Slate FG-Grey vs Hardware 4k Bus Compressors

[Ermz]

Here's a nifty shoot-out I've put together with the help of Mikaël-ange Ribeiro, Chris Themelco & Andrew Scott.

4 options. 3 hardware SSL 4k bus compressor clones and FG-Grey duking it out. Above all, I wanted to do this test in order to illustrate how much virtually 'identical' hardware units can differ from one another. It's less a showcase of 'which is better' but rather how each imparts a subtly different flavor on the mix. My GSSL has the clear advantage, as it's the unit I mixed into from the start, so it's not a fair playing field (these tests never are).

The files: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u...or Shoot-out/SSL Bus Compressor Shoot-out.rar

Let us know which you prefer, and for those who are more adventurous, feel free to tell us which you believe is which.

The 4 compressors in the running are:

Mikaël-ane's Prime 4000E
Chris' GSSL
My GSSL
Slate Digital FG-Grey

Settings on each were:
30ms Attack
Auto Release
4:1 Ratio
3-4dB GR

Files are 24-bit 44khz, unmaximized in order for you to be able to hear all the detail.

I'll reveal which is which after the poll ends.

 

[Sludgekicker]

liked the 3rd one the most i guess, i would even dare to say that the first one is the emulation?!

 

[Taurean]

I'm torn between 1 and 2. I like the bottom end, bigness, and clarity of 1, which I will guess is the VBC because of that transformer! 2 though, has some sick upper mid-range I like too.

 

[Max Morton]

On this material I instantly liked 1. Then goes 4>3>2. Won't be surprised if 1 is VBC - different tools suit different mixes. So eager to know the result.

 

[Fbarre]

Listening to the differences in the stereo images 1 and 4 sound best to me.

 

[Fbarre]

Please PM me the results Ermz.

 

[Empathy]

Listened to these this morning, I'll wager 1 is the VBC track. As for the differences, I haven't been at this sort of thing for a while so I struggled to notice much; I do recall one track in particular having a little less top end overall, not sure which one; track 4 sounded a little more wooly to me. Overall, no clear preference. My ears just aren't seasoned enough to hear an objectively dramatic difference.

 

[pikachu69]

Over all the differences are so small any one would be acceptable I guess. I find the biggest difference is in the way these comps handle the transients.
EQ wise, track one seems VERY slightly bass light compared to the others, all the rest seem much the same EQ wise, to me.
Tracks 2 and 3 have more transient detail, snappier more powerful but 1 and 4 are not quite there. track 4 in partucular almost seems like it had a limiter after the comp.
I prefer track 3. Not sure what one it is though.

 

[Revson]

They're all reasonably close. I picked 3 because I thought it sounded best during the tom fills and I thought #1 sounded the worst in those spots.

Could you also throw up a clip with the Waves SSL buss comp? I'd like to hear how that compares as well.

 

[Slate]

Thanks for posting. I haven't listened yet, but the fact that everyone has a different favorite is quite interesting!

Cheers,
Steven

 

[Ermz]

Poll ends in about 6 hours, so anyone wanting to share their thoughts, do it before the bias sets in!

 

[pikachu69]

I have never used a real comp of this kind and I don't own VBC (yet) so all I can say is what may fav one is based on listening.
Track 3.

 

[mespot]

If I listened to all four on record, the one I wouldn't buy would be no 1.

 

[hellraiser85]

Very hard to me to hear differences, but I think I prefer in this order: 4 - 3 - 2 - 1

 

[Max Morton]

Eager to know which is which. Will it be Ermz' 20000-th post?

 

[Melb_shredder]

1 - 3 - 4 - 2. My order of taste! After chatting to ermz, I can't wait til he chimes in

 

[Ermz]

Here are those results:

1 = Prime 4000E
2 = FG-Grey
3 = GSSL Ermz
4 = GSSL Chris

 

[Matt-Steele]

Ouch!

 

[Ermz]

While we wait for everyone to chime in, I'll say that I was impressed by the Prime. Even though it was just slapped on after the mix was built through another unit, it still brought the goods and presented the mix in a balanced way. Still bummed that I was too late to buy it, as it would've been a perfect complement to the outboard rack here. I enjoyed that it retained a sense of separation and high-end clarity over my unit, while still keeping the lows beefy.

I'm a bit hesitant to build another GSSL blindly, as I found out with the unit that Chris has (originally built for me). That unit just didn't work with my mixing style at all. I remember struggling with it for months before finally doing a swap back for my original. Chris of course took to the new one like wildfire and it complements what he does great. Likewise my unit has me back within my comfort zone. I do however need another, cleaner sounding SSL style 2-bus comp for mixing more technical material, and for mastering purposes, but doing another DIY build would just be tossing dice and hoping for the best.

 

[Max Morton]

A good (or evil?) thing VBC did for me was evoking massive GAS for a hardware 2-bus comp. And now I know exactly what I'm GASing for! Hope those Prime 4000e's are not that different from unit to unit.
Sad thing is that VBC just does not work for me at all, and even blind test proved that twice. Which means ... it's time to go OTB.