Waves SSL E-Channel Compressor Underrated?

[pigcat]

Sorry for another Waves SSL thread here, but reading from most previous SSL thread, I was given the impression that the E-Channel compressor sucks for many...So here I go with my findings today!

I remembered when I first got the SSL bundle, I was happy with everything except the compressor in the E-Channel. It sounds like it was making things a flat and doesn't sounds pleasing at all - that is when I was working on single track only. Yeah, sounds modern and snappy on drums, which I like, but don't really sounds "big".

After a year now, being able to use other compressor and spread them all over the tracks, I thought yeah that's what I want, I wouldn't need the E-Channel compressor ever, just its gate and EQ. Then all of a sudden today I though of bringing one of my previous mix today and to mix it like a console, using just SSL bundle along with my V-Series (where I avoided the compressor, only use the EQ). So I end up with reverbs, SSL Channel, VEQ3/4 and a limiter on the master buss. The song is a ballad, contained acoustic drums, piano, bass, strings, percussions etc etc, you know, those standard ones.

Well, I was surprised! Everything has been MUCH fuller and MUCH glued together now, they sounds like they're merging together without being blurred, everything sits together now! That also solve some problems of what I previous suffered to get tracks like nylon strings guitar (solo line) to stand out in a mix! What surprised me that I was able to dial in each channel like no more than 1 min and I'm ready to move on to the other tracks, it actually worked very fast to set and forget!

Previously I used a lot of the SSL buss comp along with other compressor, the result was OK, but it doesn't do the gluing thing like the SSL E-Channel, I felt like I was giving each track its own sound and in the end trying to get them together with buss compressor or something, sounds OK, but took a lot more time than what I'm getting today! I admit that I'm no experienced mixing engineer, but the SSL channel seems to just do it all for me!

Ok, listening the old mix on good hi-fi speakers or studio monitors you might think, yeah ok they sounds nice. In comparison of the new mix on lower end speakers instead, hey the previous mix was like "thorns" (where some tracks still "jump off" the mix) everywhere but the SSL mix was one big mountain you can hear!

I've recently came to this word - "console sound", when reading the new UAD 88RS thread in the UAD forum. So is it what I'm getting today? In the end, it might be due to my amateur mixing skills, I think listening the E-Channel on single track doesn't judge how useful it is, but when all tracks were used, they sounds together now!

Just shoot me if I'm missing something here, I'm more than willing to learn new things.

[Methlab]

im startung a mix and will use all SSL E channel. But as for the mix bus compressor, what settings do you use on it? I noticed for rock, the slow attack auto release thing that people mention a lot doesnt always do it. I like the .3 attack (second fastest) and the fast release for rock songs. This usually requires the threshold to be turned all the way down so the compressor is not squashing more then 4db max.

[pigcat]

I was trying just use E-Channel to mix this time, so I didn't use the buss compressor at all, no even at room mic. However I mostly use slow attack on the comp so it gives a tight and punchy sound rather than squashy character, as I'm mixing a ballad song. I use fast attack on bass with light gain reduction, it gives more dynamic control.

By the way I the more I mix with the channel comp, the more I get the sound that somewhat similar to those mixes where you can hear the punchy yet slim sound of individual tracks, works very well for busy mix IMO as you hardly can get everything sits together with big sounding compressor.

Anyway, for the buss comp, I mostly use .1 attack and fastest release for the squashy sound, or sometimes I just use .3 attack and .1/.3 release. Depends on how the sound I want, and how well it suits the source too. I rarely mix rock so I might be wrong on the settings...

[StrykeBack]

I'm going to have to try this. I always thought the comp was pretty lifeless. You can get a "smaller" sound so everything fits together by filtering and cutting unneeded frequencies in each track as well.