Originally launched in 1976, SSL’s 4000B console was used to craft hits such as Peter Gabriel’s ‘Intruder’, as well as helping to create the legendary gated drum sound on Phil Collins’ In The Air Tonight’. Its successor, the 4000E arrived in 1979, and was the console of choice for studios such as Abbey Road, Electric Lady and The Hit Factory, contributing to countless hits from some of the biggest names in music.
The latest addition to SSL’s range of outboard gear, the Revival 4000, sees the company revisit the classic designs and package their preamp, dynamics and EQ sections into a sleek 1U rackmount chassis. It also introduces some handy modern features such as balanced insert points for integrating other outboard gear, and some flexible side-chain options that expand on what was possible with the original consoles.
You can check out the list below for an overview of what’s on offer, and if you’re keen to find out more, then you’re in luck: we’ve already had our hands on a unit here at SOS, and have just published a full review.
Key Features
- Classic SSL 4000E JT-115K-E Jensen transformer-balanced mic preamp.
- Musical one-knob 4000 B de-esser.
- +48V, polarity invert, pad and line input.
- Discrete Class A VCA compressor:
- Soft or Hard Knee modes.
- Fast attack on/off.
- Logarithmic or Linear Release modes.
- Classic gate/expander section:
- With Fast attack on/off.
- Classic 4-band SSL EQ:
- Fully parametric mid bands.
- Switchable ‘Brown Knob’ 02 and ‘Black Knob’ 242 EQ circuits.
- High- and low-pass filters:
- Brown 02 mode – 12dB/octave HPF & LPF.
- Black 242 mode – 18dB/octave HPF & 12dB/octave LPF.
- Balanced insert point for connecting external devices into the signal path.
- Extensive ‘to side-chain’ functionality:
- Filters to dynamics side-chain.
- EQ to Dynamics side-chain.
- Flexible process-order routing:
- Filters to input, dynamics and de-ess post-EQ options, insert to output.
- Line output trim.
- Switchable input/output metering.
- External side-chain (key) input.
- Dynamics side-chain link, allowing two Revival 4000 compressors to work as a stereo pair.
"With Revival 4000, we’re delivering the true SSL 4000 sound with complete authenticity. At its heart are the key components that defined an era: the Jensen transformer-coupled mic preamp, discrete Class A VCA dynamics, and the choice of both Brown and Black Knob EQs. We’ve included the B-Series De-Esser in a creative new context, added flexible routing options for diverse processing flows, and introduced a balanced insert point for seamless integration of outboard gear. The result is a unit that captures the unmistakable 1980s SSL character, while equipping today’s producers with the versatility demanded by modern productions.” - Andy Jackson, Senior Studio Product Manager, Solid State Logic
Pricing & Availability
The Revival 4000 is available now, priced at $1999£1498.80 including VAT.
