SSL Guide

Launch the 'AWS924-948 Remote' utility.
From the 'Projects' tab, right click the 'Projects' header at the top of the project tree and select 'Restore Project'
Locate 'Blank.zip' in the 'Documents' folder
Right click the 'Blank (restored)' project and select 'Rename'
Enter your name, student number or any other unique identifier for your session.

tip: For long term projects, you should back up your desk project and restore it when needed. The console project list will be deleted regularly.

Recall the desk to your new blank project

Ensure you are in 'Analog Focus' mode (blue up/down arrow button illuminated)
In the SSL desk in-built screen area, select 'PROJ'. Locate and load your new blank project.
select 'TR' then 'SCAN'. The console will now be in Total Recall Auto Scan mode
The console will start at channel 1 and check for controls that do not match the saved project. Auto Scan will pause until a mismatch is corrected.
If a channel is mismatched, start by double-tapping the fader button. This will automatically correct software controlled or motorised fader settings.
Any other controls that do not match will have to be corrected manually. Refer to the console in-built screen to locate mismatched controls.
Auto Scan will resume once all controls and settings are corrected
Continue until the entire desk has been recalled

Set up Pro Tools

When creating a new session for recording in the SSL studio, please remember to select the 'AWS Mono' I/O setting in the dashboard.
If your session was created in another studio, you may need to open the I/O Setup dialog and re-map your busses to the appropriate outputs available in the SSL studio

Channel Path

Ensure all channels are set to 'in-line tracking' mode
Engage 48V on the channel strip if required.
Ensure channel path level (represented by the channel V-Pot) is at unity
Adjust mic preamp gain to taste, referring to the left channel meter, the HD I/O meters and the corresponding Pro Tools track meter

Monitor Path

Start with the main monitor level pot turned all the way down (in case things get loud without warning)
Push up the channel fader to around unity gain
In the 'Main Stereo Busses' section at the bottom right of the console, ensure the main fader is assigned to the 'Mix' bus
In the monitor section, ensure 'Mon Src' is set to 'Mix'
In the 'LS Select' section, select either 'Mini A' for the Dynaudio LYD 8 monitors, or 'Mini B' for the Yamaha NS-10Ms
You may now turn up the main monitor level.

Headphone Mix

Push the 'Cue A' pot on the channel(s) you wish to send to the headphones
Turn up the 'Cue A' level pot
Ensure the 'Cue A' master level (top right side of console) is at unity
Locate the Foldback A section, labelled as 'F/B A', and engage the 'Cue A' button
Turn up Foldback A level
Check the headphone amp, it should now be receiving signal.
For talkback, turn up the 'TB to Foldback' to taste and engage the appropriate communications button (TB ALL, F/B A or F/B B)

Patching Inserts

In the 'CHAN' page of the in-built display, you can place the insert point in either the channel or monitor path (when using in-line modes) by pressing the 'INS' soft key
Patch from the channel insert send to the input of the outboard equipment. In in-line tracking mode, use the left side of the send for channel path and the right side for monitor path.
Return the signal from the outboard equipment to the corresponding channel insert return.
On the relevant channel, engage the 'INS' switch (located in the EQ section)

cool tip - the insert send is always active. The 'INS' switch only engages the return.

cool tip #2 - the insert point is after the EQ section. It can be moved before the EQ by pressing the 'PRE' button in the EQ section

Using the onboard dynamics

On the meter bridge, locate the dynamics assignment section for the appropriate channel. There are four switches - 'IP', 'OP', '1' and '2'
Select either '1' or '2' to assign either of the onboard dynamics modules to the desired channel
Locate the appropriate dynamics module and engage the 'IN' switch
For compression, Increase the ratio (clockwise) and decrease the threshold (clockwise)
Gain reduction is displayed on the meters in the dynamics module.

cool tip - the threshold of the compressor only goes down to -20dB, so you may need to increase the signal level prior to the compressor

cool tip #2 - stereo channels will utilise both modules

uncool tip - if the dynamics module is moved between channel or monitor path while assigned, it will lose its assignment

Aux sends for reverb

On the patch bay, locate the FX sends. Patch from a spare FX send to the left (mono) input of the Lexicon PCM96
Patch the left and right outputs of the PCM96 to one of the four stereo returns
Locate the FX send control on the channel(s) you wish to send to the reverb unit. Push to enable and increase level until the PCM96 input level meter displays signal.
Locate the stereo return that the reverb is patched into. Engage the 'MIX' button and increase the 'Level' control.

cool tip - FX sends per channel can only be either FX1 or FX3, and FX2 or FX4. You can switch each FX send by holding the 'ALT/EFX SEL' and pressing the FX send control.

cool tip #2 - Send reverb into the artists headphones by engaging the 'FB A' and/or 'FB B' switches in the stereo return section and increasing the 'STUDIO' level.

Mixing Setup

Mixing with mono channels

You may use the normal recording setup (in-line tracking with the 'AWS Mono' Pro Tools I/O setting) for mixing with the console operating as a set of mono channels.

The 'in-line mixing' mode allows you to record 24 mix channels individually back into Pro Tools via the channel outputs ('CHOP'). This setup requires the 'flip' switch to be engaged, so that the channel path is set to line input. Additionally, a different I/O setting (where Pro Tools outputs 1-24 are odd outputs 1,3,5,7....47) is used to operate in this mode.

Mixing with stereo channels

The console can be set to operate as 24 stereo channels for mixing purposes with the appropriate Pro Tools I/O setting. Pro Tools stereo output pairs will feed the left and right side of each channel (eg: PT outputs 1-2 = SSL channel 1 L+R). The channel V-Pot will now act as pan, and the pan pot will function as a width control.

WARNING: it is possible to create uncontrolled feedback when a Pro Tools input/output pair (eg: in 1/out1) are connected via a record-enabled or input-monitoring audio track or an aux input track. This has resulted in blown tweeters in the monitors at least once before.

Printing the mix bus

Patch from the mix bus outputs (left and right) to a pair of Pro Tools inputs (for example, 23-24)
Create a stereo audio track in Pro Tools with the same pair of inputs
Set the output of this track to a pair of unused SSL channels (eg: 23-24)
Mute and/or turn down those console channels (to avoid a feedback loop)
Patch from the selected Pro Tools outputs to one of the SSL external stereo inputs (eg: EXT B 1 Left + Right)
In the monitoring section, select EXTB
In the function keys section, press EXTB to display all external b inputs, then select the option that corresponds to your patching
Record enable your new Pro Tools print track and begin recording to print

You are now monitoring the output of the print track. If you wish to hear your current desk mix, you can set your print track to input-monitoring

Using track busses for grouping/stemming

The position of the track bus output is indicated on the in-built screen with 'TRK'. You may need to move it depending on the currently selected channel mode
Each channel may be assigned to track busses 1-8 with the track bus selector buttons on the meter bridge
The 'PRE' button will allow the track bus output to receive the signal before the channel fader
If the 'PAN' button is engaged, odd/even track bus output pairs (eg: 1&2, 3&4) will incorporate the channel's panning information
Track bus outputs 1-8 are available on the patch bay

Cool ideas for utilising track busses - printing stereo stems back into Pro Tools or setting up parallel compression across a set of drum channels

Additional Information

Studio Connection Diagram

Resources

SSL AWS 924/948 Owners Manual [from the SSL website]

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