Best SSL emulations ever? Shootout Brainworx, CLA Mix Hub, Acustica Sand 3 on Kick Drum

Critically acclaimed jazz and prog rock mixing and mastering engineer Mark Wingfield demonstrates audio examples of Plugin Alliance Brainworx SSL E, Brainworx SSL G, Waves CLA Mix Hub and Acustica-Audio Sand 3, on kick drum. Part two is here • Best SSL emulations ev...
Mark has mixed or mastered three Downbeat Magazine Masterpiece Albums of the Year, two JazzWise Best Releases of the Year and three All About Jazz Best Albums of the Year. Jazz albums he has mixed or mastered have received more than 300 rave reviews world wide. Mark mixes and masters at his UK based Heron Island Studio.
If you are interested in working with Mark on your next album you can contact him here:
heronislandstudio.co.uk

[@sunray1984]

I'm not done watching this video, but I can already say - it's the best comparison video about the SSL emulations on youtube! I've searched for that type of video on youtube (which has AA Sand too) for months and now Mark has delivered it! Thank you, sir!

[@heronislandstudio8054]

Cheers! Glad you found it useful.

[@kickilicoff]

Very nice video! Great comparison, but! The Acustica EQ, you hould have used the channel strip version instead. The SAND3 +E EQ is the first ‘Homebrew’ EQ built by SOUNDROPS (SteDal) included in the SAND3 suite. That may explain the difference in sound.

[@nobody764]

Thanks for taking time to show this. It was helpful to me

[@jerrylmusic]

Thanks so much for this great comparison I enjoyed it very much. My favorite is absolutely the brain works closely following with the CLA mixhub - I love the bite … cheers from Munich

[@heronislandstudio8054]

Cheers, glad it was helpful!

[@roberteismann1929]

I suppose the one reason that the BX 4000 E has more weight is that it actually boosts almost 2 db more than indicated by the dial and the frequency also sits slightly lower than the 50Hz.

[@phugenla]

SSL Native channelstrip is the most cohesive. I highly recommed to try that out aswell.

[@johngiannopoulos4961]

Nice comparison. One thing to point out only. The Hpf is 18db/octave and Lpf is 12db/octave in the SSLs ,which would explain a lot about the drastic differences here in the Acoustica emulations,especially the G series which has strictly shelving low EQ. I could be wrong,but if you select the 18db option in the Acoustica you'll get more predictable results. As it is,the slope starts a lot higher in frequency and doesn't cut enough at the lower end.

[@heronislandstudio8054]

I did try the slope button but it makes very little difference in this case. But you're right, I should have shown the other slope on the video for comparison.

[@peterpeper4837]

Great shootout. Plugin Alliance Brainworx SSL J is also great

[@heronislandstudio8054]

Thanks.

[@da_Fez]

Great stuff... really interesting to hear a shootout between affordable vs high-end plugins

[@Hexspa]

I think the Acustica + ones are what they call “homebrew” so they’re not sampled from an SSL product. The unofficial master list is down right now but I can double check

[@bwall615]

I enjoy the brainworx SSL emulations. But for me, I use the Waves SSL EV2 more often.

[@callehellstrom]

Have you tried the Softube Console-1 SSL 4000 emulation?

[@heronislandstudio8054]

No, I'll have to check that out at some point.

[@Fwuzeem]

With the Acustica one you need to engage the Pre

[@philmartin7474]

Don’t you think API is possibly a snappier choice for drum tops and Neve for kicks?

[@johnisrael5183]

That Sand3 EQ can be L/R double mono, Mono or S for Stereo, then you can seperately use the Pre before and the Comp after and customize your strip.......dayyyyymmm that Sand3 blew any other SSL Strip plugin...away......

[@erestube]

Low-end thud does not necessarily equal "musical". I'll take Acustica any day.

[@johnisrael5183]

man....exactly!!!!

[@johnisrael5183]

Its not comparrison...a regular plugin...against acustica...its the one with acutal hardware samples.....

[@johnisrael5183]

The Kick is not supposed to have an outragous weight so it can cut through mix better

[@travenlee]

Exactly 💯

[@markkusalminen1282]

No suprise bx seems to have more weight, run it through an analyzer and you'll see that it instead of increasing, say, 50hz by 6db, it actually increases it almost 10db! All the other plugins do what they are supposed to do and fex. Sand at the same setting increases by 5db, so it's no wonder you "feel" like bx is "better"

[@marsrivers]

I try them all except for the acustica. I erased all of them and returned to the old Waves Ssl channel E.

[@Fwuzeem]

If only the brainworx had a bucket view

[@johnisrael5183]

from PA....the U 17 Neold...meant to say

[@johnisrael5183]

your kick being "overheavy instead of sharp but rounded enough to break through the mix....makes it more burried, thats why the AA is giving a way better character for mixing

[@johnisrael5183]

the the Neold U 17 from AP..is about the only plugin...coming close to AA...LOL

[@eaccin]

Shouldn't Sand have the LF bell button pushed on SSL E? I wonder how different the curves would be if showed on plugin doctor. Anyways, thanks for the test!

[@heronislandstudio8054]

All four plugins are on shelf setting. But interestingly the sound on the acustica doesn't change that much if you change it to bell at this frequency.

[@eaccin]

Nice! if you could do a full drums comparison between Sand and Brainworx that would be great!

[@VersatyleMusicGroup]

I have most of them and tried pretty much all of them. Imo nothing beats the UAD version. It's the closest to the real console for real. Of course all of them are good.

[@johnisrael5183]

Mannn Analog Obsession SComp SSQ Kinsale Buster And BUSTER SE SMOKES UAD 🤣🤣🤣AND THEY ARE FREE

[@johnisrael5183]

Ment to sat KONSOL

[@johnisrael5183]

wow....acustica audio...sounds so analog....getting this plugin.....Sand 3 in 3 weeks...its worth $200... you can use the Sand EQ and Comp on individual tracks....and then use the entire...strip on mixbus...with limiter and saturation.....you got hardware in the box....

[@johnisrael5183]

PA 4000 G blows.....the waves...awayyyy....LOL

[@themastroiannis]

acustica sounded worst...even worse than the old waves. a very strange sound with a high pitch resonance. thanks for the shootout!

[@ostrol1590]

Am I the only one who found the sand sounded really dull? Strange

[@ekm3820]

If you ever use uad SSL you won’t use anything else.

[@SufferahsmusicHD]

nah the acoustic was better