Published 2/4/09
Software update & Plug-in
Also new from SSL at Musikmesse 2009 (check out the new X-Desk) is X-Verb (£253), a plug-in for the company’s Duende system. As its name suggests, it’s reverb processor, marking SSL’s first foray into the ‘effects’ market. X-Verb is an algorithmic reverb, meaning it runs on mathematical models of rooms, rather than using sampled Impulse Responses, as convolution reverbs do.
The developers are very proud of the “sheer sonic might” of their new reverb, but have had to jump through hoops to let it be heard. Because the reverb is so CPU-hungry (it takes up four channel ‘slots’ of the Duende system), they’ve decided to completely redevelop the Duende audio engine and release a version 3 software update!
Version three's new ‘hybrid core processing’ engine, as they call it, works on the Intel processing infrastructure, and therefore requires a host computer with a modern Intel processor (Core 2 Duo or similar) in order to run. The upshot of this is the potential for a vast increase in processing power for Duende users: up to 64 channels on the Duende Mini, and up to 128 on the PCIe version.
These channel upgrades come at a nominal fee — £80 and £148 including VAT respectively — but pave the way for the next generation of ‘four-slot’ SSL plug-ins.
The standard version three upgrade, which is required to run X-Verb, is free of charge, and is available from the SSL web site.
www.solid-state-logic.com
The developers are very proud of the “sheer sonic might” of their new reverb, but have had to jump through hoops to let it be heard. Because the reverb is so CPU-hungry (it takes up four channel ‘slots’ of the Duende system), they’ve decided to completely redevelop the Duende audio engine and release a version 3 software update!
Version three's new ‘hybrid core processing’ engine, as they call it, works on the Intel processing infrastructure, and therefore requires a host computer with a modern Intel processor (Core 2 Duo or similar) in order to run. The upshot of this is the potential for a vast increase in processing power for Duende users: up to 64 channels on the Duende Mini, and up to 128 on the PCIe version.
These channel upgrades come at a nominal fee — £80 and £148 including VAT respectively — but pave the way for the next generation of ‘four-slot’ SSL plug-ins.
The standard version three upgrade, which is required to run X-Verb, is free of charge, and is available from the SSL web site.
www.solid-state-logic.com
