So appreciate the detail you've included here. Thanks man. It's a pity SSL have discontinued this desk... still, they've really found a space in the higher end small desk options.
Man you have an extremely interesting and very unique workflow nothing like you ever see on UA-cam. You have vision and it seems like you’ll stop at nothing to achieve your goals. I’m a pretty big fan of this channel I can watch and listen to your content for hours man. Thank you for all the awesome content.
Great setup. Having two mixers ganged up really makes things clearer. The cheapest good EQ I know of is the Elysia XFliter (19" or 500). So may want to check it out, and Happy New Year! 🙂
Hell yeah - Great video. I use 2 X-Desks in place of your API and then I have a Thermionic Fat BUSTARD II in place of your X-Desk as my drum bus. I agree that SSL has a signature sound. I also agree the gain trim is amazing, and it's rarely talked about [I made a point about it recently on GS]. The world slept on X-Desks and I'm kinda glad. Enjoy!
Hi Hopetown. Actually there is another way for parallel processing with your X Desk. If you push the Button right underneath the „Master“ Main Insert you are getting a 100% Dry Main Mix. Now you can throw a Compressor into the Main Inserts and blend the processed Signal parallel „in“ with the Main Mix Pot/Mix Level. 👍 Btw the X Desk can be mounted into a Rack if you‘ve got the Rack Kit ✌️Just saying. Thanks for the Video
Thanks for pointing out that feature. What I am enjoying is using the aux sends to send a custom mix to the FATSO as opposed to just parallel on the main out, but it is remarkably flexible little board. i'm looking into the Buso desk for the Box console, hopefully with a bucket on the left for the X-Desk to rack. 👍
I'm enjoying the combination for the added channels but... while the SSL has high headroom, it doesn't have the sweetness of the API. It helps that i'm using all API EQs with the SSL desk.
@@hopetownsound Oh yeah man. I knew it was for the obvious channel count increase. Luckily, the lunchbox keeps it vibey for you indeed. There’s nothing in that price range that will beat “the box“. I have used 1608’s and 2448’s, it sounds the same. Literally, the same. Obviously with a much increased channel count and major routing options for a full mix. Being hybrid, I don’t find “the box“ lacking in anyway.
Thanks for the video.i have a pair of desks and I really love themone feature you will love about the desk is that you can link up to 4 of them in case you need more channels and have one be the master out for all of them.
You can get 16 channels on mix down on the SSL. Using the cue mix and hitting the 'cue to mix' button on the master channel. The routing is amazing for such a small board.so right there you have an extra 8 inputs via Alt inputs.you never know if and when you're going to need more inputs.
The Box is a sexy looking widget. It definitely wins on that front against other things in its general category. But, as you said, lack of buses is a big issue. I seriously considered it but ended up going with the SSL XL-Desk. It only has four buses (well, three in practical terms since A is the main stereo bus) but it does make a big difference, and they all support parallel processing. And it has four stereo channels which can take up some of the load that you might otherwise use buses or channels for. It's a stupidly flexible box, and if you get creative you can do a huge amount with it. I'm trying to use the DAW as purely a digital tape deck, so that's important. I agree with making the 500 modules patchable. You can do it on the XL-Desk, but I'm already downing in snakes and that would make it a lot worse, and it would be so confusing not having the module on that channel affecting that channel. I'm already overly prone to twisting the wrong knobs as it is. Of course on the XL-Desk you can selectively assign the 9-16 500 modules in pairs over to the four buses with just a switch, which adds some flexibility without the need for patching. I also agree about the issue of having modules dedicated in some ways as well. For instance, the XL-Desk has a dedicated stereo 500 slot for the master bus. But there's literally nothing I'd ever only want to use on the master bus and never have available for tracking or mixing. I think they'd have done better to provide a set of buttons to allow it be assigned to any of the four buses or maybe to a pair of the 9-16 channels. I think that the Box allows the master section comp to be assigned to channels, right? And definitely I agree about the endless attempts to optimize flow (and space available.) Studio rearrangements are pretty much my exercise regimen. At some point, even making fairly small changes becomes a lot of work. I've got almost everything half-normalled, but I still somehow end up with a fair amount of patching. Still, in the end, it's a lot less patching than it would otherwise be. I'm using a pair of MOTU A16's, which are connected together via AVB. It would be awfully nice to get it down to one space and I'm sure the Lynx is higher quality, but that's a $3000 difference in price relative to that Lynx. The DB25 connectors on the Lynx are nice though. And, if you are using high quality cables, the difference in price between DB-25 snakes (one connector each side) vs 8 XLR or TRS can be non-trivial over a good number of snakes.
Lynx was actually running a promotion through the end of the year where they were giving away 16 channels worth of snakes with a converter. good deal! Yes, you can assign the compressors on the Master channel to any of the first 4 channels on the API. It's nice flexibility, they're also fantastic compressors. 527s sounds amazing on drums. I strongly consider the XL desk, and it does win in terms of features, but at the end of the day I wanted the API sound. in particular, I would much rather have eight API Mic preamps, then SSL (and the compressors). After buying the API I also got very attached to the sound of the console overall. The low end it's just enormous. it is frustrating that there are no groups, and there are no affects returns, but it's amazing that I can address both of those issues with the X-Desk for $2k. And have 32 channels. The other desk that I considered strongly was the AMS . It's very light on processing but full recall for $25k with groups and DAW control was very tempting. if I ever decide to upgrade from what I have now I'll re-visit that one, although I'm pretty sure I'm gonna go for the 1608 when/if that happens
@@hopetownsound Yeh, the 1608 would be a dream machine. You get the sex appeal, the sound, AND the features. It's a pretty penny though. Though, how much of what you have could afford to sell off if you had a loaded 1608. I covered a good bit of the XL-Desk by selling off almost all of my outboard gear. Except for a couple f/x units and two Drawmer 17" units, it's all 500 modules, in the console and one (soon to be two) external enclosures. My space is even smaller than yours, so getting that much processing in such a compact space is a big win (and I need drums, keyboards, etc... in that space as well, so it's tight.)
well, the nice thing for me is I already have 16 500 series eqs so if I ever do go to the 1608 I can buy it unloaded. I would rather have the variety that I own now than 16 550a's anyway.
Just a heads up I use the line inputs for my preamp signals when recording and the alternate inputs as my DAW returns when mixing and just flip the switch on the top of each channel.that feature is worth the price of admission for me on the Xdesk.
Cool setup. I've been thinking about adding a few CAPI EQs to the inserts on my Xdesk. I've currently got 8 racked up SL502s pulled out of a console in that place to have a little baby SSL for mixing and then use Pultecs mostly on the front end for tracking. Are you intending to use the additional 8 inputs/cue bus for anything?
i doubt it. At the moment my fader channels perfectly match my converter channels. if there is ever a next step up it'll probably be an API 1608. But im thinking i'm good for a while :). That's cool about the 502's. I've thought about doing CAPI as well. I particularly like 560's on drums though and when I bought them just a couple of years ago, I was able to get them brand new for under $700. I guess that ship has sailed. Purple makes their version of the 560 that's interesting. I have a preference for API mic pres and EQs on drums. They have extraordinary headroom and can handle transients better than most. My Box console came with 2 spare 2520 op amps. i'm thinking about using them in a pair of CAPIs. (if i can find them lol)
@@hopetownsound Well if that's the case, if you're not aware, you can utilize the cue bus as an additional stereo send if you ensure the ALT button isn't pressed on that section of the "channel strip"
@@chrismitchell523 sorry I didn't see that you mentioned the Cue bus. In the video I refer to it as a "stereo aux" but yes, that's what I'm using to create the parallel drum bus thats going to the FATSO.
The set up you have now is very similar to mine……I probably have way to many rack mounts for my set up but…..whaddya gonna do My main problem is having enough line from piece to piece. Shit ton of chords
@@hopetownsound do you find that a simple or sub par chord…….maybe from a rack Mount to a patch bay, effects sound?? I feel like I don’t have enough quality chordage and the sounds effected. I also have some very old vintage rack mounts so I don’t quite know. Are there areas of the chain flow that you can get away with having a sub par chord. Like prior to Pre’s or compression
I think when they're brand new, there's not a lot of difference. The bigger difference is probably in longevity. You can order handmade snakes from Redco Audio in CT or Trace Audio in Nashville (he can use redco cable). not as cheap as hosa but 1/3 the cost of mogami with handmade quality. You're fine with hosa or d'addario in the short term.
"cinematic" - it's just big and clear and not in any way harsh. It's basically like getting an entirely new microphone collection because every mic you own will sound better through this. Doug Fearn has videos on UA-cam and has done podcasts. They're worth checking out. Principally his contention is that high quality tube circuits clip softly and with harmonic distortion in a way that no transistor-based circuit does. this gives his preamps greater headroom but also they just feel much more open. The DW Fearn pres also have custom wound Jensen transformers. End to end they are a premium experience. i'm friends with George & Geoff Hazelrigg who manufacture Fearn gear now (they worked for Doug for years, and then he passed the company down to them). I've been in their shop. It's 2 dedicated guys hand soldering every connection, checking the tubes, etc. Its a truly boutique piece of equipment. Worth every penny and then some. i have a lot of great preamps: chandler, API, BAE, Great River... i dont even consider anything else anymore on vocals (or most things). The Fearn is just on another level.
So appreciate the detail you've included here. Thanks man. It's a pity SSL have discontinued this desk... still, they've really found a space in the higher end small desk options.
yeah the features they pack into their boards are amazing. i was just at their AES booth looking at the origin... crazy routing options.
Man you have an extremely interesting and very unique workflow nothing like you ever see on UA-cam. You have vision and it seems like you’ll stop at nothing to achieve your goals.
I’m a pretty big fan of this channel I can watch and listen to your content for hours man. Thank you for all the awesome content.
🙏 much appreciated!
Very nice! Thanks for the videos!!!
Really enjoying your content, thanks
Ty! 🙏
Amazing setup 😊
Thank you! 🙏
Great setup. Having two mixers ganged up really makes things clearer. The cheapest good EQ I know of is the Elysia XFliter (19" or 500). So may want to check it out, and Happy New Year! 🙂
Hell yeah - Great video.
I use 2 X-Desks in place of your API and then I have a Thermionic Fat BUSTARD II in place of your X-Desk as my drum bus.
I agree that SSL has a signature sound. I also agree the gain trim is amazing, and it's rarely talked about [I made a point about it recently on GS].
The world slept on X-Desks and I'm kinda glad. Enjoy!
Awesome! Sounds like a great set up!
Hi Hopetown. Actually there is another way for parallel processing with your X Desk. If you push the Button right underneath the „Master“ Main Insert you are getting a 100% Dry Main Mix. Now you can throw a Compressor into the Main Inserts and blend the processed Signal parallel „in“ with the Main Mix Pot/Mix Level. 👍 Btw the X Desk can be mounted into a Rack if you‘ve got the Rack Kit ✌️Just saying. Thanks for the Video
Thanks for pointing out that feature. What I am enjoying is using the aux sends to send a custom mix to the FATSO as opposed to just parallel on the main out, but it is remarkably flexible little board.
i'm looking into the Buso desk for the Box console, hopefully with a bucket on the left for the X-Desk to rack. 👍
Fantastic 👌
nice! lots of ideas here
this is such a rad setup, thanks for doing these videos really awesome insight!!
Ty! 🙏
Cool additions to the setup. I agree, unless I push my API, it is clean. I find that useful for me, but now I want to try the ssl also.
I'm enjoying the combination for the added channels but... while the SSL has high headroom, it doesn't have the sweetness of the API. It helps that i'm using all API EQs with the SSL desk.
@@hopetownsound Oh yeah man. I knew it was for the obvious channel count increase. Luckily, the lunchbox keeps it vibey for you indeed. There’s nothing in that price range that will beat “the box“. I have used 1608’s and 2448’s, it sounds the same. Literally, the same. Obviously with a much increased channel count and major routing options for a full mix. Being hybrid, I don’t find “the box“ lacking in anyway.
I've been thinking the same - not sure i'll ever need more.
🔥🔥🔥
you rock buddy! 🤘🤘🔥🔥🔥
Thanks for the video.i have a pair of desks and I really love themone feature you will love about the desk is that you can link up to 4 of them in case you need more channels and have one be the master out for all of them.
That is extremely cool! with the API I'm running 32 channels now so i probably wont be getting any more, but that is a great feature 👍.
You can get 16 channels on mix down on the SSL. Using the cue mix and hitting the 'cue to mix' button on the master channel.
The routing is amazing for such a small board.so right there you have an extra 8 inputs via Alt inputs.you never know if and when you're going to need more inputs.
If you engage the button below the mix insert button you will get parallel processing by turning the mix level knob on the mast of xdesk
The Box is a sexy looking widget. It definitely wins on that front against other things in its general category. But, as you said, lack of buses is a big issue. I seriously considered it but ended up going with the SSL XL-Desk. It only has four buses (well, three in practical terms since A is the main stereo bus) but it does make a big difference, and they all support parallel processing. And it has four stereo channels which can take up some of the load that you might otherwise use buses or channels for. It's a stupidly flexible box, and if you get creative you can do a huge amount with it. I'm trying to use the DAW as purely a digital tape deck, so that's important.
I agree with making the 500 modules patchable. You can do it on the XL-Desk, but I'm already downing in snakes and that would make it a lot worse, and it would be so confusing not having the module on that channel affecting that channel. I'm already overly prone to twisting the wrong knobs as it is. Of course on the XL-Desk you can selectively assign the 9-16 500 modules in pairs over to the four buses with just a switch, which adds some flexibility without the need for patching.
I also agree about the issue of having modules dedicated in some ways as well. For instance, the XL-Desk has a dedicated stereo 500 slot for the master bus. But there's literally nothing I'd ever only want to use on the master bus and never have available for tracking or mixing. I think they'd have done better to provide a set of buttons to allow it be assigned to any of the four buses or maybe to a pair of the 9-16 channels. I think that the Box allows the master section comp to be assigned to channels, right?
And definitely I agree about the endless attempts to optimize flow (and space available.) Studio rearrangements are pretty much my exercise regimen. At some point, even making fairly small changes becomes a lot of work. I've got almost everything half-normalled, but I still somehow end up with a fair amount of patching. Still, in the end, it's a lot less patching than it would otherwise be.
I'm using a pair of MOTU A16's, which are connected together via AVB. It would be awfully nice to get it down to one space and I'm sure the Lynx is higher quality, but that's a $3000 difference in price relative to that Lynx. The DB25 connectors on the Lynx are nice though. And, if you are using high quality cables, the difference in price between DB-25 snakes (one connector each side) vs 8 XLR or TRS can be non-trivial over a good number of snakes.
Lynx was actually running a promotion through the end of the year where they were giving away 16 channels worth of snakes with a converter. good deal!
Yes, you can assign the compressors on the Master channel to any of the first 4 channels on the API. It's nice flexibility, they're also fantastic compressors. 527s sounds amazing on drums.
I strongly consider the XL desk, and it does win in terms of features, but at the end of the day I wanted the API sound. in particular, I would much rather have eight API Mic preamps, then SSL (and the compressors). After buying the API I also got very attached to the sound of the console overall. The low end it's just enormous.
it is frustrating that there are no groups, and there are no affects returns, but it's amazing that I can address both of those issues with the X-Desk for $2k. And have 32 channels.
The other desk that I considered strongly was the AMS . It's very light on processing but full recall for $25k with groups and DAW control was very tempting. if I ever decide to upgrade from what I have now I'll re-visit that one, although I'm pretty sure I'm gonna go for the 1608 when/if that happens
@@hopetownsound Yeh, the 1608 would be a dream machine. You get the sex appeal, the sound, AND the features. It's a pretty penny though. Though, how much of what you have could afford to sell off if you had a loaded 1608. I covered a good bit of the XL-Desk by selling off almost all of my outboard gear. Except for a couple f/x units and two Drawmer 17" units, it's all 500 modules, in the console and one (soon to be two) external enclosures. My space is even smaller than yours, so getting that much processing in such a compact space is a big win (and I need drums, keyboards, etc... in that space as well, so it's tight.)
well, the nice thing for me is I already have 16 500 series eqs so if I ever do go to the 1608 I can buy it unloaded. I would rather have the variety that I own now than 16 550a's anyway.
Just a heads up
I use the line inputs for my preamp signals when recording and the alternate inputs as my DAW returns when mixing and just flip the switch on the top of each channel.that feature is worth the price of admission for me on the Xdesk.
That is very cool!
Super Jelous! wow Api+X-desk! WTF
lol, they work very well together.
Cool setup. I've been thinking about adding a few CAPI EQs to the inserts on my Xdesk. I've currently got 8 racked up SL502s pulled out of a console in that place to have a little baby SSL for mixing and then use Pultecs mostly on the front end for tracking.
Are you intending to use the additional 8 inputs/cue bus for anything?
i doubt it. At the moment my fader channels perfectly match my converter channels. if there is ever a next step up it'll probably be an API 1608. But im thinking i'm good for a while :).
That's cool about the 502's. I've thought about doing CAPI as well. I particularly like 560's on drums though and when I bought them just a couple of years ago, I was able to get them brand new for under $700. I guess that ship has sailed. Purple makes their version of the 560 that's interesting. I have a preference for API mic pres and EQs on drums. They have extraordinary headroom and can handle transients better than most.
My Box console came with 2 spare 2520 op amps. i'm thinking about using them in a pair of CAPIs. (if i can find them lol)
@@hopetownsound Well if that's the case, if you're not aware, you can utilize the cue bus as an additional stereo send if you ensure the ALT button isn't pressed on that section of the "channel strip"
@@chrismitchell523 sorry I didn't see that you mentioned the Cue bus. In the video I refer to it as a "stereo aux" but yes, that's what I'm using to create the parallel drum bus thats going to the FATSO.
The set up you have now is very similar to mine……I probably have way to many rack mounts for my set up but…..whaddya gonna do
My main problem is having enough line from piece to piece. Shit ton of chords
oh yeah... miles of cable.
@@hopetownsound do you find that a simple or sub par chord…….maybe from a rack Mount to a patch bay, effects sound??
I feel like I don’t have enough quality chordage and the sounds effected. I also have some very old vintage rack mounts so I don’t quite know. Are there areas of the chain flow that you can get away with having a sub par chord. Like prior to Pre’s or compression
I think when they're brand new, there's not a lot of difference. The bigger difference is probably in longevity.
You can order handmade snakes from Redco Audio in CT or Trace Audio in Nashville (he can use redco cable). not as cheap as hosa but 1/3 the cost of mogami with handmade quality.
You're fine with hosa or d'addario in the short term.
How would you describe the D.W. Fearn mic preamps? I've used a lot of preamps, but never those.
"cinematic" - it's just big and clear and not in any way harsh. It's basically like getting an entirely new microphone collection because every mic you own will sound better through this.
Doug Fearn has videos on UA-cam and has done podcasts. They're worth checking out. Principally his contention is that high quality tube circuits clip softly and with harmonic distortion in a way that no transistor-based circuit does. this gives his preamps greater headroom but also they just feel much more open. The DW Fearn pres also have custom wound Jensen transformers. End to end they are a premium experience.
i'm friends with George & Geoff Hazelrigg who manufacture Fearn gear now (they worked for Doug for years, and then he passed the company down to them). I've been in their shop. It's 2 dedicated guys hand soldering every connection, checking the tubes, etc. Its a truly boutique piece of equipment. Worth every penny and then some.
i have a lot of great preamps: chandler, API, BAE, Great River... i dont even consider anything else anymore on vocals (or most things). The Fearn is just on another level.
@@hopetownsound I've spent the last hour looking into them. I suppose I'll open the wallet and give them a try.
Thanks for your time.
you wont regret it 👍