Solid State Logic Fusion Vintage Drive and

Solid State Logic’s mastery of analogue
audio circuitry and uncompromising
commitment to quality has seen generations of
music history being made using their consoles
and processing tools. It’s also seen those tools
become the basis for countless, digitally-
modelled channel strip plugins, not all of which
acknowledge the name of the giants whose
shoulders they’re standing on.
Recognising the opportunities ofered by this
widespread interest in, and respect for, their
hardware, SSL recently embarked on a new
drive to reairm their commitment to not only
delivering high-end professional audio plugins
but also tools aimed at music creation, and to
continue to add value to their Complete Subs
Bundle. The inaugural products to come out of
that are a pair of plugins modelled on two of the
processing stages found in SSL’s Fusion, a 2U
rack unit designed to bring true analogue colour
and character into the digital studio via a chain
of six all-analogue processing stages.
Fusion Vintage Drive
The irst plugin, Fusion Vintage Drive, is
modelled on Fusion’s irst processing stage, and
brings the same non-linear saturation circuit
into the digital domain. The plugin is very simple
to use, with just a couple of dials – Drive and
Density – to control a saturation efect that
Solid State Logic
Fusion Vintage Drive
and Fusion Stereo
Image
£139
Plugins modelled on SSL’s ultra-desirable consoles and analogue circuits
are ever popular. What if they were made by the designers themselves?
MIX
Blends the processed signal
with the parallel dry signal
SATURATION METER
Gives accurate read-out of
how hard the plugin is working
INPUT TRIM
Controls input signal
and can drive it
into the saturator
ECO MODE
Perfect during
tracking, or in
live scenarios
DRIVE & DENSITY
Interact to produce harmonics,
soft-clipping and compression
AUTO GAIN
Automatically
compensates for gain
changes caused by
the saturator
WIDTH
Adjusts the volume of the
side signal by up to ±6dB
SHUFFLE &
SPACE
A low/low-mid
EQ in the
side signal
STEREO IMAGE
Graph gives an intuitive
visualisation of the stereo image
SOLO SIDE
Allows us to hear exactly
what the processor is doing
OUTPUT TRIM
Adjusts the output level, with
or without Auto Gain engaged
never becomes harsh or grating. Driving the
signal hard into the saturator using the Input
Trim control creates a very analogue-like
response, increasing the saturation without the
slightest hint of digital clipping. An Output Trim
control at the other end of the processor allows
you to manually compensate for the plugin’s
various gain-boosting stages or, if Auto Gain is
engaged, allows you to trim the automatically
adjusted output level.
The plugin has a saturation meter that isn’t
found on the original Fusion hardware. This
retro-lavoured ribbon-style meter looks great,
with a long range of travel and a gentle
backlighting that changes colour, from green
68 / COMPUTER MUSIC / December 2021
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