Solid State Logic manufactured 4000/ 6000/ 8000 consoles throughout the 80’s and 90’s and the vast majority of them are still out there and still working. We believe there are several good reasons for this.
- These consoles were hand built to a standard that just would not be affordable these days so they can be hand repaired; because of this incredible build quality the original cost of these desks was in the hundreds of thousands £’s. The price has now stabilized so that you can buy them for a few tens of thousand £’s instead.
- 4K/6K SSL will, if properly maintained, hold its value which cannot be said for any new console or DAW, which will lose half its value the minute it leaves the shop and after 5 years, just like a pc, has pretty much lost all its value.
- In terms of reliability these desks have stood the test of time and with the logical modular construction, using parts that are still available, they are infinitely maintainable and easily repairable.
- The 4K, 6Ks etc. are much more efficient on power consumption hence generate much less heat than the likes of the VRs and 9Ks so the capacitor failure rate and switch oxidation is significantly better.
- Your studio will have probably the most “industry standard” console in the world; this makes great sense particularly in a commercial environment. Since the 1980’s more music has probably been recorded on SSLs than any other high end console. (Remember that cheesy Billboard quote?)
- When you buy an SSL you don’t just get a desk, you get EQ and dynamics on every channel and the famous mix amp and compressor which coupled with the ergonomic design gives you a fantastic workflow – all of which adds up to the mojo “SSL sound” thing or whatever you want to call it.
