Solid State Logic Fusion Analog Master Processor

Vintage Drive

A unique harmonic enhancement tool that infuses your mix with analog cohesion and punch, the Vintage Drive nonlinear saturation circuit delivers the gradual analog overload characteristics emblematic of cherished vintage analog consoles and outboard gear. The Drive and Density controls interact to produce harmonics, soft-clipping, and natural compression reminiscent of pushing an analog console into its tonal sweet spot.

Turn the Drive pot clockwise to push the Vintage Drive section harder. A tri-color LED provides feedback as to how hard the circuit is being driven. If you’re after a subtle effect that’s appropriate for an entire mix, then keep the LED in the green zone (occasional flickers into orange are OK). For more aggressive coloration, drive the circuit until the LED starts glowing orange more consistently. When in the red zone, you’ll hear obvious distortion that, although not desirable across a mix bus, can work quite well on individual stems.

HF Compressor (with secret LMC mode)

Fusion’s HF Compressor serves up the distinctive sound of analog high-frequency rounding. A compressor that affects only the high frequencies, the circuit is designed to deliver smooth and transparent harshness reduction and tape-like high-frequency roll-off to tame undesirable harshness or brittleness that can build up in a mix or individual stem. Typical compressor parameters such as ratio, attack, and release are all fixed, having been optimized for maximum transparency.

For a full mix, start by setting the Threshold control at +2dB and X-Over around 15kHz. Then gently adjust the controls until the tri-color LED just begins to flicker green. A constant green into orange will likely be too severe for most mixes. It’s worth noting that you will not be misled by automatic makeup gain, as there is none employed in the circuit. And if your mix is already well balanced, then you may not even find the need to engage the HF Compressor. However, when subtly deployed, it can smooth harshness in a very pleasing way. You can usually be more aggressive with it on individual stems. An effective technique is to apply more high end than you normally would in the preceding Violet EQ section and then use the HF Compressor to trim it back. This often helps to achieve a brighter top end without harshness.

Hidden in the HF Compressor section is a sixth analog color, a full-band LMC (Listen Mic Compressor) processor. By simply holding down the HF Compressor “In” button for five seconds, you have access to the famed LMC from SSL’s 4000E studio consoles, a secret weapon used by recording engineers for decades. Its original intent was to avoid overloading the return feed from a studio communications mic, but engineers soon found that its “smashed” sound was ideal for adding energy to drum room mics, vocals, guitars, and more! In LMC mode, you can use the HF Compressor’s X-Over control as a wet/dry knob to dial in the perfect amount of smashed signal to add impact to a source.

SSL Transformer

Fusion’s switchable SSL Transformer circuit introduces gentle low-frequency harmonic saturation and high-frequency phase shift, resulting in low-end thickening and added high-end sheen. Further, the 600-ohm, 1:1-wound transformer is under-damped, which adds a subtle heft to the sound. Experiment by switching in the transformer at any point during mixdown to see if it improves the sound of your mix.