are fading into the past.

Whether we like it or not, this trend has only been accelerating, and there’s no signs that it’s going to reverse course. But even in such a world, is there room for a few signature hardware pieces to take hold and work their way into more and more studios? SSL thinks so.

SSL offers some of the most crucial analog processing options with Fusion, a creative and streamlined alternative to the large format console setup for adding color to your mixes.

When I was a freshman at Berklee College Of Music, we only used a computer to sequence MIDI. We worked on large analog desks and recorded to 24 track tape or frustratingly limited digital formats like ADATs and DA-88s. When I opened up my first public studio in New York City in the early 2000s, we had a beautiful-sounding SSL J9080.

That SSL console sounded incredible, but as the years progressed, fewer and fewer clients were making use of it. Most people didn’t want to take the time to deal with the workflow, and would often just use two channels to get some “analog flavor” while they worked within their DAW of choice. Add to this the rising costs of maintenance and electricity, and we soon parted ways with the big analog desk and moved to an Avid System-5 digital desk, which offered a far more efficient workflow, instant recalls, and more integration with DAWs. Our story was far from unique.

While quality of digital recording and the plugins that go with it continue to amaze some of the most discerning ears, there’s arguably an irreplaceable sound that came with traditional analog recording. We can call it “warmth”, “air”, “grit”. Whichever adjective you choose, you know it when you hear it. Some engineers try to retain that by recording through great analog gear, but in the mix phase, they often still want more. Other music makers are trying to impart some character on mostly electronically-generated sounds which never had that analog warmth at the start.

There are lots of plugins on the market that offer a digital version of that tasty analog sound, and some of them are quite good, but to me, there’s simply no replacement for actual analog circuitry and transformers. So how do we bring some of that quality into our mixes without a six figure analog desk?

SSL has potentially provided us with the solution: the SSL Fusion. Let’s see what it’s all about!

Features

Fusion is a stereo 2U rack that offers five analog processors which can be combined to shape and color your tracks in a variety of ways. With analog saturation that can range from subtle to gritty, SSL’s legendary EQ circuitry, a stereo imaging shaper, a sweepable high frequency compressor, and a custom-designed SSL transformer which offers subtle low frequency saturation, Fusion can do a whole lot.

Fusion is incredibly straightforward both on install and use; you’ll be up and running within minutes of plugging it in. Its rear panel is streamlined with left/right balanced inputs and outputs, and left/right insert sends and returns. On its gunmetal gray front plate are thirteen classic SSL designed knobs and eight buttons that mostly act as bypass switches for each of the five processors.

A view of the back panel of the SSL Fusion.

The process order sends your signal through a sweepable high-pass filter, the saturation circuits, the two-band “Violet” EQs, the HF compressor, the stereo imager, and lastly the SSL transformer circuit. There is an input and output gain knob to control signal levels entering and leaving the rack. Although the process order cannot be changed (with the exception of the outboard inserts), the signal flow is designed logically and in a way that will work the vast majority of the time.

The “Vintage Drive” analog saturation processor is truly the meat and potatoes of Fusion. This saturation circuitry alone is worth the price of admission as it infuses your music with that immediately-noticeable analog goodness. Fusion’s Vintage Drive is a non-linear saturation circuit that’s designed to bring the classic analog overload sound into your track. The drive section has two knobs: Drive and Density.

The Drive knob goes from one to eleven (yes, it goes to eleven), and increases the saturation from subtle to overdriven distortion. Pushing Drive to the extreme wouldn’t likely work on an overall mix, but it can sound great on individual stems or stereo sources like synths or drum overheads. The Density knob at lower settings brings out additional harmonics, with a focus on the even-order. As the Density is turned up, more odd harmonics are introduced, and the overall harmonic depth is decreased with more rounded peaks. This is similar to a “soft-compression” setting. There is a tri-colored LED that represents the amount of saturation being applied.

SSL has a deep legacy when it comes to the quality of their EQs, and Fusion’s Violet EQ shows us why. This simple yet powerful two-band EQ provides the perfect tone shaping control to round out a mix, producing a sound that is both musical and precise. Both bands have a boost/cut range of up to 9dB, with the first band stepped between 30Hz and 90Hz, and the second band stepped between 8kHz and 20kHz. It’s just the right amount of control over the lows and highs to enhance or tame an overall mix.

When adding saturation and working with the high frequency EQs, it might become desirable to tame some of the brittleness up top, or create some of the classic tape-style top end roll-off. The dynamic high frequency compressor is here to provide this support. The compressor has a sweepable frequency from 3kHz all the way to 20kHz, and a threshold control that ranges from -10dB to +10dB. There’s a small LED that is triggered by the amount of compression being applied. The HF compressor is ideal when you want to have some brilliance in the signal but tame any potential harshness that comes along with that.

The stereo imaging components on Fusion are an interesting if not unexpected addition to the unit, providing true Mid/Side processing capabilities. Two knobs control the imaging processor. The first knob is labeled “Space,” which engages a broad boost or cut to the bass frequencies on the side signal. The “Width” control allows you to adjust the level of the side signal, which generally widens or narrows the perceived width of the stereo image. These two knobs in conjunction provide a sonic shaping tool that can increase the central focus of a mix, or add an impressive low end depth as well.

Lastly, the SSL Transformer circuit is controlled by a simple Off/On button. While there is no additional control here, the sonic qualities of this circuit are clearly audible. The transformer and surrounding circuitry adds low end harmonic content and a slight top end phase shift to the signal. While it’s not always applicable, more often than not, leaving this on is going to improve the quality of your signal.

It might be easy to overlook the inserts on the back of the rack, however these are cleverly designed and can offer some powerful features for users who want them. The external insert can be used in both stereo and Mid/Side. In stereo you might use this to insert a buss compressor, and in M/S it can be used to insert two mono outboard processors across the mid and side signals of the mix. When used in stereo, the insert can be placed pre Violet EQ or post the HF compressor (default position). If you’re using the inserts in M/S mode, the insert can be placed pre or post the stereo imaging controls.

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