Mixing just with the SSL Channels

[nebraskafire]

Hi, when I watch people mix in reason they putting all the effects and EQs in the insert section. Does someone just use the channel strip to mix songs?

[marcuswitt]

Hi, when I watch people mix in reason they putting all the effects and EQs in the insert section. Does someone just use the channel strip to mix songs?

Sure, for some of the songs I’ve mixed in Reason, there was no need for additional insert effects. I got to say that those songs were recorded very professionally so that I didn’t have to ‘repair’ things in the phase of mixing.
Since the Main Mixer provides you with a solid set of tools and signal routing options - you can even build a De-Esser by using only the Main Mixer if you like to - you can use all these things to your advantage without slapping any effects into the Insert slot.

[crimsonwarlock]

There is a great YouTube series on mixing in Reason that focuses mainly on the SSL-mixer. The series is full of mixing tricks and ideas as well.

[mcatalao]

Even after spending more than 3000 eur on plugins, i still start all my mixes only with the main mixer compressor and eq.
It's so fast to work there, and super tight!

[DJMaytag]

I still use certain plugins in my synth combinators, and stick EQ's into the insert slots (mostly FF Pro-Q3). I was initially hesitant to use the channel strip EQ's, but have found them to get me 90% of the way there now, such that I don't need a Pro-Q3 on every channel now.

[miscend]

I was watching Andy Wallace on MWTM and he mixes entire songs on an SSL board with little or no outboard (apart from a few rack fx units like delays and reverb). So if he can deliver great mixes for Linkin Park and Nirvana using a minimalist approach there is no reason why you can't do the same in Reason.

Reason's SSL is competitive with other channel strips from the likes of Plugin Alliance and Waves, the main difference is those use saturation and over-sampling at the expense of much higher CPU usage per channel. Just note that Reason is based on the 9000 series whereas most VSTs are based on the older 4000.

[selig]

I’m biased, as the SSL was only the second console I learned (on the job). It was, at the time, SO far beyond the simpler consoles that preceded it that I wouldn’t call mixing on it “minimalist” from the perspective at the time. It had so many ‘bells and whistles’ most engineers in the early 80s were writing it off. First comment I heard was “it’s great, when it actually works”, so it didn’t even have a solid reputation early on.
The idea of mixing “only on the SSL” was like going into a huge music store and saying “you can only use the instruments in the store”. Kid in a candy shop level IMO!
Yea you would still need some outboard, but many studios at the time had at most 3-4 of each basic type of outboard gear. 3-4 reverbs, delays, gates, compressors, EQs, etc. and that was it.

So yea, I’m biased because working that way was literally how I learned to mix. That said, why limit yourself other than to test the limits of the SSL (and yourself). You can always go as far as possible using only the SSL, which will help you learn what it’s good at and when there are better options available. But once you know what works for you, you can know when to reach for the plugins and when to stick with the console (which can work amazingly well in many cases IMO).

[chimp_spanner]

Yeah sometimes I do this to get me in the right ballpark. You just need to remember to enable the Inserts Pre button as anything you do in the SSL will happen before it hits things like distortion, modulation, etc. that you may use in the inserts slot (unless of course that's what you want to do!).

[Popey]

I find the channel strips really useful to add compression and eq to a sound and use them a lot in my own work. They allow basic sculpture quickly when I am getting ideas together.

On most occasions this is perfect for the sound itself and if required I will then turn to a dynamic eq for sidechain purposes.

[cocoazenith]

Hi, when I watch people mix in reason they putting all the effects and EQs in the insert section. Does someone just use the channel strip to mix songs?

I do

That's not to say i'm super satisfied with the results and not always feeling like i'm missing out.

I just find the SSL way more immediate for my anxiety ridden self. I use the pop-up window for EQ
and the mixer view for compression, gain, pan and levels. Avoiding the rack as much as I can.
Always too much happening there for my sore eyes and my small screen.

If they'd improve the filters on the mixer and include a couple of knobs from the other sections in the pop-up window I'd be over the moon!

[miyaru]

In Reason I mix with the SSL mixer, reverb and delay added in the sends/returns. Sometimes, I use master insert FX too…..

I find the mixer has a good overview what is going on, and it is tidy to have all the mixing tools in one screen.