Like all SSL consoles the secret to the success of the L550 is SSL’s dedication to great sound. Part of the success is attributable to exemplary hardware performance throughout the signal chain: bringing SSL Studio grade mic pre’s to the stage, outstanding audio conversion, 96kHz operation and magnificent summing.
In just a few years SSL Live consoles have met widespread praise from many of the world’s leading live engineers. SSL Live consoles are designed to help highly skilled operators deliver outstanding performances in the most demanding applications in Touring, Installation, Houses Of Worship and Theatre. Like all SSL consoles the secret to the success of the L550 is SSL’s dedication to great sound. Part of the success is attributable to exemplary hardware performance throughout the signal chain: bringing SSL Studio grade mic pre’s to the stage, outstanding audio conversion, 96kHz operation and magnificent summing. There is a sublime transparency, definition and detail in the fundamental sound of the L550 that is difficult to describe but is immediately recognisable as the SSL signature. An equal, perhaps even greater part of the secret of the power of the L550 is however the way it enables operators to perform at their very best. The deceptively simple ergonomic excellence of the combination of multi-touch screen control with assignable hardware controls, the use of colour coding, the open architecture which lets engineers configure the console layout to suit their own way of working, the arsenal of processing options, the precision and depth of those processing tools… and so much more… it all combines to let the operator get where they can hear they want to be extremely quickly. Like all great creative audio technology, SSL Live consoles are instruments for engineers...
Control
The key to a great control surface is a clear view of everything in your audio environment and finding exactly the control you need at your fingertips when you need it. With the Live SSL’s obsession with ergonomics and workflow has delivered an intelligent, elegant and comfortable layout. All of the most commonly used functions are carefully arranged so that they sit within reach where your hands naturally fall on the console. There is a wealth of visual feedback with carefully considered use of colour change technology that will not fatigue the user during long periods of operation. The Live control surface delivers a genuinely intuitive combination of gestural touch screen & hardware control and a whole collection of innovative features designed to streamline workflow.
Power
The power within SSL Live consoles is provided by our new ‘Tempest’ platform, developed specifically to meet the demands of live production. We are of course very proud of our clever new processing technology, but at SSL our focus is always on what really matters and that is you having the power to do your job well. Live harnesses Tempest’s power in a sensibly flexible way to let you balance allocation of resource between signal processing and console architecture to suit each project. Thanks to the intrinsic flexibility of our approach, no matter how you configure it, when you compare the numbers, Live gives you more Inputs and Outputs, more Channels, Stem Groups, Auxes, VCA’s and Masters, more processing tools and more signal processing power than many consoles with much bigger price tags.
Tempest
Live consoles are powered by Tempest, a new fourth generation digital audio platform developed specifically to meet the demanding requirements of the live environment. Learning from more than 25 years of digital console development, Tempest is a ground up development. All legacy code – the key to the sonic excellence of previous generations of SSL digital consoles – has been rewritten in the latest software languages. The high capacity signal processing engine at the heart of Tempest uses SSL’s patented Optimal Core Processing (OCP) to deliver highly efficient and reliable performance with minimal latency. Tempest delivers all of the power required to equip Live with all of the mixer architecture, processing power and connectivity to handle large scale events. The Live signal processing engine is integrated entirely within the control surface.
