Waves LTD. has partnered with GRAMMY® Award-winning mixer Chris Lord-Alge in developing signature presets for the Waves SSL 4000 Collection, a bundle of plug-ins that precisely recreate the sonics of the legendary Solid State Logic® 4000 series recording console.
The equalization and dynamic parameter presets that Chris Lord-Alge uses to create multi-platinum hits for artists including Green Day, Sheryl Crow, Hoobastank, Tim McGraw, Audioslave, Brian Setzer, Eric Clapton and dozens of others, are now available as part of the SSL 4000 Collection. These include the exact same settings — for vocals, guitar, bass, drums, strings and brass — that Chris has used on hit after hit, providing Waves users with an unprecedented degree of insight into how this renowned mixer approaches equalization and dynamics.
"I literally copied my settings off the desk for the Waves bundle, and when it came back it was incredible how exactly it matched what I do," explains Lord-Alge. "Mike Fradis, Waves' plug-in guru, came here to my studio in Los Angeles. He is very intuitive and he had already nailed the SSL 4000 sonics precisely. That's what they added my presets to and since I love the way the Waves' stuff sounds, I find that I can use my own plug-in presets as starting points on mixes. When I mix I come out of Pro Tools® and transfer to a Sony 3348 digital tape deck, because I think that sounds best. The number of tracks is limited to 48, but I might have 200 tracks from Pro Tools, so I create premixes. In mixing, it's not about the size of the console but rather it's about the prep work. And the Waves SSL 4000 Collection lets me have my own settings for various tracks ready to go at the touch of a button. It's almost like having another 48 channels of SSL linked to the mix."
Developed under license from Solid State Logic, the Waves SSL 4000 Collection includes three meticulously modeled plug-ins based on the SSL 4000 Series: the SSL E-Channel, SSL G-Master Buss Compressor and SSL G-Equalizer. Waves engineers spent more than a year analyzing and modeling the distinctive sonic characteristics of SSL 4000 factory reference consoles and components provided by Solid State Logic. The Waves plug-ins sound so close to the original consoles, even experts who work with SSL boards day in and day out can't tell the difference.
The Chris Lord-Alge preset plug-in update requires a previous installation of the Waves SSL 4000 Collection version 1.1. In the words of Chris Lord-Alge, whose intimate knowledge of the SSL console is virtually unmatched, "I'm proud to share my secret presets with SSL 4000 users. Waves SSL models are the best I've ever heard.
Chris Lord-Alge is known for his technical talent when mixing a record and his passion for music, his sense of humor, and his highly personal approach to the mixing process. And it's a family affair — along with his brother, Tom, Chris has become a mixer to rock & roll royalty: their combined credits are a virtual pantheon of hits from the past 20 years. "It's in our blood," says Chris. "We have the gene."
Chris grew up in New Jersey, the son of musical parents. At an early age, his mother got him an apprenticeship at H&L Studio. According to Chris, the moment he stepped in the studio, he was hooked. As his success grew over the years, he began producing as well as mixing. After producing several albums, including classics by Joe Cocker and Peter Frampton, Chris realized he just wanted to mix: "And what Waves has managed to accomplish with the SSL 4000 Collection is incredible," he adds. "It really helps me as a mixer."
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