Solid State Logic .. SSL Big SiX

The Lounge Other Gear
#695

I have successfully installed my retrofit kit, but didn’t get the sticker, so I emailed SSL and got a reply that might be helpful for others to see:

“While the sticker is a way that we can identify that your console has had the update it is not the only way and not the most important. we have a record of send ing the kit out to you that is tagged and attached to your serial number. So we have proof here that the job has been done and that the kit has been received. WE are not able to reprint these labels and they are only a small part of the process.”

#696

“We were unable to deal with sending the sticker we said we would send so therefore it is unimportant.”

Am I the asshole?

5 Likes
#697

:rofl: I often think this. Too often of late.

2 Likes
#698

I mean, I know the answer. I was just hoping one of the kind souls around this place would contradict :0)

2 Likes
#699

So I had a SiX and sold it after a big change in my setup. Miss it and everything it brings - Don’t miss the DSUBs. The BiG SiX would be perfect, replacing my interfaces as well as a Bluebox. But these issues are really putting me off. I’m sure the BiG SiX would be be everything I need, I know what the Six sounded like and what it seemed to do to everything that ran through it, but every bit of common sense in me tells me I’m going to be pissed at spending £2k and having issues.

I’m guessing no one has bought one of these new and had no issues yet due to fix kit already installed and new power supply? (are they even sending new power supplies yet?)

#700

Excuse my basic English.

With the little $ that I earn as an educator in Costa Rica, I am still between going for the top and buying a Lynx AD DA system with many I/Os and paying for it for a long time, and then seeing what summing mixer I get later… … Or lose a bit of quality and definition in the conversions and decide on the B6. It is a decision that will influence my production for many years.

If I decide on the B6, it would be nice to know if its construction problems regarding electrical noises and clicks have been resolved. I have a music that I would like to enter the market, pure Afro-Cuban roots with very special beats and voices… Only here in this country where I am I depend solely on my own production. I need a sound quality that can really convince the market.

And get an idea of how much I lose in audio quality and conversions. I know it’s a bit difficult to explain. Thanks!!

2 Likes
#701

Your question is completely clear. I have the Big Six and I’ve tested the Lynx Hilo–although not head to head against the Big Six. Before I got the Big Six, I also had questions about the quality of the AD/DA, but have been more than happy with the quality of the converters in the Big Six. They sound very transparent. The noise issue related to the phantom power circuit has been resolved with the new pcb. The only question is whether the store where you would purchase from has upgraded Big Sixes. The fix isn’t hard, but I don’t think customers should have to worry about it at this point.

I recommend buying a Delta medical grade power supply to make sure the Big Six is getting the cleanest power possible. I’d also contact SSL directly to find out about buying upgraded units and ask if they’ve switched to a better power supply. In the worst case, SSL sends you the pcb, you buy the better power supply and get on with your project.

Once you have the power supply / upgrade pcb sorted, the Big Six is a beautiful system with professional sound quality. The integration between the mixer and audio interface is a fantastic workflow, and the quality of the mic pre’s, EQ’s and compressors is excellent.

3 Likes
#702

Yes, I need to hear answers like yours, because to buy a Lynx with 16 channels plus one of its modules, the A24, to be able to monitor, so that I can then have enough channels to get a summing mixer… That’s $4,965.00. I am more interested in the thunderbolt ports for audio, but hey… To get the 24-channel Lynx with its module for monitors there if I double the price of the B6.

Several connoisseurs have told me that the Lynx are the cleanest, that apogee colors more. It will be a matter of taste. I would need enough for monitoring, recording with 12 or more inputs, and the best quality audio for mastering.

The 12 ins of the B6 are limited but it is possible to produce like this, recording in different sessions. If the audio quality is already at the magic point…

My issue is that if I am going to be a producer, recorder, composer and the one who brings soft drinks and bread to the sessions. And I want a musical product that has the magic. I am a dreamer. I will appreciate any recommendation.

1 Like
#703

Can I ask if you have a studio room that is properly treated including a solid monitoring system?

I ask because it’s pretty much a waste of money to spend thousands of dollars extra on something because the converters are supposedly better in stead of putting that towards proper (extra) acoustic treatment and monitoring.

Also, i think the view on sound quality of converters in the high end nowadays is exaggerated. Room treatment, monitoring and great preamps if you use mics to record stuff, are way more important. Big6 has the latter covered I believe :slight_smile:

5 Likes
#704

Thanks.

Well, I was hoping to use the monitors from the B6, I currently have a UAD Apollo tween duo mkII which doesn’t sound bad but isn’t magic at all, that frustrates me.

I don’t have a monitoring system other than that card and the monitors.

I’ll tell you what I have, I have a pair of Focal CMS50, the studio is acoustically treated very well. I have a UAD 710d for 4 preamps and 4 500 series preamps in a lunch box that I went to buy at VintageKing (two BURL and two Rupert Neve) I will have to buy more microphones, but I have 3 old Sony C38B FET, I have a Neumann TLM49 that distorts somewhat if I project the voice strongly, that’s why I just bought a Soyuz 017 FET.

Well, I’m really worried about the magic factor.

#705

I meant monitor speakers :wink:

But ehm, sounds like you have it all covered pretty much then. Better converters are not going to make a difference. Focus on the music i’d say and save those multiple thousands of dollars.

Or invest in some nice outboard processing (bus comp, EQ). But honestly, like @resonant_space says, the special magic comes from your production skills. So keep evolving and learning. Maybe put the money into some courses from experts in the field.

4 Likes
#706

Completely agree here—the B6 converters will be the last thing to hold you back @Roque. Your recording and producing skills will be 90% of the project—that’s where the magic is. A couple years ago I worked as the technical director on an arts festival and had the pleasure of meeting Josh Rogosin, the recording engineer for the NPR Tiny Desk Concerts. He works miracles in non-studio spaces and his recording work is jaw-dropping. He has some material online that might be helpful for you.

https://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2019/04/02/705579879/tiny-tech-tips-microphones

4 Likes
#707

Thanks.

I have read somewhere that the B6 is a little better in sound than the UAD Apollo twin duo that I have, although not as solid as LYNX, in terms of body and separation between instruments in the panorama, definition of certain frequencies. But hey, with B6 I would already have a summing mixer, that would be a great time and money saver.
So you think that from the B6 to the LYNX I am not losing something fundamental to achieve mixes and works of the best level.

I have been working for almost 20 years for a team that produces the largest compilation of free online educational documentaries (with a simple production), the 3rd largest in Latin America. I am the only one of the team that does audio post-production and composes the music. We were even declared cultural heritage. But so far I managed to have a room treated acoustically and the UAD sounds like a blur to me, if the word is understood, English is not my native language. The instruments together, it is difficult to separate them. I have seen engineers working with other gears and in a moment everything is heard in its place and better defined. 4 years ago I didn’t even have the Apollo and I was working with very low budget cards.

4 Likes
#708

I have compared DA conversions of UAD vs RME ADI-2 PRO vs B6 and found that RME and B6 were more or less in the same ball park, and clearly superior to UAD. I assume my A/B/C test was subjective but it means that the B6 is far from being bad. For me UAD sounded not as separate, “3D” clear than RME and B6.

3 Likes
#709

Thank you alexone, I read your previous comments about that comparison, and they were the ones that brought me to this point, in which I have fewer doubts. An important question is and has been the durability and construction of B6, and well, if I decide on it, I will have to make sure that it is one of those that are coming out now. That is a big issue for me, because if I go to the US to look for it and bring it to Costa Rica, there is no way to use the guarantee for returns. Besides that I need a gear that will last me a long time.

I am glad to know that B6 in terms of sound quality is going to be an upgrade.

1 Like
#710

Last year I upgraded my home studio I/O to an SSL SiX and Lynx Aurora(n) Pre 1608 USB.

It was a few months before the B6 came out, so I was pretty happy with the combo, 11 pre’s, 2 EQ’s, 1 bus comp, and 2 1-knob compressors. I’m still happy with it.

The Aurora and it’s pre’s are the cleanest thing I’ve ever heard. Very low gain noise / distortion even at the upper ranges of gain, and it’s quiet. The built in SD recorder is amazing also.

I had planned on augmenting my pres with the SSL Alpha VHD, but after hearing what the SiX adds to the Aurora, I think I may be adding the B6, despite all of the issues people are having.
Granted, this is probably another year away in my timeline, but the combo of the two is amazing. By itself the Aurora(n) is really nice. You must hear it with mics you know to really get it. For me the difference could not be UN-heard.
I bought it fully expecting to send it back… the difference couldn’t be that much, right?

I took it out of the box, put in my IEM’s, and started going through my mics 1 by 1 and A/B’ing them with my Tascam US16x08 ( yeah, I know it wasn’t fair ).
I feel like I know the difference between my mics more intimately than ever before even though I was just sitting there listening to the sounds of my house and the street outside from different microphones.
Remember, this is just the Aurora(n) and it’s pre’s.
The SiX interfaces exactly with the Aurora from an electrical operating standpoint: +4 on one is +4 on the other, and so is +20, -10, they’re just perfect.
What the SiX pre’s bring to the party I would describe as “thickness”.
It’s just like there is more to the signal.

I understand when people ascribe “thin” to a mic pre now; Thin isn’t a word I would’ve used to describe my Komplete Audio 6, Tascam 16x08, or Yamaha AW4416 before. I used to say “clean”. Though I still think they’re clean compared to some others, they are all “thin” compared to the SSL SiX pres.

These are my observations. If I had it to do over and assuming it was available, I might’ve gone with the B6 instead of the Aurora(n) + SiX. What I can tell you is that when I buy some more pre’s, it’ll most likely either be another Aurora(n) Pre1608 or a B6.

Immaculate conversion and sound plus a mixer with pre’s that add girth and operate as a summing platform add their own special magic and will capture yours in the detail that you’ll sit back and listen to like :hushed:.

I don’t think you could go wrong with either.

I almost forgot: regarding longevity, I first encountered Lynx about 15 years ago, and most recently at a session at Sear Sound in NYC. Talking with engineers I know Lynx is legendary for reliability and sound quality.

The SiX heft and feel suggest that it will operate in its current condition for many years to come.

SCG

3 Likes
#711

@Roque: do not hurry up. There are still a lot of units in stock with the noise issue.
And yes, I am pretty sure the B6 will be an upgrade for you. Not a miracle but a better tool for sure.

2 Likes
#712

Hi alexone and Stonecoldgroove, thanks!! B6 is the first option, but which other converters do you think are the miracle factor? It is very possible that the money will be enough for the B6 in a few months, in December or January. I must invest in the best and most durable possible, since I will not have many opportunities to invest later for a long time. This research leads me to auronaN, with a monitoring module that they just released in Lynx, the A24 ($6000), I don’t know any other configurations that prepare me to later acquire a summing mixer and 16 or more inputs plus monitoring with the same quality than Lynx. But maybe a little cheaper… And better enough than B6 to make the investment.

The thing is that the songs and productions are very original and good, to be configuring the gear with which they are going to be recorded and mastered, I would like to have the miracle factor. As much as my dreamy idealistic factor hehe

#713

I received my retrofit kit, and got a tiny sticker with the updated number which was stuck to the plastic bag they shipped the electronics in. Installed it and seems like the ticking noises are now eradicated. Great customer service by SSL (at least here in Southern California).

2 Likes
#714

That’s great. I don’t have any paying projects (LOL) but do have a Neve Master Buss Processor along with a Silver Bullet MK2 that I use on the master bus. Was wondering whether the Bus+ was maybe too much, but think I will pick one up later in the year.

1 Like