Introduction

About SSL Fusion Violet EQ

The SSL FUSION Violet EQ plug-in is a musical and intuitive two-band shelving EQ with minimum phase-shift.

SSL FUSION is a hardware mix bus processor, delivering five powerful analogue colouration tools — Vintage Drive, Violet EQ, HF Compressor, Stereo Image enhancer, and SSL Transformer — from SSL, the Masters of Analogue.

Key Features

• Modelled on the SSL Fusion Violet EQ processor
• First new SSL analogue EQ circuit for more than 25 years 
• Carefully selected frequencies and response curves 
• Includes the high-pass filter from the SSL Fusion hardware unit
• Four switched frequency points and +/- 9 dB attenuation 
• NEW: FAT button adds subtle 'oomph' to the low-end when the HPF is switched in
• ECO mode: drop into 'ECO' mode for reduced latency and CPU-use, for tracking and recording purposes 
• Modelled using a combination of real-life measurements, analogue circuit designs, and close collaboration with the original analogue designers of the SSL Fusion hardware and validated by real-world producers 
• Built on the SSL Plug-in Engine 
• NEW: Built-in help! Simply click the '?' symbol and mouseover the GUI for more information about each of the parameters 
• SSL’s cross-platform preset management and A/B-ing system 
• Built-in UNDO/REDO support 
• Comes with presets from world-class producers and engineers Adrian Hall, Sean Divine and Wez Clarke

Installation

We recommend using the SSL Download Manager application to to easily manage all SSL plug-in installations all from one place, on both macOS and Windows. In addition to easily installing, uninstalling or reinstalling individual or every SSL plug-in at the click of a button, the SSL Download Manager also provides you with detailed release notes and lets you know when updates are available.

You can also download offline installers for a plug-in from here.

All SSL plug-ins are supplied in VST, VST3, AU (macOS only) and AAX (Pro Tools) formats.

The installers provided (macOS Intel .dmg and Windows .exe) copy the plug-in binaries to the common VST, VST3, AU and AAX directories. After this, the host DAW should recognise the plug-in automatically in most cases. Simply run the installer and you should be good to go. You can find more information about how to authorise your plug-ins below.

Licencing

Visit iLok, Licensing and Activation for guidance in activating your SSL plug-in.

Using SSL Fusion Violet EQ

Interface Overview

The basic interface techniques for the Fusion Violet EQ are largely identical to those for the Channel Strip.

Presets

Switching between presets can be achieved by clicking the left/right arrows in the preset management section of the plug-in GUI, and by clicking on the preset name which will open the preset management display.

Preset Management Display

There are a number of options in the Preset Management Display:

• Load allows loading of presets not stored in the locations described above.
• Save As... allows for storage of user presets.
• Save as Default assigns the current plug-in settings to the Default Preset.
• Copy A to B and Copy B to A assigns the plug-in settings of one comparison setting to the other.

A-B Comparisons

The A B buttons at the base of the screen allows you to load two independent settings and compare them quickly. When the plug-in is opened, setting A is selected by default. Clicking the A or B button will switch between setting A and setting B.

UNDO and REDO functions allow undo and redo of changes made to the plug-in parameters.

Automation

Automation support for Fusion Violet EQ is the same as for the Channel Strip.

ECO Mode

If a plug-in has an ‘ECO’ button, this means that there’s some clever DSP, such as oversampling, going on under the hood. This is why it sounds so good!

Putting the plug-in into ECO mode drops the plug-in into a reduced latency and CPU-use mode - ideal for recording and tracking!

Built-In Help

As a traditional user guide, it’s not really in my best interests to mention this, but...

Click the ‘?’ and mouse over ANY control in the plug-in GUI to see some contextual help about that control

Interface Controls

               

Input Meter

Input metering from -60 to 0 dBFS, with 3s peak hold for a clear indication of peaks.

Input Trim

Applies a gain to the input signal.

Output Meter

Output metering from -60 to 0 dBFS, with 3s peak hold for a clear indication of peaks.

Output Trim

Applies a gain to the output signal.

HPF

The High Pass Filter removes sub-frequency content, using a 3rd order/18dB per octave slope filter.

‘FAT’

Adds subtle 'oomph' to the low-end when the HPF is switched in, by introducing a subtle resonance around the cut-off frequency.

Low Shelf

-9 to +9 dB of gain, the LOW band offers choices of 30, 50, 70 or 90 Hz.

High Shelf

-9 to +9 dB of gain, the HIGH band offers choices of 8, 12, 16 and 20 kHz.

Plug-in Bypass

The IN switch located in the EQ section provides an internal plug-in bypass. This allows for smoother In/Out comparisons by avoiding the latency issues associated with the host application’s Bypass function. The button must be ‘lit’ for the plug-in to be in circuit.

Tips & Tricks

The design of the Violet EQ module draws on the SSL legacy of carefully selected frequencies and response curves, to create a musical and intuitive EQ.

Full Mix Content

In the LOW band, full mixes tend to benefit from a modest amount of 30, 50 or 70 Hz to add weight.

In the HIGH band, 8 and 12 kHz 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 top and bottom-end - and the SSL Fusion’s Violet EQ module is designed specifically for that purpose!

‘FAT’ Control

The additional ‘FAT’ control drops the high-pass filter into ‘FAT’ mode. This mode subtly increase the HPF Q factor, introducing a gentle resonance and giving it 'oomph' to the low-end when the HPF is switched in.