With the BUS+, SSL introduces its legendary bus compressor as a hardware device based on the original circuitry that the manufacturer first built into the 4000B mixing console in 1976. Since then, it has enhanced countless world-famous productions, earning its nickname - "The Glue". All of the knobs on the BUS+ are detented, which makes precise control of the different parameters very easy. Compression is available in stereo, S/C stereo, dual mono, and mid/side modes, and the BUS+ also offers different characteristics that can even be combined. It also houses a two-band parametric dynamic EQ with HF and LF gain controls, as well as side-chain inputs and outputs, and also a transient expander. With these features, it adds more punch to successful productions, and does so with a great deal of precision.
The SSL BUS+ offers three different compression characteristics: The "4K" setting recreates the "unbalanced sound" of SSL's 4000 series mixers, which has variable harmonic overload components. Users who want to do without the harmonic distortions in the low end can choose the LOW THD setting, and for moderate compression and an exclusive effect on the sidechain itself, they can simply use the "F/B" setting. The dynamic EQ only processes signals once they exceed an adjustable threshold, while the static LF gain lowers or boosts the bass by 10dB, and a parallel HF gain can be used in stereo mode. The make-up gain in turn can be switched to "Post D-EQ" if required.
The BUS+ is aimed at engineers and producers looking for that special "kick" for their elaborately produced hits. This hardware device delivers the classic SSL sound, which has already proven itself in countless productions. In a 19" rack, the BUS+ takes up 2 height units, and among the high-quality components that are a matter of course for SSL are the 2181 THAT VCAs, which amplify and mute exponentially with low signal distortion over a wide range. Thanks to a microprocessor that "translates" the respective positions of the knobs for the completely analogue circuitry, users can precisely control the BUS+ parameters. The Make-Up, Threshold, and Dry/Wet controls thus ensure a fine resolution of 31 positions.
Solid State Logic (SSL), is a renowned British manufacturer of high-end mixing consoles and hardware. It was founded in 1969 by Colin Sanders and is based in Begbroke, Oxfordshire. Initially the company developed transistors to control church organs, hence the name Solid State Logic. At the end of the 1970s they made huge advances in the domain of large mixing consoles with the 4000 series which pioneered the oncoming era of the ‘super’ consoles. Later, the 6000 and 9000 series also proved to be a great success and are still being used in countless recording studios all over the world. In 2005, Peter Gabriel and David Engelke took a majority stake in the company and then sold it to the Audiotonix Group in 2017.
The BUS+ from SSL is a first-class studio device that not only offers top-notch audio quality and precision, but also comes with practical functions for reliable and flexible use in any studio environment. For longer sessions, for example, users can set up a sleep mode that is automatically activated when the unit is not in use and reduces power consumption. If desired, it is also possible to calibrate the metre individually. The internal transient expander can be activated via a guessing game. To do this, the user first presses the CH1 IN, HF BELL, HF FAST, and LF FAST keys simultaneously, then presses the red flashing MODE button. They must then set a colour sequence that the BUS+ has selected at random. If they get this right, they can temporarily use the transient expander instead of the dynamic EQ. This function can be cancelled with a "deep factory reset".