Nekotronics SSL compressor clone

Nekotronics has a new website as of 2022, please visit www.nekotronics.net

Nekotronics BussCat stereo 500 series mixbus compressor has been released

Here is the order page for the ssl G series 4000 compressor clone. Hopefully all questions will be answered and you can check out the sound samples.

Background

So if your not familiar with the compressor here’s a little info.

The Compressor comes from the classic SSL G 4000 console, in which it was a built in module. It’s also known as SSL buss compressor, 4000 compressor and the fx g384. It’s a solid state analog vca based design.

The compressor became well known as a great mix buss compressor & was used on countless hit records by famous engineers. Also sounds very good one drums. In the 90’s people were taking apart SSL desks to rack up the compressor. In response SSL released their own rack version. These became very sought after & will set you back about 2 or 3 grand. There have been newer revisions which are between 1 & 2 grand. Waves also released a vst version.

The compressor is probably best known as “the Glue” as when used as master insert when mixing it will just glue the track together giving it a smooth colour & more finished sound. This is known as mix buss compression & my main drive in building this, well drum buss use too!

So to sum up, classic compressor, very good as mix buss compressor & drum bus compressor.

the prototype clone pictured above.

The clone & building process

Each build takes a week to complete and four are made each month. Everything is hand made, from the case to each individual wire soldered. Parts are selected for the best performance and are of high quality. I use wima and panasonic FC gold caps for example. I take a lot of pride in my work and the little details bug me, so I do my best to ensure the quality is there inside and out.

Once all the building is done the clone has to pass a series of tests and finishes with a 24 hour burn in test.

The clone I’m offering is a part for part clone, meaning there are only a few slight changes to the design. These are in the power supply circuit, balanced in and out & simple improvements like gain make up bypass.

I’ve done a Huge amount of research in putting this together & have tried out different techniques in building. I’ve tried to get the look right with vintage meter & custom knobs like the original.

The sound is extremely close to the original & makes the plugin sound flat as hell!!! I rate it would be it would be to tell the difference between the original & clone.

Each of my clones will have a serial number. I can’t imagine making a huge amount of these so they will be one off pieces of gear.

The clone runs whisper quiet unlike many of the other clones out there. This is due to separated power rails and extra smoothing of the power rails.

Some spec info

6 ratio settings 1.5:1, 2:1, 4:1, 6:1, 8:1, 10:1
11 attack settings
6 release settings
4 HPF settings and external sidechain
Wet dry mix control
Turbo mod
Transformer mod with choice of Carnhill neve or edcor transformers switchable in or out
Smash mod (distortion overdrive mode that can be manipulated, think smashing drum overheads or room sound)
Sifam SSL knobs as standard
Silver anodised & machined aluminium case
Improved power supply
Improved internal design
Choice of colours on the knob caps and buttons

Sound Samples

I have some audio demos of the transformer mod and turbo, standard differences. Perfect for A/bing

http://www.nekotronics.net/SSL/SSL-standard-Turbo-demo.zip

http://www.nekotronics.net/SSL/SSL-Xformeroutmoddemo.zip

All the samples start with untreated sounds then I put the compressor in, there are 4 sections, drums, mix buss, vocals & acoustic guitar.

Mods & Customisation

So one big advantage of a clone us mods & customisation right!!! I’m open to suggestions too.

Buttons and knobs come is a wide range of colours and can be combined. just let me know what you would like.

High pass filter

The original had a tendency for compression to kick in too quickly if a bass heavy signal was used. This means it would compress bass more than the rest of the spectrum. This makes working with bass heavy stuff bit more difficult. Not ideal.

Solution is a high pass filter on the threshold sidechain. Frequency Options for the high pass filter are 80hz, 160hz or 300hz. I could even put in all three & make them selectable from the front panel. This doesn’t effect the signal just the compression threshold.

External sidechain input

Jack socket in the back for inputting external sidechain trigger. This would be switchable on the front on & off. Classic ducking and creative side chaining techniques..

Turbo (oxford) mods

The turbo mod duplicates the Sidechain of the compressor therefore making it stereo. To break this down a standard SSL has the stereo left and right channels summed to mono for the sidechain. This mod reverses this so it is stereo. Some people prefer the turbo mods and others don’t. Both have different behaviour. Mono sidechains can have more compression on bass and centre panned audio, stereo sidechains don’t but compression can happen if one side of the stereo field hits the threshold before the other. This mod is switchable from the front panel and can be installed with the HPF and external sidechain mods.

Sifam knobs

Sifam knobs that are exactly the same as real SSL ones. Standard is blue caps but come in a range of colours.

Neve Carnhill transformer mod

Neve carnhill transformers on an SSL… YES! Basically this mod adds a pair of transformers on the output. These can be switched in or out of the circuit from the front panel. They can also be used in bypass as a tool for colouring mixes. These transformers were picked out of a bunch of different brands due to them having just the right amount of colour for the master buss. Expect to hear bigger bottom end, smoother mids and a pleasant subtle sheen across the top end.

This mod has proved to be very popular!

Cost

There a few clones out there on the market at the moment, some commercial, some diy. Commercial units are nearly the cost of an original, about £3500+.

I’ve kept the cost down by bulk buying parts & not making much profit for making the units. To me it has to be affordable!!!

The fully modded MK1 has been discontinued and replaced by the MK2. The MK2 is fully modded plus even more extras. Sorry, the new fancy website is taking a lot longer to be ready so the current one is out of date. The MK2 have been shipping for a while, over 100 have sold. Below is the stats of the new MK2 version.

6 ratio settings 1.5:1, 2:1, 4:1, 6:1, 8:1, 10:1
11 attack settings
6 release settings
4 HPF settings and external sidechain
Wet dry mix control
Turbo mod
Transformer mod with choice of Carnhill neve or edcor transformers switchable in or out
Smash mod (distortion overdrive mode that can be manipulated, think smashing drum overheads or room sound)
Sifam SSL knobs as standard
Silver anodised & machined aluminium case
Improved power supply
Improved internal design
Choice of colours on the knob caps and buttons

The price is £900 as of 2021

Shipping

I am happy to ship anywhere in the uk using courier (DPD or UPS) it will cost roughly £20-25 for next day insured delivery uk. I can ship internationally and have successfully sent units to USA, Canada, Japan, Finland, Iceland, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Ireland, Israel and more. The clones will be wired to work on your countries voltage.

Ordering

All orders are now processed via Nekotronics, a company I setup for all clone and repair work. You will receive invoices and confirmation from Nekotronics.

The ordering process works as follows. Each clone takes 1 week to make and is made to order. If there’s a few orders there will be a waiting list. A deposit of 50% of the total amount is required to secure a build slot. The rest, along with the shipping, is due on completion. Build slots fill up fast and is based on a first come first served basis.

Everything is handled with paypal or bank transfer, which ever you feel comfortable with.

To order just drop me an email at hello@nekotronics.net title SSL clone. Remember to say what mods or customisations you want doing. Also any questions please email me.

The clone will be covered via warranty with Nekotronics for 1 year. This covers any failure of the unit build or part wise. I will offer support/servicing for these indefinitely and expect them to be around for a long time!

Waiting list