Solid State Logic SSL 4K E User manual

SSL 4K E Channel Strip Plug-in - User Guide
Introduction & Key Features
The SSL 4K E channel strip plug-in brings the iconic SL 4000 E console to your
digital audio workstation, carrying the legacy of a console that defined a generation
of music production. The 4K E plug-in faithfully replicates the hallmark features of
the original console, including its renowned high- and low-pass filters, versatile
four-band equaliser, dynamic compressor/limiter, and precise gate/expander. It
also embodies the characteristic warmth and depth of the original console, thanks
to its meticulously emulated mic pre and VCA fader, offering a rich, analog feel to
your digital mixes. With the 4K E plug-in, the celebrated sound and functionality
of the SL 4000 E are seamlessly integrated into the modern digital audio
environment, providing producers and engineers with a timeless tool for artistic
expression.
This plug-in is a 360-enabled plug-in and integrates with the SSL 360° Plug-in
Mixer software, including first-class integration and hands-on control via the SSL
UC1, SSL UF8 and SSL UF1 hardware controllers.

Key Features
Authentic SL 4000E-series console emulation – capturing the iconic sound
and character of the original!
Immortalises SL 4000 E console sound in your DAW.
Historically used in famous studios throughout the ‘80s & ’90s, shaping the
sound of iconic albums and tracks.
Celebrated by top mixing engineers like Andy Wallace, Chris Lorde-Alge,
Tom Lorde-Alge, Alan Moulder, and Spike Stent.
Big, punchy sound with rich analogue character.
Combine 4K E with Channel Strip 2 and 4K B in SSL 360° Plug-in Mixer.
First-class integration with the SSL UC1, UF8 and UF1 controllers for
tactile control.
Developed by emulating the circuits from the original schematics down to a
component level.
Detailed analogue saturation and drive with the Jensen T-115K-E
transformer mic pre and dbx 202 ‘gold can’ VCA fader.
Precise model of SL 4000 E console.
Includes revered E Series EQ in Brown, Black, and the rare ‘passive’
Orange EQ flavours.
E-Series channel dynamics, featuring the Revision 4 Dynamics with
soft-knee and logarithmic release circuit.

Enhanced output section with virtual fader and stereo image control, including
Fader Level, Pan, and Width parameters.
Compressor mix control.
Enhanced UC1/UF8/SSL 360° Plug-in Mixer integration for comprehensive
DAW control and synchronisation.
HQ mode for optimal audio quality, utilising advanced processing such as
oversampling.
Pro Tools EQ and dynamics integration.
Built-in help feature.
Cross-platform preset management.
Undo/redo.
A note on analogue modelling and measurements
This plug-in has been developed using the original circuit schematics, analogue
simulations, component-level modelling and detailed hardware prototypes.
When testing a plug-in, please note that the classical "transfer function" method is
only defined for linear, time-invariant systems - and therefore the testing approach
should be considered carefully. Some of the typical testing methodologies that you
leverage in audio measurement software such as Plugindoctor, SATlive or Smaart
can lead to erroneous results - so make sure you understand the caveats of the
testing approach and whether or not it is valid for a non-linear system.
Please take care especially when using the Linear Analysis tab on Plugindoctor,
as the plug-in features non-linearities (additional frequencies or distortion
added), and the results are likely to be incorrect and not representative.
You can observe how the method of test can change the result, by comparing the
results you get with different testing approaches, and understanding the caveats of
each one. Of course, if changing the testing approach changes the conclusion, then
the test is unreliable!
Release Notes
For more comprehensive release notes and known issues about integration with the
SSL 360° Plug-in Mixer and other hardware controllers, please refer to: SSL 360°
Downloads and Release Notes
V1.0.13 (November 2023)
Initial release, including Native support for Apple silicon (VST, VST3 and AU
only).
Supported Platforms and Hosts
For compatibility information about plug-ins, visit the Plug-in Operating System and
DAW Compatibility FAQ.
When we release an SSL plug-in, we test it on all Windows and macOS operating
systems that aren't End-of-Life (EOL) at the time of release.

The versions listed below are the latest on which we have officially tested the the
product.
It is possible for our products to work on platforms outside of this list. However, if
your host, host version or operating system is not listed here, we recommend you
demo the product before purchase to confirm that it works correctly.
Apple Silicon Support
This plug-in is provided as a universal binary for macOS and features native support
for Apple Silicon.
Operating Systems
Please refer to the Plug-in OS Compatibility FAQ.
Hosts
Logic Pro 10.7
Pro Tools 2023
Ableton Live 11
Studio One 6
Cubase 12
REAPER 6
FL Studio 21
LUNA v1.5
Demo/Trial
To demo this plug-in, you can simply download it from the product page and run it up
in your host - the software will guide you through the rest of the process.
1. Download and install the plug-in.
2. Open your DAW/host.
3. Insert the plug-in to commence activation (sometimes this will happen when
the plug-in is scanned on startup, depending on your DAW/host).
4. When you see 'Activation is required', click 'Try'.
5. Log into your iLok account and click 'Next'.
6. Select a location to activate the license to, and click 'Next'.
Installation and Download
You can download installers for a plug-in from the website's Download page, or by
visiting a plug-in product page via the Web Store.
All SSL plug-ins are supplied in VST, VST3, AU (macOS only) and AAX (Pro Tools)
formats.
The installers provided (macOS Intel .dmg and Windows .exe) copy the plug-in
binaries to the common VST, VST3, AU and AAX directories. After this, the host
DAW should recognise the plug-in automatically in most cases.

Simply run the installer and you should be good to go. You can find more information
about how to authorise your plug-ins below.
Licensing
Visit iLok, Licensing and Activation for guidance in activating your SSL plug-in.
Overview
1) Track Name
The name of the track is automatically provided from your DAW, if supported
(VST3/AAX/AU only).
2) Bypass
Toggles plug-in processing in or out.
3) 360°
Click to open the SSL 360° Plug-in Mixer window.
4) Input Section

Input trim control with +/-20 dB gain, polarity (ϕ) phase invert & mic pre-amp 'drive'
circuit with automatically gain-compensated gain stage for adding saturation without
effecting the level of the signal.
5) EQ
4-band EQ with LF, LMF, HMF & HF bands - including bell options on LF & HF
bands and additional high- and low-pass filters.
6) Dynamics
Dynamics section with compression & gate/expander processing.
7) Routing Menu
Allows you to re-arrange the order of processing (dynamics, EQ) or move them to
the sidechain.
8) Input/Output Meters
Instantaneous input & output signal meters and RMS average metering.
9) Output Section
Output section with mid-side (M/S) width control & pan (stereo and mono-to-stereo
instances only), as well as modelled VCA fader, solo, cut, solo clear and safe
options, sidechain listen and a clean output trim.
10) High Quality (HQ) mode
Enables or disabled High Quality (HQ) mode, which turns on intelligent
oversampling under-the-hood for higher quality audio at the cost of increase CPU
use.
11) Advanced Settings
Access 'under-the-hood' DSP parameters such as advanced Width control modes,
toggling the analogue VCA emulation, and turn off the automatic make-up gain in the
compressor.
12) Scale/Zoom
Click to set the scale of the plug-in, from 50% to 200%.
13) Built-in Help
When enabled, the '?' button drops the plug-in into help mode. Hover over the GUI,
and a text box will provide a brief explanation of each parameter or GUI element.
14) Preset Manager
Clicking this area will open the Preset Manager. The Preset Manager list allows you
to load factory or used-saved presets. Use the left and right arrows to quickly move
between presets.

16) Undo/Redo
The Undo/Redo stack can be accessed via the undo/redo buttons.
15) A/B
The A/B buttons allow you to temporarily store two plug-in states, and quickly
compare between them
360° Plug-in Mixer + UC1/UF8/UF1
This plug-in is a 360-enabled plug-in, and integrates with the SSL 360° Plug-in
Mixer.
Since the plug-in is controllable from the 360° Plug-in Mixer, it has first-class
integration with the powerful UC1 & UF8 hardware control surfaces. For more
information on the UC1 integration & SSL 360° please refer to the user guides on
the UF1, UC1 and UF8 product pages.
Please refer to SSL 360° Downloads and Release Notes for more information about
the latest release.

SSL UC1
SSL hardware for your SSL software
For in-depth information about how to use the SSL UC1 hardware plug-in controller
with your 360-enabled plug-ins, please visit the SSL UC1 user guide.
To find out more about the UC1, visit the product page on our website: UC1 | Solid
State Logic

SSL UF8
Accelerated creativity, intelligent production
For in-depth information about how to use the SSL UF8 studio and DAW controller
with your 360-enabled plug-ins, please visit the SSL UF8 user guide.
To find out more about the UF8, visit the product page on our website: UF8 | Solid
State Logic
SSL UF1

Solid State Logic's legacy in control
For in-depth information about how to use the SSL UF1 single fader DAW controller
with your 360-enabled plug-ins, please visit the SSL UF1 user guide.
To find out more about the UF8, visit the product page on our website: UF1 | Solid
State Logic
To find out more about the SSL 360° Plug-in Mixer and integrated hardware, please
visit the product page on our website: SSL 360 | Solid State Logic.
Input Section
The Input Section provides two signal paths; a clean one, and an analogue one.
The INPUT TRIM control is the equivalent of a 'line input trim' on a console, and
provides a clear signal path with ±20 dB of gain.
When PRE is switched in, the signal is addition passed through hardware-modelled
JE-115K-E Transformer mic pre-amp before the INPUT TRIM. This allows for
everything from gentle saturation to rich distortion.
MIC allows you to add +20-70 dB of automatically-compensated gain through the
transformer gain stage. This allows you to drive the input signal and add harmonics
without destructively effecting your level.
PRE off = input signal → INPUT TRIM → POLARITY (ϕ) → rest of plug-in
PRE on = input signal → MIC pre-amp → INPUT TRIM → POLARITY (ϕ) →
rest of plug-in
Input Trim
Trim the input signal ±20 dB.
Polarity (ϕ)
Inverts the phase of the input signal.
Mic Gain
Adds +0-50 dB of gain via the mic-pre amp emulation. This drive stage is automatically gain-
compensated, so it only introduces harmonics without destructively effecting the level of your
signal. You’ll need to engage the ‘PRE’ button first.
The accompanying LED lets you know how hard you’re driving the circuit.
OFF = low/zero distortion
GREEN = gentle saturation
ORANGE = mid/high saturation
RED = high distortion
Pre Toggle
Toggles the MIC pre-amp gain stage in or out.

Equaliser Section
The 4000 E EQ had several design iterations, each offering engineers very different
characteristics and capabilities when sculpting sounds.
The 4K E Plug-in includes them all; the original ’02 Brown’ knob renowned for its grit,
the rare passive ‘132 Orange’ knob, and the cleaner ‘242 Black’ knob with its
legendary low-end weight.
Filters IN
Toggles the EQ processing in or out.
Low-Pass Filter
Engaged when moved from the out position, with a cutoff down to 3 kHz.
High-Pass Filter
Engaged when moved from the out position, with a cutoff up to 350 Hz.
HF Band
High frequency shelf with ±15 dB gain between 1.5 kHz to 16 kHz, with optional bell curve
modifier.
MHF Band
High-mid frequency bell filter with variable Q width and ±15 dB Gain control from 600 Hz
to 7 kHz.
EQ IN
Toggles the EQ processing in or out.
EQ Type
The 4000 E had several design iteration, and included different EQ and filters over its
lifetime. the SSL 4K E offers all three.
1. Black Button In = '242 Black' EQ and filters.
2. Orange Button In = '132 Orange' EQ and filters.
3. Buttons Out/Brown = '02 Brown' EQ and filters.
LMF Band
Low-mid frequency bell filter with variable Q width and ±15 dB gain control from 200 Hz &
2.5 kHz.
LF Band
Low frequency shelf with ±15 dB gain from 30 Hz to 450 Hz, with optional bell curve
modifier.
Dynamics Section
Flexibility is at the heart of SSL channel compression; it’s designed to smooth and
enhance almost any signal. Several revisions were made over the course of
the lifetime of the SL 4000 E console, but ‘Revision 4’ is what we consider to be the

pinnacle design reference, with a soft-knee, FAST/SLOW attack options and
logarithmic release curve.

Compressor Mix
Determines the parallel mix amount of wet signal added to the Dry pre-compressed signal. 100%
means the signal is entirely the signal passed through the compressor section, and 0% is an entirely
dry signal path following the previous channel strip processing sections. 50% would be equal amounts
wet to dry signal.
Compression Ratio
The severity with which the signal is reduced when it exceeds the Threshold. When set to 1, the
compressor is bypassed.
Compressor Fast Attack
Provides a faster attack time (3 ms per 20 dB gain reduction). When off, the attack time is slower and
less aggressive (30 ms for 20 dB of gain reduction).
Compressor Threshold
Set the threshold from +10 to -20 dB. The threshold determines the level above which compression
occurs. In this compressor design, the Threshold also applies an automatic gain-make-up. This can
be disabled via Advanced Settings.
Compressor Release
Controls how quickly the level returns to normal after the input level has dropped below the Threshold
(measured in seconds).
DYN IN
Toggles the dynamics processing (both compression and gate/expander) in or out.
Gate/Expander Threshold
Sets the threshold above which the the gate/expander will be opened. Variable hysteresis is
incorporated in the threshold circuitry. For any given ‘open’ setting, the Expander/Gate will have a
lower ‘close’ threshold. The hysteresis value is increased as the threshold is lowered. This is very
useful in music recording as it allows instruments to decay below the open threshold before gating or
expansion takes place.
Gate/Expander Range
Controls the maximum amount of gain reduction applied by the gate/expander. When set to 0, the
gate/expander is bypassed.
Compressor and Gate Meters
The left meter (orange) indicates the amount of compression (attenuation in dB) that is being applied
to the signal, and the right meter (green) indicates the amount of gating (attenuation in dB) that is
being applied to the signal.
Gate/Expander Release
Sets how long the signal remains audible after the gate/expander closes, from 0.1 to 4 seconds. This
control interacts with the Gate/Expander Range.
Expander Button
Switches the gate into downwards expander mode with a gentle curve instead of the high ratio gate.
Gate/Expander Fast Attack
Sets the gate/expander to a fast attack time (100 µs per 40 dB). When off, a controlled linear attack
time of 1.5 ms per 30 dB is applied. When gating signal with a steep rising edge, such as drums, a
slow attack may effectively mask the initial 'thwack', so you should be aware of this when selecting
the appropriate attack time.

Output Section
The Output Section adds additional harmonic saturation with the modelled dbx 202
‘gold can’ VCA fader from the 4000 E console - the FADER LEVEL parameter.
This fader controls the output signal of the plug-in and can be driven up to +12 dB to
add another colour of harmonic distortion, with an additional 'clean' output trim to
compensate for additional gain added at this stage.
The WIDTH & PAN controls (only for plug-in instances with a stereo output) allows
for additional mid-side (M/S) width control & panning of the signal. These two
options are greyed out when the plug-in is instanced on a mono channel.
*The controls are available in stereo or mono-to-stereo operation only. When the
plug-in output is mono, WIDTH & PAN controls will be greyed out.
**When using the VST3 format in Live, Studio One or REAPER, the SOLO & CUT
are automatically linked to the DAW’s solo and cut controls.

Width*
Using mid-side processing, the WIDTH control can fully mono the signal (0) when turning fully
anti-clockwise, or increases stereo width by increasing the 'sides' volume when turning
clockwise (up to 2).
Default state (1) means is standard stereo operation, and no mid/side processing is applied to
the signal.
Pan*
Allows positioning of the signal in the stereo field, by balancing the left/right components on the
signal.
Default state is ‘C’ which means no panning is applied to the signal.
Solo**
Engages channel solo.
Cut**
Engages channel cut (mute).
VCA Fader
Audio passing through the channel strip can be further driven into harmonic distortion via the
VCA-modelled fader.
This is a model of the dbx ‘202’ gold can VCA. The non-linear harmonics are level dependent
so driving the fader will add more colour.
This can then be offset with the 'clean' output trim to compensate for level.
Solo Modifiers
SOLO SAFE* protects a channel from being muted when another channel is solo'd. This is
useful when using the channel strip plug-in on an aux or bus.
SOLO CLEAR turns off solo for all channels.
*SOLO SAFE only works when the channel strip is connected to the 360° Plug-in Mixer, and
using the 360° Plug-in Mixer solo layer.
If using the VST3 format in a compatible DAW (Live, Studio One, REAPER) then SOLO SAFE
will not function. SOLO CLEAR will still function.
Sidechain Listen
Solos the sidechained signal.
Output Trim
The digital output allows an extra clean gain stage, post VCA fader. Use this control to
compensate for added gain when driving the VCA harmonics with a range of ±20 dB, or to trim
the level without destructively effecting your current fader level.
Routing Menu and Sidechaining
The Routing Menu allows you to configure the processing order of the Filters, EQ
and Dynamics processing blocks. Click on the up/down arrows to position that
processing element within the overall signal flow.

Please note: EQ > DYNAMICS > FILTER is not possible. In SSL's analogue
consoles, the filter will always occur directly before the EQ unless 'Filter to Input' is
activated.
Filters to Sidechain
Use the 'FILTERS' radio button to move the filters from the input signal path to the
sidechain path.
EQ to Sidechain
Use 'EQ' radio button to move the EQ to the dynamics sidechain.
Routing Order
Press the up/down arrows in DYN, EQ & FILTERS to reorder the modules.
External Side Chain
Use the 'EXT' checkbox to feed the compressor sidechain from an external source,
routed from your DAW. Check your DAWs documentation on how to route a signal to a
plug-ins sidechain input.
S/C Listen Indicator
The S/C Listen Indicator will light up when S/C Listen is enabled.
How the Solo System Works
1) Live (VST3), Studio One (VST3) and REAPER (VST3)
When using the VST3 format in Live, Studio One or REAPER, the SOLO & CUT are
automatically linked to the DAW’s solo and cut controls.
2) DAWs without VST3 extension support
In other all other DAWs except those listed above, the mixer-wide solo'ing
functionality will require the SSL 360° application to be running on your desktop.
The solo feature works by cutting the output of all other 360-enabled channel strip
plug-ins in the DAW session. This happens when you action a Solo (either from the
UC1, the 360-enabled plug-in, or from the 360° Plug-in Mixer). Therefore, it is
recommended that you:
1. Insert a 360-enabled channel strip plug-in on all tracks in your DAW session.
2. Make sure to engage the SOLO SAFE button on channel strip plug-ins that
have been inserted onto auxes/busses/sub-groups/sub-mixes. This will ensure
that you hear individual instruments that are routed to these destinations when
you start soloing.
SOLO SAFE prevents a channel strip from being cut when another channel strip's
SOLO is activated.

Sidechaining
The 'EXT' (External) toggle in the Routing Menu feeds the Dynamics module fed
from an external sidechain, routed from your DAW. Check your DAWs
documentation on how to route a signal to a plug-ins sidechain input.
e.g. you could route a kick drum signal to the sidechain input of a plug-in instance on
your bass guitar track, and toggle 'EXT' in. This would trigger the compressor the a
bass guitar from the kick signal, causing the bass guitar to be 'ducked' when the kick
occurs.
The high- and low-pass filters and EQ modules can be moved into the Dynamics
sidechain, using the circular toggles in the Routing Menu. The 'EQ' toggle
corresponds to 'EQ to Sidechain' and the 'FILTERS' toggle corresponds to 'Filters to
Sidechain'.
Advanced Settings
Advanced Settings - Output
Analogue VCA
This option can be set to 'off' to remove the saturation element that is added at the
VCA fader output stage.
Width Mode
Full - the width control affects all frequencies equally
Low - the width control only affects frequencies below the Width Frequency
High - the width control only affects frequencies above the Width Frequency
Use this in combination with the Width Frequency control to e.g. only mono
frequencies below 120Hz, or only widen frequencies above 10 kHz.
Width Frequency

Determines the frequencies that are affected by the Width control, when the Width
Mode is 'Low' or 'High'.
Advanced Settings - Compressor
Auto Make-up
This option can be set to 'off' to bypass the automatic make-up gain in the
compressor section. When disabled, you will have to manually trim the level using
the Output Trim control.
Auto Make-up Offset
When Auto Make-up is on, the Auto Make-up Offset applies an offset to the
reference level used to calculate the auto make-up gain. The reference level is the
level at which the input and output levels are the same on the compressor gain
curve.
SSL Plug-in Engine
The 'SSL Plug-in Engine' has several features that are available across our entire
plug-in range.
NOTE: the available features in a plug-in might be or look different depending on
what plug-in you are using, or when the plug-in was most recently updated.
Undo/Redo
SSL plug-ins come with a built-in undo/redo stack, in case your DAW doesn't handle
this.
Undo (left arrow) undoes the current action in the history stack.
Redo (right arrow) re-does the next action in the history stack.
Presets
All of our plug-ins ship with carefully designed presets to aid your workflow.
Factory presets are included in the plug-in installation, installed in the following
locations:
macOS: /Library/Application Support/Solid State Logic/PlugIns/Presets/[Plug-in
Name]
Windows: C:\ProgramData\Solid State Logic\PlugIns\Presets\[Plug-in Name]

Switching between presets can be achieved by clicking the left/right arrows in the
preset management section of the plug-in GUI, and by clicking on the preset name
which will open the preset management display.
The Preset Management menu reflects the folder structure of the preset folder.
Revert Changes and Delete
Revert Changes discards any changes to the current preset.
Delete removes the current preset from the filesystem. Factory and Producer
presets cannot be deleted from the plug-in GUI, although they can be manually
deleted using the filesystem (Windows Explorer or Finder).
A/B and Copy
A/B allows you to toggle quickly between two presets. This is useful for
comparing between two parameter settings.
COPY X TO Y is used to copy presets between A/B.
Version Number
Click the version number to display more information about the plug-in.
When logging a bug to our support team, always include the full version number e.g.
v1.0.13.
Advanced Settings
Click the 'Advanced Settings' button to access advanced plug-in functionality.
This will drop the plug-in into 'Advanced Mode', exposing more settings, and
allowing you to tweak the 'under-the-hood' behaviour of the plug-in.
Scale/Zoom
The scale/zoom menu allows you to resize your plug-in from 50% up to 200%.

Note that if resizing would cause the plug-in to go offscreen, then this option will be
disabled. This is designed to prevent DAW resizing bugs that exist in some DAWs.
You can also right-click anywhere on the background of the plug-in to change the
scale.