Solid State Logic Fusion, User Manual

Page 1: ...Fusion This is SSL FUSION User Guide www solidstatelogic com ...

Page 2: ...acknowledged No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means whether mechanical or electronic without the written permission of Solid State Logic Oxford OX5 1RU England As research and development is a continual process Solid State Logic reserves the right to change the features and specifications described herein without notice or obligation Solid State Logic cannot be h...

Page 3: ...flavours difficult to achieve with digital emulations alone formed the base from which Fusion s five analogue colour circuits would be engineered The Analogue Hit List 1 A rich analogue EQ with gentle shelving filters 2 Smooth top end rounding in the analogue domain 3 Additional harmonics and gradual saturation that emerge from an analogue sweet spot 4 Wider stereo imaging with more depth via true...

Page 4: ...rt Me Up 7 Tutorial 8 Input Trim 8 HPF High Pass Filter 8 The 5 Colour Circuits 9 Vintage Drive 9 Violet EQ 11 HF Compressor High Frequency Compressor 12 Stereo Image 12 Transformer 13 Insert Standard Mode 14 Insert M S Mode 14 Bypass Standard Mode 14 Bypass Post I P Trim 14 Output Trim 14 Master Meter 15 FRONT PANEL SWITCHES 15 Settings Mode Factory Reset 16 Entering Settings Mode 16 Brightness 1...

Page 5: ...dix D Safety Notices 24 General Safety 24 Installation Notes 24 Power Safety 24 CE Certification 25 FCC Certification 25 RoHS notice 25 Instructions for disposal of WEEE by users in the European Union 25 Electromagnetic Compatibility 26 Environmental 26 Appendix E Selecting Mains Voltage 27 Changing the fuse from 115V to 230V 27 Changing the fuse from 230V to 115V 28 Appendix F Recall Sheet 29 ...

Page 6: ...uces subtle low frequency harmonics for added weight alongside a touch of added transformer sparkle in the highs Built In Insert Point with two modes of operation Stereo mode allows you to integrate additional outboard gear such as the SSL Bus Compressor Switchable pre post the VIOLET EQ Mid Side mode allows you to insert two different mono outboard processors across the mid and side signals of th...

Page 7: ...th a 230V or 115V power source Please see Appendix E Selecting Mains Voltage for details on how to check your fuse settings and change if necessary Rack Mounting Heat Ventilation Fusion is a 2U 19 rackmount piece of equipment designed to sit in the racking of a producer s desk or similar Fusion s no compromise design is powered by a toroidal transformer and as such the left hand side of the unit c...

Page 8: ...al Processing Custom Transformer Circuit Insert Point Switchable Pre Post EQ Violet EQ 2 band Shelving Filter Input Trim 12dB Output Trim 12dB Master Meter Bypass Switch Balanced Insert Sends IEC Power Inlet and Switch Balanced Insert Returns Fuse Operating Voltage Selection Balanced Inputs Balanced Outputs Warning Check the fuse orientation matches your supply voltage Warning The left hand side o...

Page 9: ...T Standard INSERT Standard Pre EQ INSERT M S Mode INSERT M S Mode Pre EQ HPF INSERT POINT VINTAGE DRIVE STEREO IMAGE VIOLET EQ TRANSFORMER HF COMPRESSOR HPF M S INSERT POINT VINTAGE DRIVE STEREO IMAGE VIOLET EQ TRANSFORMER HF COMPRESSOR HPF M S INSERT POINT VINTAGE DRIVE STEREO IMAGE VIOLET EQ TRANSFORMER HF COMPRESSOR HPF INSERT POINT VINTAGE DRIVE STEREO IMAGE VIOLET EQ TRANSFORMER HF COMPRESSOR...

Page 10: ... as a hardware insert in your DAW Alternative Setup Option If you do not use the hardware insert functionality in your DAW you can use the following method to integrate Fusion into your setup 1 Choose a pair of analogue inputs and outputs that are not being used on your audio interface e g outputs 3 4 and inputs 1 2 2 On your main DAW mix bus stereo output track make the output analogue 3 4 This e...

Page 11: ...n and an SSL Bus Compressor to your analogue desk or summing mixer 1 Connect the mix bus insert send outputs of your analogue desk summing mixer to Fusion s inputs 2 Connect the outputs of Fusion to the mix bus insert returns of your analogue desk summing mixer 3 Connect the insert send outputs on Fusion to the G Series Compressor inputs 4 Connect the outputs of the G Series Compressor to Fusion s...

Page 12: ...is you may need to start by adjusting the INPUT TRIM in order to achieve the best possible gain staging As a guide adjust the INPUTTRIM or DRIVE control until the VINTAGE DRIVE tri colour LED consistently lights green with occasional flickers of orange Similarly adjust the THRESHOLD control in the HF COMPRESSOR section so that it only occasionally flickers green in response to sibilance and harshn...

Page 13: ...levels you would deliver to a mastering engineer try pulling back the INPUT TRIM by 2 4dB first If you are using Fusion to add character to an individual stem try increasing the INPUT TRIM which will in turn drive the following VINTAGE DRIVE section even harder if engaged HPF High Pass Filter The High Pass Filter allows you to reduce sub frequency content in your mix The filter is a 3rd order 18dB...

Page 14: ...ous distortion which isn t desirable across a mix bus but can work well on individual stems The DENSITY pot is used to fine tune the type of effect the circuit produces Lower settings generally below 3 produce additional harmonics with an emphasis towards even order harmonics DENSITY settings between 2 and 3 can help add richness to a mix Medium to higher DENSITY settings from 3 onwards result in ...

Page 15: ...Density Example of additional harmonics generated using a 1kHz tone High Density VINTAGE DRIVE bypassed VINTAGE DRIVE engaged Example of the saturated compression effect introduced by medium to higher Density settings Right hand readout shows Fusion increase the RMS level with same Maximum Peak ...

Page 16: ...oices of 8kHz 12kHz 16kHz and 20kHz The gain pots are continuous with indents at the 12 o clock position 0dB and allow for 9dB of gain Full mixes tend to benefit from a modest amount of 30Hz 50Hz or 70Hz to add weight whilst 8kHz and 12kHz are good starting points for adding tasteful amounts of high end One of the most common practices in production is to mix into an EQ that adds a little bit of t...

Page 17: ...mixed you may not need to engage this circuit at all However when used subtly it can smooth harshness off in a very pleasing way On individual stems like bass guitars you can be more aggressive with it TIP A nice trick is to deliberately apply more high end than you would normally in the preceding VIOLET EQ section apply more gain on your chosen HIGH frequency and then use the HF COMPRESSOR to tam...

Page 18: ... of the transformer circuit is self contained so there is no advantage in driving the Input stage of Fusion to achieve more level through the transformer Also as is inherent with transformer designs extreme low end frequencies begin to be rolled off the more level is put through so bear this in mind Typically a level of 16dBu will see a 0 5dB roll off between 40Hz and 30Hz and this is quite often ...

Page 19: ...nal a common mastering technique Pressing the PRE EQ switch in this mode moves the insert to be before the Stereo Image circuit By default it is post the Stereo Image circuit Bypass Standard Mode The BYPASS switch allows you to bypass all of Fusion s processing blocks If the BYPASS switch is red then you are in standard BYPASS mode Use this to compare the sound of the mix with without Fusion in on...

Page 20: ... otherwise it will clip TIP When BYPASS is engaged the master meter automatically becomes an input level meter so you can see your incoming level in more detail FRONT PANEL SWITCHES The switches used in Fusion are solid state switches that trigger a single relay for audible feedback The benefit of this approach is that it allows for the front panel switches to be repurposed for additional function...

Page 21: ...rease the brightness press the VIOLET EQ IN switch If the VINTAGE DRIVE IN switch is not lit minimum brightness is reached If the VIOLET EQ switch is not lit maximum brightness is reached Factory setting maximum brightness Note The brightness setting does not affect the startup LED sequence or signal indicator LEDs found in the VINTAGE DRIVE and HF COMPRESSOR sections Relay Feedback Whilst in Sett...

Page 22: ...s points x1 the left bar meter is points x10 e g two LEDs lit on the left and six LEDs lit on the right means that the current highest score is 26 If the maximum score is reached the two top red LEDs are lit Factory reset does not affect the highest score for the unit 1 Press the flashing BYPASS switch to start a round 2 A random switch between the first four switches will light up briefly The rel...

Page 23: ...tup LED sequence Unique ID UID The UID is a five digit number Pressing any of the first five front panel switches allows the selection of any of the five digits of the UID The selected digit will be represented on the right main meter bar see table below 0 LEDs on current digit is 0 1 LED on current digit is 1 2 LEDs on current digit is 2 Hardware Revision To display the hardware revision of the b...

Page 24: ... was directly from Solid State Logic within a period of two months from the date on which you detected its lack of conformity with the terms of the warranty Please include your original proof of purchase when initiating the claim Within the EU Pursuant to the Solid State Logic Terms and Conditions under European consumer law the purchaser has full statutory warranty rights for two years from the d...

Page 25: ...2 9 inches total including front panel controls Height 88 9mm 3 5inches 2 RU Width 480mm 19 inches Power 50 Watts maximum 40 Watts typical Unboxed Weight 5 86kg 12 9lbs Boxed Size 550mm x 470mm x 225mm 21 7 x 18 5 x 8 9 Boxed Weight 9 6kg 21 2lbs Note All physical specification values are approximate Connectors ...

Page 26: ... all figures have a tolerance of 0 5dB or 5 Measurement Conditions Value Input Impedance 10kΩ Output Impedance 75Ω Max Input Level 1 THD 27 5 dBu Max Output Level 1 THD 27 5 dBu Frequency Response All circuits off 20Hz to 20kHz 3dB low rolloff 3dB high rolloff 0 05dB 5Hz 180kHz THD Noise All circuits off 20dBu 1kHz filter 22Hz to 22kHz Bypass 20dBu 1kHz filter 22Hz to 22kHz Vintage Drive Indicator...

Page 27: ...er filters BW 22Hz to 20kHz AES17 Generator 24dBu into one channel analyzer on the other channel generator connected but not active All circuits off bypass 1 kHz 20Hz 110dB 115dB typical 110dB typical Stereo Matching All circuits off Bypass Vintage Drive on 0 01dB 0 25dB typical ...

Page 28: ...23 Fusion User Guide Appendix C Appendix C System Block Diagram ...

Page 29: ...y this unit alterations may affect performance safety and or international compliance standards SSL does not accept liability for damage caused by maintenance repair or modification by unauthorised personnel Installation Notes When installing this apparatus either fix it into a standard 19 rack or place it on a secure level surface If the unit is rack mounted fit all rack screws Rack shelves are r...

Page 30: ...his equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment This equipment generates uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and if not installed and used in accordance with the...

Page 31: ...limate conditions Electromagnetic Compatibility EN 55032 2015 Environment Class A EN 55103 2 2009 Environments E2 E4 Audio input and output ports are screened cable ports and any connections to them should be made using braid screened cable and metal connector shells in order to provide a low impedance connection between the cable screen and the equipment WARNING Operation of this equipment in a r...

Page 32: ...A Voltage Rating 250 V AC Body Material Glass LBC Size 5mmx20mm 115V Current Rating 1A Voltage Rating 250 V AC Body Material Glass LBC Size 5mmx20mm Changing the fuse from 115V to 230V 1 Remove the IEC power cable from the IEC socket 2 Remove the fastening by leveraging a flat head screwdriver in the slot at the top of the fuse panel 3 Remove the fuse cartridge then remove the small metal link pla...

Page 33: ...emove the small metal link plate Place the link plate on the opposite side of the fuse cartridge you will need to remove the fuse to do this 4 Place the new fuse in the vacant slot on the opposite side of the fuse cartridge 5 Re orientate the fuse cartridge 180 degrees and reposition it so that the alternate operating voltage value is displayed through the slot in the fastening Re seal the fasteni...

Page 34: ...29 Fusion User Guide Appendix F Appendix F Recall Sheet ...

Page 35: ...Fusion This is SSL www solidstatelogic com ...