ADVANCED
RECORDING PRIMER |
BY ROBERT DENNIS |
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SOLID STATE LOGIC
4000E CONSOLE MASTER CONTROLS |
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| Master
Panel Controls |
| The Master
Panel of the SSL 4000 contains controls that affect output signals or affect multiple
input/output strips. On the diagram below, click on a control or button to get an
explanation of its function. |
Figure 1: SSL Master Control Panel
|
| POWER
INDICATORS |
| The four different indicators show that the
four power supplies needed for console operation are putting out voltage. If one of
these indicators is out, maintenance should be immediately performed on the console. |
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|
| COMMUNICATIONS
VOLUME CONTROLS |
| TB TO CANS LEVEL
CONTROL- This control will adjust the level of the control room microphone signal being
sent to the cue buss when one of the cue buttons is pressed in the communication controls. |
| TB TO STUDIO LEVEL
CONTROL - This control will adjust the level of the control room microphone signal
being sent to the studio speakers' amplifier. |
| SLATE LEVEL CONTROL
- This control sets the slate level (the level of the control room microphone signal
that is sent to all multitrack and mix outputs of the console when the Omni Button in the
communication controls is pushed. |
| LISTEN 1 LEVEL
CONTROL - This control sets the level of the studio listen microphone 1 signal that
is sent to the control room monitors when the Listen Mic Button in the communication
controls is pushed. |
| LISTEN 2 LEVEL
CONTROL - This control sets the level of the studio listen microphone 2 signal that
is sent to the control room monitors when the Listen Mic Button in the communication
controls is pushed. |
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|
| STEREO
ECHO RETURN CONTROLS |
| SPIN LEVEL
CONTROLS AND SPIN IN BUTTON - Spin is the British term for feedback. When the
Spin In Button is pushed, the Spin Level Control is activated. The Spin Level
Control will send the return signal back to the aux send. If the sends and returns
rev hooked up to a delay device, this will cause a repeated echo effect in that send and
return. Note: this control should only be used if the send and return is
connected to a delay device. |
| RETURN TO CANS LEVEL CONTROLS
AND ASSIGNMENT BUTTONS - These controls are supplied to provide reverberation/effects
in the cue headphone system. Pushing the Stereo Cue assignment button will connect
the return to the stereo cue buss. The level control adjusts the amount of the
return signal that will be sent (adjusting the amount of reverberation in the cue mix).
Note: "Cue 1" refers to the "Aux 1" buss and
"Cue 2" refers to the "Aux 2" buss - these assignment buttons are
provided because Aux 1 and Aux 2 can be wired as additional cue sends for studio musicians
during recording. Return 1 cannot be sent to Cue 1 and Return 2 cannot be sent to
Cue 2 to prevent feedback. |
| FRONT /
BACK RETURN PANPOTS AND IN BUTTONS - The F/B Panpot in button activates the Front/Back
Panpots. The Front / Back Panpots pan the return signal between the front and
back main mixing busses. |
| RETURN PAN
BUTTONS - This button, when pushed, makes the stereo return into a mono signal and
makes the Return Balance Control become a return panpot. |
| RETURN
BALANCE CONTROLS - These controls will adjust the stereo balance of the stereo return
signal being sent to the main mixing busses. |
| RETURN
LEFT AND RIGHT CUT BUTTONS - These buttons will mute the return to either the left or
right main mixing busses. |
| STEREO
RETURN LEVEL CONTROLS - These level controls determine the amount of the return
signal; that is sent to the main mixing busses. The AFL button allows the return to
be soloed for the signal after the level control. |
|
| QUAD
COMPRESSOR CONTROLS |
| The Quad Compressor compresses all four main
mixing busses (left front, right front, left back & right back). |
| The dB
Compression Meter shows the amount of gain reduction that is taking place at the
moment. |
| The Threshold
Control sets the level at which the Quad Compressor will start to compress the mix
buss signal. |
| The Makeup Gain
Control can be used to restore normal level on the mix busses after gain reduction by
the Quad Compressor. |
| The Attack Time
Control sets the amount of time before the compressor reacts to signals crossing the
threshold while increasing. The control is calibrated in milliseconds (from 1 to 30
ms). |
| The Release
Time Control sets the amount of time that it takes for the compressor to restore gain
when the signal dips below the threshold level. The control is calibrated in seconds
(over a range of 100 ms to 1.2 seconds). The "Auto" setting gives a
variable release time that is determined by how fast the signal originally crossed the
threshold to cause compression. |
| The Ratio Control
sets the compression ratio from a mild compression (2:1) to a medium compression (4:1) to
a limiting setting (10:1). |
| The Quad
Compressor In Button activates the Quad Compressor in the main mixing busses. |
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|
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| QUAD METERS & MASTER VCA CONTROLS |
| VCA
TRIM CONTROL AND IN BUTTON - This control will trim the level on all large
faders unless the fader is set to independent status (with a red "I" assigned in
the VCA Assignment Switch). |
| AUTO
FADE CONTROL AND IN BUTTON - The control sets the time of a fadeout of the mix busses,
which starts as soon as the in button is pushed (range is 1 to 60 seconds). |
| AFL LEVEL CONTROL
AND ACTIVATION BUTTON - Activating the AFL with the button makes all solo functions for
the board become after-fader recording solos in mono and the level control sets the solo
listening level. |
| QUAD MASTER FADER
- This slide controls the mixing buss levels (also referred to as the Stereo Master
Fader). |
| CHANNEL
INPUT TO METERS BUTTON - This button causes the meters to read the input level of the
main channels (before the fader). The meters normally read the consoles levels out
to the multitrack or the tape return levels (depending on console status). |
| VCA TO METERS
BUTTON - This button causes the meters read the VCA voltages controlling the gain of
the large faders. |
| QUAD
METERS TO DESK OUTPUT BUTTON - This button makes the quad mixing meters read the quad
mix buss output of the console. |
| QUAD
METERS FOLLOW MONITOR BUTTON - This button makes the quad mixing meters read the level
of what is selected to be heard at the desk output. |
|
| COMMUNICATION
CONTROLS |
| LISTEN MIC BUTTON
- This button makes the control room monitors receive the listen microphone signals. |
| OMNI BUTTON -
This button sends the control room microphone to the studio loudspeakers, to all of the
multitrack and mixing buss console outputs and to the cue system. |
| CUE BUTTON - This
button sends the control room microphone signal to the cue system |
|
| MASTER
MONITOR CONTROLS |
| MONITOR VOLUME -
This control (below "external to monitors" switch) will adjust monitor speaker
volume. NOTE: Since the mix buss output is used for monitoring, both the speaker
volume control and the quad master fader (below the "dim level" control) must be
up to monitor signals. |
| EXTERNAL TO
MONITORS - This button removes the mix buss from the monitors and replaces it with any
of the 13 sources controlled by the buttons above it. The top 3 buttons give the three
possible cue mixes in the monitors and the next two buttons (labeled Cue 3 & 4) give
the auxiliary send signals (echo send signals) in the monitors. The next eight sets of
buttons can be wired to 2-track machines outputs or anything else, like turntables, that
wants to be monitored. During the recording session the engineer will often choose
"cue stereo'" and "external to monitors" to hear the stereo cue mix
being sent to the musicians' headphones. Turning off "external to monitors" will
then give regular monitoring of the 24 track signals. Anytime later in the session, if the
engineer wants to hear the cue mix he/she just pushes "external to monitors." |
| EXTERNAL 'TO
STUDIO - Allows a similar choice of sources to be sent to the studio monitor speakers.
|
MINI MONITOR BUTTON - Switches the monitor output to small
speakers. |
MINI
LS CONTROL - Volume control for small speakers. |
ALT -
Switches monitor output to a 3rd set of speakers. Volume of these speakers will be
controlled by the main monitor-volume control. |
MONITOR DIM
BUTTON - This button reduces monitor level. This allows you to answer a phone or ask
a question without killing the monitors. |
DIM
LEVEL - this volume control determines how loud "dim" is. |
MONITOR CUT
BUTTON - Mutes the monitors (turns them off completely). |
MONITOR MATRIX BUTTONS - '"Mono" button gives
you mono monitors. "'Stereo" gives stereo monitors from the front speakers.
"Quad'" gives you quad speakers using the front & back speakers (if they are
hooked-up). Pushing both "Stereo'" & "Quad'" lets you hear all
four of the quad outputs on the front speakers. |
MONITOR CUTS AND TRIMS - are located to the upper left
of the panel. You can selectively turn off loudspeakers: main left, main right, mini left
or mini right. Outputs can be trimmed so one side can be made slightly louder or softer.
The trims are used when the engineer isn't sitting midway between the speakers but wants
to get a balanced stereo image. |
|
|
Computer and Tape Machine Controls:
The right-center panel of the Solid State Logic console contains the
computer and tape machine controls. The computer screen is in the top half of the panel.
The keyboard and remote controls for the tape machine are on the bottom half of the panel
and are shown in figure 2.
The multitrack tape machine remote controls are manual controls for
rewind, fast forward, stop, play and record. Alternately, commands for the tape machine
can be entered into the computer to control the tape machine functions. In order for the
computer to control the multitrack tape machine movement, the "tape enable"
computer status switch (top row of controls) must be turned on. If the computer is used to
activate the record mode of the tape machine, the "record enable" switch must
also be turned on.
Figure 2: Computer Keyboard & Tape Machine Controls
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|
Using The Solid State Logic
Computer
|
| The Solid State Logic Console has a
computer that will keep records for the session and will control the
transport of the 24-track tape machine. |
| The computer at R.I.D. uses 8-inch
"floppy" discs to store the data for one reel of tape. The
disc is therefore called a "Reel Disc." The disc drive
that the reel disc uses has an "R" above it. Do not
disturb the other disc drive that is used by the computer for
program information (instructions that tell the computer how to
perform tasks). |
|
These floppy discs are actually magnetic
recordings on a round disc that is protected by a plastic sleeve.
The discs are easily damaged. Do not bend them; always put them back
into their protective paper sleeves when removing them from the
drive; do not touch the disc surface; and do not write on labels
attached to them with anything except a felt-tipped pen (a ball
point will damage the disc). |
| The computer has dedicated keys that
will type short command words with on press of a key. The computer
also has alphabet keys and number keys. In the directory below the
dedicated keys are bold and commands that have to be spelled out are
in regular type. |
|
In order for the computer to control the 24-track
tape machine transport, the "Tape Enable" button above the
screen must be pushed. When you first prepare a new reel disc the
computer will ask if you want the disc checked - always respond
"yes" to assure that you have a good disc. |
| When starting a new session,
automation from a previous session might still be active. The
"Solid State Logic" logo on the drive on the right hand
side is actually a button. Pushing this will reset the computer. |
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|
Command
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Result
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LABEL EXECUTE
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This command us used to prepare a blank disc
for use as a reel disc. Using the command will also erase the data
on a reel disc. The computer will respond with a warning and ask
you if you are sure.
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|
Y
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This tells the computer "yes" when it
asks you a question; pressing any other key is "no."
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LOAD EXECUTE
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Puts any reel information from a reel disc into
the computer.
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ART FOUR TOPS EXECUTE
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This command would enter "Four Tops"
as the artist on the reel. You must put a space between AR and
FOUR TOPS. Using the first two letters and a space will allow you
to enter names of Client, Engineer, Assistant, Speed, Etc.
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NAME TITLE REACH OUT
FROM 2:30 TO 6:30 EXECUTE
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This command would enter the title "Reach
Out" and tell the computer that the tune starts at 2:30
counter time and went to counter time 6:30. If left off "from
2:30 to 6:30" the computer would enter the title starting at
the counter time where the tape was at the moment - it would enter
a "?" for the end time. The computer screen will change
only display titles and times. This is called the "Title
Page."
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TITLE FROM 1:16 EXECUTE
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This changes the entered start time for a tune.
End times can be changed also with a similar command.
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TITLE B EXUECUTE
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If the tunes "Reach Out" and
"Bernadette" were on the reel it would change over to
"Bernadette." A cursor shows you what tune you are on.
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LIST EXECUTE
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Puts you back on the general information page
of Artist, Client, etc.
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LIST TITLE EXECUTE
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Puts you back on the Title Page.
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|
Command
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Result
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NAME TRACK S EXECUTE
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Allows you to enter track data on track page.
The arrow keys will move the cursor to a different Track. The
execute key will end the typing for one track name.
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END
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Finishes the track data after you've entered
the data.
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LIST TRACK EXEXUTE
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Displays track page.
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GO TO 2:00 EXECUTE
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Sends the tape to counter time 2:00.
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GO TO TITLE EXECUTE
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Takes the tape to the top of the tune you are
on.
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CYCLE TITLE EXECUTE
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Plays the tune, rewinds, plays the tune again
until you push stop or enter another command.
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CYCLE FROM 2:00 TO
2:15 EXECUTE
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Winds the tape to 2:00, plays it until 2:15,
rewinds and repeats until you stop it.
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Generally, the computer is very friendly and will do
what you tell it to do. Always use the EXECUTE key to activate the
command. If you said PLAY TITLE and pressed EXECUTE, it
would play the title.
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GO ON TO PART
4 - SSL PATCHING & ADVANCED USE
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RETURN TO ADVANCE RECORDING PRIMER
CONTENTS
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Copyright 2001, Robert
Dennis, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED |