Solid State Logic Origin Evo

The Origin has evolved, with both classic 4000‑series features and some new ones being added.

SSL’s portfolio of products now includes preamps, processors, channel strips, digital control surfaces, audio interfaces and DAW plug‑ins. But to me, they’ll always be the company who make massive studio consoles! Their best‑known range, historically, is the 4000 series (4k for short) and it featured EQ and VCA dynamics processing on the input channels, as well as the famous ‘glue’ compressor on the stereo bus and a semi‑automatic recall system. But the enduring popularity of these in‑line consoles probably owes just as much to the workflows they make possible as to their impressive sonic performance. Add a decent reverb or two, and you have pretty much all you need to mix a record, mapped out in front of you, within an arm’s reach, and with knob‑per‑function immediacy.

Evolution

SSL continue to develop mixers, and today offer at least 14 models that can be filed into five broad categories: digital live‑sound consoles, such as the SSL Live L650; immersive‑audio mixing systems; small project‑studio mixers like the BiG SiX; digitally controlled analogue consoles — currently only the Oracle (https://sosm.ag/ssl-oracle) but I’m sure more will follow; and traditional, analogue, large‑format studio consoles. Clearly, the new Origin Evo sits in that last category, and some might ask if there’s really a market for such a thing. The success of the original Origin suggests there is, and the fact that vintage 4k and 9k models still command high prices lends further credence to that view.

Those vintage consoles hold obvious appeal to many but, since the oldest has reached the ripe old age of 50, they come with service and maintenance challenges that are largely side‑stepped when purchasing a new console. That’s precisely where the Origin Evo fits in: it’s about the closest modern equivalent there is to an SSK 4k. With a control layout based on SSL’s Duality, it should feel familiar to anyone who’s used a big SSL before and, with 16‑ and 32‑channel options, it can be small enough to be viable in a modern hybrid studio setup, or big enough to track pretty large sessions. It should also sit neatly alongside furniture built to match older SSLs — something that might increase its appeal to a studio planning to retire a vintage desk. They might also be interested to learn that the Origin Evo consumes less than a third of the power of an equivalent 4k, and an order of magnitude less in its low‑power sleep mode. It can also be powered on/off without issue (no need to leave it on all day). All of which adds up to a significant running‑cost saving over the lifetime of a console. There’s a lot of electronics packed inside, though, and the top surface gets warm; you’ll still want to factor in the cost of air‑con!

Finally, this being a modular design, you can keep spare channels to sub in, or swap channel positions on the console, should faults arise. Also, the new channel strips are interchangeable with those of the original Origin, meaning it’s possible to upgrade without having to plumb in a new mixer.

New Features

The new channel dynamics section, with both a compressor/limiter and gate/expander.The original Origin has ticked several of those boxes for six years now, but the Evo kicks things up a notch, most notably with a channel dynamics section comprising both compression and gating/expansion. Importantly, there’s one on every channel, so for anyone wanting to replace a 4k, or who likes to compress, not just EQ, while recording and building cue mixes, it should be a far more attractive proposition.

It’s based on the 4000E consoles’ channel dynamics, of course — but that could mean rather different things to different people! When those consoles first came out, the dynamics processor was designed around Aphex VCAs whose production ceased not long after. SSL initially chose the dbx 2151 VCA as a drop‑in replacement, with no circuit adaptations, and this practice continued for a time. But in later E‑series mixers there were tweaks to optimise the circuit, changing the sound again. A fair few years later, SSL redesigned it again for their 500‑series dynamics modules, this time around a custom discrete VCA based on the specs of the original Aphex VCA. So there’ve been at least four different variants of the 4000E channel dynamics processor! SSL chose to use that last one in the Origin Evo, since the 500‑series module version has proved incredibly popular.

Also new: a dedicated high‑ and low‑pass filter section that can be placed in either fader path, or inserted in the dynamics section’s side‑chain.Another new feature available on the console control surface is a full filter section. As on any analogue console worth its salt, the original Origin channels include a high‑pass filter but the Origin Evo adds a low‑pass filter. By default, these 18dB/oct filters are in series with the main EQ section, but not only can they be used in Harrison‑esque fashion to bracket‑filter a sound or to tame the effect of high and low EQ shelving boosts, they can also be deployed in the side‑chain control circuitry of the dynamics processor.

I’ll discuss the channel strip in more detail, but first let me draw your attention to the centre section (it’s central in the 32‑channel review model but on the right of the 16‑channel version), which has been revised in a no‑nonsense way I approve of. Essentially, there are two modules sitting in a 19‑inch rack, with space to spare. The main master section and assignable bus controls populate one module, and the subgroup channel controls sit in another (a system that I’ll cover below). The remainder remains empty by default, so can be populated with whatever you want: 19‑inch rackmount gear, a 500‑series chassis, a flat surface on which to sit a laptop, tablet, score or notepad... Or, as on the review model, SSL’s UF8 control surface, to give you hands‑on control of your DAW session alongside your console controls. You can put any of this in any order too. You might, for instance, have a 500‑series chassis at the top, and place the console’s own modules lower down. Or move them higher up, and place a control surface at the front. (Being where it is, the front area in particular is inherently a shallow space, so not all 19‑inch hardware will fit there.)

Some changes are a little less immediately obvious to the end user, and most notable of these is the channel control layout. The overall dimensions of the channel had to be kept the same, partly to ensure compatibility with existing Origin consoles, and partly because of ergonomics: a person can only reach so far without having to stand. To accommodate the new features I’ve described above, without losing any or giving controls dual purposes, that means a denser control layout or smaller controls. SSL’s designer Niall Feldman opted for the latter, but you wouldn’t know it: 10mm knobs are used instead of the original’s 11mm ones. It’s such a small difference to the person using the mixer, but those many individual millimetres add up, and I’m told they were absolutely critical in fitting everything in. Fine margins, perfectly judged.

Many features remain as on the original Origin, but since not everyone will be familiar with that model and because we didn’t review it, I thought it would be worth quickly running through the main channel‑strip features before discussing the routing and master section facilities. I’ll then conclude with my lasting impression of what this console is like to use in practice.

Channel Strip

The full centre section, with master controls in one module, subgroup faders in another, and an (optional) SSL DAW control surface at the bottom. This section takes the form of 19‑inch racking, so the positioning of these is flexible, and you could choose to host other things in there, such as a 500‑series chassis for subgroup compressors (though deep rack units won’t fit).

Each channel has three inputs: an XLR mic input, a line input on a DB25, and a ‘monitor’ DAW return (also DB25). The PureDrive mic/line preamp is an evolution SSL’s VHD design and is used in other products. It’s a beautifully clean, low‑noise design capable of >70dB of gain. A Drive switch brings more character into play — it’s predominantly second‑harmonic distortion at first, but with a greater third‑harmonic contribution at higher gains up to the clipping point (about +27dBu). There’s switchable 48V phantom power input, of course, as well as a polarity inverter, and this preamp stage can be switched to feed the long‑ or short‑fader path. So too can the monitor input, whose generous ±20dB trim control makes it easy to cater for the full range of ‘line’ levels.

Next on the panel, but not in the signal path, is the direct out: two buttons determine if the tape/DAW out is from the long or short fader path, and pre/post fader. It’s always post EQ/dynamics. Two stereo send knobs come next, taking the signal pre long fader by default, but they can be switched to take the short‑fader signal, and to post‑fader, so can act as cue‑mix or stereo‑effects sends, as required. Four mono auxes follow and, again, they can take the long or short fader path, pre or post fader. Intended primarily as effects sends, they could equally well be patched externally to another channel’s input, to facilitate parallel processing, or to create a polarity‑inverted mult when using the M‑S mic technique.

The dynamics section’s compressor has three knobs (threshold, ratio and release) plus a Fast Attack button. Fast mode catches transients and with a ratio going up to infinity, it approaches limiting. In the other setting, transients will be preserved and gentler, more ‘sympathetic’ compression is possible, as is the sculpting of a drum’s sustain, to tighten the sound or make a loop ‘bounce’. The hard/soft knee button is another welcome feature; the original E‑series dynamics had a fixed soft knee. As with the EQ, there’s a hard bypass button and another button to switch the section into the long‑ or short‑fader path. Two LEDs confirm that selection, while the LED brightness indicates the in/bypass state. Below, the gate/expander has threshold, range and release knobs and, again, a Fast Attack button, as well as a switch to toggle between the 20:1 gate and 2:1 expander.

The classic 242 ‘black knob’ EQ section, now with added filters above.

The four‑band EQ is based on SSL’s ‘black knob’ 242 EQ, famously designed in collaboration with Sir George Martin for his AIR Studios console. The mid bands are fully parametric bells, while the high and low bands have knobs to set the gain and frequency, and are switchable between fixed‑Q bells and 12dB/oct shelves. The EQ section can be switched pre/post compressor, as well as into either fader path. With ±18dB of gain in each band there’s ample control at your fingertips over pretty much any source, but there’s also that new 18dB/oct filter stage. The HPF can be swept down from ‘out’ as far as 3kHz, and the LPF from ‘out’ up to 350Hz. By default these are allied to the EQ section but buttons switch the filters (collectively) into the dynamics stage’s side‑chain, or the long/short fader path. Another option lurks inside, though: a switch on the board let’s you place the filters immediately post the preamp, a feature that’s been available previously as a wire link. So it’s an improvement. I gather that the designer would have liked to make this available externally, but there simply wasn’t space left to accommodate another button on the surface!

The long and short fader paths each have an insert point with separate send and return, making it possible to create a setup in which you have separate normalled paths for recording and mixing — that might sound simple, but the potential to save time and hassle on a session is enormous. The insert sends are always on, so are another means of multing, and the returns are switchable in/out and pre/post the channel processing.

Routing & Master Section

The bus‑routing system is clever: sophisticated under the hood, but super easy to use. Rather than clutter the strip with lots of buttons, you hit one button on the strip, then hit the desired centre‑section destination. Simple! Furthermore, if you hit the destination first, you can then route multiple channels directly to it, and when you ‘interrogate’ a track bus in this way, blue LEDs light to indicate the channels that are already assigned to it.

A closer look at the centre section.

Conceptually, the destinations aren’t particularly complicated, but they may at first feel a little alien to anyone not accustomed to using an SSL — at least while they get their bearings (it doesn’t take long). Rather than routing channels directly to the mono/stereo subgroups, you route to 16 mono ‘track busses’ (numbered 1‑6) in the master section module. These have a ±10dB trim control and are normalled to the stereo subgroups A to H, whose separate centre‑section module has eight faders, each with L and R mono button, stereo balance knob, and solo and cut (mute) buttons. Another button routes the subgroup to the main mix, and another locks the output to unity gain, regardless of the fader position.

I won’t dwell on the remainder of the master section; suffice it to say that everything you’d expect on a large‑format SSL is here, including dedicated effects returns, a talkback and listen mic section, that famous VCA stereo bus compressor (with high‑pass side‑chain filter, and the ability to use the stereo bus insert return as its side‑chain source), monitor source and speaker selection, a stereo bus fader, meter configuration and calibration facilities, solo clear, a recording light switch, and much more besides.

Impressions

The Origin Evo’s construction and appearance are slick. Immaculate, even. The space between the dozens of knobs on each channel is perfectly judged. So too are the dimensions: reaching right up to the preamp section didn’t cause me to strain or to stand. The main channel faders slide effortlessly with no unwanted play, and the purpose of each channel‑strip control is easy to discern. With very few exceptions, the buttons are clearly labelled and do precisely what you’d expect. It all feels just as it should, then: a powerful craft that’s easy to pilot.

As on other SSL consoles, the preamps can be ultra clean, or switched to introduce increasing harmonic distortion for more ‘colour’, as you apply more gain.

Might there be any gripes? Not really. There are a couple of controls whose labels are obscured from the listening position by the height of the knob, but quickly (within half an hour) I reached a point where I didn’t need to rely on the labels. And that’s really the point of a console like this: operation becomes instinctive, so you can work quickly, and focus on more important matters, like the musical energy in a mix, or the performances and communication when tracking. Certainly, when performing a test mix, I had no problem whatsoever shaping and routing the sounds as I wanted.

I have a few wishlist features, but nothing major. A headphone output or two beneath the centre section might be nice, and perhaps an instrument input to make DI’ing bass or guitar in the control room easier. The option to install some true stereo channels, with a single set of controls, would be cool; you can link adjacent‑channel compressors, but there’s no provision for stereo EQ, for example. SSL do offer other models that cater for such wishes and more, of course, and since the Origin Evo is intended for use with a patchbay, it’s not exactly a hardship to wire in a headphone amp or plumb in a DI box.

Sound‑wise, I can give the Origin Evo no greater compliment than to say that it’s entirely what I’ve come to expect of SSL consoles. Subjectively, it’s clean and quiet, and the EQ and dynamics (both channel and bus) always behaved precisely as I wanted. There’s colour available in the preamps, and there’s perhaps a touch of crunch and aggression in the dynamics section and bus compressor, and more to be found with creative routing should you wish. The EQ is familiar to me, but the filters add a new dimension, and the dynamics section is so powerful, whether using it as a vocal compander, a drum gate or... well, anything really! Add the SSL control surface to the ‘spare’ rack space in the centre, and you can control even more from the console.

The Origin Evo delivers precisely what many current SSL owners will have been hoping for, augmenting the Origin with dynamics and a dedicated filter section...

Verdict

In conclusion, then, the Origin Evo delivers precisely what many current SSL owners will have been hoping for: it augments the Origin with classic SSL dynamics processing and a dedicated filter section, along with some clever twists that help make the most of them. These might look like relatively small changes, but it’s clearly taken a lot of clever design work to pack all of this into channel‑strip modules that remain compatible with the original Origin frame. And it all adds up to a superb package that delivers pretty much everything I’d wish for in a traditional, general‑purpose analogue studio console today. Yes, the price is in ‘professional’ territory. But I could probably count on the fingers of one hand the consoles that genuinely compete with this one, in its market niche and for a similar price — and still have digits to spare!